Quebec City did not disappoint! Our second morning there, Flore and Duane, of September Morn, offered to take us shopping with a CAR! When you live on a boat, this has a whole new meaning, since mostly, especially in these non-intracoastal waterway places, shopping is done on foot or bike, and you’re limited as to what you can buy and carry, not to mention where you can go. We had several things we wanted to accomplish (Canadian cell phone, a couple of Home Depot-type items, and heavy grocery shopping, i.e. drinks, canned goods, bulky items, etc.). I’d spent some time on the internet and found the stores I was looking for in a small generalized area, not too far from where we were.
Flore and Duane and Erica (Flore’s granddaughter) were ready to go at 9:00, and off we went, programming the desired addresses into the car’s GPS. I’ve never used one of those things in a car before (of course, we use one all the time on the boat, but we don’t have it talking to us!), and it was amazingly easy to navigate with its help! I also had printed a map, so we had a “hard chart” backup (something we’re never without on the boat!). We were able to find all the stores and get what we were looking for and get back to the boat with no problems! Flore did a great job driving!!
That afternoon, Roy and I had decided to go to the “upper city” and snoop around. We waited until late afternoon so that we could stay and have dinner there. We had planned on taking the funicular, but somehow missed a turn, and ended up walking all the way up. Oh well, we both can certainly use the exercise! Here are a couple of photos of a giant mural showing some of the characters who have inhabited Quebec City at one time or another. It’s amazingly realistic!!
Aren’t they fun? A great three-dimensional illusion! Anyway, we had a nice walk to the top, and we wandered around admiring the beautiful buildings, flowers, and ambiance.
Who is that masked man???
I had found a restaurant possibility on my Streets and Trips program, so after doing some aimless wandering, we decided to try to find it and scope it out. As we were strolling along towards it, taking in the sights along the way, a gentleman passing by overheard a comment we made about a building we were admiring, and chimed in to give us the real scoop on it, and a quick bit of history. When we thanked him, he told us that he is a tour guide, and gives a walking tour of the city – “the best in town, and the best way to get to know the city!” He was also able to help us on our restaurant choice (the one we were looking for no longer exists). He was very friendly and energetic, and I imagined that he would be a great tour guide!
We thanked Denis and bid him adieu, and went to check out the restaurant that he’d recommended. We decided that it would be more of a lunch restaurant, but it did look good – simple but cute place and nice menu. Perhaps another day for lunch…
We continued walking, and came to another street lined with little cafés and terraces, shops and restaurants. It was difficult to make a choice, but we finally decided on an Italian place. We had a delicious dinner, and walked back to the boat.
The next morning we decided to take the funicular to the upper city (we’d figured out by now where to catch it) and see about the walking tour. We got to the top and found that we’d missed the morning tour, so signed up for the one the following morning, with the same guide we’d met on the street. We had a delicious lunch and then headed down to the big market in the lower old town before heading back to the boat. Dinner on the boat tonight. You mean I have to cook???
The next day, Saturday, we headed up again to meet up for the walking tour. It was fabulous! Denis is extremely personable, knowledgeable, and engaging, the group was only 7 people, and he fielded all our questions with grace and figured a way to weave them into his spiel. He told stories of the history, explained the reason for some of the notable features of the area (like all the tin roofs – because of fire!), and gave us easily our money’s worth! We were extremely pleased, and felt we learned so much about the city!
After the tour, we had a delicious lunch in the lower town (where the tour had ended) and then headed back up to explore one of the neighborhoods that Denis had recommended as one where we might find some great restaurants. It was quite a trek, outside the “walled city”, but we had the fun of being on the route of a big bicycle race that was taking place that day!
I really felt for these guys cycling around in this city, where, no matter where you go, it seems to be uphill both ways, and it was extremely HOT!!! But they just did their thing.
We scoped out the restaurants, and headed back to the boat. By the time we finally got there, we were so exhausted from all the walking up hill and down that we decided to just stay on the boat for dinner that night! Well, at least we got to see the neighborhood. Any excuse to wander around and see more of the city.
The next day dawned breezy and overcast, so we used the opportunity to get some housekeeping, planning and computer work done. It was our last day in Quebec, and we decided to go to the “ Latin Quarter” for dinner. This was another of the neighborhoods that Denis had mentioned during the tour, and he’d termed it the “real Quebec”, where the residents live, eat, and shop. That’s where I want to be!
We decided to take a taxi to the far end of the area, and then work our way back towards town and the boat, choosing a restaurant and having dinner on the way. Good choice – we certainly have been getting our walking exercise in Quebec!
The “ Latin Quarter” was wonderful! We wished we’d known about it earlier in the trip, as we surely would have spent more time there. There are lots of shops, bakeries, and little funky stores, in addition to plentiful restaurants. We were there kind of late in the day, and it was a Sunday, so most of the shops weren’t open. Oh well, just saving something for the next time…
We found a great little French bistro, and had a wonderful dinner. The waiter was great, and we had a table looking right out on the street, so were entertained as well. After dinner, we had a leisurely stroll down the hill and back to the boat, and made preparations to leave early the next morning. We were paying close attention to the weather report, after our unpleasant ride to Quebec, and all looked like a go for the next morning. We were sorry to be leaving this wonderful city, but Montreal was waiting!
Au revoir, Quebec!