Québec!!

We are loving Québec City so much! Today we drove several miles along the Ste. Lawrence River on our way to Old Québec. Bordering the river the entire way was a walking and bike path and, most of the way, a clean, lush green area with modern sculptures, picnic areas, benches, etc.—all places to enjoy the beauty of the water and to play. This went on for miles, and we were so impressed. No one owns the waterfront, as often happens in other areas. As we approached the City, centuries-old stone buildings lined the narrow streets and a massive fortress and palace dominated the hillside above. We strolled the cobblestoned streets, window shopping a bit, admiring the window boxes and stone edifices with yellow and blue and red shutters.

This is a life-size mural - the others are street scenes

  
We lunched at a sidewalk café. I am not a connoisseur of French food; however, I love its sauces and their aromas. I had salmon with a lemon sauce that I could smell it as it was coming out the door. The vegetables were beautifully cooked with just the right amount of herbs. Very nice. Robin ordered some kind of duck confit sandwich with brie—it looked like duck Spam to me—and when I told him that, he agreed; however, he had no complaints with it.

Curious about the structures on top of the hill, we took the funiculaire up

and found a whole new world there—a marvelous view from above the river dotted with sailboats,
ferries, and even a barge.

The stately palatial structure that we had seen jutting above everything else was built in the style of a Loire Valley (France) chateau, only much larger, with many additions and turrets and about a dozen stories. It is the Frontenac Hotel.

 The hotel is surrounded by a wooden terrace that is wide and probably about one-half mile long; this structure is built over the original fort. Benches lined the length of the terrace—this was not the circus of the day before along the river in Montreal; this was just a calm place to be on a sunny, breezy day.

The new fort in the background - from the wooden terrace that is built over the ruins of the old.  

 Strolling beyond the terrace, we discovered more sidewalk cafes and street musicians, a park, a church, an artists’ colony.

 Old Québec is a quiet Paris without the pickpockets, the intensity, the carousels, the noise of the honking taxis, and so on. We agreed that this is a place we would choose to revisit. Loved it!