Travelin' Fullers Blog: February 2014

Sunday, February 9, 2014

The GREAT canoe race by a bunch of crazy athletes !

Today was a lazy day for us. However, this was the day of the GREAT Canoe race across the icy St Lawrence! I think these guys and gals are crazy, but they all competed in 9 degree windy conditions to cross the icy, mostly frozen, St. Lawrence River! This is the most important event of Carnival Week! This has to be the most grueling and dangerous sport I have ever witnessed! One canoe did get in trouble and an ice breaker went out to help clear the way. The crew seemed disoriented and was kind of steering all over the place! They did get back safely. When they are in the canoes, they cannot see where there is water and where there is an ice flow. They are not allowed spotters to help them choose an ice free route across the river and back. We are not sure who actual won because we think it is time trials. There were several groups of about 12 canoes that made it across and back! Note how they get one foot out of the canoe when they get stuck on the ice! They all push to get the canoe off the ice. If they are stuck in a smooth patch of ice it didn't look too bad, but when they got stuck in an area that had "rough" ice it was a whole different story ! I can't imagine how they can endure these conditions. There was a very brisk wind, as you can see by the flags! Some of the photos are blurry, but I'm posting them anyway so you can get an idea of what they were doing! We were able to watch most of the race from our hotel room window since we overlook the St. Lawrence ! Wherever you were today, I guarantee these guys were colder then you were!! I admire them, but not sure how much I credit their common sense! And, you will notice, there were women racing too! The race originated years ago amongst local families. The winner was to get the postal contract for delivering mail to the other side of the river!

We return to warm Florida tomorrow so no more blogs until we leave for Australia and China on March 11. Check back in March!! Until then, everyone stay healthy and happy!

The "Race Course"!

The ice breaker helping the group back that got in a little bit of trouble. They cleared a path..

Wow! You get the idea!!!

Snow mobiling and Carnival Parade

The day started off with a snow mobile ride! And you know what, it's just like riding a bike! Neither Bill nor I had any trouble keeping up with the guide! This, in spite of the fact that the last time we did this was close to 30 years ago in Wisconsin at a place called Eagle River! I was keeping my eyes on the guy in front of me, but the one time I checked the speedometer when we were on the flats, we were doing 74 mph! We had to stop frequently because we had several people who were VERY cautious and kept getting very far behind! The guide was a little frustrated because he had to keep circling back to be sure they were ok! It was a beautiful sunny day and the trails were well groomed with great snow trails! We went through woods and had plenty of time on open flatlands to "let it rip"! They were doing dogsled rides out of the same establishment so you will see the dog sled camp in some of the pictures!

The afternoon was spent doing a little shopping on a very famous street in old town. We made two VERY wise purchases. The first was a pair of very warm mittens- so much warmer then my sheepskin lined gloves --- and the second was a "Sochi" style hat with fur ear flaps! We were concerned about being warm enough sitting outside for a couple of hours tonight to watch the Carnival parade! As I said-- wise purchases! It was REALLY cold (-2 degrees F.). We used hand and foot warmers and we did very well. It was entertaining just waiting for the parade to start watching the "ton" of little kids in their snow suits being pulled on sleds by their parents. There was a small hill next to our bleachers which seemed just high enough for the kids to climb to the top and just slide down! They were having a blast and could have cared less about the parade . ( There were a lot of tall adults in front of them blocking the view.) The carnival parade is a big deal here and there were lots of people lining the sidewalks for this fun filled event! There were Chariot races earlier this week ( we missed them) but tomorrow is the big Canoe race on the semi frozen St. Lawrence ! Our Hotel has a team entered so good luck to The Auberge Saint Antoine tomorrow!

On the balcony of our hotel! That's the River behind Bill where they will hold the canoe races tomorrow!

I know, I know, it's hard to tell, but that's Bill on his red Yamaha!

And I'm the funny looking one in the front with my sheepskin hat ( but hey, it was warm!)

Photo op stop!

The dog sleds.

So much fun!

My shopping trip!

Hot chocolate, hot tea, fudge and toffee--- could it get any better? :)))

The wise purchase.....we're at the Carnival Parade! Cold benches ! A blanket would have been nice, but not a single person had a blanket! Hardy people these Canadians!

Parade floats...

Mary Poppins.

The Snowman is the "King" of Carnival!

This is the image you see everywhere in Quebec during Carnival!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Tour of Quebec City and visit to Ice Hotel

Well, today was breathtakingly beautiful, but very cold! Bundled though we were, after 3 hours of a walking tour of the old city, my toes were numb! Basically, our hands and feet got cold, but it was so worth it! We had a wonderful guide, Francois Vidal, who explained in thumbnail sketches, the centuries of history that surround this French Canadian city. It is really a tale of three cultures--French, British, and the eventual merging of the French who lived here to Canadians! The architecture is French and British and sometimes, a combination of the two . I wish I could remember all of the fascinating details. Suffice it to say, if you ever come to Quebec, do the historic walking tour!!

After a lovely lunch at our "jewel" of a hotel, Auberge St. Antoine , we ventured out once again to the Hotel Glacé -- the Ice Hotel!! Our friend, Arlene Feen, treated us to an amazing "behind the scenes" tour of this fabulously interesting hotel - only open from Jan. 3rd until sometime in March when the warm winds come. They tear down the hotel, they do not let it "melt"! The ice is pristine and made from very pure water so that it is totally see through. This is accomplished by taking all the air out of the ice. They use a snow machine to make snow and put it over forms to make the hotel. They "churn" the snow to remove air so it is very dense. Last year they experimented in taking the hotel down by trying to use a 16 ton bulldozer on top of the hotel- to no avail... It was a disastrous experiment and not successful because the ice and snow are so strong and substantial!

There is a new theme chosen each year-- the first opening was 2001. This year the theme was "Myths and Legends". Students compete designing the suites for a prize. The suites are quite amazing! There are fireplaces in some of the suites, but not for heat. All the heat goes out the top of the hotel and it is only for light in the room. Guests are given a training session in the evening on what to do when you spend the night. You are given a "mummy type" sleeping bag (large at the top and narrower at the bottom). And you are given specific instructions on how to get in, roll up your clothes for the morning and put them in the bottom of the sleeping bag. The bags are good to 36 degrees below zero. He tried to convince me that sometimes people are so warm they have to unzip the "vents" that are on the sides of the sleeping bag! The ice beds have a sheet of plywood on them topped with a foam mattress that resists freezing and doesn't transmit heat to the ice.. There is a "spa" of sorts -- an outside hot tub and a sauna! When you are in the hot tub, the steam rises to a certain height and then produces ice crystals that fall. They are quite small, but there are special lights installed next to the hot tubs so you can see the crystals. Our wonderful guide, Pierre Houle, told us it is quite amazing to see!

We went "behind the scenes" to make our own "ice glasses" with a drill press. We took our ice glasses into the bar where a lovely bartender fills your glass with orange or cranberry juice (and vodka if you choose)! There is an ice discotheque that rocks with music! The hotel has 44 rooms, many of them totally different because of the carved themes by the students. There was even a room from the new Disney Movie, Frozen! We saw the Queen's bed, snow sculptures in the walls of some of the characters and the adorable snowman, Olaf, built next to an ice slide that children and adults were going down! Disney came with their cameras to do publicity shots for the upcoming release of the DVD. It was an amazing adventure and I encourage all who come to Quebec between Jan and March to go do the tour, or if you're brave enough, spend the night! It will be the adventure of a lifetime!! But wear at least two pairs of wool socks!

Tomorrow we go snowmobiling and tomorrow evening is the winter Carnival parade which we are told is quite amazing!