Robert! C’est Bonhomme! The young mother is truly
excited
to see Bonhomme, the massive, smiley-faced white mascot of Carnaval,
Quebec City’s winter carnival, step out of his special bus by the
outdoor skating rink at
Place D’Youville. Bonhomme waves to crush of tiny fans trying to touch
him,
and, in his signature move, lifts his leg to touch his hand. I realize
Bonhomme
is in much better shape than I am.
When Bonhomme takes to the ice, Robert squeals with delight
and waves. His mother scrunches him close, storing a memory for the rest of
their lives, and guides Robert’s hands together for mitten-muffled applause.
For someone like me at my first winter carnival it’s an astonishing display of genuine
excitement. Even the teenagers are more excited by Bonhomme than I’ve seen
children and parents get over Santa Claus.
It’s fascinating to see how Bonhomme is viewed here. His
appearance makes people smile and excites children and some not so small
residents. Nathalie Guay, who works with Quebec City Tourism, told me, ”I was
excited when Bonhomme addressed my by name and I was an adult when he did!” she
smiled a type of naughty, girlish smile as if confessing a deep dark secret,
like a first crush.
Smile and Laughter
Bonhomme is more than a mere mascot. He’s part of fabric of
winter in Quebec and its spirit. His big smiley face inspires people to come
out and play. I spend the greater part of winter burrowed in, waiting for it to
all go away. But Quebecers are a different stock: they don’t seem prepared to
sacrifice so much of their year in denied gratification. We live in a winter
country, so they make the best of it.
And, as much as I am not a fan of post-Christmas
Canada, Quebec City is one of those destinations that work in winter,
like Mount Tremblans, Banff, Lake Louise, or Whistler. (Of course, when
I’m in these locations, I have the
luxury of not worrying about practical things like shovelling the front
walk
and moving the car for the snow plough.)
As cold as Quebec City gets in winter (my secret is silk
long johns they aren’t bulky under clothes, are really warm, and can be washed
and dried overnight) it looks great draped in snow. The Norman architecture is
just so damn romantic. There’s a soulful warmth that comes from the beams of
light that fall from the double-paned widows of sturdy stone buildings onto
snowy cobblestones. Inviting, joyful whiffs of music jump into the night air
each time a door opens. And there are the smiles and laughter. Perhaps people
are on their best behaviour during a party, but it’s a pleasant change to see
happiness in February. Normally I find February such a grim month.
But Carnava is like revisiting Christmas without the
pressure to find gifts for everyone. There’s great food, plenty of
drink, lots
of activities, and happy crowds to socialize with. You don’t find
carollers,
but you can be entertained by the acts performing on stage in front of
the Ice Palace at Place du Ville, across from the massive Victorian
Legislature. There’s a
short review: on this evening, it was a team who did acrobatics with
flaming
torches, followed by a DJ and dancing. The ice castle was washed in the
ever-changing hues of coloured lights as a mass of dancers moved in
unison to
the music.
Between them and the road is a ring of food stall and carts
selling everything from barbecue to beavertails (the pastry, not the actual
animal part). You may even find caribou for sale. Caribou is the unofficial
drink of Carnaval. It’s a potent, blood-warming, sometimes breath-taking
mixture that can contain vodka, brandy, sherry, and red wine or variations
thereof. Sometimes it’s sweetened with maple syrup. More than one person will
be wielding a plastic cane full of the stuff or have a bottle on reserve in an
inner pocket. It’s a tonic for circulation and sinuses.
Each evening of Carnaval, there’s something different to
experience. Two nights there are massive parades with thousands of
participants. One is in a suburb to bring the carnival to the most people, and
another night it marches through the downtown. Because it’s an event held in
the dark, this parade employ lots of lights, fireworks, torches, music, and
bright costumes. It’s something like an electrified circus parade. Dress warmly
because it lasts over an hour.
Even if you opt out of planned evening events, there
are
plenty of do it yourself options. Back where o first saw Bonhomme, you
can rent
skates if you didn’t pack your own and join the crow on the ice. It’s
also a
trip to walk the streets of Quebec City. Window displays are fun and
there’s no
end of pubs and bars to take in. There’s a great jazz club Thursday,
Friday,
and Saturday starting at 9 p.m. in the art deco Hotel Clarendon on Rue
Sainte-Anne. I like to make a type of pilgrimage to the Saint Alexander
Pub
(look for the Union Jack flying on Rue Saint-Jean), which is a real beer
pub.
The food menu is three pages long, while their beer menu is four pages.
They
have over 265 types of beer, from Canada, France, Belgium, Denmark,
China, Scotland, Italy, Holland, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland,
and Germany.
