www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday November 10, 2007 - 31 Nobody throws a party like Quebec City Kevan and his Grade eight class are going to take a trip to help celebrate a big birthday. They have been planning and saving all year for this special party. All of us should be doing the same. Nobody throws a party like Quebec, and Quebec City celebrating its 400th birthday in 2008, is making it "The place to be." There are big events planned in the only walled city left north of Mexico; 130 of them in fact. If you've never been, it is the year to go. If you've been, it is time to go again. You may have wandered the narrow winding streets and gawked at the architecture, but for this year, $600 million has gone into the major infrastructure projects and the upcoming party. The waterfront is all spiffed up, bringing more access to the shoreline of the magnificent river that Champlain sailed up 400 years ago. Nouvo St. Roch is a trendy new neighbourhood in lower town, a short walk from the fortified old city. It is close to Laval University's School of Visual Arts to give you a landmark. I haven't seen it yet but I'm told the district combines modern and traditional architectural styles in an eclectic mix of galleries, boutiques, restaurants and cafes. It starts on New Year's Eve at Place D'Youville, transformed for the occasion into a huge celebration site. Fireworks, visual effects, and live music will set the tone. ESPACE 400e will be the Heart of the Festivities, very appropriate as it is the meeting place for the St. Lawrence and Saint Charles rivers in the old port area Bassin Louise. From June 3 to September 28 the docks will be invaded by artists, musicians, poets and comedians. We'll be able to see the Image Mill, a 40-minute show that celebrates four centuries of history, shown on the surface of the Bunge Company's grain silos. The organizers brag this will be the largest outdoor architectural projection ever created. That would be worth the trip alone, but there is much, much more. Travelling with Samuel De Champlain from Brouage to Quebec, a musical show, and The Founders' Duel, a musical play that has Samuel de Champlain and Pierre Dugua de Mons trying to decide who deserves the title of founder of Quebec City. But each month there are special events such as the Quebec Snowboard World Cup in downtown Quebec City in Mid-March, the 2008 IIHF World Championship Hockey May 1-18 in Quebec City and Halifax, the Summer Festival on July 3 and 4th, and the list goes on. As always food and drink will be part of the parties all year. Quebecers love food -- every meal is a taste sensation. Guide books always rate the city as our fine dining capital, but you could also call it the bistro capital or the wine and cheese capital. The old town alone has more than 100 restaurants; so forget counting calories. It's easy to fall in love with Quebec City, one of the most romantic towns in the world, as you stroll past its famed walls and wonderfully preserved XV111 and XIX-century homes. Places to stay can be just as spectacular. Choices range from fabled hotels like the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, to cozy B&Bs, and off the wall wonders like the Ice Hotel just 30 minutes from town. It opens this year from Jan. 4-April 1. New is The Huron-Wendat Nation's hotel-museum. It includes a 55 room hotel, an Amerindian restaurant, the museum and an outdoor amphitheatre. Hotel PUR is in the centre of the new St. Roch district, and has been completely renovated, and remodeled. Auberge Saint-Antoine and its Panache restaurant are part of the prestigious chain Relais & Chateaux since '95. It has been rated Top Hotel in Canada by Conde Nast Traveller magazine this year. And getting there is easy. Drive, fly or take VIA Rail. I've flown, driven, but I love the train, a comfy way to travel and the restored train station in the city is fabulous. I'll see you there. Mr. Christie's Quebec Winter Carnival from February 1 to February 17, www.carnaval.qc.ca, is always wonderful, and the night parades February 9th and again on the 17th, promise to be better than ever. A brand new renovated parade in fact. How that can be is quite beyond me. Any time I've been there, the snowy streets have framed magical spectacles for young and young at heart alike -floats, marching bands, clowns and entertainers, and ending with mascot Bonhomme. There are lots of events on from January to October such as ACV PUTS THE SPOTLIGHT ON DISNEY Air Canada Vacations' 2007/08 Walt Disney World Resort brochure is now available. Features include a variety of Disney Magic Your Way packages starting at $599.00, including roundtrip airfare, accommodation at Walt Disney World Resorts, theme park tickets and Aeroplan Miles. ACV's Disney line-up includes a choice of 15 Disney Resorts; daily flights to Orlando from Toronto; optional AVIS car rentals; Magic Your Way packages featuring admission to various attractions including Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Water Parks, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Holiday House Cuts U.S. Rates Holiday House has moved to lower its rates on the entire U.S. a la carte product line, including Hawaii due to the continuing strength of the Canadian dollar. "We listened to market demand, reviewed our pricing, and have reduced our rates on our U.S. land-based product. We think you'll find that Holiday House has the best deals to the U.S. in the market right now, and we are very pleased that our Canadian customers will benefit from the strong Canadian dollar" said Ron Heuer, senior vicepresident and general manager of Holiday House. The price reduction which takes immediate effect is valid on new bookings and applies to hotels and resorts, condominium rentals, car rentals and attraction tickets. T ravelling Solo? Club Med has an exceptional offer for solo travellers enjoy the comfort and amenities of a double occupancy room at no supplement. This offer is valid for new bookings for stays until 22DEC07 at Club Med Turkoise, Turks & Caicos; Columbus Isle, Bahamas; Cancun, Mexico: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: La Caravelle, Guadeloupe; Buccaneer's Creek, Martinique: Bora Bora, French Polynesia or Sandpiper, Florida. Single occupancy at no supplement is subject to capacity control and availability at time of reservation. BEAVER TRAILS TO IDAHO: Young Emma Ruby Cloutier recently accompanied her mom Christina Marineau to Meridian, Idaho to visit her grandmother Shirley Marineau and her great grandmother Ruby Ward. Take along a copy of The Oakville Beaver on your next vacation and send it in for publication to Beaver Trails, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4 or e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com Voted Best Travel Agency Best Cruise Company Best Travel Agent Thanks Oakville! Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville Relax... you're with us 221 Lakeshore Road E. (905) 827-1100 fax: (905) 827-4982 e-mail: travel@mctavish.com 905-337-2228 www.hookedoncruising.com To advertise in this spot call 905-845-3824