Hi Frugalistas! An important part of my travel philosophy is choosing the right hotel. I know that for some people a hotel is just somewhere to sleep and leave their bags. But not me. I like to make my hotel an integral part of my experience anywhere I visit. I also want the best quality […]
Where ladies take tea in Ottawa
Hi Frugalistas! This week’s midweek postcard comes from Canada. But I’m not returning to Quebec and all that lovely Quebecois culture. Instead, I’m heading to Ottawa this week for some afternoon tea. Regular readers will know how much I love afternoon tea. So when I was in Ottawa with my great friend, Vanessa, from […]
How French is Quebec?
Hi Frugalistas! Being the true Francophile I am I was desperately keen to visit Quebec on my recent trip to Canada. The question I was interested in exploring, and answering, was “how French is Quebec?” I don’t consider myself an expert at all on the topic of Quebec or Quebecois culture. But I did spend […]
A unique experience in Quebec City
Hi Frugalistas! When I was discussing my itinerary with Quebec Tourisme for my trip to Canada, I set them a task. I wanted to visit somewhere I wouldn’t find in a guide book. You know how I love finding and highlighting those little pearls that no one else knows about. Well, they delivered. They found […]
The 10 best foods in Quebec
Hi Frugalistas! Regular readers will know how much I love eating local foods, and drinking local drinks. I find it one of the best ways to understand a place and its people. So much history and culture is tied to food. So when I was visiting Montreal and Quebec City trying local food, and drinking […]
Why you need to make a day trip to Ile d’Orleans
Hi Frugalistas! While I’m definitely a city girl, I do love getting away from the city and enjoying the countryside. Researching my trip to Quebec City led me to the Ile d’Orleans. Just a few kilometres from central Quebec City, the Ile d’Orleans is an easy way to visit the Quebec countryside without going too far […]
A fun food walking tour in Quebec City
Hi Frugalistas! Regular readers will know that I love exploring food when I travel. One of my favourite ways to explore food is to take a food walking tour. You get to spend a few hours with a local, eat food you wouldn’t dare taste otherwise (anyone remember my sheep’s head or chicken pudding in […]
The English library in Quebec City
Hi Frugalistas! Hidden in a quiet corner of central Quebec City is a quintessentially English building, with a quintessentially English library. The Morrin Centre was originally a jail, then a College, before finally becoming the only English library in Quebec City. I loved looking around this little corner of England right in the tres francais […]
Speaking French in Quebec
Hi Frugalistas! I take regular French lessons but don’t have a lot of opportunity to practice speaking French in Australia. One of the things I was excited about doing was speaking French in Quebec on my recent trip to Canada. I hadn’t been to a French speaking country since I was in Paris in […]
A French Chateau in Montreal
Hi Frugalistas! If you Google the search term “chateau in Montreal” there are a plethora of results. Most of them are hotels in Montreal. Some of them are hotels in the Dordogne. One is even a kebab shop! But look carefully and there is one French chateau in Montreal in those Google searches. The Chateau […]