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Published: December 27th 2015
I have never really known what Boxing Day is except it is celebrated in England and other Common Wealth countries. According to Wikipedia it was originally day servants and tradesmen received gifts from their maters, known as the Christmas Box, hence Boxing Day. In reality it now seems to be similar to Black Friday in the U.S., a day to go shopping for great deals. In the Catholic church it is known as St. Stephens day, you know Good King Wenceslaus looked over the feast of Stephens (of course he was in Prague). In any event it is Boxing Day here in Canada.
Today we will be touring the old city inside the walls, specifically upper town. It will be a church day, no not going to church but touring the main cathedral, you know the rule one per city, after that they all look the same. We will be ending the day with dinner at Aux Anciens Canadians, which serves traditional Canadian fair.
We are currently in the wake up mode having coffee, shaving etc. I also spent some time doing back exercises, I do not wish to admit this but traveling over 50 is different than when
we were in our 40’s, not that it is slowing us down, it just hurts more.
Walking Tour #2 We of course got a late start, seems we always do these days, but we don’t try to cram as much into a day as we use to. Our first stop today was a late breakfast at Le Petit Château, a crêpes, raclettes and fondues bistro. It was very close to our hotel and I noticed it when we first arrived and we have basically walked by it about three times a day while we have been here, so we decided to try it out. It is a pretty good size bistro with an inviting fire place at the entrance. The meal was simple but good. We both had crêpes, Jerry had a Quebecois, which was ham, Swiss cheese and egg. I had a La Frontenac, ham, Swiss cheese and béchamel sauce and my first café au lait. It was pretty good probably not the best crepes I have ever had but certainly hit the spot for today.
After I guess it was brunch, we headed to the ATM and observatory. It was time again to restock the
cash supply for the remainder of our time in Quebec City. This would be our only trip outside the city walls today. As we walked through the city gate on Rue St. Louis we noticed a large structure further up the street that was not there before but later we would know exactly what it was. Since we already located the ATM on the first day, this trip was a snap, especially since it was crystal clear blue skies. The temperature has also dropped to a crisp 38, only to get colder as the day and week progresses.
The observatory was just 2 blocks from the ATM so that was convenient. When we arrived it was not yet open, it was on holiday hours and opened at 1. This gave us a perfect opportunity to see what was being constructed on the Grande-Allée. The street was blocked off for about 10 blocks and the beginnings of what could only assume was going to be their New Year Celebration. The structure in the middle of the street would remain a mystery until after the observatory.
The Observatoire de la Capitale is on the top floor of the tallest building
in Quebec City. The elevator ride to the 31
st floor took less time than it takes us to get to the 6
th floor in our apartment building. It was a perfect day for the observatory as the skies were clear and the visibility was for miles. Unlike many observatories, this one did a great job of telling you what you were seeing in every direction you looked. It was a multi-media presentation and very hi-tech. We spent about an hour taking in the view and learning a bit about the history of Quebec City. The east side of the building offered a spectacular view of the walled city and the St. Lawrence River.
After the observatory we ventured back out in to the cold. To let you know how cold it was I actually was wearing my new 180s (ear muffs to everyone outside of New York) and Jerry was wearing his scarf and fleece hat. As we were walking back to the old city, we finally discovered what the mysterious structure was, a Farris Wheel and they were definitely preparing for the New Year Festivities. The next site on the tour was what we call a walk buy,
like a drive buy but without the guns. In the heart of the walled city is a convent, prior to this the only convent we have ever seen was the Abbey in Salzburg (the Sound of Music Abbey). The name of the convent is Chapelle des Ursulines, the nuns are famous for their lace. It is also the oldest institution for learning in North America. The convent was closed for the Christmas holidays; I guess those nuns needed a break.
Next up was the Basilique Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Quebec, the only “official” church we will tour in Quebec City. If you have read previous blogs, you know our thoughts on cathedrals, if you have seen one, you have pretty much seen them all. They just all start to look the same after a while. This was a nice small cathedral, smaller than St. Patrick’s in New York, but bigger than St. Mary’s in Portland. The cathedral was done in the Gothic Style, but I didn’t see any gargoyles so I guess no hunch back was in this Notre-Dame.
From the cathedral we headed to the Musee de L Amerique Francophone. This is a very interesting museum and has
very little to do with art, there was the Mutations Quebec Métiers d’Art Since 1930. In English it was an exhibit of modern art with emphasis on Quebec artist. This was much more Jerry’s thing than mine so it took me like 10 minutes for this part, I am sure he could have spent an hour. The second floor was an exhibit called The Rediscovered Colony, chronicling the first known Canadian settlement in Quebec, founded by the French under the rule of Francis I. It was very interesting and very interactive with everything in both French and English.
The third and final floor was the permanent exhibit entitled “On the Road: The Francophone Odyssey” that gave a great history of Canada and Quebec. This was also a very well done exhibit and very interactive. We learned a great deal about the history of Quebec and Canada. I even learned some things about Oregon. I knew that Oregon City had a connection with Quebec because of the Hudson Bay Company and the Fur Trade, but evidently Lewis and Clark also were indebted to the French Canadians (well at least that is there story). The exhibit made it sound as if
the French discovered and settled Oregon, and anyone who grew up in Oregon clearly knows that there is almost zero French influence left, if there ever was much of a presence in the first place. In any event, it was surprising to see so much mention of Oregon here in Quebec City, when people in New York still don’t even know where it is.
