We set the alarm for 5:30 a.m. with 6:00 a.m. breakfast in the room in hopes of seeing the sunrise and the final miles of the St. Lawrence seaway before our estimated 10:00 a.m. arrival in Quebec City. Unfortunately, the clouds prevented the sun from arising this morning so instead I watched us pass by dark shores, other boats, and lights from towns and villages. By the time we arrived in Quebec City, some light was being filtered through dark clouds giving us glimpses of fall colors. One other (small) ship was in port today (and leaving this afternoon).
Before leaving we walked the buffet for a second breakfast to tide us over until we found food in Quebec.
We were one of the first off the ship shortly after 10:00 a.m. this morning. The morning was cool and there was a mist in the air so we bundled up. As Captain Kate informed us “liquid sunshine” was forecasted for the day.
We walked across a mini lock going into a small harbor. (The lock was open in the evening when we walked back, likely due to change in tides.)
Passing through parts of the Place-Royale neighborhood, we headed up the steep hill.
Upon reaching the top, our first view was of the Chateau Frontenac, an impressive looking hotel and among one of the most photographed.
From there we walked along the upper bank through Terrace Dufferin to the Promenade des Gouverneurs where we had 310 additional steps to climb before reaching a beautiful overlook of the St. Lawrence River.
Here is a pretty impressive sledding hill.
We took a tour of the Citadelle which is an active military base and home to the only French speaking military regiment in Canada, the 22nd Regiment.
The Citadelle was built after the U.S. attempted to attack Canada on two different occasions (unsuccessfully).
We had a general tour of the base. Unfortunately, being on the top of hill, the air was colder and it was windier so we were quite anxious for the end of the tour.
The buildings below were built by the French. You can tell because they are made of stones instead of bricks. The French did not want to spend any more money than necessary on this base. You will see in other pictures buildings made of rectangular bricks. These were built later by the English.
The cannon in the middle of this photo is fired at Noon every day.
This is the prison which typically held those who had committed lesser crimes, i.e. soldiers drinking on the base, not having a clean uniform, etc. Soldiers would typically spend 5-7 days in the prison for such crimes. The building is not heated and thus was very cold.
The Citadelle has a goat as a sort of mascot. Up until recently, the goat came from royal lineage in England and so a new one was shipped over when the current goat was ready to retire. More recently, England sent over the goat’s entire family so that they can be bred here in Quebec for this specific purpose and keep the royal lineage. The goat is named Batisse. They are currently on Batisse XI who is getting old and has one of his relatives stand in at times.
Now as to the picture below, we were told that a previous Batisse had arthritis making it difficult for him to get around with the changing of the guards, so they gave him alcohol. As alcohol is prohibited on the base, he was sentenced to prison which is where he stands (stuffed) today.
We then took a tour of the Governor General’s second residence. His primary residence is in Ottawa. When he is in town they raise the flag outside his residence. He was around last week and they had a huge open house. We really enjoyed this tour as it was very informative, we were with a small group which included two of the best behaved children we have ever seen who asked great questions, and it was inside. They did not allow photos so I do not have any to share with you.
Here is a little more about the Governor General. Currently the Governor General is David Johnston. The Governor General is appointed by the Queen, per the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and represents all of Canada to the Queen. He is head of the military and represents the country abroad as requested by the Prime Minister. He leads the Governors of each province.
We stopped for a late lunch/snack at Cafe Buade where my husband enjoyed poutine.
We did some meandering through shops before visiting the Museum de la Place-Royale. Since the museum was closing in about a half hour, we got in free. It wasn’t really what we were expecting and didn’t really interest us so we were glad we could do a quick walk through without paying.
Here is a sign that made me laugh:
We then continued with our wandering through quaint streets and shopping and were back on the ship around 6:30 p.m.
Expecting that we would not likely get back in time for our dinner, we made reservations at Qsine, one of the specialty restaurants. The food was good but the waiter was a little put off that I would stray from the main dining room with my dietary restrictions. He relaxed a bit when he realized I wasn’t very picky and could find things on the menu that didn’t require significant modifications. The place is a bit gimmicky. You place your order on an iPad. With the use of the iPad, I expected more information about the dishes and pictures. Our food has been so incredible in the main dining room that I don’t think I would go back to Qsine again, but it was a neat experience and a nice quiet dinner with my husband.
After dinner, we headed back to the room to unwind and get to bed as it had been a long day.
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