When planning a trip for our 20th anniversary, I thought it might be fun to return to a place that we enjoyed long ago, before children and houses and all the associated responsibilities of middle age.  So we returned to Quebec City, a place we visited a few times before we were married.

Of course, a few things have changed since the days where we were roaming around the Winter Carnival with our friends Sarah and Chris, carrying a hollow red cane shaped like Carnival’s mascot, Bon Homme, that was filled with a mysterious liquor known as

It’s Bon Homme himself!

“caribou”.   For example, not even once today did we take swigs from a random bottle of alcohol that we found protruding from a snow bank.  (There are not yet snow banks available, even up here in the north.)  Also, in October there are not so many people wearing comical snowsuits.

Another difference is that we’re at an even greater language disadvantage.  For one thing, I’m 20+ years further out from my high school French classes.  Also, I discovered that attempting to learn Spanish a couple of years ago, during our Central America trip, has had a disastrous affect on what little French I used to possess.  Last night I told someone “gracias”, and today realized that I’d been responding to the parking lot attendant with “si”.  It’s all jumbled up in my head as “language that is not English” and there’s no telling which will emerge when under pressure.

Still, it’s pretty cool to drive a mere six hours from our home and feel like we’ve been transported to Europe.  Melodious (and incomprehensible) strains of French swirl around us as we pass by patisseries, cafes, and ancient buildings of brick and stone.  Our airbnb rental is a tiny flat on the outskirts of the old city, looking out over the cannons guarding the old wall.

The drive was pretty good, too.  The foliage colors in Vermont were stunning, and St. Johnsbury proved to be an excellent dinner stop, even if it did prove a bit challenging to actually find a restaurant.

Apart from miles of wandering, today’s main excursion was a food and drink walking tour of old Quebec.  I did a food tour with some friends in Charleston a few years ago, and realized that this is a great way to get an overview and orientation to the area.  On our six stops we sampled local favorites such as poutine, smoked meat sandwiches, and seafood fritters, as well as wine, a cocktail, and herbal tea from the local monastary (which has become a health spa).

At some point we’re planning to venture beyond the walls of the Old City into the Sainte Roque district for dinner.  But now rain has begun to fall, and we are enjoying a bottle of ice cider that we purchased at the farmers’ market — so it may need to wait until tomorrow.