Karyn's Day

Quebec Old City 2

After a relaxed rise it was around the corner to the bus. A bit colder today as the cold air reached my finger tips.
We alighted at Pointe d'Youville and walked towards one of the remaining gates in the old city wall. Already one could see period stone buildings and the narrowing of streets. Passed a small skating rink. We wandered around turning up streets that looked interesting until we found ourselves outside the very grand Frontenac Hotel...along with many others wanderers. Families here, with excited children either slipping over or wanting to play with the now-icy snow. We caught the Furniculaire down the cliff face to the lower town near the St Lawrence river bank. VERY touristy down here but also very pretty. Time for coffee. We have been slightly surprised at the minimum number of café type places in all the towns we have been in. Restaurants but not less- formal cafés. In the one small café on this popular street we had little difficulty getting a table. Maybe us Aussies are more obsessed with a cuppa than many others!! I had a REAL éclair...with custard. Also a note on the French language in Quebec city. It is THE language of everyone. You are surrounded by it. However, these wonderful people can generally switch to English readily once they ponder your accent. For me, I am managing to get in my limited French skill and everyone is accommodating the effort!
More wandering and a few shop hops. We found a classy place that dealt with individual artisans and spent awhile there!
The buildings near the river were where the eating places were and our chosen lunch spot consisted of a cosy former store house made of small stone-vaulted chambers. Great atmosphere.
After wandering by the semi-frozen river, our museum stop for the day was Le Musée de Civilisation where we gained a clearer picture of the city's founding in the early 1600's and the effect on the Indigenous population by the arrival of the europeans. I noted that the government of the 1930's thought that removing the children and "educating" them was the way to go. Sounded all to familiar.

Next stop was the old market by the port. Stallholders were beginning to close up...after all it was Christmas Eve...but we still got a feel for the place. More of a market for gift buyers than a local market.
Returned to Rue Champlain for the lovely Christmas lights. We had planned to stay in the area for tea, but so had many others. As our hands were now really beginning to feel the cold we opted for a warm bus ride home and a raid of the fridge.