Tagged With "Quebec City"
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Re: Notes and Noticings from the road
Actually, I think the banks have a fairly minimal (as small as I can make it) impact on my currency transactions, in part because I never deal with exchanges; I use bank ATMs. That way, the exchange takes place not on my account, but as an interbank transaction at the base rate banks use with each other. I used to use my ATM card from Citibank, but eventually they began charging a 3% foreign exchange fee even on withdrawals. At that point, I opened an account with Charles Schwab, a brokerage...
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Re: Montreal: Je Me Souviens
Re the name "Montreal": there is a town in France with the same name so it is not certain that the City of Montreal is called that because of Mont Royal. Apart from that small quibble, I heartily agree with all you have written about my home city. Oh, wait ... it really isn't so that "almost everyone speaks English quite well". Venture east of Blvd St Laurent and you'll soon find that isn't the case. But then the average visitor, unless by accident, will not find him/herself in the part of...
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Re: Montreal: Je Me Souviens
Thanks for your note, Arion! I really didn't run into anyone in Montreal who couldn't speak some English. My French is weak at best, but got by here. That certainly wasn't the case as we headed further east. Maybe we can convince you to do a piece on the "hidden Montreal" -- the places only locals know about. I'd like to explore some of them the next time I'm there.
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Re: Montreal: Je Me Souviens
Yes Arion,please do. There are a lot of us US travelers that are really unfamiliar with what our great neighboring country has to see.
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Re: Montreal: Je Me Souviens
I'll give it some thought while cruising the Hawaiian Islands later this month, if I have a minute when not learning to hula dance, eat poi and look down into volcano craters. Aloha from Montreal, in the Province of Quebec where our provincial government wants to pass a law making it illegal for Muslim women to wear the hijab, for Jewish men to wear the skull cap (forget the proper name) and for South Asian men to wear turbans, if they work in government institutions (i.e. schools,...
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Re: Montreal: Je Me Souviens
A word of warning about poi. It's even more tasteless than you've heard.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Is Montreal a French speaking area of Canada or is it multi-lingual ? I've heard that French tourists have difficulty with Canadian French. Any thoughts ?
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Montreal is multilingual, although most natives speak French as their primary language. You can easily get by here with only English and it's a great city to visit. That's not true in the smaller villages of rural Quebec where you might find it difficult to find someone who doesn't speak French. Canadian French split off from continental French 400 years ago, and the two versions of the language have diverged somewhat over the years. I don't speak much French so I really can't give you many...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Montreal... my hometown!! When visiting the Olympic Stadium/Botanical Garden you should also take the opportunity to visit the Insectarium, the Planetarium rio tinto alcan and my favorite the Biodome. Information to all these can be found on the same website as the Botanical Garden. Enjoy!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Hi Vivie! TravelGumbo loves Montreal! It's such a great city!! Thanks for the tips on other things to see and do in the city. The insectarium is especially cool to see if you have kids who love to look at "gross stuff". These were some of my favorite specimens!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Yes Montreal is great. Wish I could go back more often. The fun thing about these attractions is while they are all near one another, there is also a metro station nearby. Cheaper than the taxi and an experience in itself. This is only the tip of the iceberg...so much more to see and experience.
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Re: Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec
Beautiful pic Rob! Here's one i took a couple days ago.
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Re: Montmorency Falls (Chute Montmorency), Quebec. Where Gumbo was #52
It is beautiful. I think I was there about 38 years ago on a family trip after the Olympics. The cliffs and height of the fall gave me the St. Lawrence (after your last clue), but I could figure the exact place. Good Job!
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Re: Canada: See it all while you're young (Summer Rail Passes)
That is a good value, esp. for those who traveling across the country and who can use the pass extensively for 2 months.
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Re: Canada: See it all while you're young (Summer Rail Passes)
I love youth passes . It fosters a lifelong love of travel. I'm sure this a good value but still seems high for youths on a limited budget
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Re: Canada: See it all while you're young (Summer Rail Passes)
A one way flight from Vancouver to the east coast of Canada might run you $700.00. Remember, you're talking about distance of almost 4000 mi/6000 km between Vancouver and Halifax. Travels north towards the Yukon and NWT are also expensive, so if you will actively travel for 2 months, this is a good value.
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Re: Canada: See it all while you're young (Summer Rail Passes)
Yes ,a good value ,but I'm still nostalgic for the old Eurail youth passes in Europe. Now it's the budget airlines in Europe that make travel within Europe a complete bargain compared to North America.
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Re: Canada to New Citizens: Travel your new country!
I think it's a great idea. The country is so large and varies so much fro region to region, it takes a long time to explore all it has to offer.
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Re: Icelandair adds Montreal as 5th Canadian city
I've flown Icelandair several times. The fares are reasonable but there's nothing exceptional about the flight experience except the opportunity to visit Iceland at no extra charge. THAT is well worth doing!
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
This is spectacular. A good example of one of those places that is just sitting there, not really getting a lot of attention from US travelers.
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
Thanks for the note, Chatterbot2. Yes, Quebec is relatively under-touristed, especially when compared to Europe. If you want to visit a 400 year old European stype fortress, don't want to fly across the Atlantic, want to go to place where French is the dominant language, want great food and friendly folks, then Quebec City should be at the top of your travel list.
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
The Quebecois were very amused at my attempts to speak French. It is always great to see people laugh.
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
They may laugh, Chatterbot2, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that your fumbling attempts to speak their language melted their hearts. You were a valued guest, if not one of them, after trying.
