My Summer Vacation in Quebec City and PEI with Ford and Fairmont Chateau Frontenac!

Hey Guys,

So I recently got back from my summer vacation, and I wanted to share my pictures and stories with you. I had such a fantastic time, and going through all the pictures from the trip makes me so nostalgic!

I have to give so many thanks to Ford for loaning us the 2012 Ford Focus for the trip. It was so sporty and comfortable. We got very familiar with all the features as we drove about 18 hours each way, and I have to say that this car has got all the amenities! Turn by turn navigation, rear-view camera, individual climate control, and my favourite, you can change the colour of the lights on the dash and throughout the car to reflect your mood! There's purple, pink, blue, red...! So cute. There is ample storage space in the car, and it has great pick up. We made good use of the cruise control feature during our journey as well. We were very pleased with how the car ran and all of its features.

We stopped over in Montreal for lunch, and ate at this fantastic little Greek restaurant with a beautiful patio. When we were leaving I saw this lady walking her pet pig and I just had to pet it... Peter felt bad because he'd had pork souvlaki for lunch! Don't mind what I'm wearing, lol. Road trip clothes!

We continued on driving until we got to Quebec City, where I was able to get an amazing room at Fairmont Chateau Frontenac. The hospitality was incredible. I've never stayed at such a beautiful, luxurious, and historical hotel before. As soon as we got there the valet unloaded our bags and took our car. We were greeted so warmly by reception, and the concierge was so friendly and knowledgeable. She recommended a wonderful restaurant for us. When we got to our room, I was so pleased. The decor was so beautiful and tasteful. The bed was extraordinarily comfortable, and we had a stunning view of the St. Lawrence River, over which there were fireworks that we were able to watch from our room. SO romantic! There were lovely little touches everywhere. The PR Manager had left a gift of two jars of the hotel chef's jam with a personal handwritten note; there were maple biscuits on our pillows; and there were complimentary slippers and a print out to give you a bit of history about the hotel and the weather forecast. 

Please excuse the lack of jewellery and the poor choice of shoes... I was in a hurry and couldn't find anything in my case. Top and Skirt/ASOS Curve/Purse - Random store at 6th and 36th in NYC/Shoes - Wal-Mart

We were super excited to finally be in Quebec City, so we both freshened up and headed out for dinner. We took the funicular down the mountainside to get to the restaurant we wanted to go to. We tried a little place that the concierge had recommended called Le Lapin Saute. The name is a play on words - it means both "the rabbit jumps" and "the rabbit sautees" (cooks). LOL. Most of the menu is rabbit based, and neither of us had ever eaten rabbit before, so we decided to try a small portion. We ordered the "Picnic Basket for Two" which comes with grilled garlic, salads, local cheeses, smoked salmon, herb foccacia, croutons, rabbit rillettes, and carrots and onions confit. It was SO good. The setting was lovely and romantic, and we actually felt like we could easily be in Paris, drinking good wine, eating French food, and sitting out on a cobblestone terrace. Great atmosphere and lovely food. I would definitely recommend it if you are in Quebec City anytime soon. We thought the funicular would be open all night, so we decided to walk around a bit before heading back to the hotel. Well... when we got back to the funicular, it was closed! We had to take about a million stairs to get back to the hotel. Oh well, c'est la vie! It actually turned out to be a nice walk since we took it pretty easy. 

The walk back to the hotel

The bed was so comfy and we got a really great night's sleep. We woke up and looked out the window, and this was our beautiful view!

Breakfast was included with the room, so we went downstairs thinking that it would just be a continental. Nope. Full breakfast buffet with the most delicious foods - crepes, waffles, eggs, sausages, bacon, potato rosti, omlette bar, cereals, yoghurt, fruits, pastries... and I could go on. Basically anything you wanted. The service in the restaurant was beyond excellent, and again, it was such a lovely atmosphere. The restaurant has a stunning view of the boardwalk and river, and it was a great place to people-watch as there were lots of women dressed to the nines. One even had an authentic vintage Chanel 2.55 bag. Gorgeous!

After our wonderful breakfast, we took a little walk on the boardwalk and got some great shots of the hotel's exterior. It truly felt like staying in a castle, especially since our room was in one of the turrets!

