May 7

Quebec City

[After an overnight “sail” from Montreal, I awoke the next morning and carefully opened (The Biddies were still sleeping) the drapes  . . . et voila!  Wow!]

[We were now in Quebec City, the quintessential example of French Canadian-ness.  So mind your bonjours and mercis, s’il vous plait?]

[The Seminary of Quebec]

[The Old Post Office is the dome on the left, Notre Dame on the right, and I believe that is the Edifice Price Building in the middle.]

[Somehow a cityscape seems cooler in the fog and mist.  The funicular rises to the base of the Frontenac.]

[The buildings at river level, so to speak, is Lower Town.]

[And here we go again – off into the rain to explore another city.]

[Yup, looks wet up river too.]

[We were off for a hop on, hop off bus tour of the city. ]

[After a couple blocks walk, we caught the bus here at Musee de la Civilisation.]

[Photo ops as we roll along . . . ]

[The Super is plugged into the rolling presentation, and past her window . . . ]

[I could find nothing more about this other than it’s a leaping wolf sculpture at the Convention Centre.]

[Murals seemed ubiquitous . . . ]

[As I recall this was across the street from the Convention Center, no doubt a depiction of Canadians honoring Alexandria, Minnesota, as the birthplace of North America.]

[The Plains of Abraham Museum]

[The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years’ War (referred to as the French and Indian War in the United States). The battle, which began on 13 September 1759, was fought by the British Army and Navy against the French Army on a plateau just outside the walls of Quebec City, on land that was originally owned by a farmer named Abraham Martin [remember this name when we get to Boston], hence the name of the battle. The battle involved fewer than 10,000 troops between both sides, but proved to be a deciding moment in the conflict between France and Britain over the fate of New France, influencing the later creation of Canada.  (Wikipedia)]

[The Plains of Abraham are preserved within one of Canada’s National Urban Parks. There is a monument on the site of the Battle of Sainte-Foy. (Wikipedia) ]

[The Plains as it appeared when I did a full vertical leap, camera in hand.  (OK, it’s on loan from the internet.)]

[The St. Lawrence River from the Plains of Abraham]

[Cette aussi]

[A cannon and a guy (or is it a guy?) overlooking the river.]

[Something that looks kinda cool.]

[Rounding back to the museum.]

[Joan of Arc Garden within the Plains of Abraham . . . ]

[I have no idea why Joan of Arc?]

[Maybe because she looked impressive on a horse sculpture?]

[The Super checked with the folks up top – the photo ops obviously would have been much better from up there.  Unfortunately, they reported they were freezing up there!]

[Adieu, Joan]

[Horse drawn buggies saunter by.]

[Le Lieu, Center for Contemporary Art]

[The Pierre Lassonde Pavilion-the National Museum of Fine Arts, as we whiz by . . . ]

[And something of great import:  the oldest grocery store in North America!]

[The Palais Montcalm is a performance hall of the city located in the borough of La Cite-Limoilou on Place d’Youville.]

[Artillery Park]

[A view of the Laurentians from the park.]

[The Château Frontenac is a grand hotel operated as Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.  It is situated at an elevation of 54 m (177 ft).  It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1980.  The hotel is generally recognized as the most photographed hotel in the world, largely for its prominence in the skyline of Quebec City.  The current hotel capacity is more than 600 rooms on 18 floors.  (Wikipedia)]

[The Biddies on the Frontenac plaza near the funicular.]

[To the best of my knowledge, the folks in the background are not related to either side of the family.]

[Our traveling hotel from Frontenac plaza.]

[And three shots from the Super’s tablet . . . ]

[The Happy Traveling Biddies!!]

[Samuel De Champlain in front of the Frontenac]

[And here we ran into an older couple (look who’s talking!) from our ship whom we hadn’t seen since the boarding tent in Montreal.  They were from upstate New York, as I recall, and their traveling thing was to ride funiculars.]

[Old Post Office et Monsieur Champlain]

[The Biddies attempt a side door entrance to the Frontenac.  I believe they were frustrated.]

[Samuel de Champlain, who as I recall at some point had a lake named after him.]

[The Cub Reporter, who as of this date has not had a lake named after him.]

[And the Super’s.  This was inside the Frontenac, and I thought they were cute.]

[Three little pea-pickers?]

[We were hoping for a nice, hot tea, but the bar wasn’t open yet.]

[Reetz does a weather check, still in the Frontenac.]

[Overlooking the grandness of it all.]

[The information office greeter . . . ]

[And me makes three!  Frosty, is it really you?]

[Recollets Statue, looking from the front steps of the visitor center and kitty corner from the Frontenac.  We had planned on riding the funicular down to Lower Town and then having a nice walk through that area back to the ship.  But it began to rain again so . . . ]

[We bused back to our starting point, Musee de la Civilisation.  Further attempts at sightseeing were lost to the weather.  We got a little moister on our return walk to the ship, but we got The Biddies with pets photo.]

[Just wandering through the dessert area after lunch on the ship . . . ]

[And now it’s time to say good-bye to Chateau Frontenac . . . ]

[We really would have liked to have a lot more time here . . . ]

[And now the city almost looks like . . . ]

[A Gingerbread village?]

[It looks like a business building, but as we were pulling away folks came out on their balconies to wave good-bye.]

[A small town (or a suburb?) along the river . . . ]

[Backed by the Laurentian Mountains.]

[And a Super shot.]

[New Englandy?  Well, yeah.]

[Major electrical power heading to . . . Hudson Bay?]

[And now, on what appears to be a lovely afternoon, a tour of the ship . . . ]

[Here we are in the Crow’s Nest, top floor bow, for happy hour . . . ]

[Outside for a quick look at the navigation system . . . ]

[While passing by the Laurentians . . . ]

[Strolling the upper promende deck (deck 8) past the music lounge/bars.  Here a piano trio who were good but whose name I’ve forgotten . . . ]

[Bar hopping?]

[Checking the buoy, the sky getting ominous again . . . ]

[The classical music lounge, a piano player occasionally joined by a violinist . . . ]

[The Biddies never met a menu they didn’t like to read, even if it’s a music menu . . . ]

[Now they’re leading me through the library . . . ]

[Hey, this looks a bit like our cruise around New Zealand.]

[And as you may recall, on that trip we were also on a Holland America ship but then on the lower promenade walk-around deck (deck 6).  This was our first and only venture around that deck on this trip . . . again for weather related reasons.]

[Are you sure we’re not in a New Zealand sound?]

[Looking backwards, instead of forward, you get to see the “bread trail” left by the ship so you can find your way back.]

[After turning the corner here, we soon repaired to the inside because . . . IT WAS REALLY COLD!]

[A little opulence every once in a while is good for the soul.]

[The most sought after chairs on the ship.  The Super has snagged one!  These are the only two of this “comfy” style, they’re in the library, with great window views. Unfortunately, the ongoing weather issues have created shower stall windows.]

[Yup, sure looks like a ski resort to me.]

[Life is a cabaret, old chum, Come to the cabaret . . .  Surprisingly good every night entertainment, assuming one didn’t rush back to “the suite” after dinner for the latest poop from Washington!]

Canada must be considered the Vichyssoise of nations – cold, half-French, and difficult to stir.  ~  Stuart Keate (BC newspaper publisher)

Up Next:  Likely Canada