A Conference in Quebec City

Driving first through the coastal plains of Nova Scotia, then through the dark evergreen-covered hills and mountains of New Brunswick, I finally reached the smooth green valleys and farmland around the St. Lawrence river.  The landscape actually reminded me quite alot of western Germany and central France.  Arriving at night, I awoke the next morning to the excitement of getting to explore a new city.

It was vibrant and full of life.

The conference I was attending had organized a city tour especially for young scientists.  It was a great way to meet others before the conference even got started, plus introduce me to some of Quebec's loveliest historic neighborhoods.

So many winding roads with vistas all the way down to the St. Lawrence.

A lovely square in the Old City.

And now, looking up at the old city and fortress from the river.  We are about to hop on a boat to explore the riverbanks around the city.

Later that afternoon, the conference officially began.  It kicked off with an absolutely lovely banquet.

The food was superb.  Everything was bite-sized, so you could try as much as possible.

As entertainment, they treated us to performances from the city's circus, which included amazing ballet-esque balancing acts.  It was amazing how much focus and skill the performers had.

As the sun went down on our first evening in Quebec, many of us snuck out to get a glimpse of the sunset.  

The next few days were extremely fun, with loads of inspiring science talks, intermingled with breaks spent taking in more of the city's sights. 

This was a fun wall down in the lower part of the old city, which shows Quebecers in all sorts of eras sharing the same city street.  It is quite a shock to see at first, as it is so fabulously painted it actually looks real!

Down in this neighborhood is also the Museum of Civilization.  I love novel museums and this one was one of the best I've ever seen, with exhibits exploring a multitude of aspects of human civilization, including one on film, one on Quebecers and their identity, and one on the ancient Greek gods and goddesses & how they personify the human psyche.

The gardens around the Parliament building, which you can see above, were very lovely.  It's incredible what a sea of pink, purple and white tulips can do - they can completely uplift your mood when things are feeling a bit too heavy.

There was also a beautiful garden up top a section of the old city's wall, which we had fun climbing around during one of our breaks.

And right outside the conference center was a fun neighborhood called Saint-Jean, which was very lively and full of modern boutiques and restaurants, plus a few historic shops with local goods.  Very bohemian and a great place to shop for clothes and souvenirs. 

I had such a lovely time at the conference.  They served us such delicious food.

And there was a big party at the end to celebrate the successful week.

I ran into old friends...

...and made some new! (this was my wonderful roommate)

Besides a few trips I had made to the border regions to visit Niagara, Canada was a land unknown to me.  It feels like I've uncovered a whole new realm to explore right here on my own continent.  Such beautiful landscape, lovely cities and fun people.

But for now, I'm back in Ithaca, catching up with friends and working on my next conference abstract :)

Exploring the Coast of Nova Scotia

After a very long drive, I arrived quite late in the evening at my hostel in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  I thought I would have to creep quietly into my room, but to my surprise my roommates were still awake, talking exuberantly to one another.  They were a very lovely group of ladies from Australia and the U.K., and the next morning, one of them and I set out to explore the southern coast of Nova Scotia.

The first place we stopped at was Peggy's Point, a quaint but charming village just outside of Halifax.  It was so lovely and other-worldly!

The busiest area by far was the lighthouse, which was picture perfect.

I loved too all the expanses of boulders with bits of sea trapped in them.

And this cute fisherman's house with starfish dancing in the window!

I could have stayed and explored the cover much longer, but we had more exploring to do before sunset, so had to keep moving.  Our next stop was the town of Lunenburg, a city of historical significance and a UNESCO world heritage site.  

The town is nestled into a hill, with streets lined with ice cream shops, cafes and boutiques above and the harbor, full of boats, below.

One of the most famous ships in Nova Scotian history is the Bluenose.  She was a legendary fishing and racing schooner, and you see pictures of her on all sorts of Nova Scotian memorabilia.  The original no longer exists, but a replica, the Bluenose II, was built to commemorate her, and is kept in the Lunenburg harbor.

After enjoying the harbor town and meeting some very fun locals, we stopped at a food truck for some cheap but delicious local seafood.  And then we continued along the coast.

Our final stop was Summerville beach and it's legendary restaurant, Quarterdeck Grill.  I had read such good reviews about this place, and was very excited to arrive (and was quite hungry too!).

The beach was very lovely - very peaceful, with just a few couples strolling around.

The restaurant exceeded my expectations - the decor was so colorful and lively, and the patio was built so that it actually hung out over the sea.  You could sip on your drink and watch the waves wash in and out over the rocks below.

My travel buddy for the day and I enjoyed a great meal, and I got to learn enough about Australia so that I am itching to visit.  I was very grateful to have met such a nice person to spend the day with.

The next morning, I packed my things and said goodbye to all of my roommates.  Before setting out again, I spent a few hours exploring the city of Halifax.  One fantastic place I found, where I got a delicious iced late and checked my email, was a cafe with tons of character called the Wired Monk.

Sufficiently wired, I then visited the Halifax boardwalk, which was full of touristy shops (got my family some rum-runners cake), seafood shacks, upscale dining and lots of interesting ships.

I ended my brief trip to Nova Scotia with some delicious sauted clams, which I ate out on the boardwalk, watching ships and people go by.  Full of history, beautiful seaside towns, and with a sense of adventure everywhere you go, I loved my mini-trip to Nova Scotia very much, and would love to return for a longer time in the future.

Now it was time to travel inland, up the St. Lawrence river, to Quebec City.