K & L's Travel Blog

On Sunday we decide to venture into Old Town. Given our experience climbing hills on our first day, we decide to see what public transportation might afford. We made it to a pharmacy to buy bus passes (about 30 USD apiece for 5 days), and then headed for the nearest bus. We just missed the bus and would have to wait another 45 minutes. We recalculated and discovered the Old Port (lower town) was within walking distance of Saint Roch: only about 15 minutes along Rue Saint Paul, mostly flat, so we decide to begin our exploring there.

We hadn’t really considered the cruise ship crowds on a picture-perfect Sunday and got there just as the mobs were descending. We worked our way through the packed streets. The sonorous sounds of French were replaced by the familiar drone of American English. We decided to give up seeing any sights as it was so crowded, and headed to a nearby restaurant, Sapristi Champlain. 

We flirted with the notion of dining on the patio before reconsidering and sitting inside. We had the place to ourselves for the first half-hour with a view of the river but by the time we left, the restaurant had filled. Quebec City is renowned for their onion soup, so we shared a cup of that along with a nice salad and an order of excellent French fries. We walked along the quay and made our way to our bus stop, conveniently located in front of a cannabis store. 

We did more exploring in the old town Monday with a focus on the upper town. We left early in the drizzling rain, but we did just fine with our raincoats, and K had bought a blue umbrella. We picked up the #1 bus to the Old Port a short block from the apartment, and had an easy connection from the #1 to the #11, which took us up the hill. Just before we got off the driver warned us of the stop, and then—BANG!!—he hit the side mirror on a parked tour bus. The noise & impact disturbed the passengers, and we scrambled off. The tour bus driver was upset, gesturing in fine Gallic form as he and his passengers gathered around the demolished side mirror, but our #11 driver stayed cool and took off around the corner as though nothing had happened. Cool operator. I suppose he figured this was just part of his job and that the other guy would contact the city agency.

We wander around what I thought might be City Hall (it was) and then spot the Chateau Frontenac just up the hill. Kitty struggles to remember her family visit here as a child. She remembered Spud bullying Gay to ask directions of a motorcyclist driving next to them and how her mother had refused to do it. The hotel is fancy as expected. I am charmed by Sam’s Bar with its round design, but the rest is just over the top. It’s early in the morning (just after 9:00) and raining, so there aren’t a lot of people about. We make our way down to the Dufferin Terrace for a stroll and then up towards the Park du Bastion de la Reine. The garden is beautifully maintained and the rain & clouds heighten the colors. 

The city felt like an entirely different place today without any crowds. This despite the enormous ship docked on the quay. I suppose the passengers were having a late Monday morning and waiting for the drizzle to end. At any rate, we had the place almost to ourselves. We wandered from beautiful neighborhood to beautiful neighborhoods with parks and tree-lined streets. The history is everywhere in the ancient buildings and monument, and the quiet and drizzle add to the atmosphere. 

I’d just finished the Louise Penny’s Bury Your Dead a few weeks back and Kitty is currently reading it. We had to make a trek to the novel’s setting: the Morrin Center, where the chapel and the (English) Literary & Historical Society are housed. I’m not normally a mystery novel reader, but have thoroughly enjoyed Penny. She is not afraid of delving into local history or atmospheric settings or dining details, all of which makes her a great travel read for Quebec. My thanks to our friend Holly for the recommendation!

Late morning we went to Paillard Boulangerie where we had excellent pastries and coffee. The bakery was a roomy space but well-trafficked with locals and tourists. We were lucky that tables were clearing when we entered. A man next to us loudly regaled two young Asian women with non-stop facts and history. I took pity and silently accused him of mansplaining, but then we realized he was a private tour guide: they were paying for that! 

Not far from the bakery an Augustine Monastery that is partially converted to a hotel sits adjacent to a wooded Cimetière des Pauvres and offers “serene lodging” to tourists with meditative practices built in e.g., an observation of silence during a mindful breakfast. I am intrigued, Kitty less so! 

We checked out the Hertz place where we’ll rent our car on Friday, and walked from there to our future hotel on the ramparts where we’ll overnight at journey’s end before catching the train back to Montréal. We are trying to figure out if it’s feasible for us to roll our suitcases from the rental place to the hotel and then onto the train station in the morning. The incline is not too steep, so we consider it, while retaining an Uber option.

We walk back to our place and swing by the grocery store to pick up a couple of things for dinner. We spot our second Corgi of the day just around the corner from our place. The rain starts in earnest in the early afternoon. We eat lunch (sandwich) and dinner (arugula salad) at the apartment. I work on processing photos while Kitty works her jigsaw. I thoroughly enjoyed our rainy walk through Quebec City.