Tues July 23–Quebec-Montreal

We had the morning to enjoy our last bit of time in Quebec city. I don’t know if I made it clear how beautiful this city is. I think some of my previous pictures give a hint of that and this morning we wandered down some Backstreets and found some very old buildings that really made us feel we were in Europe. Doesn’t that picture at the top look like a painting?

Our driver picked us up at 12:45 to drive us back to Montreal. It’s around 150 miles. We were so appreciative because he was a very nice man who has been a taxi driver for many many years. We felt safe and he was rather entertaining as well.It was not a cheap trip, but we decided we are worth it. We were thrilled be taken door to door rather than hauling our bags to the train or bus.And it was the fastest way to get there.

Our hotel in Montreal is a very different part of town from last week. It is more in the business area. But there are plenty of restaurants and some nice shops as well. After getting settled in the hotel, we talked to the concierge for directions and advice, and walked to a number of restaurants to check out their menus. We ended up at one of the restaurants he recommended which was a Spanish restaurant, Iberica.  Merle is in the picture with our yummy tapas and sangria.

And after dinner, we needed to find a dessert. So we went to Rubens.  Montreal is famous for its smoked meats, deli style.Merle really wanted to try some, but of course we had just had dinner so we went in for a dessert. OMG a brownie with ice cream. Decadent! We will go back to Rubens tomorrow for lunch so she can have their smoked meat.

She and I will go separate ways tomorrow as she wants to go to the art museum and I want to go to the botanical gardens. 

Merle has some pictures on her phone that I have not gotten copies of yet so I will have to add those tomorrow. 

Mon July 22 Quebec

 

Today was our day to do what we wanted! We had breakfast and visited with a few folks from the group before they all went to the airport. We met with our guide to get his ideas about options for today and for Montreal, as well as to discuss various ways we could travel to Montreal: train versus bus. Later, I suddenly remembered that I had hired a car service in France to take Michelle and me from Charles de Gaulle to Chartres. So I called a couple companies and was quoted ridiculous prices! Then the hotel gave us the name of someone we should try. His name was Dany and when I spoke to him, he said he was not available to take us tomorrow, but then he offered to find us a driver who could take us! With text messages back-and-forth all day we ultimately got connected to a guy he has known for 20 years and completely vouches for. He will pick us up at our hotel and take us to our hotel in Montreal! We are thrilled! managing our bags on the train or bus would have been quite difficult. It is about 150 miles to Montreal from here.

The  first thing we wanted to do today was get on a boat on the St Laurence was river so we could experience being on the water. We took the ferry boat from the lower town across the river and we’re surprised that it was only about a 15 minute ride! ( we were taught that the name Quebec means the place where the river is narrow ). On the other side, there wasn’t much to see except for the view back to Quebec city but we had a nice cup of coffee and a good coffee house, then returned to Quebec city.The pictures are from the boat trip. Notice in one of them, the old city wall on the cliff. It was explained to us many times that it was easy to defend the city with that cliff and the wall. ( I did not take time to edit the pictures because it’s late and I want to go to bed!) 🛏️ 

When we got off the boat, we were surprised to see our local guide from yesterday waiting at a bus stop. We had a question for her about finding a local bank and laughed at what a coincidence this was—-We know exactly one person who lives in Quebec city and we ran into her!

We had lunch and did a little shopping and ended up back at the hotel for a little rest. We went to a local Restaurant for soupe à l’oignon gratinée & a desert crêpe.  Yummm!  

C’est tout pour maintenant !

Sunday July 21 Quebec

Today was especially interesting. We had a bus take us to the large island that is a part of Quebec city: Isle de l’Orléans.  The land there is especially fertile so a great deal of crops are grown there. In addition, it’s tranquil and beautiful. We walked along the main street and saw an array of beautiful houses. We went to a vinegar business run by a family for many generations. We tasted different kinds of vinegar and purchased some.  The crops we saw for vinegar were black currents.

 Later we stopped to view the waterfalls near the island. Finally, we got off the bus and on our own, went for lunch. The city has an upper city and a lower city. The upper city is surrounded by an old wall and the lower city is right on the river. After lunch, Merle and I and another lady went to the Château Fontenac— A very expensive hotel. We thought it would be fun to have a drink in the bar and look at the magnificent view of the river. This hotel can be seen from almost anywhere in the region as it sits on the bluff and defines the upper city. I included pictures of it in earlier posts.

