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Published: October 17th 2015
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This morning I got an email from the B&B that we stayed at in northern Newfoundland saying that they had found my hiking boots! I was excited as they were expensive, fairly new, and I loved them. I thought they were lost forever. The email came with quite the little story...
After we left the B&B, a couple staying there picked up my boots with their luggage when they were loading the car. By the time they reached their next B&B in Cow Head, they realized the boots were not theirs and left them there with the understanding that the operator would get them back to the first B&B. The operator was trying to find a way to do just that when, by coincidence, a friend of the housekeeper's daughter at the first B&B overhead and took the boots to the housekeeper's daughter in Corner Brook. The housekeeper visited her daughter the following weekend, brought them back to the first B&B and from there, they were mailed back to Nanaimo. Sheesh - those boots have travelled more than we have!
Two bridges, the Québec Bridge and the Pierre Laporte Bridge, connect western Lévis with Québec City. It was one
of those bridges that we wrongly took twice last night. A ferry links Old Lévis with Old Québec, and it was much more practical to walk on the ferry for the 15 minute ride than drive over the bridge yet again and try to find parking. As the ferry neared Québec City, the majestic Château Frontenac Hotel came into view. Built in 1893, it sits grandly atop a cliff 177 feet above sea level. Some say it is the most photographed hotel in the world.
We stepped off the ferry into a European-like culture with narrow winding streets, stone houses, cobblestone pathways, quaint sidewalk cafes and boutiques. Founded in 1608 by the French and later conquered by the British, this old town seaport is full of history. We stopped at a little sidewalk cafe for coffee and a pastry and took in the ambiance and scenery from our perch.
Québec's version of the Tour de France, "The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec", was taking place the day we were in Québec City with more than 400 professionals from the world of elite cycling participating, including riders and support staff. The City's hilly terrain was made to measure for
a race like this and throughout the day, we could hear the cheers of the crowds as their favourite teams appeared, cycling in a seeminly endless loop over and over again around the city. Good for them, we thought, but I would never do it. Way too much work and much too little fun.
Strolling through the streets, we passed galleries and shops, restaurants and bistros. The centuries old buildings were charming and beautifully maintained.
Old Québec City is the sole surviving example of a fortified city in North America. The walls which protected the vulnerable west side of the old city still stand. Close to 4.6 km in length, they were built between 1608 and 1871 as a defence system.
Permanent settlement of Québec City was established in 1608 when Samuel Champlain founded a trading post here. It changed hands several times but was finally conquered by the British in 1759 in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham). We visited the Saint-Louis forts and châteaux which for 200 years served as the official residence and seat of power for both French and English governors. The remnants of the forts and châteaux are located at the
top of the cliff overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, next to the Château Frontenac. We descended the stairs and emerged underground, right beneath Dufferin Terrace where tourists strolled overhead. We explored the stone foundations of rooms where some of the most important decisions concerning Canada were made. We viewed artifacts that had been uncovered in many layers of archaeological remains. Each layer witnessed a distinct period of use, including that of both the French and English regimes. We stood where Samuel Champlain once stood, ruminating, deciding, acting. We let history wash over us.
Next we took a 90 minute guided tour with Parks Canada. The tour guide filled us in on the history of Québec City with fascinating stories, leading us through winding streets and lovely parks. We toured the outside of the Citadel, walked along the wall itself, and learned that the numerous cannons still there could fire their volley one mile across the river.
After a full day of sightseeing, we met Caroline, our Couchsurfing host, at the Château Frontenac, staying true to our goal to have a martini in every old CP Rail hotel in Canada.
From there, Caroline took us to L'Oncle Antoine
pub, set in the stone cave-cellar of one of the city’s oldest surviving houses, dating from 1754. We ate and drank, talked and laughed, and got to know each other even better. Sitting in a cave-cellar can get hot though and soon we were on our way. We noticed that a stage had been set up on a blocked-off street and we could hear live music coming from that direction. Our good luck was still holding - Québec City was in Day 3 of its Celtic Music Festival and there was a live Irish band performing. A Celtic festival in Québec? Yes, the Irish spirit is alive and well here as it is said that up to 40% of Québecois have Irish roots. The band was called Vishtèn and their rollicking music combined original compositions and traditional French-Acadian songs with driving rhythms. Consisting of twin sisters from PEI and a fellow from the Magdalen Islands, they played the fiddle, guitar, accordion, harmonium, whistles, piano, bodhrán, jaw harp and electric guitar and performed percussive dance by stomping their booted feet to the music while sitting in chairs. It was exhilarating and fun. Three lovely Irish girls danced in unison on the
street, often pulling onlookers into the dance. It was a joyous and soul filling time.
As we boarded the ferry to go back to Lévis with Caroline, we were grateful for many things - good health and the means to travel and experience history, beauty, music, dance, and new friends.
Tomorrow we head for Port Perry, Ontario.
(Scroll to bottom of page for more photos.)
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