Walking with Marie Legroulx

 We started the day with a guided city walk. Our guide, Marie Legroulx (https://www.toursvoirquebec.com/en/our-guides/marie-l/), was excellent and had lots of interesting stories for us.

Marie was a fast walker!

Le Monastère des Augustines is a former monastery from the 17th century that has been completely restored. It's now a wellness center/hotel. Marie mentioned that they offer a tasty lunch for visitors. The garden is below. 

Here is Tom, a change bell ringer from Chicago. Changing ringing is different from a carillon. (I thought they were the same.) The carillon is rung by one person (the carillonneur), and the change ringing bells are rung by a team of people. There are many permutations, and ringers must control the bells. Additionally, the carillon plays melodies typically with harmony. Change ringers ring patterns, with each bell sounding separately. Tom built this practice contraption so that it would be easier to practice the pulling (ringing) of the bells. 

 

The nearby Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (where we went to church on Sunday) has 8 of these bells. The Cathedral's bells date from 1830 and are the oldest change-ringing bells in Canada. Apparently, they have concerts throughout the week, so maybe we can catch one before we leave.

This is the oldest house and the best place to get authentic French Canadian food. The roof is brightly colored since with all the deep snow, the white stucco house could disappear in the winter but the bright roof would still be obvious.

The Canadian flag has two red panels - one for each ocean.

The historic district of Old Quebec was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Old Québec is the most intact fortified town north of Mexico. It has retained its colonial architecture for over 400 years.

This interesting mural in the Lower Town depicts Quebec's history. If someone snaps a picture of you, it will appear as though you're in the mural.

Some dynamic art by Tracie-Mae Chambers in the Lower Town. 

This is the only one I saw, but apparently there are installations around the city.

Pigeons, Church and Lots of Steps

By 8:00 AM, I was at Les Trois Garcons having breakfast.

 I glanced up at the building across the street where I noticed some unusual birds along the window sill.

It quickly became apparent they were metal birds, 

probably to deter pigeons from roosting. 

Very unusual. 

 

Later in the morning, Krista and I went to the English language service at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the first Anglican church in Quebec. The sermon was inspiring, and so was the music. 

Pipe organ

Here's the service leaflet with PICNIC prominently featured. The minister reminded the congregation that all were welcome at the church picnic following the service.  I really wanted to go! It was across the river on Ile d'Orleans. It featured a corn boil and swimming! And French/English fellowship!

 But, I reconsidered as it might have been hard to get there and hard to return. 

Maybe next trip...

 

Choir singing

This was a page from the hymnal which showed the words in two Native languages. There was a timeline/display at the back of the church honoring the Native people and expressing remorse for the past.

Place d'Armes

Toboggan run on the Dufferin Terrace adjacent to the Chateau Frontenac. I want to return in the winter and try it out.

View of the St. Lawrence from the Dufferin Terrace

Another view

The Promenade des Gouverneurs is an elevated boardwalk off the Dufferin Terrace accessed via over 300 steps. It's about 716 yards (a football field is 120). We walked half of it before turning around. Next weekend we'll probably visit The Citadel and may walk more of it then.

One of the many staircases...

Biking and Wandering

 The bike shop was at the bottom of the hill, so I headed for the funicular. There were helmets there to rent, so I needn't have dragged my helmet all this way. (But on the other hand, it does fit very well.) I got a bike that was quite comfortable considering it had straight instead of curved handlebars. They also had electric bikes, but since the route I chose was flat, I opted for a traditional bike. 

The bike lanes on the path (one going north, the other going south) occasionally veered into marked street lanes (still felt safe, though) and was adjacent to the St. Lawrence making for good views. I cycled for about 40 minutes and then turned around to explore the other direction. I passed the ferry to Levis which we might take later - the views are supposed to be outstanding. A gigantic Princess cruise ship was docked nearby, so it was interesting to cycle past that. 

After returning the bike, I wandered some more and found a MOBA - a museum of bad art! Really! I was tempted to go in, but since I'm not a fan of bad art (but whose opinion is this? so maybe I should have entered...), I decided on lunch instead. It's terrific they have so many outside dining choices, although that makes sense since the weather was clear and sunny, even a bit hot. 

Afterwards, I hiked up the stairs (whew) to the Dufferin Terrace where I commenced to wander some more. One art gallery had some very unusual tile art. 