Our walking tour ended with another walk by of the Seminaire de Quebec a former institution of learning for catholic priests. In fact, at one time Francois de Montmorency Laval was the first Bishop of New France, founded the Seminaire and his diocese ranged from Quebec City to New Orleans. Today priests still reside at the Seminaire de Quebec and a part is an architectural school. I don’t see Jerry singing up any time soon for classes here, since I don’t think he would do well living with the priests, and God knows I wouldn’t.
That concluded the official walking tour, we did walk around the area we are staying a bit and took some more pictures of the chateau and our hotel. I am currently blogging and we are having wine-thirty in our
room.
Musings and Observations I have not blogged any musings for 2 years, so this may be a bit rough. First, my opinion of Canadian’s is they are just nicer American’s (and by American’s I mean US Citizens, because let’s face it we are all Americans as we live in the Americas). My opinion of the people of Quebec City is that they are nicer Americans that speak French, and shouldn’t we all be that way. Second, for all of the French influence here, it isn’t that French. There is a clear distinction between French Canadians and the French. That isn’t to say that the place is not highly French, they do speak French, the food is predominantly French, but not quite the same as the food in France. I guess I am just saying that France is just France and there is just no second best. I don’t mean to imply that I don’t like it here, because I do, in fact I love it here, it is the closest thing to France you can get without being there. The thing is you all know I am the biggest Francophile on earth and we hope to live
our golden years in France so I will always be a hard sell on every other almost French place. I guess I would put it this way, like the Episcopal Church is catholic lite, Quebec is France lite.
Aux Anciens Canadiens We had originally planned on eating dinner in the big château, but thought wiser of it to conserve funds. Instead we choose a place that served hearty fair that the first Canadians would have eaten. The restaurant is similar in concept to the Ancestors of the Gaulle’s in Paris. When I say similar in concept I simply mean that the menu is composed of foods that would have been eaten in that time by those people. However, beyond that there is no similarity at all. No free flowing wine here.
We were sat next to the fire (gas not real) which later they turned down because someone, and it wasn’t me, was too hot. The staff dress in period clothing and there is a Prix fix menu starting at $49 or you can order a la carte. We went with the prix fix, but the $49 base price quickly went up because we of course ordered
things that a supplement was charged, but you only live once and as my mom always said on the few big vacations my family ever took, when on vacation the skies the limit.
The meal was a four course meal, entrée, soup, main course and dessert. Instead of going course by course I will set out what Jerry had then what I had. I am sure many readers think I am obsessed with food, and in a way yes I am because 1) I love to cook and 2) food is a huge part of the culture of any country.
Jerry’ Choices Aperitif: Caribou, Canadian sherry, vodka and a lemon twist
Entrée: Salade panache: I nice mixed green salad with chives and a light cream dressing.
Soupe: A l oignon gratin (he is looking for the best onion soup in Canada) and this he felt was much better than the version at Le Continental.
Plat: Red Deer Osso buco. This was cooked perfectly, the meet feel of the bone and the addition of tomatoes in the sauce just made the dish. Jerry was afraid it might be to gamey, but in fact it was
a very mild flavor.
Chris’ Choices Aperitif: Cosmopolitan, and they brought the entire shaker.
Entrée: Escargots Gratin. Now I have had a lot of escargot in my day, but this is the first that was covered with cheese. It was a great twist on traditional escargot. While it was good, it was not as good as our friend D’s, as some of you might recall use to own the Second Story Bistro in Portland.
Plat: Les trois mignons: This was three tenderloins consisting of red deer, bison and elk. All three were perfectly cooked medium rare and very tender. There was also a very subtle sauce, which I have liked to had more. The only problem here was that the initial plate served all of the food on it was cold, not luke warm but cold. They quickly fixed the problem and I ended up with a wonderful dinner.
We both had the same dessert Pain perdu. This is the Canadian version so it was bread pudding in a maple sauce. I was afraid it might be too sweet, but it was perfect, could have been warmer but it was very good.
We were the last to leave the main dining room, mainly because we got in to a long discussion with our server Nicholas about the history of Quebec, the origin of foods and the local wine and cheeses. He was very knowledgeable on the history of Canada and it was our first real conversation with a local.
With dinner done, we headed back to the hotel with a brief stop at the store to buy another bottle of wine. The temperature was really beginning to drop and snow is predicted for tomorrow.
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Shari
non-member comment
Food Choices
Obsessed with food or food snob??? (*grins*) And I would love to spend as much time engaging in the culture of a place as you and Jerry do, but my traveling companion(s) are generally all about being entertained. When we go to Italy (2018 is the planned time), all that is going to change. I would LOVE to go to a truly Renaissance period place while there. In Florence specifically. Jeff is only giving me ten days and I don't think that's going to be enough time to really immerse myself in the culture.