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
Monsieur, vous êtes très gentil de le dire. I do try to make a stab at the local language wherever I travel. Around the world, people are amazingly patient with my mangling of their language. It does create good entertainment. Almost always, my puzzled efforts put people at ease. They are instantly willing to help "the poor confused thing".
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, November 11, 2014: Hotel Tadoussac, Quebec
What a charming and colourful Hotel DrF ! Reminds me - again - of some of the vast distances you travel in Canada. My Canadian cousin drives 200 miles for a night at the Theatre ! And 200 back ! Did you venture into the hotel for a few photos ? And definitely worth a few snaps in the snow. 200 miles in most directions and I'd be swimming around the UK.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, November 11, 2014: Hotel Tadoussac, Quebec
It is a great place, Garry, and no, I didn't get inside (was traveling with my then younger children who weren't interested in going in, much to my regret). But I expect the lobby will be every bit as appealing as the exterior. And I'm not sure looking at those white walls in the snow wouldn't blind you.....
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Re: Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec. Where Gumbo was, #73
Tastefully rebuilt to maintain its original style.
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Re: Gallery: Signs of Quebec
Were these pix taken in one area of Quebec or are they typical of the City ?
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Re: Gallery: Signs of Quebec
They were all taken in the historic area of Quebec City, Garry, which is not that large an area. Probably geographically in a square mile area or less.
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Update: Loyalty Programs and Credit Cards
For some of us, credit cards are more than a convenient way to pay—they are the lifeline to free travel through loyalty programs. Between points for purchases and bonuses for opening or upgrading credit card accounts, it's possible to get quite...
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Montreal: Je Me Souviens
There are many great cities to visit in Canada, two of my favorites (for different reasons) being Vancouver and Montreal. Vancouver has one of the most breath-takingly beautiful settings of any city in the world, and I’ll be discussing it...
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Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
Quebec, like New York, is both a city and a state (or rather, a province). It’s an island of French heritage and culture within our Anglo-North American continent. We combined this visit with stops in Montreal and...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Montreal is one of Canada's great cities and one of North America's oldest. It offers many fun things to see and do and, of course, wonderful food to be enjoyed as Montreal is Canada's capital of cuisine. One of the more interesting...
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Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec. Where Gumbo was, #73
Gumbo was visiting the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, a massive church set near the banks of the St. Lawrence River in the Canadian province of Quebec. Congratulations to GarryRF for being the first to recognize the site, and...
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The Acadian Museum of Quebec in Bonaventure
Travel Rob learns about the history of Acadians in Quebec
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Canada to New Citizens: Travel your new country!
Quebec City...one of the popular visits for new Canadians. For more, click HERE Canada has a novel gift for its new citizens: a 50%-off railpass to get to know the country's sights and beauty spots, and a menu of over 1200 free cultural...
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Bombardier gets huge Cash infusion from the Quebec Government
Canadian aerospace company, Bombardier, has developed a new larger series of single aisle aircraft (its Cseries) designed to compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, but the aircraft is 2 years behind schedule and its parent company...
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April 16, 2018: Montmorency Falls, Quebec
Today's Pic of the Day features the beautiful Montmorency Falls in Quebec
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, September 22, 2014 : Lady's Slipper Orchid, Quebec
Most people orchids are tropical plants, and they are, but they're certainly not limited to places with warm climates. I was surprised to learn in recent years that there are large numbers of orchids growing in colder and harsher...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, November 11, 2014: Hotel Tadoussac, Quebec
Situated about a three hour drive east of Quebec City, near the mouth of Saguenay Fjord where it enters the mighty St. Lawrence River, Tadoussac is a pretty and charming town in French Canada. Today's it's best known as a whale-watching destination...
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Montmorency Falls (Chute Montmorency), Quebec. Where Gumbo was #52
This photo proved to be challenging, although Jonathan L figured out where it was -- just didn't put a name to it. That's a view of the Montmorency River as enters the great St. Lawrence River, 13 km (about 10 miles) east of Quebec City....
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Canada: See it all while you're young (Summer Rail Passes)
VIA Rail Canada, the national rail network, is running two specials for youth 12-25 (or 26+ with ISIC card) this summer. Both offer unlimited rail travel between July 1 and August 31. For $499, you get the Quebec-Windsor Corridor; for $999 you get...
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Aug. 15, 2016: Aquarium du Quebec: Fun & Wonder
Travel Rob shares the fun he had at the Aquarium du Quebec with us.
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When Debit and Credit Cards aren't your best traveling choices
Recently PHeymont wrote a nice article on how to pay for things while traveling abroad which I'd recommend you familiarize yourself with (click here ) before reading the rest of this blog post. I largely agree with what he posted, but...
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Up, Up and Away: Airline miles cards with big bonuses
Up, up and away—quickly! That’s the goal for many frequent fliers, and a current round of cards for various airlines is offering some big bonuses to meet that goal…some of them enough for a round-trip to Europe in one shot. Right...
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Icelandair adds Montreal as 5th Canadian city
Icelandair adds 4-a-week service to Canada's 2nd-largest city, opening not only access to Iceland, but a new gateway to Europe for Canadians.
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Re: April 16, 2018: Montmorency Falls, Quebec
I enjoy the majesty and power of large waterfalls. I remember a sign but not the location that said something like not to walk on the slippery rocks because you will fall into the forceful currents, then be swept over the falls, and then you will die.