Quebec City provides cool fun Tracey Teo, Special to the Courier & Press 7:03 p.m. CST December 17, 2016

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1 Quebec City provides cool fun Tracey Teo, Special to the Courier & Press 7:03 p.m. CST December 17, 2016 (Photo: Wesley K.H. Teo) CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENT MORE In the Ice Bar at Hôtel de Glace near Quebec City, Canada, I picked up my cocktail with a gloved hand and sipped it from a hollowed-out block of ice that serves as a glass in this frosty watering hole. Some folks run away from the cold, but the Canadians I met in the French-speaking capital city heartily embraced it, and I vowed to do the same. No binge watching Netflix by the fireplace like I do at home in Indiana when the first snow hits. My new friends brought me here as a kind of initiation into their Arctic-like world. So we raised our glasses in a toast. Here s to Old Man Winter. Cheers! From January to March, locals and tourists alike flock to this 44-room hotel, an ephemeral architectural marvel built entirely of ice and snow. Even the furniture is made of ice. Since a new theme is introduced every winter, visitors come year after year. Past themes have included Myths and Legends from Around the World and Rivers.

2 Visitors admire the wedding chapel at Hotel de Glace in Quebec City, Canada. (Photo: Wesley K.H. Teo) Some guests stay overnight, snuggling into special sleeping bags that protect them from the cold, but many come only for the day to admire whimsical ice sculptures of dancing penguins, watch their kids zip down the icy Super Slide and then have a drink at the bar. A bearded bartender sporting an enormous fur hat and a rugged smile looked like he should be out trapping beaver (generations of Canadians have) instead of mixing drinks, but he easily kept up with the crowd's demands for cocktails with names like Sex on the Ice. Behind him, a giant snowflake carved into a wall of snow was illuminated by a pink light, casting an ethereal glow on an otherwise colorless scene. Children ice fishing in the Village Nordik at the Port of Quebec. (Photo: Wesley K.H. Teo)

3 Little girls enthralled by the animated Disney film, Frozen may feel like they have walked right into Elsa s glistening ice palace. If those little girls are still enchanted by snowy landscapes when they grow up, they can have their dream wedding in the hotel chapel. After finishing our drinks, my crew headed over to the Sugar Shack for some chewy maple taffy. A river of heated maple syrup is poured over snow, which hardens the liquid, then, the candy is rolled onto a Popsicle stick. Personally, I think it beats the saltwater variety. Visitors at the Hotel de Glace in Quebec City, Canada. (Photo: Wesley K.H. Teo) Old Quebec The next day, in keeping with my promise to embrace the cold like a Canadian, I laced up my rubber-soled winter boots and trekked along the cobblestone streets of Old Quebec, a UNESCO World Heritage site that comprises the only remaining walled city north of Mexico. It was 18 degrees. How could the sun shine so brightly and produce absolutely no warmth? Its sole purpose seemed to be illuminating the ice-encased branches of leafless trees, making them sparkle like a canopy of crystal chandeliers. With centuries-old architecture and Old World charm, this historic district is often compared to European villages. After all, Quebec City began as a French colonial outpost in 1608 and has retained its French identity more than any other major Canadian city. Le Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, a 123-year-old, castle-like hotel that overlooks the icechoked St. Lawrence River, is as much a landmark here as the Eiffel Tower is in Paris. I paused to get a few shots, trying to capture the multiple towers and turrets that give the sprawling structure a baronial air. It s said to be the most photographed hotel in the world.

4 At Hotel de Glace in Quebec City, Canada, even the beds are made of ice. (Photo: Wesley K.H. Teo) At Christmas, Old Quebec decks the halls in a major way, and nobody gets in a hurry to take down the decorations. It doesn t matter if you visit in December or February, softly glowing Christmas lights and swaths of red ribbon adorn centuries-old stone buildings. It could be the archetype for those quaint miniature Christmas villages displayed in American homes during the holidays. The Village Nordik, a winter playground at the Port of Quebec, was in full swing. Children in bright, wooly hats knelt on the thick ice of the Louise Basin, their heads bowed, as if at prayer. (Praying they wouldn t freeze to death, perhaps?) They were actually ice fishing, eager for a bite from a trout or yellow perch. Kids that crave more excitement than staring at a hole in the ice provides scream all the way down an 800-foot-long toboggan slide that runs along Terrrasse Dufferin. The century-old slide has provided a stomach-churning thrill for generations of Quebec City residents. Canadian kids seem to never feel the cold. I mused that, like other species that have evolved to adapt to their environment, these children might have some mysterious protection that makes them impervious to the bone-chilling winds. Not really. When you re a kid, you just focus more on fun and less on discomfort, exactly what my Canadian friends were encouraging me to do.

5 Le Fairmont Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, Canada, is said to be the most photographed hotel in the world. (Photo: Wesley K.H. Teo) Where to stay Auberge Saint-Antoine is a boutique hotel in the heart of Old Quebec. 8 Saint-Antoine St., Quebec City, Canada, (888) , saint-antoine.com Where to eat Chez Boulay-Bistro Boréal is an upscale restaurant that serves seasonal Nordic cuisine Saint-Jean St., Quebec City, Canada. (418) , chezboulay.com Activities The Hôtel de Glace is open Jan. 4-March 26, Valcartier Boul., Valcartier, Quebec, Canada, (888) , hoteldeglace-canada.com Village Nordik at the Port of Quebec - villagenordik.com For more information on Quebec City activities, visit quebecregion.com.