Advertisement
Published: June 26th 2017
Edit Blog Post
Geo: 46.8266, -71.3024
We are relaxing in the most gorgeous room we've had so far, in the Hotel Port-Royal in Quebec City. Yes, we are paying over $200 for it but it well worth it. We are in the old city, and we found this after driving around the city for awhile. To be walking distance from all the restaurants, shops and the Port and have this great room we feel is money well spent. Our only problem is they are booked out tomorrow and the only room available in Quebec for the same money or less is at the Hilton, would you believe, so that's where we are going tomorrow.
It is Quebec's 400th birthday so the place is packed with tourists. And who can blame them? This place is great.
We arrived here about 4-30 pm after driving from Montreal. Our first stop this morning had been at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. We took a tour for $8. What a disappointment to see what has happened to the place. The building itself is spectacular and the Swimming centre and the main stadium are under the same roof. But there is no sport played in the stadium anymore. It has become a
concrete jungle with a concrete floor and it is barren with an enclosed roof.
The drive here to Quebec was uneventful. We stopped for lunch at Trois-Rivieres and had a reasonable meal at a small restaurant by the side of the St Lawrence Seaway. We stuck to the Freeway most of the way and we only got lost once coming into Quebec.
Having found this great base we went walking. Quebec was founded in 1608 and there are still buildings dating from the 17th century. We wandered around the lower part of the city first and then ascended several stairways to the top of the cliffs where the Chateau Frontinac which is an hotel is situated. This is the most recognisable building in Quebec. We bought ourselves a great print, an etching of a street scene in front of the Chateau produced by a local artist.The day had been warm and sunny but about 7pm a rain shower sent us scurrying into a nearby restaurant. This proved to be a great choice.Meals here are mainly Table D'Hote, where you pay a set price and get a choice of entree, main course and dessert. This also had a deal where we got the
two meals plus a bottle of wine for $79 the lot. Not bad!! The restaurant was called The Lobby and was a basement place, very chic in decor. The food was great too and the Argentinian Sauv. Blanc was OK.
We promenaded along the boardwalk in front of the Chateau which runs along the cliffs overlooking the riverfront. It was fantastic, strolling along there in the twilight with the rain having stopped on a still and warm evening. Fletcher took some great photos. We then returned to the hotel where the concierge told us about the Son et Lumiere show for the quatrocentenary which began at 10pm. This was projected onto a local silo and factory complex and was a history of Quebec in images and sound. A Fantastic spectacle and only 2 minutes walk from our hotel!
So all in all a good day. We are looking forward to enjoying a leisurely day here tomorrow, just strolling around and soaking up the history and atmosphere.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.045s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0266s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb