Aaah, yes. My New Year's resolutions: go out more, do more (new and scary) stuff, exercise regularly, do everything you are afraid of. So far, I'm doing ALL of that, and it's already been, what, 4 weeks? *proud* :)
So I started off the new year with a road trip to Québec (City), the capitol of Québec (Province). So I rented my first car ever all on my own, and I was the only registered driver. So, 10 hours (including breaks) to get up there, 12 hours (not quite including breaks) to get back down. And on the way back we hit a tiny snow storm around Kingston and the car swerved a couple of times... so, we learned that I'm actually a lot better a driver than I thought I was, I can drive a lot longer without a break than I thought, and.. I do well in snowy weather (or on snowy streets....) - even if the car isn't TOO familiar (being a rental). So, yay for me! :)
But back to the trip.
We started on the 2nd of january in the morning, and arrived in Québec City around 8 p.m.. Daniela had booked the hostel, which was small but with a kitchen which we could use, a common area, and not too expensive parking nearby. And it was right next to the City Hall, and about a 5 minute walk from Chateau Frontenac, which is one of the main sites of Québec City, so we were right in the middle of everything we wanted to see! Great location.
We ended up walking around a bit in the dark... after I took my glove off to take a picture and my skin started burning and prickling immediately, we decided to put on some additional layers of clothing. It was around -25 degrees at that point. Cold. Really.
On thursday morning we got up and were excited, because thursday was our outdoor activity day: dogsledding and snowshoeing!!! AWESOME!!! Except that we came downstairs in the morning, and in turns out the temperature that day is -34 degrees celsius!!!!!!!!!!! Believe me, that's not funny. Not funny at all. (Des isch nemmer luschdig!) So, we put on even more clothes and drove out to the place, which was 15 minutes outside of Québec. We decided to rent snowmobile boots, which they offered, because it was REALLY cold!! Our eyelashes were freezing together, and within minutes every strand of hair that was not covered by a toque or a scarf was covered in frost and completely stiff... and white. So, we looked like grandmothers for the day... oh, and like stuffed animals as well, because of the many layers of clothing. I wore 5 layers of different tops underneath my winter jacket! So, again (in case someone missed it): IT WAS F***ING FREEZING!!!
The dogsledding was AMAZING, we got to drive our own sleds! (One of us sat in the sled, the other made the dogs run and was in control of the brake and had to push to help the dogs etc.) We basically followed our guide, who had his sled in front of us... and tried not to run into him ;) We went for two and a half hours - I was EXHAUSTED after about half, because I had to push so much... our two front dogs weren't getting along very well, so they stopped every now and then. So Dani took over when we stopped for a break, but her glasses kept fogging up from her breath, so once my dizziness was gone I did the rest of the ride. It was exhausting, but soooooo much fun! And a beautiful winter wonderland we drove through, and down steep hills and over bumps that lifted my feet off the sled and the brake - GREAT!!!! Really, really, really enjoyed it!! All of us did, I think. Anja and her sister, had their own sled behind us.
So, after we got back (all frozen on the outside and sweating on the inside), we needed a little rest and some food before we got our snowshoes and went out for a 2 hour hike on our own :) That was good, too - we went up a hill so we had a really nice view. AND we got to experiment with the snowshoes, that was fun! Like walking on the moon... especially with those huge snowmobile boots! On our way back we stopped at a grocery store and Anja and Elissa made pasta and a DELICIOUS sauce... so the day ended with good and, almost more importantly, WARM food.

Dani and I in the car... taking a break, NOT driving :) Just got back in from the cold.

The (long) road ahead of us... goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on....

Elissa and Anja, on one of the beds in the hostel.

Left to right: Daniela, myself, and Anja. wearing several layers of clothing and two pairs of gloves (or mittens, in some cases) EACH. Current temperature: -25°C

The next day. Temperature: -34°C. Elissa's eyelashes are frozen.

... and so is Dani's hair. It's usually brown.

Dani and I, sledding. Notice the concentration and the firm grip on the sled. And, yes, that's a ski mask. I still ended up with minor frost burn by the end of the day. Kind of looks like a sunburn would.

Elissa's and Anja's sled - taking a break (probably because the guides had to seperate some dogs who were trying to kill each other).

All of us!! ... with snowshoes. on a bridge.

Winter Wonderland - Exhibit A.

Winter Wonderland - Exhibit B. What more can I say.

Elissa, Daniela, and myself in the hostel's kitchen - enjoying the marvelous, marvelous meal Elissa and Anja cooked for us!!!

Okay, speaking of food - I'm hungry. I'll finish this later.