Bob is Traveling: Quebec

It’s a 3 hour drive from Montreal to Quebec. I went up the east side of the river where Hwy 20 is a smooth trip on the return trip I used Hwy 40 on the west side which was a little more scenic but required a few turns to switch roads even though the highway remained the same name – very strange.

I stopped for gas in a busy town off Hwy 20. I had a choice between a Petro Canada or Shell, I opted to go Canadian. I swiped my card and was rejected. I kept trying to no avail. I went inside and asked the sales girl but she didn’t really speak English and my French is useless. We struggled with it but she finally said I needed to use another card. So I cross the street to the Shell. My card was taken but then a voice came out from the gas pump. I asked it, Parlez vous anglais? She said come on in. I went in and the sales clerk asked if it was an American card because they didn’t work at the pump. Problem solved, I pumped first and paid inside.

The tourist highlight of Quebec is it’s old city. It sits both on top of the hill overlooking the St Lawrence River and along the river’s banks. Some of the old cities walls remain – I think that may be a unique view in North America.

360 view of Quebec

Quebec River View

The two landmarks on the top are the Citidal, an underground fortress that once controlled the river and the Chateau Frontenac hotel which towers above the city in its Victorian beauty. It’s known as the most photographed hotel in the world.

They are currently excavating around the hotel as part of a historical site. The pulley was used to lift dirt out of the dig.

There is a long boardwalk going from behind the hotel to the Citidal with great views of the river and old city.
A funicular (small tram that rides down the hill on a track) will take you down to the lower village near the river with the Musee de la Civilization that has a very interesting exhibit on the history of Canada and Quebec which shows a different view of history than the familiar American one but still similar in many ways.

The village inside the walls was a high quality tourist stop with many excellent restaurants, street performers, musicians., and shops. It looks like a typical French city. Some streets reminded me of old Lyon. The food in Quebec was also excellent. Even though Montreal has more restaurants per capita than any city besides NYC I had better dinning experience here. I had a chicken and asparagus crepe followed by a better crepe of strawberries and ice cream at Au Petit Coin Breton in the lower village. A nice duck in light orange sauce at Restaurante La Caravelle in the upper village. And surprisingly, a magnificent omelet at the Hilton.