Each day starts with a lecture right after breakfast, usually followed by a field trip. We met our local lecturer, Marie Legrouix, an 11th generation Québécois, whose ancestors arrived in the 17 th century! Marie turned out to be an absolute delight. Her lecture this morning was on the history of the city.
View from our hotel room. A cruise ship coming into Quebec City for the day.
Chantal, our tour leader, introducing our guest speaker/guide, Marie Legrouix.
Describing the architecture of Quebec homes. The French would use stucco while the British favored bricks.
Important dates in the history of Quebec.
I had forgotten how much land the French controlled back then.
Leaders of the two armies (French and British). Both died on the battlefield.
After the lecture we had 30 minutes to freshen up and gather whatever we needed for our walking field trip. We were broken up into two smaller groups (a second local person led the other group) for our walking tour of the area. We also had been given “whisperers” (those audio headsets) so we would be able to easily hear her commentary as we walked the nearby streets of old Quebec City. Road Scholar always seems to have these headsets on their tours. They are a godsend! As there were several cruise ships also in town this day, we often passed some of their tours where the large group of participants walked around with no audio headsets, certainly making their experience nowhere as good as ours.
One of the old, original 17-18th century buildings in the city.
Inside the basilica of Notre Dame de Quebec, founded in 1647, built in 1843.
The hanging dome over the main altar. It is unusual to not have supporting pillars.
The grave of Bishop Laval, an important figure in Quebec history.
The original campus of Laval University, founded by Bishop Laval in 1854.
The Anglican cathedral in Quebec. Once the British took over this religion made its presence known.
The flag of Quebec.
Another of the narrow street with 18th century buildings in Quebec City.
Another ornate Quebec door.
Sadly this is the last buggy offering rides in the city.
A city park over looking the St. Lawrence River.
The famous 610 room Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel, built in 1893.
The Fairmont hotel looks enormous from the boardwalk. Surprisingly it only has 610 rooms.
The wooden promenade on the waterfront.
Looking down at the lower town area, the original site of Quebec City.
The wooden promenade overlooking the lower town and the St. Lawrence River.
Statue of Samuel de Champlain, the discoverer of Quebec.
Buskers were evident in many locations. They needed to be vetted before being allowed to perform. Many were also members of the local symphony and this was a way to supplement their income.
Road Scholar includes most of the meals on their tours and we had to laugh when we stopped for lunch at La Buche, one of the stops we made yesterday on our food tour. The good news is that the food was excellent so we did not care it was a repeat. We had a choice of 3 entrees for lunch, which was a nice touch.
Lunch was served at La Buche where we visited yesterday. There was a line waiting to get in again but we walked right in!
A larger portion o their shepherd’s pie.
A three cheese sandwich.
Gerry tried their version of a meat pie, called a tourtiere.
The “must do” thing at La Buche is to go the the restroom. The stalls are located behind these doors.
People are encouraged to “decorate” the restroom! I could not find a space to even attempt to add to the decor!
Last stall on the right. Yvonne immortalized our visit.
Gerry & Sue enjoying another maple “lollipop”.
After lunch there was a visit to a local cultural museum (Museum of Civilization) in the lower town area, where a local docent led us on a one hour tour of the exhibits.
Maison François-Jacquet-Dit-Langevin, built in the late 17th century, is considered the oldest building in Quebec City. It is now a restaurant.
Some homes still have the original metal shutters popular back then.
Riding the funicular from the promenade to the lower town where the museum was located.
The Main Street in the lower town where Quebec was initially settled. They later moved it to the top of the hill for better protection. The lower town remains and is really magical.
A seasonal artwork made of aluminum foil positioned on a series of buildings. You must stand at a certain spot to see the total picture.
Inside the Museum of Civilization.
An old 17th century skiff used to ferry goods and people from sailing ships. It was unearthed when the museum was being built.
A diorama of what an Indigenous village would look like.
Tools crafted by the indigenous tribes.
What a fashionable trader wore back then.
Winter clothing for the locals in ancient times.
Walking back to the funicular to return to the upper town after our museum tour.
Autumn’s theme at the city park.
The day ended around 4 PM so we had time to rest a bit before meeting at 5:39 to walk to our dinner restaurant, Bistro Horus. Did you note the rather specific meeting time of 5:39? Chantal always gave us an unusual time to meet,e.g. 5:39 rather than 5:40 or 5:45. Smart, as we were more likely to remember the time. As a result, everyone always seemed to be on time.
An attempt to get a decent Manhattan. Attempt failed!
Dinner menu choices at Bistro Horus..
A surprisingly good vegetarian lasagne.
Sausage and mashed potatoes was another option.
Fairly decent cream brûlée.
After dinner, Chantal offered an short evening stroll to anyone interested in joining her , to see the city at night. Gerry and I joined her, our wives declined. However, her “stroll” was anything but; it was fast and involved some hilly climbs as the city streets are pretty steep in places. It was pretty seeing the city at night but we ended up fairly tired when we returned to the hotel. In fact my steps for the day were 11,247!
One of the few buildings I saw with the extended bow windows.
Looking down at the lower town and harbor during our evening stroll.
A church steeple at night.
One of the gun placements used to protect the city.