Spas and Toboggans
The ice hotel
What Carnaval did for me was wake me up to the
possibilities of having fun and shaking off the winter doldrums. I felt
inspired to do more than sit in front of a television.
Winter is a challenge for me because I don’t skate, ski, or
snowmobile, but I’ve discovered a love for snowshoeing. And modern snowshoes
are so much easier to put on and walk in than the old wooden ones of my youth.
I did two snowshoeing experiences. One was to join a small
tour on the Plains of Abraham. So, a short walk from my hotel to Maison de la
Découverte, I followed a guide across the Plains of Abraham. In very short
order, we left 20th-century high rises behind and were enveloped in a wooded
urban landscape punctuated with Victorian bandstands, ornate light stands, and
ancient defensive towers and battlements.
For those with a competitive streak, there are dogsled
races and soapbox derbies in the old city, and horse and carriage racing on the
Plains. There’s also an outdoor fair with ziplining, sliding, and even a Ferris
wheel at the base of the Citadel. This is also where you’ll fid the most amzing
ice sculptures. I was at Carnaval early enough to watch teams from around the
world work on their projects; later I came back to see the fantastical
temporary art they had created.
So inspired was I by Carnaval that I went to le
Nordique
Spa, one of Quebec’s 20 nature spas. Don’t panic: nature doesn’t mean
nudist.
It means the spa is half inside, half outside. Le Nordique, about a 30
minute
drive north of the city, cascades down a forested hillside to the
Jacques Cartier River. A main building houses reception area, changing
rooms, and café.
Below are a series of hot- and cold-water pools and several more
buildings
housing saunas, steam rooms, solariums, and treatment rooms (for massage
only).
The idea is to go at your own speed, warming up, cooling down, and
repeating as
necessary or desired. And there I was, Mr. I’m not keen on cold,
strolling
snow-lined paths in a bathing suit in 12 degree weather. My skin
tingled, but
in a good way. This is a real treat because no appointment is necessary
(unless
you want a massage); you just show up and linger. And it’s cheap.
Admission is
$39 for the whole day.
Village Vacances Valcartier
If you want to do something with grandchildren or release
the inner child in yourself, check out the Village Vacances Valcartier, about a
30-minute drive from the city. School bring busloads of children here to get
outside in the fresh air and pal. They have a hill and 42 slides, so you can
get on a toboggan or choose from several styles of rubber and slide down the
hill. I did it, and it was a kick. I haven’t done that since puberty! They also
have a one-kilometre-long skating trail through the woods. And, if you have
harder to please teenagers, consider go carting on ice. I was a bit gutless,
but it gives you an insight into how they’ll drive your or their parents’ car
when you’re not looking.
Another nearby out of city option is Rand Orientation at Le
Manoir du Lac Delage. This is basically a scavenger hunt on snowshoes. You’re
given a compass and map and set out to find a course through the woods. It’s
another fun family outing.
While you’re wheeling around the countryside, you might as
well stop by the Ice Hotel. The idea of sleeping in a hotel made of ice has no
appeal to me. I like central heating and a bathroom close by-but it’s an
amazing facility and well worth taking in. During the day-the rooms are closed
to non-guests in the evening you can tour the hotel, the bar, the chapel, and
the 36 rooms and suites.
Adrenalin Junkies
Of course, the most exciting aspect of Carnaval has to be
the canoe race across a partially frozen St. Lawrence River. This is madness
and it’s awfully exciting.
Teams start at the inner harbour. They hold on to their
canoe and run over ice until they find open water. Then they jump in and paddle
like mad, navigating their way between ice flows until that’s impractical or
too dangerous, then jump out and run some more with their canoe. Talk about
adrenalin junkies.
The day before the race I took the ferry across the river
from Quebec City to Lévis. It’s a major distance to row in good weather, but
the ice flows are killers. These are serious pieces of ice that, if you’re
caught between, could easily crush you if you didn’t drown first or die of
hypothermia. So watching these crews head out, even on a sunny Sunday
afternoon, was exciting.
The paddlers are lean, fit, and powerful. The local
longshoremen told me that the crews train year round. They’re out at 5 .m. five
morning a week, practicing.
Watching the race, I nearly froze and could only think of
the discomfort of those competitors whose feet went into the water as they
raced across ice flows. I could see that the rowing, running, pushing, and
pulling would keep their upper bodies warm, but then I saw feet going into water
as they ran over ice and jumped into their canoes. And since their shoes have
cleats they need the traction on ice: even their paddles have cleats. I
wondered how many boats have been punctured by a bad jump by a crewman.
Quebec’s winter carnival
wasn’t just fun; it gave me a new appreciation for what I normally saw as those
grim, dull, long months of winter. No more wasting time for me. Vive le
Carnaval!
