Day 50: Quebec City Rest Day

Day 50: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

August 1, 2016

Miles: 0 

Rest day in Quebec City, Quebec


Di and I got up around 8:30 and immediately started getting ready to go out.  Sandra had said last night that she and Gina were going for a walk at 7:30 this morning, so we knew they were up already.  Sandra had asked Di and me if we wanted to join them for an hour and a half walk around the city this morning, but we politely demurred.  Di and I objected to the additional physical exertion; we get enough of that stuff with the bike riding.

Around 9:30, I knocked on Dine and Mom's door, but there was no answer.  I knocked again a little louder this time and heard Mom say, "No, no, not yet."  She had mistaken me for the housekeepers! I figured she wasn't ready to go out yet, so I returned to my room.  Around 10am, Dine texted that she, Sandra and Gina were enjoying coffee and pastry at Paillard, the cafe across the street.  So, Di and I went back to Mom's room and this time she answered my knock by opening the door and the three of us set off to join the other three for coffee at Paillard.

The paparazzi at Paillard

Those guys were already finished with their coffee and headed back to the hotel to get ready to go out for a full breakfast.  Di, Mom and I walked to Les Trois Garcon to get an earlier start on breakfast and to get coffee.

Breakfast at Les Trois Garcon

Dine, Sandra and Gina joined us a short while later.

The gang's all here

Breakfast posers

We decided to take a bus tour of the city, so Di, Mom and I took a taxi to the starting point of the tour, which was near Chateau Frontenac.  We took the taxi because it was at least a half mile walk to Chateau Frontenac and most of it would be uphill.  Dine, Sandra and Gina walked it and seemed to relish the thought of the physical exertion.  They should ride their bikes for 40 or 50 days - that would cure them of this crazy desire to exercise, at least temporarily.  Di and I aren't opposed to physical exertion, but on rest days we typical rest, so we were happy to use the need to accompany Mom on the taxi ride as our excuse to avoid the unnecessary work.  We all met at the tour bus and at 1:00pm started our tour.

I will now present the highlights of the tour.  If you've never been to Quebec but want to pass yourself off as one who has indeed visited this city, then download some of these pictures, have them printed, framed and placed around your house and pretend to guests you took them when you last visited Quebec City.

Chateau Frontenac

While waiting for tour to start

Tourist throwing caution to the wind in order to get the shot

Dine, Sandra and Gina arriving with the tour tickets (guess horses have the right of way)

Gina enjoying the family's main source of sustenance

That's our hotel

That's a church (there is no shortage of these around here)

Poutineville!  I wonder what they serve there?

Driving along

Chateau Frontenac in the distance

Quite a variety of architectures

Nice patina on the copper roof (I wouldn't want to work on that roof)

Nor this roof

Look at those happy tourists

Nothing like a monument to ensure you ride around the traffic circle and not through it

Di's surname gives her rock star status here

Never a shortage of people 

Well-known fountain and most photographed location in Quebec City (I've forgotten the name)

The tour was over two and a half hours and we all considered it a great success.  It was a convenient way to see much of the city and familiarize ourselves with the major attractions.  We walked the boardwalk along the Chateau Frontenac before deciding to use the Funiculaire to descend to lower Quebec City.

Salvador Dali sculpture on the boardwalk

Congregating in lower Quebec City

Gina took this picture of us

Posing with attitude

Posing with Mom

Posing with her name writ large

A set of stairs we refused to climb

Beneath the balloons of Damocles

In the candy store (natch!)

Classy busker

A group photo

Photo of a photographer taking a group photo

The canoes of Damocles

Another set of stairs we didn't climb

Not entirely a candid shot of the group

Enjoying our coffee (another source of sustenance for the family)

Gina took this photo of Di and me talking to Bill (that's one big mural)

We decided to head back to upper Quebec City around 5:30pm.  Di and I made the supreme sacrifice of accompanying Mom in a taxi back to our hotel instead of walking up the one million steps it took Dine, Sandra and Gina to get back.  Di, Mom and I were extremely envious of the wonderful exercise the others got by toiling their way back to the hotel, but we successfully concealed our disappointment by putting on brave smiles.  I must say we were successful in hiding our sadness because Dine, Sandra and Gina never suspected for a moment that we would rather have walked back.  We must be good actors.

Di, Mom and I relaxed in our air conditioned rooms while Dine, Sandra and Gina labored their way back to the hotel.  We headed off to Sapristi Restaurant around 7:15 and were seated in the outdoor patio.

Drinks are served

Our meals were really good but I didn't take a picture because we didn't want to give the photo bomber another opportunity to ruin our picture.  I think he is proud enough of himself as it is.

Sandra and Gina are going to get up early again tomorrow to go for a walk because obviously they didn't walk enough today.  I'm sure Dine will catch up with them at some point and join them for coffee.  Then the stragglers, Di, Mom and me, will drag ourselves out into the morning to join them and we will make our plans for the day.  I hope those plans turn out as successfully as today's plans.