Blog: Travelling to the province of Quebec recently really did feel like visiting a country within a country, writes former Shropshire Star reporter Rebecca Lawrence from her new home in Canada.

Quebec is very European and one of the only French speaking areas in North America.

As we stepped off the plane in Montreal, we could have been in France  – if it wasn’t for the skyscrapers and the bustling metropolis.

A view of Le Chateau Frontenac from the old town square, Quebec City

Although the rest of Canada sells products in both French and English and signs are bilingual, Quebec province is definitely centered around the French language.

The majority of Canada’s native French speakers live in Quebec and French is the official language of the province.

The majority of the signs are only in French, but it’s a different French to the one I learnt at school. I found the accent harder to understand than I did on visits to France and many of the words are different.

The number of people smoking outside restaurants, bars, shopping centres and cafes also struck me as very French. The habit seems to be dying in the rest of Canada, and it’s a long time since I saw so many smokers.

Montreal is an exciting city with a very modern downtown area but also a beautiful old town to explore.

We discovered St Paul’s Street – the oldest street in Montreal, where we found the oldest chapel – Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours. It was built in 1675, although, thanks to a fire, the current building dates to 1771.

Inside there are beautiful ships hanging from the ceiling. These hark back to the 19th century when, because of its proximity to the old port, the chapel became a popular place for sailors to pray.

We also visited the Parc du Mont Royal, a wooded park which even has a small ‘mountain’. This helps you to orientate yourself while walking around the city.

The funicular railway from upper old town to lower old town, Quebec City

We also travelled to Quebec City. It is much smaller than Montreal but I thought the old town was more quaint and fun to explore as it is on two levels connected by a funicular railway.

Quebec City is North America’s only walled city and is full of winding cobbled streets and stunning buildings. Unesco proclaimed the entire old town a world heritage site, and I can see why. Everywhere you turn there is something wonderful to look at, whether it’s La Citadelle, the town walls or a small church or huge cathedral.

Street performers created a bustling atmosphere and we discovered stunning views from the Battlefields Park of the St Lawrence River.

While in Quebec, we couldn’t go home without trying poutine. This is the province’s most famous dish and consists of French fries topped with cheese curds, covered with brown gravy. It doesn’t sound very appetising but was surprisingly tasty. I didn’t have a whole plate to myself by any means!

Food, then, was one of the best treats about being in Quebec. In Canada, I sometimes feel rushed in restaurants. They seem to want to give you everything as quickly as possible – as if they think that’s what customers want.

But in Montreal and Quebec City, we were able to enjoy some delicious French meals, where they first give you bread to share and then take some time discussing the wine menu with you. The starter doesn’t come for at least 20 minutes and then there’s a long enough wait to digest that before the main course arrives.

However, there are similarities with France  – the rudeness of some some staff, for example. In one bar we went to, my husband and I sat at the bar for five minutes before even being acknowledged.

The bartender then proceeded to tidy up several tables, pour a couple of other drinks and change the channel on the television before condescending to ask if we wanted a drink.

But in the restaurants, the waiters were nothing but polite and were very willing to make suggestions about their favourite dessert on the menu or a good wine.

We wore ourselves out exploring the nooks and crannies of old town Montreal and the port area and the beautiful cobbled streets of Quebec City.

But as soon as we felt a tad tired, we found a quaint bistro or cafe and sat at the outside tables on the edge of a bustling square to enjoy a cup of coffee and a pastry, while watching the rest of the world wander by. It was just all so perfectly French.