I was fortunate to have recently spent a short time in Quebec City. As a friend had informed me, it’s a little like being in a smaller version of Paris (sans Eiffel Tower, museums etc). I enjoyed using my grade school French although I soon discovered that people spoke so quickly I was often lost with the first sentence. In tight spots, however, picking out a word I knew from a conversation did come in handy.

What I loved most about the city, in addition to the continual challenge of speaking French, were the beautiful stone buildings that were full of history dating back to the 1600s/1700s, and the splashes of colors throughout.

Beautiful flowers hanging from window baskets adorned stone walls, there were windows that were bracketed with forged-metal shutters or veiled by lovely lace curtains, and each day ‘J’ai mangé des croissants qui étaient merveilleux’ (thanks for the help Google translator).