Pbenjay's Blog

“Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day...”  and we’re not in Oklahoma!  Wednesday has dawned sunny and bright and we  joined  Stacey and Matt for a delightful le petit dejeuner  of delicious French toast and fruit and fromagee et jambon and we were introduced to Maple Butter.  A basket of bread and toasts and about 8 different jams, jellies, butters and honey were on the table. Maple butter is yummy on toast or on your spoon!

Breakfast Is Served

Animated Conversation Between Brother and Sister

Marjorie gives us some ideas as to where to go and what to see on this lovely day.  We are going to go to the Lower City and explore the many boutiques on Rue Petit Champlain and then walk to the street where there are many antique shops.  Quebec City is a multi-level town.  I think our hotel is somewhere in the middle and it’s a long way down!  I say let’s take the Funicular, if not for the ease then at least for the experience.  Of course it WAS an experience.  The four of us are in this rather small green metal and glass box 193 feet up and on our way down the track WHEN all of a sudden it lurches to a stop 2/3 of the way down. Oh boy!

193 Feet Up!

Uh, We’ve STOPPED

Eventually it began again and we don’t know why it did or why it stopped and when we got to the bottom and saw the ticket-taker at the other end, he apologized to us that our car was suspended for 3-4 minutes!

Stacey and I discovered a fantastic kitchen supply store and saw so many gadgets that we had never seen in the USA.  We each bought a pair of scissors that will chiffonade herbs – I can’t wait to use them on basil to make a fabulous Sunday sauce.    We meandered our way through the oldest part of Vieux Quebec admiring the architecture and reading the numerous plaques provided by the government informing us of the historical significance of the buildings and places.

This is the Place Royale, the original centre of Vieux Quebec

Our foursome spends considerable amount of time discussing when they’re going to eat and where they’re going to eat and here we are in a Vietnamese restaurant – with me slurping up a delicious soup.

The hostess instructs me in the art of eating this soup.

No trip to another country or state would be complete for us if we didn’t find the antique section or at least a flea market.  Stacey dons a hat and strikes a pose.

Combien ca coute?

More walking and eventually we are looping back towards home and that means what goes down must now go up but we’re not near the funicular and I groan as I look up at the stairs and the elevation we need to reach to get back.  We walked through the ramparts amidst more cannons than I have ever seen before.  As we climbed higher and higher the views were amazing, and one of the most surprising would be below!

The Port of Quebec is FROZEN still!!!

It was good to get home and sit down and curl up in my overstuffed armchair.

All photos courtesy of Matthew Weinstein