One attraction that we did not want to miss while in the Beaupré area was the forest immersion experience at Canyon Sainte-Anne. Just a 15-minute drive from our hotel is a spectacular steep-sided canyon carved out of a 1.2 billion-year-old bedrock by a majestic waterfall that has a 74-meter drop. The site sits on the edge of the Beaupré Coast and the Charlevoix regions of Quebec, and is part of the Canadian Shield. It was discovered by the McNicoll Brothers who were there in

The beautiful town of Beaupré has been in existence since the beginning of the New France colony. Located along the Saint Lawrence River and Route 138 at the mouth of the Sainte-Anne-du-Nord River, it has captured the attention of Breton sailors in the 17 th  century when they landed on the coastal plains of Québec. They reputedly exclaimed, “Oh, le beau pré (Oh, the beautiful meadow)!”  And that’s how the name came to be, which I think is just perfect. Its most famous landma

Île d’Orléans is but a small island on the Saint-Lawrence River about five kilometers east of downtown Québec City, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life and the tourist mob, but its historical and cultural significance cannot be discounted. In fact, diminutive as it is in the whole province of Québec, it is considered the “Birthplace of New France” and the “Cradle of French civilization in North America.” Île d’Orléans was one of the first parts of the province that

Île d’Orléans is but a small island on the Saint-Lawrence River about five kilometers east of downtown Québec City, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life and the tourist mob, but its historical and cultural significance cannot be discounted. In fact, diminutive as it is in the whole province of Québec, it is considered the “Birthplace of New France” and the “Cradle of French civilization in North America.” Île d’Orléans was one of the first parts of the province that

Île d’Orléans is but a small island on the Saint-Lawrence River about five kilometers east of downtown Québec City, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life and the tourist mob, but its historical and cultural significance cannot be discounted. In fact, diminutive as it is in the whole province of Québec, it is considered the “Birthplace of New France” and the “Cradle of French civilization in North America.” Île d’Orléans was one of the first parts of the province that

Île d’Orléans is but a small island on the Saint-Lawrence River about five kilometers east of downtown Québec City, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life and the tourist mob, but its historical and cultural significance cannot be discounted. In fact, diminutive as it is in the whole province of Québec, it is considered the “Birthplace of New France” and the “Cradle of French civilization in North America.” Île d’Orléans was one of the first parts of the province that

Île d’Orléans is but a small island on the Saint-Lawrence River about five kilometers east of downtown Québec City, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life and the tourist mob, but its historical and cultural significance cannot be discounted. In fact, diminutive as it is in the whole province of Québec, it is considered the “Birthplace of New France” and the “Cradle of French civilization in North America.” Île d’Orléans was one of the first parts of the province that

Île d’Orléans is but a small island on the Saint-Lawrence River about five kilometers east of downtown Québec City, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life and the tourist mob, but its historical and cultural significance cannot be discounted. In fact, diminutive as it is in the whole province of Québec, it is considered the “Birthplace of New France” and the “Cradle of French civilization in North America.” Île d’Orléans was one of the first parts of the province that

Waterfalls always strike me with awe, whether I am viewing it from afar, from above, from below, or from behind. They carry with them an air of might and majesty, and at the same time evoke a whiff of magic and mystery. Behind the curtain of gushing waters, it is not difficult to picture enchanted fairies frolicking in the mist. I have, in fact, taped two fantasy-inspired television show episodes near the waterfalls when I was working in television production in the Philippin

We arrived in Québec City shortly before noon, after making a brief stop at Montmorency Falls. (And by "brief stop," I meant a roundtrip ride on the gondola just to see the falls up close and then take photos. There was no opportunity to do anything else because of the inclement weather that gradually brewed that morning and surprised us with a sudden burst.) Since it was pouring rain, we headed straight to the Notre-Dame du Quebec Basilica. Built in 1647, it prides itself to

After a few hours of driving, we finally reached Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, a small town along the Saint-Lawrence River and around 35 kilometers east of Québec City. We were there to visit another national shrine, the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, dedicated to Saint Anne, our Blessed Mother’s mother and the grandmother of Jesus. Every year, half a million pilgrims are said to go there, and it has been credited by the Catholic Church with many miracles of curing the sick and

After seeing a bit of Montréal, we took my aunt for a long drive to visit other parts of Quebec, with emphasis, of course, on religious shrines. We stopped at Trois-Rivières to see the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-du-Cap  (Our Lady of the Cape Shrine). It is Canada’s national shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the five national shrines in the country, and the third largest Marian shrine in North America. Located in beautiful Trois-Rivières, a city founded by French colonists

We took my aunt to Montréal to meet my husband’s family and to visit the city’s magnificent churches. Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal  (St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal) Upon arrival in Montréal, we drove directly to Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal  (Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal), a Catholic shrine founded by Saint André Bessette in honour of Saint Joseph. It is a National Historic Site of Canada and the country’s largest church with one of the largest dom

On our most recent to Québec City, we decided to leave our car in Montreal and took the train instead. And since that was my first time to get into the city by rail, it was also my first time to see their main train station, Gare du Palais. I must say it is one-of-a-kind. Unlike the commercial-and-generic-looking train stations all throughout the country, Gare du Palais has character. Built in 1915 by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the style of the Fairmont Le Château Fronte

A cool thing about staying in Sainte-Foy is the opportunity to traverse Boulevard Champlain underneath Pont de Québec on our way to and from the Old Town and our other destinations. This majestic bridge is a road, rail, and pedestrian bridge built across the Saint-Lawrence River connecting Sainte-Foy and the district of Lévis. With a total length of 987 meters, a height of 95 meters, and a free span of 500 meters from one pillar to the other, it is considered the longest cant

Our son loves aquariums and marine animals, so naturally, if there is an aquarium attraction in the city, we would certainly be there. We took him to the ones in Vancouver, Toronto, Montréal, and now in Québec City. Our then-six-year-old boy was beyond thrilled. Sprawled across 16 hectares and overlooking the stately Pont de Québec that span the Saint-Lawrence River, the Aquarium du Québec has a collection of nearly 10,000 specimens representing 300 species of indigenous and

Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of var

Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of var

Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of var

Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of var