Vieux-Québec

About eleven years ago we first visited the city and as soon as we began planning this trip Québec was on my must see list. When booking our rooms for Québec Sharon was conscious that this ends our trip in the sense that after Québec we visit my family in Montréal and then we head home. So she splurged and booked us a hotel in the old city, which dates back to Champlain in 1608 and is one of the oldest in north America. Our hotel only dates to 1880. But it is in the absolute center of things.

 Sadly we are spending only 1 ½ days here and on Saturday we simply wandered the old city as whim took us. Beginning with the Archevêché, Parc Montmorency and the Terrasse Dufferin, we went down the funicular to the petit-Champlain district and from there walked along a portion of the walls from the portes St. Jean to Kent to St-Louis. From there we turned back into the old city (we could have gone up to the fortress--but we have been there. We did some shopping and then ended the day with dinner at my favorite restaurant here, Aux Ancien Canadiens, where they serve superbly prepared game. Over Sharon's genteel protestations I ate Bambi.

plaza outside our hotel

The Frontenac. Amazingly another railroad hotel from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

The founder Champlain

Another view of the Frontenac

From the Terrasse Dufferin

Looking down into petit Champlain, the oldest quarter of this old city.

petit Champlain

Wonderful mural of 17th century life in this building

Petit Notre Dame

The port St. Louis of the city wall. It is the only American city north of Mexico with intact walls.

Views from the walls

in the background the Ursuline convent

Port Kent

The tin roofs glimmer in the sunlight

Port Kent

Port St-Jean

Aux Ancien Canadiens

Opposite the restaurant, this gallery with museum quality Inuit art. Sharon is building a collection of figural birds, so we added this abstract swan

Saturday we head to Montreal, a brief 1 ½ day stop to visit family and then home.