Québec City, Québec

It's hard to believe Québec is in Canada, the only real indicator is the extreme cold. In the coming months I'll be able to directly compare with France (and I'm sure they would have something to say about my similarité perçue), but after spending time in Québec it feels like I've already visited. I've had a few -25°C days on my trip so far, but after my first day in Québec with howling winds causing windchill of -40°C, I've now got a whole new appreciation (and the first common cold of the trip, hooray!). Even without windchill it seems funny that if I hopped on a plane back home, the temperature would increase by 50 degrees, which sounds lovely right now — I've had more than a handful "Frenchies" chuckle that I've turned up in Février.

Despite sitting in the city centre, everywhere still feels very quaint. There is the odd hustle and bustle, but for the most part you get an authentic old-town experience walking around all the tiny side streets, marveling the incredible architecture — and I have been doing a lot of walking. I was absolutely spoiled on my second day here, not a cloud in the sky, zero wind, and at only -10° it honestly felt like summer. My lovely leather boots however are now completely white, covered in salt they coat the roads with to deter ice. I've spent next to nothing in Québec; I suppose the old adage the best things in life are free holds true. I've also been inspired by all the Café's hiding away, delicatessens and whats on offer at the local grocery, and have been cooking up a storm in the hostel kitchen each night. Gnocchi, vegetable, tomato soup with garlic croutons... Pan-fried fresh Atlantic salmon with a Manuka honey, soy, ginger lemon glaze... and tonight I've bought a couple reasonably marbled eye fillets and a tonne of different ingredients for a nice salad. Far from french cuisine, but a cut above what else seems to be cooking in the hostel kitchen for the most part. Bon appétit!

I have no idea most of the names of the places I've been visiting within Québec. Sharing stories of an evening I'm breaking out the mimes, diagrams and describing shapes and locations of buildings, rather than name them. I'm terrible at this Français business; limited to bonjour, merci, se il vous plaît, très bon and parlez-vous anglais, without much hope of anything further. I'm picking up things like street signs; arrêtez, sortie etc, but speaking it is a whole new ball game. I found Japanese pronunciation and phrases quite easy to pick up — I blend in well here, that is until I open my mouth.

I'm heading back to Montreal tomorrow by train for a couple more days. I'll upload those photo's once I've rounded up my time there (with promise of a further handful of great squirrel shots). Au revoir!