Catching the ferry from Levis where we were staying across the St Lawrence River into Quebec City, provided some fantastic views of the only walled city in the Americas north of Mexico. The view of the Chateau Frontenac, the city wall and the Citadel is majestic as one cruises towards it.
Arriving in the city, we felt like we had been injected into Old Nice, France. The narrow streets, stone buildings and European atmosphere all culminated in a truly historic experience. We got lost in just wandering around taking in the sights, the culture and the festive atmosphere.
There were many performers, musicians, singers and artists in the streets. We heard opera singing in Italian, heard the melodies of harps and violins and listened to organs and music played with water in glasses. We came across a couple of young guys who were really comical doing juggling, acrobatics and tricks on a unicycle. This was especially a treat for Christine who roped Liam into being a volunteer for one of their stunts! Together with 4 other men, the performers taunted and teased them, had them lying flat on their backs on the ground before eventually doing a summersault over all 5 men!
We also took in some of the historic sites including the market where many artists were doing portraits and caricatures; the citadel with the British royal guard, the Place Royale and a long walk along the city wall overlooking the river. We also climbed the 301 steps to the top of the citadel and walked through the city seeing many beautiful statues and ornate buildings.
Our tours included a visit to the chocolate museum and the maple museum and shop. It’s amazing what they make out of maple syrup and we googled at many tasty products even sampling some maple vinaigrette which was actually delicious! Unfortunately the Basilica of the Notre Dame was closed, so we trudged home with weary feet at the end of another wonderful day.
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