Saturday, August 17th, 2013 This morning we drove to the Levis-Quebec Ferry Terminal with the intent of parking our car, riding across the Saint Lawrence River and taking a bus to tour Old City, Quebec. Instead we loaded our car onto the ferry and ended up in lower town Old City “Basse-Ville”, which is the lower town portion of Old City, Quebec. Taking the car across was a great decision. We bypassed the 170 precipitous steps of the aptly named Breakneck Stairs and drove to upper town Haute-Ville Old City, Quebec. Our good fortune had just begun as we found a parking spot on the city street. We began walking and found a lovely Christmas store and bought a Christmas ornament for our souvenir collection. This city has a very European feeling. It’s as thought we were in France, complete with sidewalk cafes. Of course we had to stop and have a croissant and crepes. We were delighted to have an English speaking waiter which is an oddity for Quebec. After brunch we walked to the 19th century Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac Hotel. We meandered along the Dufferin Terrace, a wide wooden boardwalk behind the hotel admiring the panoramic view of the Saint Lawrence River and surrounding countryside. We observed quite a few horse drawn carriages and an artist painting the site of Samuel de Champlain’s 1608 trading post. We walked down a pedestrian only Eeu de Tresor, a narrow alleyway where artists display their original art work. On our way back to the ferry I saw a public market similar to Seattle’s public market. After quite a bit of traversing the local streets and a tunnel we made it into the parking lot. We still don’t know what a blinking green traffic signal means. The market was fabulous. We made two trips to the car with our purchases. We purchased pastries, fresh fruit and a blueberry pie. This was a wonderful day, perhaps my favorite of the trip thus far. Unfortunately we are too tired to cross the River again tonight to attend the free outdoor performance of Cirque de Soleil at 8:45 P.M. and the fireworks which follow the show. We are learning to stop when we’re tired.
Saturday, August 17th, 2013 This morning we drove to the Levis-Quebec Ferry Terminal with the intent of parking our car, riding across the Saint Lawrence River and taking a bus to tour Old City, Quebec. Instead we loaded our car onto the ferry and ended up in lower town Old City “Basse-Ville”, which is the lower town portion of Old City, Quebec. Taking the car across was a great decision. We bypassed the 170 precipitous steps of the aptly named Breakneck Stairs and drove to upper town Haute-Ville Old City, Quebec. Our good fortune had just begun as we found a parking spot on the city street. We began walking and found a lovely Christmas store and bought a Christmas ornament for our souvenir collection. This city has a very European feeling. It’s as thought we were in France, complete with sidewalk cafes. Of course we had to stop and have a croissant and crepes. We were delighted to have an English speaking waiter which is an oddity for Quebec. After brunch we walked to the 19th century Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac Hotel. We meandered along the Dufferin Terrace, a wide wooden boardwalk behind the hotel admiring the panoramic view of the Saint Lawrence River and surrounding countryside. We observed quite a few horse drawn carriages and an artist painting the site of Samuel de Champlain’s 1608 trading post. We walked down a pedestrian only Eeu de Tresor, a narrow alleyway where artists display their original art work. On our way back to the ferry I saw a public market similar to Seattle’s public market. After quite a bit of traversing the local streets and a tunnel we made it into the parking lot. We still don’t know what a blinking green traffic signal means. The market was fabulous. We made two trips to the car with our purchases. We purchased pastries, fresh fruit and a blueberry pie. This was a wonderful day, perhaps my favorite of the trip thus far. Unfortunately we are too tired to cross the River again tonight to attend the free outdoor performance of Cirque de Soleil at 8:45 P.M. and the fireworks which follow the show. We are learning to stop when we’re tired.
