This afternoon we drove the several hours from Shawinigan to Quebec City and got Eric checked into his hotel. He and the other teaching assistants will have training for the next three days at the Hilton boardrooms.
Our hotel is just across the street. After a quick tour around the neighborhood, we are taking Dave out for dinner to celebrate his 55th birthday. Bistro Hortus is a completely gluten free restaurant so Dave and Eric can order anything they desire!!
Birthday dessert was a wonderful blueberry gelato (with a candle) and some amazing maple fudge.
Kris has never seen a moose in the wild, so on our first day in Quebec City, we drove north to Jacques Cartier National Park on the lookout for the “Monarch of the Forest”. Rutting season is usually late September, when they are easier to spot, but we’re hoping to get lucky.
The best time to see moose is early morning or later afternoon, especially right now when the days are still warm. They tend to hang out in ponds or rivers to chow down and cool off.
Sadly, this is the only moose we saw today!
We took two short hikes in Jacques Cartier park, through the pretty deciduous forest and to the confluence of the Sautauriski and Jacques Cartier Rivers.
We then spent the afternoon in Vieux-Quebec.
This historic district is divided into two neighborhoods: Haute-Ville (upper town), sitting atop the Cap Diamant escarpment, and Basse-Ville (lower town), sitting alongside the Saint Lawrence River.
There are still many entry points in the fortified walls surrounding Old Quebec.
The Chateau Frontenac with its copper roofs, dormer windows and turrets, was built in 1893 & was inspired by the Chateaux of the Loire in France.
The Escalier Casse-Cou (breakneck stairs) are known as the city’s oldest stairs and perhaps the steepest, linking the upper town to the lower.
The Place Royale is the spot where the city was founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608. The first ‘abitation’ served as a fort, store, trading post and residence and is considered the cradle of French America.
The Mural de Quebec highlights the history of the city.
Rue du Petit-Champlain, is said to be the oldest commercial district in North America.
The Petit Champlain mural illustrates the major stages in the life of Cap-Blanc, a working class port district of Quebec.
Hundreds of colourful umbrellas hang over the quaint Rue du Cul-de-Sac, locally called Umbrella Alley. Only on display in the summer, the colour of the umbrellas changes every year.
We stopped for a beverage and snack at Bistrot Pape Georges, a 400-year old tavern & the first wine bar in Quebec to serve wines by the glass.
We took the funicular from lower town back to upper town. Built in 1879, the cabins originally moved by a steam system and water counterweights. This was changed to electric power in 1907.
The historic Maison Jacquet was one of the largest houses in Haut-Ville and is the oldest in Quebec (1675). Myth/legend states that General Montcalm lived and died in this famous house, although said ‘truth’ has been contradicted by history.
Dinner was at the typical Acadian restaurant that now occupies both buildings of the old house, Aux Anciens Canadiens. The split pea soup, salad au canard and salmon in puff pastry was amazing!
Tomorrow we explore some other parts of Quebec City.
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