Dress - Forever 21+/Shoes - Wal-Mart/Purse - Random Store at 6th and 36th in NYC/Sunglasses - c/o Penningtons

After our morning walk we packed up the room and checked out so that we could make our way to visit my sister in PEI. When we got into the car, the valets had put two chilled bottles of water in our cup holders. Such a nice touch! Excellent hospitality all around. They really do think of everything to make you more comfortable. I highly recommend the Chateau Frontenac if you are ever staying in Quebec City. In fact, it was such a great stay, that I would even recommend visiting Quebec City just so that you could have the experience of staying at the Chateau.

We finally got to PEI, and I gave my nieces the biggest hugs ever, after which they were sent off to bed since it was so late. I snapped this pic of the car in my sister's driveway in the morning.

The backyard!

The NEIGHbours! Hehehe...

Crochet Top - Anthropologie/Cami - Forever 21+/Shorts - Dots/Shoes - Wal-Mart/Purse and sunglasses- c/o Penningtons

We decided we'd head over to check out North Rustico Beach in PEI that morning. It was so pretty there! We were able to drive right out onto the sand. 

2012 Ford Focus, loaned to us by Ford Canada

My brother-in-law Joey took us clam digging! Top - H&M+/Cami - Forever 21+/Shoes - c/o Crocs/Pants - Lululemon 

I caught one!

The next day we got to visit Victoria-by-the-Sea, and it was so beautiful there! 

Top - Joe Fresh/Cami - Forever 21+/Belt - ASOS Curve/Purse and Sunglasses - c/o Penningtons/Shorts - Dots

PEI's biggest tree!

 After we got home from Victoria-by-the-Sea, Joey made us a lobster dinner! It was sooo good!

The next day we got to go to Green Gables, the setting of the Canadian classic novel Anne of Green Gables. This is Peter and I smooching on Lover's Lane... LOL. So cheesy! After Green Gables, we went to Cavendish Beach, but you've already seen pictures of that from my Fatkini Post!

After the beach, we met up with my sister who works in Charlottetown for some dinner. We went to a pub there and they had really great live music. Amazing fiddling!

Dress - Jessica Simpson from The Bay/Shoes - Target/Purse - c/o Penningtons

The next morning, it was time for us to head back to Toronto. It was sad to say goodbye because I miss those guys so much, but I know I'll see them again soon. We enjoyed Quebec City so much the first time, we decided to stop over there again and stay at the Chateau Frontenac once more. I decided to wear my new dress that I got from the ASOS Curve sale to dinner. I really love this dress, even though when I got it, the colour was not quite what I was expecting (more green than I thought... I was expecting a shade of cream or maybe butter yellow). The shape of it is just so lovely!

Dress - ASOS Curve/Purse - Random store on 6th and 36th in NYC/Shoes - New Look

After dinner we turned in since it was a long drive. We woke up the next morning for a really great treat I had booked for us, a day at Le Nordique Spa et Detente complete with a couple's massage. This was Peter's very first massage, so it was even more special and relaxing for him. When we first got there, we walked down these stairs beside a waterfall to get to the spa. It is almost like a wilderness retreat. Very beautiful!

Top - Oak + Fort/Pants - Fashion Addition/Shoes - Target/Purse and Sunglasses - c/o Penningtons

Checking in... I already look so relaxed! LOL.

A picture of the hot and cold pools, and the sauna and steam room huts

The lovely girl at reception who explains how the Nordic bathing system works. You first get hot (in either a hot tub, steam room, or sauna) for about 10-15 minutes. Then you submerge yourself in cold water (cold pool, multi-head shower, or the river) very quickly for about 1 minute, followed by about 15 minutes of relaxation in their adirondack chairs, sun beds, or hammocks (the hammock was my fav - I fell asleep!). Then you repeat the cycle as many times as you like. Our couples massage was very lovely and romantic, and took place outdoors in a netted-in gazebo.

