Quebec !!!

We started this trip in Quebec city. Kevin and Jackie were to meet us Saturday 8/2/2025 at the airport then to Chez Victor, a small restaurant chain specializing in Quebec style foods, burgers and poutine. But that wasn’t to be as there were intense thunderstorms in the area. They were forced to land in Montreal, finally arrived a little after 10PM. A&W was their first meal.

Kevin and Jackie stayed in Hotel Clarendon, in old Quebec, it’s located about 2 blocks from the most photographed hotel in the world, the Fairmont. We stayed at the dog friendly Hotel Pur.

Sunday morning started with a guided tour of old Quebec. Our guide, Diane, is enthusiastic about Quebec city. We started near the St Lawrence river, and slowly made our way up hill. Here is our guide in the left picture, Fairmont hovering over, 96 umbrellas suspended in the background.

The streets were filled with art; gallery’s, murals on the buildings, displays and finally the profusion of flowers in bloom are art as well. Here is a mural from 2022 depicting scenes from Quebec history:

Top to bottom the four seasons are depicted. Joliet, explorer of the upper Mississippi river is in the lower left.

A closer look shows de Champlain who founded Quebec City thus creating New France in 1608 just above Kevin’s left shoulder. Lord Dufferin, governor of Canada in the late 1800’s and savior of Quebec’s walls on the far right. In 1874 the city’s business leaders and elected officials decided the walls were no longer needed and were ‘in the way’ of Quebec’s expansion but Dufferin argued against and prevailed. He is celebrated in Quebec City today for that, as well as his general good governance of Canada. The walkway along the cliff overlooking the St Lawrence is named for him.

Flowers are every where, in large pots, in window boxes or in beds like this one:

We could have placed ourselves better inside the frame, composition is lacking, but another opportunity for a postcard-like picture.

The city tour made its way gradually upwards until it was time to climb the breakneck stairs, so named because in their earlier days the wood was often rotten or slippery. Totally replaced since then, the wood is sound now, but the name persists. We climbed them several times but on the tour we took the funicular up.

After the old city tour, K&J and Peggy walked through several shopping areas while I walked around the walls, saw the plains of Abraham where the British won the battle that ended New France and made the territory that would be Canada part of the British empire.

The walls, and gates, make this the oldest walled city in North America north of Mexico.

Lunch was at Nouvelle France, evening meal at La Lapin Saute, the latter specializing in duck and rabbit (lapin french for rabbit). Here’s a picture of the former, where we ate poutine, Sammy happily ensconced under the table

Whale watching in Tadoussac and Montmorency Falls on Monday.