Joyeux 80e anniversaire John!

When Michael’s brother, John, said he wanted to celebrate his 80th birthday in Quebec, we were thrilled! None of us had been to this French-speaking province or to its capital city, Quebec City.  When Michael and John’s niece (Miami) Ani decided to join, we knew this milestone birthday trip would be memorable and even more fun.

Traveling with John and his wife Pat means two things: 1) eating great food and 2) exploring art museums. Quebec City delivered.

The trip started with an epic dinner at L’Orygine (https://lorygine.com).

John and Pat looking fine at L’Orygine.

The next night was more casual, but still delicious, at Échaudé.  Night three – John’s big birthday celebration was at Taniere3 (https://taniere3.com) and then our final night we went to Bistro Le Sam at the iconic Chateau Frontenac Hotel.

Fun fact: The Chateau Frontenac Hotel holds the Guinness World Record for the most photographed hotel in the world.

When we weren’t eating, we were exploring.  We had an incredible private tour of the City thanks to the wildly knowledgeable Louis, who we found through Groupe Limo Quebec (https://limoquebec.com/en/).  We saw Upper Town, Lower Town, the Citadelle, the Plains of Abraham, and Ile d’Orléans which is a great way to see the City from a different POV (and a great place to go in the summer for strawberries).  Quebec is beautiful in the winter, but next time we’ll come back in the summer.

John and Pat looking fine on Ile d’Orléans.

The Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (https://www.mnbaq.org/en) was another trip highlight.  A great way to learn about Canadian art and see the famous Tribute to Rosa Luxemburg.

Jean-Paul Riopelle, Tribute to Rosa Luxemburg (detail), 1992. Acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 155 x 1 424 cm (1st element); 155 x 1 247 cm (2nd element); 155 x 1 368 cm (3rd element), Coll. MNBAQ. Gift of the artist.

But the best part of the trip was being together to celebrate with John. 

Happy Birthday, John, and here’s to many, many more!