Hello Darlings, Part two from my Quebec City winter weekend getaway, exploring the famous Carnival and other interesting places in the charming and historic old city.

Long walks exploring new places is one of my favorite things, which is one of the main reasons why I chose to visit Quebec City as my destination. It's a beautiful old city, and the signature building is the Chateau Frontenac hotel in the photo above. While I stayed at the boutique Germain Dominion hotel in the lower city, visiting the grounds surrounding the Chateau Frontenac is a "must" when visiting Quebec City, especially for a panorama view.

There is shopping everywhere, just as there are pretty views. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes since there are a lot of steps! It's definitely worth exploring both the upper and lower parts of the old city, and my favorite was actually the lower part with a more romantic and old European feel.

I AM WEARING:Mackage Peaches Coat // Uggs Hat// Manitobah Mukluks Metis boots // Marc Jacobs Sutton Purse // Club Monaco Cashmere Gloves

Love the cobblestone streets, and the abundance of charming cafes and beautiful churches throughout the old city. And given the super chilly weather, I embraced being a true Canadian and finally experienced the true beauty of my Manitobah Mukluks. They are hand made by Aboriginal artists with traditional embroidery, and of course super warm!

But getting down to the serious business! At the famous Carnival event for the first time I tried a Maple Stick. Maybe the best invention ever! The Quebec'er who invented maple sticks is a genius in my opinion L.O.V.E.

The history of Quebec Carnival dates long before Canada was "born". As the story is told, the original inhabitants of what is now Quebec City created a mid-winter celebration before Lent to eat, drink and be merry. When the economy was slow in the early 1890's, the owner of the Quebec Daily Telegraph, Frank Carrel, launched the idea of a new carnival in Québec, which is today one of the most famous winter carnivals in the world (and one of the coldest!)

Incredibly it was -25 degrees celsius on the night of my visit to Carnival, what luck for me compared to spending my winter last year mostly in Florida! But it was still a super fun night, with some help from multiple warm maple drinks. Above is a photo of the famous Ice Castle, and note the DJ booth in the front with loud music playing for those who dared to dance!

Quebec Carnival continues this weekend (ends Sunday, February 17th), and another fun event upcoming in the city worth checking out is the famous Red Bull Crashed Ice event, on Saturday, March 16th. Whatever the reason, I highly recommend Quebec City as a weekend destination!

With Love...

Marta