Quebec City

July 12 Montreal to Quebec City

Straight shot up the highway from Montreal to Quebec City. Scenery consisted of mostly farmland. A much nicer day today, however the humidity, if possible is worse than what we experienced in Montreal. Jodi booked us a nice little hotel room just two blocks from the entrance to Old Quebec City. The valet whisked our car away before we realized Hannah was standing in her flip-flops, which aren’t very suitable for a day of walking. I know what you are thinking... VALET? Well, parking is at a premium in this city and even little budget hotels like the one we are staying in have to offer the service. Our luggage was still in the car because we didn’t have access to the room until 3. We eventually got to the car and Hannah changed her shoes.

We entered old Quebec City and were immediately taken back in time. The narrow cobblestone roads wound around hotels, shops, restaurants and churches. The town had a definite European feel to it. There were lots of tourists around, but judging by license plates, most were from Quebec.

We walked down to an overlook high above the St. Lawrence in front of the Chateau Frontenac. Buskers entertained groups of tourists all along the boardwalk.

Next, we visited a section of the Plains of Abraham and continued to the star-shaped Citadel. We watched the regimental parade and wondered how the soldiers were able to fend off heat exhaustion in their full dress uniforms. We learned a little about the battle between the French and English from a park interpreter. He told us the final battle lasted for less than thirty minutes because the French were not prepared for an attack from behind the fort. Our guide actually seemed a bit peeved as he recounted the story. You got the feeling he felt the British hadn’t played fair with the tactics they used. From the citadel you could hear competing bands playing in one of the twelve outdoor venues that are part of the local summer music festival.

Finally got into our room and freshened up. Decided to go for dinner around 7 and then check out a Cirque du Soleil show at 9:30. The streets were crammed with restaurants so we walked along trying to decide where to eat. We continued walking towards where the Cirque show was supposed to be. Our sidewalk came to an end and the roadway continued over a high-level overpass. In the distance, below the overpass, we saw some staging. We searched for a way down and found a set of wooden stairs that delivered us tot he street some eight to nine stories below. We emerged into a run-down neighbourhood beneath the overpass.

After our nights out in Ottawa, Hannah was a little nervous and suggested that we watch a little of the show and then head back to the hotel. We continued walking and came to a fenced off area that had the staging inside. There were no signs indicating it was a Cirque show site, so we decided to head off in search of a restaurant. I reminded Hannah that Quebec City was known for its Haute Cuisine.

We ended up eating at a Chinese Restaurant run by a French Canadian couple. After some initial language difficulties, we ordered some chicken chow mein and a beef and broccoli dish. When the food arrived, we were both a little shocked. It didn’t look like any Chinese food we had seen back at home. However, we were both so hungry that we tucked into the food and were pleasantly surprised. It was absolutely delicious.

We left the restaurant at about 8 and walked back to where Cirque was performing. By the time we returned, there were already two lines of about 500 people. A third line with about 8 people had started so we joined them. One family was from Connecticut and the other was from Ohio. The Connecticut family was seeing the show for the third consecutive night. By about 9 p.m., 5000 people had gathered and the gates finally opened. We followed the family from Connecticut thinking they must know where to go.

It turned out the viewing area was a gravel lot complete with mud puddles. There were no seats. We ended up standing beside a barrier right in front of the stage.

Several cast members came out and entertained the crowd. One guy in particular kept picking on me by turning my ball cap around. Just before the show began, one of the other performers on the stage told me to turn my "chapeau" around. I was feeling a bit persecuted and Hannah thought it was great! The show was titled Les Chemins Invisibles. It told the story of a king and his control over his subjects.

There were acrobats, musicians, dancers, and singers all performing in front of a massive multimedia presentation. It was an amazing show-as good as any Broadway production I’ve ever seen. Hannah was so excited during the show that there was no mention of leaving early.

Our walk back to the hotel was very pleasant. There was an impressive police presence. Roads were closed and we witnessed no disorderly conduct. We were happy to return to our room and get off our feet after a full day of sightseeing.

July 13 Quebec City (Day 2)

We enjoyed our complimentary breakfast in the hotel before venturing out. The streets were quiet compared to the night before. There were only a few tourists stumbling around with street maps of the city.

Our plan today was to explore both the lower and upper sections of Old Quebec City. We headed straight down to the shores of the St. Lawrence and wandered around the narrow cobblestone streets and window-shopped outside of the high-end stores. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Sunny with a light breeze and no humidity.

We stopped and watched the Funicular (an inclined railcar) carry tourists to the upper parts of the city and enjoyed a delicious cup of gelato. We climbed the stairs to a viewpoint in front of the Chateau Frontenac. Once at the top, we took in the impressive sights of the St. Lawrence and the lower reaches of the city. Stopped for a beverage at Starbucks and Hannah took the opportunity to phone home.

We wandered over to Holy Trinity Cathedral before visiting Basilica-Cathedral Notre-Dame de Quebec. The basilica is the only church I’ve ever been in that has flat screen tvs installed. My first thought was the televisions would allow individuals to worship both God and Les Habs at the same time, but the real reason they are there is because of supporting columns which completely obscure views of the altar.

Headed back up to our hotel district and stopped an hour at one of the outdoor concert venues. We sat amongst tourists and office workers on their lunch break and listened to a very cool Blues/Rock band from New York.

Enjoyed a dinner at a little sidewalk bistro near our hotel before taking one last stroll of the city before retiring for the night. Both of us really enjoyed our visit to Quebec City. There is an impressive variety of things to see and do. I would like to come back one day. We’re off to New Brunswick tomorrow.