There was too much walking today for me.  We had some free time and then at 5 o’clock we had a presentation, by  man and a woman who played traditional music ( often with Celtic roots ) on their fiddles. They explained about the traditional music of the region and about some specific songs and demonstrated a variety. I loved it! I did a short video recording of it.

Finally, tonight was the conclusion of our tour so we had the farewell dinner. It was a very pleasant group.  Virtually everyone leaves in the morning except us. We will have one more night here in Quebec city, then on Tuesday, we will go back to Montreal for two nights. There were several things we didn’t get to see there before which we can now see on our own. 

It will be nice to go at our own pace for the next three days.

Sat July 20 Quebec

 This was quite an active day. We began with a lecture by a man who has written several books on Quebec. Very interesting. Next, with a different guide, was a walking tour that ended on top of the mountain overlooking the St. Lawrence River. This is the point where the city was protected by a military post, a mountain with a huge cliff, and excellent visibility in both directions. After lunch, we took a bus over to The residence of the governor general. A terrific young man served as our guide and to us a great deal about Canadian government & history. The views were spectacular.

In the pictures, the structure that looks like a château is a hotel with the name Château Frontenac.  Above my pay grade.😆

Merle and I decided to add on one more night ( Monday)  at this hotel and then return to Montreal for the last two nights before we leave.

It is shocking to realize that this tour group finishes tomorrow night with the farewell dinner. Where did the time go? It is a particularly short tour though. But Merle and I don’t go home until Thursday—we appreciate the cooler temperatures here!

All of the participants in this group have been very friendly and we have enjoyed meeting different people at each meal. Our guide, Francois,  is superb! I will definitely give him high marks in my evaluation!

Friday July 19 to Quebec City

 Today was our day to move from Montreal to Quebec City by train. Unfortunately, the train was delayed so we didn’t get to Quebec city until dinner time. I haven’t been here long enough to have any opinions so I don’t have much to report today. I will just wait until tomorrow when I will have more to say!

Thur July 18 Montreal

 

We had a bus today to take us around to the rest of the city which we had not seen thus far. Another excellent local guide. We started at the basilique, then drove around to see different neighborhoods and hear the history of those neighborhoods. A highlight was driving up to the top of Mont Real.  Of course there was a panorama view of the city,  harbor, etc. On a clear day, you can see Vermont or Maine! Our bus stopped at a bagel shop and our guide ran in and got each of us a bagel. Still warm and delicious! Montreal is famous for their Bagels. 🥯 

Finally, we went to the indoor Arts complex. It was absolutely beautiful because everything was protected from the winter elements and it was like one big mall with a symphony hall, and a theater,  and a restaurant, etc. You could walk all around during the winter for wonderful entertainment. It’s very well planned and impressive.

We then had a free afternoon. Merle and I had a quiche and salad for lunch then did a little shopping and I bought two tops. An important part of our day was using the one washing machine the hotel has for guests. So we got all of our clothes cleaned for our journey tomorrow to Quebec city. You can see I posted the weather forecast for the next seven days and I am delighted. A couple times today I was actually a bit chilly.Love it!  

We had dinner with the group tonight and then came back to our hotel to pack for leaving tomorrow. We still have not decided what to do after the tour finishes. We will have a couple days to either stay in Quebec city or come back to Montreal to do some activities we didn’t do yet. We will come back to Montreal for our plane, but we don’t have to come back earlier if we don’t want to. We will wait and decide after we get to Quebec city.

Wed July 17 Montreal

 

This is our first official day of the group. Nice people. So glad it’s only 20 people. Very good guide. We have chatted with several people from all over the US. We have steered clear of any discussion of politics. And I’m glad I don’t have to hear or see the news. Too painful.

For the morning, we had a walking tour of Old Town and history of the city. We had an excellent local guide.  Then the our group meal today was lunch at a fantastic restaurant. Wow are they feeding us well! And the two restaurants where we have gone have each given multiple choices of dishes and there have been excellent non-meat dishes.

After lunch, we went to the museum of archaeology & history.  The museum is underground, where archaeological digs have uncovered layers of the city from the past. Another excellent local guide gave us a ton of information about the history. Merle and I both felt our legs rebel against all the walking and standing! Whew!  

After a late afternoon nap, we had free time and we walked through Old Town to a brewpub called brewski where they have whiskey and local beers. Merle had to try the whiskey that had maple syrup! She said it was pretty tasty. I stuck with a beer.

