First - thank you to those who provided great information prior to my trip there!

Long Weekend Anniversary trip!

The first week of December we spent a magical 4 days in Quebec City.

Day 1
I landed at dusk to meet my husband who flew here from his business trip. The taxi cab dropped me off at the hotel - It was the Marriott Court Yard. We chose this hotel based on all the positive reviews. It is small boutique hotel in a very nice location. It was an easy walk to the old town. It exceeded our expectations! The lobby was warm and festive with a roaring fire in the large fireplace. It was decorated for the Christmas Holidays! - Beautiful tree and even a live size nutcracker! We were greeted by name. The staff is remarkable. They are helpful and freindly.
The room was very clean, comfortable bed and linens. The bathroom was small. We were on the 4th floor and overlooked the wall and gate to the old town.
We ate dinner at Restaurant D'Orsay as we did not have a reservation made anywhere else. We wondered the streets bundled up and enjoyed the glow of the lights and and all the shops decorated with creative and beautiful greenery. Ok, back to the dinner. It was very good. I had trout. It was very good. done perfectly - rice and winter root vegeatbles. We enjoyed some wine. We walked back to the hotel bar and had a night cap and a creme brulee! The bar tender was very attentive and personable.
Day 2
It is easy to imagine that you are in France!
We woke up to snow! It continued to snow most of the day. We ate breakfast at the Hotel. It was adequate. Eggs, fruit, croissants etc... The coffee was good. We ate heartily as we planned to spend most of the day exploring! We bundled up .
Outside the hotel there is an old fashioned ice rink. People of all aged enjoyed it. We saw some pretty old folks!
We wondered through the old town. We did not let the snow slow us down. We meandered into little shops. picked up Christmas gifts, stopped in little cafes for a coffee.
Next -We went to Chateau Frontenac and took a little tour. We enjoyed the lobby decorations too. I preferred our little hotel to this large touristy hotel. There are many little shops and cafes at the bottom to poke in and get warm. There is a board walk outside.
We walked down the steep steps in the snow to lower town Basse-Ville- The snow was so heavy we could not see the river or anything in the distance. It was pure magic seeing it for the first time! .
The narrow cobble stoned streets are well preserved and it truly felt like wondering in a European city.
Lunch was Onion soup and a hearty roll. I wish I remembered to write the name down.
We visited Basilique Notre-Dame - it is free admission. It is a small church with a rich past. But, what caught our eye was the Christmas Choral concert that was the next night. We were so excited to go!
With our bags and packages in hand we took the funicular - cable car back up. It cost $2. Well worth it! I would not want to negotiate those snowy steps at night.
My husband has a friend who lives in Quebec who invited us for dinner at their home. They were so gracious and incredible cooks. The wife spoke little English and I speak little french but we managed. They served salmon, salad, filet of beef, potatoes,brussel sprouts and ..... macraroons for dessert - perfect evening!

to be continued..........