2019 Road Trip, Part 7 - Viva Québec
Jul. 26th, 2019 11:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jamesqWe got to Quebec City in the evening and I took my leave of the family. It was fun travelling with them, and I'd happily do it again. That said, there is such a thing as too much togetherness, and I wanted to be on my own for bit. I left a bunch of my stuff with them to take back to Cowtown, and I went back to my usual light packing. They were staying at the Hilton on their employer's dime. I opted to go elsewhere since the Hilton was charging Hilton prices. For that money, I'd have gone to Chateau Frontenac.
I checked into my Air B&B, which was on the roof of a heritage building. Basically the building was one of the oldest banks in the city, but it's now owned by a law firm, and the partners (law partners or partner-partners? Yes) are turning the second and third floor into loft apartments. I was on the fourth floor, which was a tiny studio you get to after 60 steps from the street (I counted many times). It was tiny, but it suited me fine since it had everything I needed. I even got access to the rooftop patio used by the building's other tenants, which was nice for relaxing on after the sun went down.
You can't see my unit from here - it's a building addition behind the flag pole.
First order of business was getting supper. A search for Michelin-starred restaurants revealed the Hobbit Bistro a mere block away. And with a name like that, I had to try it. The meal was delicious, but the best part was just sitting out on the patio watching people walk by. Quebec City is possibly the most romantic city I've ever been to, and the pedestrians confirmed that. Almost every couple was holding hands. Teens, honeymooners, old folk - didn't matter. It made me a little melancholy, but I tried not to dwell on my loneliness.
(my view with dinner)
The next morning I went for a run. The Plains of Abraham (which we drove through to get to our hotels) was on the way, nearby, and looked like a grand place for a jog, so I went there. #DicksAcrossAmerica
Next up for the day was just wandering around Quebec City. Mostly this was in the fortress portion of town (QC is the only remaining city with fortified walls north of Mexico). I went down the Funicular, briefly visited the Museum of Civilization, walked up and down (mostly up, because I didn't think things through) narrow cobblestoned streets loaded with other tourists, and watched an adorable Australian acrobat at the Samuel de Champlain monument. Also had another magnificent meal at Aux Anciens Canadiens.
It was a full day of exploring, running, hiking, and eating. I once again sat out on the roof after the sun went down, enjoying the last of my beer and happy.
The next morning I had some time to kill before my train ride back to Montreal, so I took one of those open-top bus tours around the city. It was fun and informative.
You'll notice there's no photos of the bus tour, or the previous day. I took plenty, and immediately after the bus tour, my phone had a brain aneurism. This lead to a bunch of panic on my part trying to get in touch with Wendy and Ryan. You see, I actually had a spare phone with me, but it was with the luggage they were taking back to Calgary. After a lot of frantic messages, I managed to get my old phone back, and grabbed a taxi from their hotel to the train station. I made it onto my train with about five minutes to spare. I was very happy to have hard copies of all my tickets and itinerary!
Funny thing is, a spare phone doesn't do you any good if you don't have it on you. So why did I leave it with my ship-to-Calgary stuff? Because I didn't bring the phone with me in case my regular phone broke. I brought it in case my regular phone got confiscated by US Border Patrol. If they wanted to search my phone, I've more or less decided that they can keep my phone. It's not that there's anything incriminating in my phone, it's just that it's none of their business. That my regular phone would break, never actually occurred to me. Still, I'm glad I had it, otherwise I'd have been buying a new one in Montreal. There simply being no way I was going to brave a new city without Google Maps and Google Translate.
Sim card swapped, I was once again good to go, albeit with a somewhat slower/glitchier phone. Past James had bought a first class ticket on the train, which really was a civilized way to travel. Thanks again, past James. I settled in to watch a movie on my laptop, and had a relaxing ride through the Quebec countryside. It really is a gorgeous part of the country.
I checked into my Air B&B, which was on the roof of a heritage building. Basically the building was one of the oldest banks in the city, but it's now owned by a law firm, and the partners (law partners or partner-partners? Yes) are turning the second and third floor into loft apartments. I was on the fourth floor, which was a tiny studio you get to after 60 steps from the street (I counted many times). It was tiny, but it suited me fine since it had everything I needed. I even got access to the rooftop patio used by the building's other tenants, which was nice for relaxing on after the sun went down.
You can't see my unit from here - it's a building addition behind the flag pole.
First order of business was getting supper. A search for Michelin-starred restaurants revealed the Hobbit Bistro a mere block away. And with a name like that, I had to try it. The meal was delicious, but the best part was just sitting out on the patio watching people walk by. Quebec City is possibly the most romantic city I've ever been to, and the pedestrians confirmed that. Almost every couple was holding hands. Teens, honeymooners, old folk - didn't matter. It made me a little melancholy, but I tried not to dwell on my loneliness.
(my view with dinner)
The next morning I went for a run. The Plains of Abraham (which we drove through to get to our hotels) was on the way, nearby, and looked like a grand place for a jog, so I went there. #DicksAcrossAmerica
Next up for the day was just wandering around Quebec City. Mostly this was in the fortress portion of town (QC is the only remaining city with fortified walls north of Mexico). I went down the Funicular, briefly visited the Museum of Civilization, walked up and down (mostly up, because I didn't think things through) narrow cobblestoned streets loaded with other tourists, and watched an adorable Australian acrobat at the Samuel de Champlain monument. Also had another magnificent meal at Aux Anciens Canadiens.
It was a full day of exploring, running, hiking, and eating. I once again sat out on the roof after the sun went down, enjoying the last of my beer and happy.
The next morning I had some time to kill before my train ride back to Montreal, so I took one of those open-top bus tours around the city. It was fun and informative.
You'll notice there's no photos of the bus tour, or the previous day. I took plenty, and immediately after the bus tour, my phone had a brain aneurism. This lead to a bunch of panic on my part trying to get in touch with Wendy and Ryan. You see, I actually had a spare phone with me, but it was with the luggage they were taking back to Calgary. After a lot of frantic messages, I managed to get my old phone back, and grabbed a taxi from their hotel to the train station. I made it onto my train with about five minutes to spare. I was very happy to have hard copies of all my tickets and itinerary!
Funny thing is, a spare phone doesn't do you any good if you don't have it on you. So why did I leave it with my ship-to-Calgary stuff? Because I didn't bring the phone with me in case my regular phone broke. I brought it in case my regular phone got confiscated by US Border Patrol. If they wanted to search my phone, I've more or less decided that they can keep my phone. It's not that there's anything incriminating in my phone, it's just that it's none of their business. That my regular phone would break, never actually occurred to me. Still, I'm glad I had it, otherwise I'd have been buying a new one in Montreal. There simply being no way I was going to brave a new city without Google Maps and Google Translate.
Sim card swapped, I was once again good to go, albeit with a somewhat slower/glitchier phone. Past James had bought a first class ticket on the train, which really was a civilized way to travel. Thanks again, past James. I settled in to watch a movie on my laptop, and had a relaxing ride through the Quebec countryside. It really is a gorgeous part of the country.
