The Best of the Best

I know I've said this so much, but hot damn. I cannot believe my time in Quebec is coming to an end. This semester has been everything I dreamed of and more. That's a future post, for sure!

In order to make sure I revisit all my favorite spots here before leaving on Monday, I thought this post could serve as a personal checklist.

I also hope that my semester abroad has piqued your curiosity about Quebec and Canada. Please keep this post in mind if you plan on visiting Quebec City! (Or just ask me to be your tour guide. I'd be delighted.)

A photo posted by Della Hethcox (@dellahethcox) on Oct 10, 2014 at 6:29pm PDT

1. Best Poutine: Le Bureau de Poste

There are not enough ways to describe how much I love poutine. What's not to love about gravy, cheese and fries? Com'n son. I've tried a lot of poutine since arriving in Quebec, but none compares to the poutine at this restaurant. It's not soggy or too salty, and sprinkled with just the right amount of black pepper.

2. Best Latté: Le Brûlerie De Café

This café is the most hipster of all the hipster cafés, but if you love lattes, you have to go. At $2.95 a latte, you can't afford to not go. The lattes are velvety, creamy and still taste like espresso. They also have a wide selection of loose leaf teas if coffee isn't your thing.

3. Cheapest Coffee: Le Champagne Chocolatier

This adorable shop is conveniently located next door to my school, making it the perfect mid-morning snack place. For less than $2 you can order a 16 oz. coffee and it is always fresh!

4. Best Muffin/Croissant

This award also goes to Le Champagne Chocolatier. They serve a daily promotion for a freshly baked muffin and medium coffee for only $3. It is the best promotion in Quebec, I think. The girls who work here are also the sweetest!

They also get the award for the best, flakiest, butteriest croissant. Also a bargain at $2!

5. Favorite Quartier

My favorite quartier is Le Petit Champlain. It's a little tourist-y, but in between the tacky souvenir shops are local business selling hand made items. If you visit in December you can see this quartier in all its Christmas glory!

6. Best Souvenir Shop

My favorite souvenir shop is located in Le Petit Champlain, called Le Flamande Sculpteur. This shop is filled with hand carved figurines, large and small. I have found many Christmas presents here! And also Cinnamon, the latest addition to my herd.

7. Best Study Spot: Les Brûleries

Conveniently located in several quartiers, these quiet coffee shops offer the best studying environment. Head to the second floor for some peace and quite! Pro tip: the 'Sandwich Matin' is pretty fantastic, especially if you woke up late and didn't have time to eat at home.

8. Best Crêpes: Café Breton

Don't even think about trying another crêperie. This petite restaurant is my favorite in all of Quebec. Relatively economical, they serve dessert and savory crêpes for >$12. I recommend the raspberry crêpe with chocolate. The boozy coffee is also pretty fantastic.






























9. Cheapest Meal: Le Bureau de Poste

Yep, they also won the award for Best Poutine. But what I didn't mention is that each menu item is five dollars, making this place the most popular restaurant in St. Roch. And deservedly so! They serve a wide selection of items (easily classified as "comfort food"), though the burgers remain my favorite.

A photo posted by Della Hethcox (@dellahethcox) on Oct 10, 2014 at 11:10am PDT

10. Best Mall: Place Laurier

Don't judge me! This is important, because if the weather is disgusting and you are bored, the mall is your new best friend. Especially this mall. It's three giant malls with hundreds of shops and easily accessible by bus. You can spend so much time there and sometimes, so much money. I like to buy Starbucks and just window shop, though I did buy my "souvenir" boots there.

My Starbucks Saga

Y'all know how much I love my coffee. So I'm sure it's no surprise that I found a Starbucks immediately upon landing in Quebec. It also happens to be conveniently located about five minutes from my school, which makes French homework a thousand times better.

(I do want to make a note to say that yes, I do try other coffee shops! It's just Starbucks is my safe spot. Like Target.)

Baristas at Starbucks are infamous for the butchering of names all over the world. My name is no exception. Even in America, where we all speak English, baristas still can't spell my name right.

However, in Quebec things took a turn for the more humorous. My terrible pronunciation of the French 'e' is partly to blame and I'm sure my accent doesn't help.

Every badly spelt version of my name gave me something to look forward to while I adjusted to living in a new country.

Now I have less trouble getting my name spelled correctly, which makes me laugh because I don't think I've ever had my name spelled correctly in the States.

Take a scroll with me and review some of the funniest instances. 

 

It started with this. Not too terrible, considering I butchered the pronunciation of e.



 I still have no words.

 

 At least this was a real name?

 

 Still nothing.

 

Getting closer!

 
I will cherish this forever. 

Morrin Library

After feeling blah and bored on Monday, I decided that Tuesday was the day to fix that silly mood. (Turns out hormones were partly to blame!) 

I visited the Morrin Library, which happens to be the only English library in Quebec. It is so pretty inside! I didn't take photos with my dslr because it can be noisy and I didn't want to be intrusive. Reading time is sacred afterall. But! There are a few pictures on my instagram here and here. 

This little excursion definitely helped my mood. Exploring and lattes are two things that can cheer me up almost any day.

*editor's note: no vlog today! Probably tomorrow? My sister had her baby today! So of course I wanted to hear all about that instead of film a vlog. And the baby, Anselm, is so perfect. I'm in love. Pictures on fb and instagram! 

Stop, Coffee Time

Le repas 

Illy's menu

Rue Cartier 

I love these mailboxes. Drop boxes?

Since classes are let out early on Friday (two whole hours early!) I am able to cram in a little extra exploring before the weekend really begins. 

Last Friday I was in desperate need of a latte, but who isn't by the time Friday rolls around? I decided to hit up that coffee shop a friend had recommended that I mentioned in this post. 

Lemme say, that latte was possibly the best latte I've ever had. ERMAGERSH. I've been dreaming of drinking another one. The pain au chocolat was so-so. BUT THE LATTE. So creamy, rich and loverly.

I should really just marry an insanely rich man who happens to be a barista for me every morning. Now there's my dream guy. 

Quebec Vlog Week 4

^And that is a portrait of a single girl who doesn't need no man, just pain au chocolat and a latte.

GUYS. I've survived an entire month abroad and I love it. You can definitely tell that I've relaxed so much since my first vlog. My host mom was telling me this past week that I've removed all my mind blocks and now I will really learn. I think she's right!

In this week's vlog I chat about random conversations with strangers, I show you what I bought at the drugstore today and I share way too much about my wild weekend plans.

Sweet dreams are made of...

Crepes. Sweet dreams are made entirely out of crepes. 

A housemate and I ventured out to Cafe Breton last weekend to eat some crepes. (That's her cute baby, Franco, up there!) I had been wanting to eat at a creperie since I arrived in Quebec but didn't want to go by myself. 

I had a raspberry crepe drizzled with chocolate syrup. GUYS. It was so good. I will forever dream of this crepe. 

The cappuccino was also really delicious. Basically I've found my favorite spot to eat in Quebec and I'll be going there many more times. Especially because they also serve savory crepes so completely acceptable for lunch! 

My French vocabulary currently consists of small talk and ordering-food-and-beverages-phrases.

Currently...

This is what my days off from work currently look like! There's a lot of list making and coffee drinking involved in planning for this blog and Quebec this fall. Hang tight, my friends! I'm writing and editing the first official posts and they should be up in a week.