We then had dinner — Possibly the best pizza I’ve ever had. Very gourmet and delicious.  I doubt this is the trip for losing weight.

Tomorrow, a bus will take us around to various neighborhoods in the city. We look forward to branching out and seeing more, including two things that Montreal seems to be famous for: their bagels (yes)  and their smoked meats— deli style.  

We find the locals go back-and-forth between French and English, sometimes sometimes mixing in the middle of sentences. We are both trying to use our French at every opportunity. I feel like there’s a great deal of understanding, more than I expected.

That’s all for now! So far so good!

Tuesday July 16 Montreal

Old Port / Old Town Montreal 

 So at 7 o’clock this morning, I get in the shower. Get my hair wet. The fire alarm goes off. And it didn’t stop. So I got out of the shower, threw on some clothes and a towel around my head, grabbed my purse and walked down seven flights to the lobby. No one seem to know what the problem was. Some people were ignoring the alarm and having breakfast. I however wasn’t going to be that dumb. After about a half hour, the consensus seemed to be that the problem was not serious.  The rumor was either a wire got crossed or someone smoked. Most people came back into the hotel. Merle and I wanted to get on the elevator, but they still weren’t working. Eventually, we were able to get into the elevator, delayed all together about an hour . Fortunately, we didn’t have I need to hurry today. I finished my shower, and we had breakfast. By then it was 930. Finally the guy at the front desk confirmed that a wire in a socket, somehow malfunctioned and set off the alarm. Crazy.

We had decided yesterday to go to an IMAX movie at 11:15. It was about the continent of Australia. I have been asking Merle for a long time if she was interested in going to Australia and New Zealand and she always said it was too far away. Well recently she’s been watching a TV show that got her interested in that region. So we are thinking about a future trip to Australia and New Zealand. Road Scholar has one by ship which sounds very appealing. We will look into it .

After the movie we went to Chez Suzette where we had a fondue lunch! Jane was very happy!

We then had to return to the hotel to get ready for our 215 massage appointments! What a rough life.

Our Road Scholar group convened for the first time at 5:15. It is a nice small group of 20 people. Our guide is François; he was delighted to see that we spoke French.😉

Following the orientation, we had dinner at a local restaurant, which was absolutely delicious. I had cod, fritters and risotto. Yummy!  A great beginning to our trip. 😀

July 15,2024 Montreal

 I’m happily settled in a nice Marriott affiliated hotel. I had my morning facial at the spa in the hotel. Very relaxing. Then I went for a stroll. We are very close to Old Town ( Vieux-Port) with quiet old pedestrian streets, and lots of tourists, shops, and eateries. I found a restaurant recommended by our tour group and had a crepe for lunch then walked around the town. It is very international with languages and peoples from everywhere. Very busy time of year. And unfortunately, much hotter than I was expecting. I think it was up to 87 with high humidity so as far as escaping the heat, I did not really succeed at that!

The hotel says, I need to change rooms tomorrow because the Road Scholar group contracts for a certain type of accommodation.😩. Merde. I was hoping to stay in the same room for five days.

Merle arrived late afternoon.  The last time we were together was in Spain in February! We strolled in to old town and landed at a nice restaurant where we had crabcakes,  salad and beer for dinner. Parfait!  

We have the morning to ourselves tomorrow and will contemplate what to do over breakfast. Then we have afternoon massage appointments and meeting with our tour group around 5 PM.

As far as French goes, I find people can understand me, and I understand them! But when I eavesdrop in another conversation, the locals speak so fast and with a different accent, it’s difficult. For me, most conversations includes some French and some English.

We are often running!  On commence!

July 14, 2024 French Canada

 Bonjour!  It’s Sunday & I’m en route to Montreal where I’ ll meet up with Merle in advance of our Road Scholar tour that begins Tuesday. The tour takes us to Montreal & Quebec City. I’ve never been to eastern Canada & look forward to seeing the region & also trying my French with Canadians. Wonder if we’ll understand each other?  🤔

I’m especially looking forward to the temps in the 70s & 80s because at home it’s been 110° and hotter!  

My last month has been a whirlwind— with directing the June play, then having carpet installed in 3 bedrooms this last week so tomorrow I have a facial appointment & on Tuesday I’ll get a massage— prior to the tour starting at dinner time.    Time to unwind.