Learning to be Alone: My First International Solo Trip

Basilique de Ste-Anne de Beaupre

Take the word "international" with a grain of salt, since my first international solo trip was to Canada, and that's just a 4 hour drive, but I crossed a country border, so I guess it counts. For a very long time, I always put off traveling unless I had someone to go with me (and indeed, my trip to Iceland in a couple weeks will be with my sister) because I was always too timid to go on my own. Recently emboldened not only by a job that had me travel all over the state last year, but my own desire to explore more of what is out there, I impulse-booked a trip to Quebec for the 4th and 5th of July. I don't do fireworks or parades, and it was a perfect long weekend to take a trip and still have some home time.

Nana, my mom, and my gradfather,
who died long before I was born

Quebec, I thought, is easy, all I need to do is go up route 201 and keep going, how different can it be? I was a little nervous at the border, but I had nothing to hide and wasn't smuggling anything, and after being handed back my passport I was waved forward to continue on my journey. I have to admit, part of my desire recently to go to Canada is that Canadian Tim Horton's has a vegan breakfast sandwich made with a Beyond Meat sausage and I've been eating plant based lately-- my quick review is that it was fucking delicious if a bit challenging to get since I don't speak French. My first real goal was to go to the Basilica of Saint Anne of Beaupre (Basilique de Ste-Anne de Beaupre if you want it in French). So why would I, someone who uses the label of "animistic shaman," want to go to a Catholic place of worship? I have a few reasons. First, I am, according to 23andme, 31% French and German. My great-grand parents on my mother's side moved from Quebec to Maine (I think, I have to verify this), and you could tell my Nana grew up speaking French when you listened to her speak. I always felt a pull to Quebec, to see where my mother's side came from. And Ste-Anne? I once had a baptism bracelet of Catholic saints from Ste-Anne. Sadly, I think it's gone forever. I looked for one in the souvenir shop but they didn't have any like it. And for my last reason of wanting to go to the basilica: the tremendous amount of architecture and art to behold. And there was an overwhelming amount. I have to admit, after I left the interior and found a shady place to sit outside, I felt a bit emotional and overwhelmed. I reflected on my heritage, my Nana who passed away in 2008, and how little I know about that side of my family genealogically.

Across the road I saw a bunch of statues, and thought it was a cemetery. Well, there were gravestones there, but more interestingly, the entire stations of the cross in huge bronze statues, rendered in such lifelike detail. The path to go to each station wound up a hill (and it was very, very hot, thankfully I had water with me) and there was a woman praying/reflecting ahead of me, so I took my time and gave her space (there were a lot of pokestops so I played Pokemon Go-- if I'm going to pay for international data on my phone, I'mma use it, okay?) but made my way through all of them, snapping pictures as I went.

That's a bridge above, with people on it

My hotel check-in wasn't until 5 and it was, at that point, only about 2 or 2:30 when I was done at the basilica. Pulling up the comments on the solo travel Reddit thread I had made, I looked up Montmorency Falls. Here's a pro tip: if you're using Google Maps to navigate, give it a specific address, because when I typed in "Montmorency," it took me up a very, very steep hill on winding roadways into a residential neighborhood in Boischatel--which is the right town-- but not actually near the parking lot I needed to go to. Once I got that figured out, I paid for parking and drove down, down to the parking lot. As I pulled in, I looked up and yelled "HOLY SHIT" because the waterfall was right there (I also had this same response when I crested the hill and saw the Basilica of Ste-Anne, too, and "Oh wow!" crossing the St. Lawrence river over a huge bridge). The falls were massive (and again, if you want it in French, it's Chute de Montmorency) and there were stairs zig-zagging up a nearby hillside, that connected to a bridge, that connected to another bridge that crossed the falls. No thank you. They also offered gondola rides and ziplining, but I like to have my feet firmly planted on the ground. I did go close enough to get wet (it felt so good though) and then walked up a couple of sets of stairs to go back down instead of backtracking. There were a ton of people there and it was extremely hot. I had toyed with going to Old Quebec City after, but my legs felt really wobbly and I realized I hadn't gone pee since the basilica, so I went back to my car and sucked down almost half of my water bottle in one go. I hadn't been good about keeping hydrated in the heat, especially with my activity level, so I decided to go to the hotel and see if I could check in early.

Surprise! My booking said 5 but the hotel starts check-in at 4 so I was able to get settled and start looking for someplace to eat. I should mention here I have been eating vegan for a week (hence my excitement over the Tim Horton's vegan breakfast sandwich) and wanted to stick with it, but all the restaurants within walking distance (I didn't want to drive, I'd been in my car all day and the Quebecois are fucking crazy drivers) had really pathetic options for vegans or vegetarians, so I opted to go to the hotel restaurant across the street from my hotel, and got a veggie pizza and a glass of wine, both of which were delicious. After some Googling, I realized my hotel was in a hotel district that caters mostly toward business travel, so next time I'll try a different location. It was good, though, but their continental breakfast was bagels, toast, English muffins, cereal, and coffee. Some pathetic canned fruit. The coffee was really good though.

Fairmont le Chateau Frontenac

Wanting to beat the heat and the crowds. I decided to get up early to go to the Old City. I paid an exorbitant amount for 3 hours of parking at Place D'Youville and headed off. I didn't have a definite goal in mind, except to see the famed Chateau Frontenac. I wandered around, took pictures, and found myself on La Promenade des Gouverneurs where I had a stunning view of the St. Lawrence river and a pretty nice view of the Chateau. At the end of the promenade, there are stairs that lead to the Plains of Abraham but also a fernuncular, which people online told me to take, but I took the stairs.

All 310 stairs. In writing, that doesn't seem so bad. In humid, mid-80's sunny weather, it was torture. But I walked all of them and... was a little disappointed? I was expecting more, maybe I didn't go in the right place once I got to the top, but it was just a park, being set up for a festival. I followed the trail down until the Citadel (which I didn't go explore) and wandered back into the city (which is great for Pokemon Go) to find a seat and rest my legs. I walked over to the Notre Dame du Quebec (which was under construction and I wasn't sure if the sanctuary was open), found a cafe to rest and have a cold drink, and headed back to my car to go home.

Cities are fun to visit, but man, my battery drained quickly. I will say, though, I wasn't as terrified of city driving as I thought. When I first entered the country, I was doing the speed limit. I paid attention to the other drivers, and started to drive like them (albeit a little less recklessly) which involved changing lanes constantly, going 10-15KM/h over the limit, and not really stopping at stop signs. One thing I didn't see at all were police (except on my way out, at construction zones-- there was a lot of construction) and I didn't hear any sirens, which I expected. I spent a lot of time correcting the voice of Google Map's French accent on street names (I have very little French but my accent was always good) and developing my inner monologue.

I know there is probably a lot more to see, and I'd love to go back some time. This trip has assured me that I can enjoy a trip solo, because I can go at my pace, go where I want, play Pokemon Go while I walk if I want, and eat wherever I want.  This makes me really optimistic for Denmark next year.