All the walking and the heat made me decide to take a break and go swimming. So, that's where I'm headed now. 

The funicular to the Lower Town

A park in Lower Town

Along the St. Lawrence

Museum of Bad Art - or so someone says (!)

Lunch at La Pizz

Lower town scenic street

 

I was able to swim some "laps" by swimming around that center pillar.

Breakfast and the Chateau

 After breakfast, I took care of some "admin" - found the Tourist Info center and an ATM. You need cash for the funicular and buses (unless you download the app, which I may do), so I thought it was a wise idea to have some cash with me.

Next I explored the area around Chateau Frontenac. 

Breakfast cafe

The sausage was a like a hot dog but very tasty. And the cook scrambled the eggs as she cooked them.

Lots of interesting art along the way.

Chateau Frontenac

Another view

Statue honoring Samuel de Champlain, the founder of Québec City

Great music from this artist who must have arrived on the Dufferin Terrace outside Chateau Frontenac by way of his electric bike.

Giant butterfly made from a variety of plants.

A long view of the Dufferin Terrace along the St. Lawrence.

Bonjour Quebec!

 All worked out well yesterday with the flights, luggage, and hotel. I'm a bit out of practice with arriving in a new city alone, so after checking in, I decided to walk down a very steep hill because I thought that's where I would start. 

 That was NOT where to start - just a long, busy street. (I should have asked the hotel for a map, more information, etc.) Hiked back up and thought I'd wander around the hotel vicinity. I turned a corner and there was Rue Saint-Jean: a cobblestoned street in the Old City and filled with restaurants offering outside dining. Just what I was looking for. On top of that, the restaurant I chose, Chez Boulay, was actually connected to the hotel through a long corridor I found when I asked where the restrooms were.

Only one table left outside - a table for four. They almost didn't seat me - one person taking up a table for four isn't good business. I asked them to split the table, they did, and I had finally found my happy spot after a long day of traveling.

These flags are right outside the hotel. If you look carefully, you can see the sign for Boulay which I should have noticed. The tall building in the distance is Chateau Frontenac. (Edited Saturday afternoon: Actually, it isn't! It's the Édifice Price building which is the tallest building in the Old Quebec historical district and one of the oldest skyscrapers in Quebec. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89difice_Price)

This is the way Rue Saint-Jean looked when I arrived,

I love this bread server.

My dinner of cod, zuchini and clams. The green sauce is "zucchini milk" Philip, the waiter told me. It had a subtle zucchini taste which complimented the dish.

Rue Saint-Jean at twilight. 

 

PS - I was going to wander a bit more before turning in for the night, but then rejected that idea. So I returned to my room, grabbed my bathing suit and headed for the pool. Had a rejuvenating swim before saying Bonsoir to my first night in Quebec. 

 

Up early and ready to go! But this always involves re-evaluating my suitcase for the umpteenth time. Sometimes that's annoying, but sometimes it's good. 

I decided to add some knitting to the mix. My current project, a baby blanket to donate, is too big and the ball of yarn too large. 

So, I quickly wound up a new, smaller ball, hunted down some size 7 needles, and now I have a smaller, tidier project.

I can't tell you how many times I've brought my knitting along and haven't knitted AT ALL. But maybe this time I will have some down time to knit. Plus, my travel buddy, Krista, is also a knitter...

See you in Quebec this afternoon!

Leaving Soon For Quebec and Montreal

 Bonjour mes amies!

I haven't been out of the US since my trip to Dubai in 2020. A friend and I were planning on a river cruise in France but then cancelled it. The tour company was a little difficult, and I got scared of Covid. 

So, we changed our minds and opted for a Road Scholar trip to Quebec which also features whale watching in the small town of Tadoussac. 

 It occurred to me as I finished completing the Arrival Canada app that this trip is a great way to ease into international travel.  Not across the ocean, but still out of the USA.

I've been brushing up on my high school French with Duolingo. So, good news! I'll be able to greet just about anybody, and tell them I'm doing well. (That should get me through the first day or so.)

The guidebook below has been immensely helpful. One classic French Canadian dish that's heartily recommended is poutine - a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. We'll see... 

I'm actually much more interested in the croissants, especially the au chocolat ones.