July 17
Greg brought back pastries for breakfast and then we took
the Funicular up to the Château Frontenac Hotel
where we were to meet for our city tour that didn’t start until 11:00 with a
10:30 meet time. We were very early so we wandered the area.
Lower Town walking to funicular
passage de la Batterie
in the funicular to Upper Town
another car coming down
Located on the Dufferin Terrace next to the Château Frontenac, this monument is dedicated to Samuel de Champlain, the founder of Québec City, the governor of New France and the first European to explore the Great Lakes. There were almost always street entertainers in the plaza and a small “circus” style performance in the evenings.
old post office building
Fountain Monument of Faith
on the Château Frontenac
Québec City is one of North America’s oldest and most magnificent settlements. Its picturesque Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a living museum of narrow cobblestone streets, 17th and 18th century houses and soaring church spires, with the splendid Château Frontenac towering above it all.
Château Frontenac
Château Frontenac
The sisters weren’t going to be late today as she was
standing at the small bus as close to the door as she could so she could get
the first seat.
She wasn’t pleased with that and changed seats 2 more times.
There were only 5 of us on the small bus. Not the single man (we never saw him
again), but a single lady that “the sisters” had to give their Covid lecture
(since it was their first meeting) and basically shamed her into putting on a mask.
She wore it on the bus to please them but took it off outside.
We started at the City’s most famous landmark which is also
the most photographed hotel in the world, the Château Frontenac.
We drove past the giant urban park known as the Plains of
Abraham which was the site of the famous Battle of Québec, the confrontation
that decided Canada’s fate when the French lost the city to the British. We passed by Fortifications of Quebec National Historic Site.
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
Plains of Abraham
only walled city in Canada - St. Louis Gate (Porte St. Louis)
VIA Rail - Gare du Palais
Parliament Building
We then did a walking tour of the Lower Town. (which we had also already done on our own since we were staying there)
walking tour around Lower Town
Petit Champlain street
Place Royal
We were shown Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, but despite the small size the guide said we could return later on our own to peek inside.
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
La Fresque des Québécois was the first mural to be completed
in 1999 and is located near Place Royale, on the wall of Soumande House on
Notre-Dame Street. The mural pays homage to the history of Quebec City by
depicting a number of its key figures, such as Samuel de Champlain (the French
explorer and founder of Quebec), Marie Guyart de l'Incarnation, Lord Dufferin
and Félix Leclerc.
mural is about 3 stories tall
3-D looking gate
Our tour ended back at the Upper Town. We had no idea how long the tour was, and it turned out to
only be 2 hours. So, with the canceled food tour we had lots of time to walk
about exploring the Upper and Lower towns. (Fresh Tracks gave start times, but not how long any of the tours were, which would have been nice to know)
It was lunch time and we headed for a Pub that Greg had found in his researching places to eat.
D'Orsay Pub for lunch
Poutine - (best of the trip_
Pork Burger
We then just wandered around the Upper Town.
we stopped for gelato before continuing
Chalmers-Wesley United Church
we didn't go inside this one - across the street from Chalmers-Wesley United Church
Finished with the Upper Town we walked down the steep stairs to the Lower Town. We walked down Breakneck Stairs and stopped for some Sangria before continuing on our walk.
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires - back in Place Royal
We then took in the free Museum of Bad Art – Their motto is “art that is too bad to
be ignored”. Not a surprise that the artists were “anonymous”
titled "eye wish eye were an Oscar Meyer Weiner"
Playboy Bunnies
You're a Mule, Dear
After that we went back to the Mural to see it in a different light of day.
We ate at L'Échaudé for dinner. Greg had Salmon tartare with dill and capers, homemade fries, salad and I had Lamb saddle, Kefta in Brick leaf, sweet potato puree, orange marmalade and Amaretto, coffee crumble. Wow, really great French Bistro.
L'Échaudé French Bistro for dinner
blurry shot of Greg at our table
Lamb saddle, Kefta
Salmon tartare
We went for a final walk along the Petit Champlain. The guide told us about a great goat milk ice cream place, but the selections were slim, so we tried a place with dipped cones. They were like no dipped cone I had ever had. Creamy custard type ice cream and the dipped with thick and creamy.
Chocolato for dipped ice cream cones
We walked the longer way back to the hotel and we hung out in the lobby until our car came to take us to the train station. Same issue with the name being wrong, but it all worked out. The Museum of Civilization was across the street from our hotel, but we didn’t take the time to visit it. It is supposed to be a great museum. We had such nice days there that we didn't want to be inside long.
It was over half an hour to the Sainte-Foy train station, and we were early. We got our luggage checked and waited. The sisters showed up, but the single man did not. Since the cars were under his name, we assumed he should have been on that portion. So, not sure if he had a medical issue or chose to stay in those towns longer.
It was nearly midnight when we got squeezed into our cabin that had its own shower in the bathroom. (shower hose that drowns the whole bathroom when used) It was smaller than the train across the prairies and yes, the bathroom door opens into the ladder so not sure how people larger than us could squeeze in there. Thank goodness just the one night on this train.
waiting area for the train
Tomorrow, we arrive in Halifax.
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