Swimsuit - Monif C via Gussied Up Plus

I would definitely recommend Le Nordique Spa et Detente! We were so relaxed and we're still talking about how amazing it was. We want to go back so much! Afterwards, we had a fairly low-key dinner and headed to bed since we were so amazingly relaxed! The next day was the last day of our vacation, and there was a bakery, Paillard, that I really wanted to check out in the Latin Quarter, so that was our last stop before heading home. We picked up about a dozen macarons. Delicious!!!

I saw this adorable little puppy, and I just had to pet him.

So that was my fantastic vacation! I'm so sad it's over... What about you? What did you do this Summer? Have any of you visited Quebec City or PEI before?

Outfit of the Day: Feathers and Flowers

Hey Guys!

I wore this outfit to teach a couple of days back. I really love this hat, which I found at a thrift store, after it had inexplicably been relinquished by its original owner... Why someone would get rid of this I have no idea - it's absolutely amazing. It's in perfect condition and looks as though it's never been worn. I have the most luck at thrift stores!

The lace top is something I picked up from Wal-Mart's G21 section. They actually go up to a 2X now, which is fantastic. I find most of the George stuff to be a bit too old-fashioned/not cute, but I am always seeing stuff I like in the G21 section. I wandered in there when Peter was browsing in the electronics section one day and I noticed that they had bumped up their sizes to the 2X, which made me happy. When they used to have 725 Originals, they had a full range of inclusive plus sizes, which I loved. Then, when they changed their private label brand to George (for middle-ish aged women) and G21 (an unmistakeable reference to another brand with 21 in its name, geared toward the younger generation), they did away with the plus sizes on their "younger" brand, and only offered plus sizes for George. I used to like George + more, but I find that the quality has really gone down lately, and the selection of items offered in the plus range are getting more and more matronly, which is why I am really glad to see Wal-Mart extend the sizing of their more youthful line. I would love to see Wal-Mart offer up to a 3 or even 4X, much like they did when 725 Originals was around. But I really love this lace top, which was rather economically priced at $9. The XXLs sell out pretty quickly, so make sure you buy as soon as you see something you like, or you are bound to be disappointed. One other quibble I have is that the G21 bikinis only go up to an XL. But the tankinis and the one-pieces go up to an XXL. I want some bikini love too! Not just Tankinis. BIKINIS. My stomach, too, would like to see the light of day. I hope Wal-Mart will begin to sell bikinis in at least an XXL. I went to Old Navy this past weekend to try some on as well, but the only bikinis in XXL were the drab gray ones. :( I guess I am going to have to buy online for that... I also got a skirt from G21 with an awesome bird print on it that I will share with you in my next Outfit of the Day post. The really nice people behind the @WalmartCanada twitter helped locate it for me and reroute it to a nearby store. I saw it in Lou Lou Magazine and I absolutely had to have it, but like 3 of the stores that were the closest to me were all sold out. So I was really pleased they were able to help.

Anyway, without further ado, my outfit:

Shoes and Lace Top - Wal-Mart/Tights - Courtesy of We Love Colors/Skirt, Necklace and Bolero - Forever 21+/Belt - Dots/Hat - Vintage from the thrift store

Water Lilies...

Hey Guys,

Just another quick OOTD. I am actually sick with the flu at the moment, so I am pretty much on my couch, wearing a Molson Export sweatshirt and watching tv (How to Train Your Dragon's on at the moment). But today was my niece's (she's also my goddaughter) 1st birthday, so I had to leave the house in something other than my grungy sweatshirt which will always smell like camping no matter how many times I wash it (not that that's a bad thing!). So I thought I would post some pictures of me, sick and all, for you to see.

I love this dress that I got because it reminds me of Monet's Water Lilies. Like Anika from ByAnika - I love to draw inspiration from art and just everyday life. Here is one of Monet's expansive paintings from the water lilies series:

So when I saw this dress in Target, it had to be mine! It was a perfect choice for a day like today. What do you all think? I've really appreciated all of your comments about the last post! Glad you liked the dress. I told Peter he was totally over-ruled!

Dress and Sandals - Target/Bolero - Suzy Shier/Tights - Forever 21+/Purse - Costa Blanca/Belt - Came with a Dress from Dorothy Perkins/Hair Bow - Ardene/Necklace - Homemade with charms from Walmart