July 11 Montreal-Quebec

Good news. The sun is out. Went on the internet to check the weather forecast for Quebec City. The internet is so slow here, that by the time the browser loads, the weather has changed.

Haven't really taken advantage of the AirBnb's. The Habitat du Vieux is, I guess you could describe it as, an apartment hotel. Only cooked once on the trip, but having more space is nice. From here on in, we will be staying in hotel rooms.

The Habitat du Vieux is certainly well located, on the intersection of Boulevard Saint Laurent and Rue Saint Paul. Couldn't ask for a better location, the apartment was nice. But the noise! Last night was the only night that the bars were quiet and no street sweeper woke us up in the morning. If we were younger we would be the ones making the noise at 2:00AM. Now, any noise after 10-11PM is an irritant.

Later on I will have to find the proprietors to get instructions what to do with the keys and pay for the accommodation. The office has been closed since we arrived, except when we were given the keys. This and the Capital Hilton, in Washington, were the only hotels not to charge us at booking.

Went over to 24 Rue St. Paul at 9:30 the store was closed, Went back at 10:00 the store had opened and the two ladies who were at the store told me to just leave the keys in the room.

Took our luggage down at 10:20. Just as we were opening the door the taxi showed up. Took us to Central Station. Checked our luggage and we had  about 1 1/2 hours to kill before boarding. Decided to see Mary, Queen of the World Basilica which is right beside the train station. We had walked in front of it when we were heading for our bus tour, but hadn't gone in. It is listed as one of the sights to see in Montreal.

Noticed a Scotiabank across from the train station and decided to get some American money for the next part of our trip. Then we went to the Basilica.

If you are really perceptive, you can notice the disappointment in Rita's posture. It was a shopping disaster. Religious items in the shop only.

Walked around and sat down on a bench in Dorchester Square and watched the pigeons. Went back to the train station, waited around for awhile. We were supposed to board at 12:15 but it was delayed to 12:30. Boarded and the train left at 12:45. Right on time.

The train ride from Montreal to Quebec is 3 1/2 hours. The only stops are Drummondville, and another I missed the name, just before Quebec.

Arrived right on time, and after collecting our luggage, went to catch a taxi. Noticed a lineup outside under a Bus sign. So, we figured that the lineup was for a Bus. There was a Taxi sign to the left with nobody within 15-20 feet of it. Figured that was where you waited for a taxi. As a taxi drove up we were told to get to the back of the line. The lineup was for taxis. Waited for awhile and finally we where able to catch a cab.

Talked to the taxi driver on the way. He was black, like the vast majority of taxi drivers tend to be in the East. He said Quebec was  very busy this time of year and very cold in winter. So, in Quebec |City, they work as much as possible in the summer and sit inside the house in winter. He was from Chad as our cleaning lady had been in Montreal.

He dropped us of in front of the Fleur de Lys and told us that it was a very nice hotel. Went inside, checked in, received instructions from a young lady at the reception desk and she took us up to our room.

Talk about luxury! Perhaps at the Chateau Frontenac. Not here. Our room is at the back of the hotel atop a dangerous winding set of stairs. A small room with a small bathroom. We do have a balcony, but you can only access it through a window.

Connected and tested the wifi. I have never seen such speed. Download speed 58Mbps, upload 32Mbps. As fast as I can transfer files on my computer, it is already on the net. Wow!

Received an email from Tina that she was making a chicken diner, and was wondering if we would be interested in joining them. There was no way to get in touch with them. Why do people turn their Skype off? Do they usually leave their phones off the hook? Decided to walk over to their place, to see if they were there. They have an AirBnb for the first half of their stay and then move to another AirBnb later on. They couldn't book one place for their whole stay. I had the address of the second place, Rita had the first, for some reason. Rita's had the street but no number.

Decided to go look around and perhaps we would run into them around one of the concerts that are taking place all over Quebec.

No such luck. Found an SAQ and then stopped at a restaurant, Parmesan,  close to our place.

Rita was craving for scallops, so she ordered some, a salad and a regular poutine.  I had a pee soup and a duck poutine.

We each had a glass of house wine. $95.

After diner we came back to our hole in the wall.

Tina had emailed that they were heading out to a concert and asked if we wanted to get together for lunch tomorrow.

Raya also emailed that she couldn't access the Videos, Pictures and Slideshows on our webpage. I tried it on my computer, Rita's computer, her android. Works fine. Don't know what the problem is. If anybody out there has the same problem, please email us. Curious.

July 12 Quebec

Quebec City is beautiful. Enough said.

We finally managed to get a hold of the Lauze's by email and they gave us the house number 38. Started heading to their place. at 38 Rue Sainte-Famille. Found it OK. There we were at the front door not knowing how to get in. Rita suggested yelling their names. I of course, am too sophisticated to do such a thing, so I Pooh Poohed her idea.

We decided to walk home and try to get a hold of them again. Walked by the Quebec Notre Dame Cathedral and decided to take some pictures.

Rita had read in Montreal that the Quebec Notre Dame has a Holy Door. One of only about half a dozen Holy Doors, designated by the Pope, as Holy Doors, in the world. It will be open until later on this year, and then it will be sealed, only to be opened up every 25 years for believers to walk through it. Looked around the cathedral couldn't find a door that looked Holy. The Holy Waters of St. Peters in Rome didn't work for Eija, and now the Holy door was missed by Rita. I guess the Fransila sisters are doomed to unholiness.

Walked by the Cathedral, through Chateau Frontenac, across the park and we were back in our hovel. Immediately sent an email to the Lauzes. They sent an email back later on, that, now they were home, not, on how to get in when we got there. Sent an email back asking that question. Quite awhile later they responded, to knock on the door. It looked like the front door led to many apartments, when we were there earlier, but we set off anyways.

10 minutes later we were back at their place. Rita knocked on the front door.

No answer. Standing on the same spot on the street, where Rita had stood making the suggestion earlier, I yelled "Tina, Dean". Joshua opened the door.

It was around 2:00 PM. They had been shopping. Their fridge is loaded with food. Where they are moving in a few days are just hotel rooms, without a fridge. I don't know what they intend to do with all the food.

Tina had made a Chicken vegetable soup and there were plenty of cold cuts and cheeses. They were raving about the market they found close to their apartment. Had a late lunch with them.

Rachel is coming in tomorrow, she has a really bad red eye flight. Tina and Dean think she will not be up to the tour tomorrow. We decided to take the Hop-On Hop-Of tour on Thursday.

Walked back to our room. Had a nap. Went for a walk, a block away, to the boardwalk by Chateau Frontenac around 6:30PM.

Walked around, and walked back on Rue Saint Louis, to our apartment.

July 13 Quebec

Walked to The Plains of Abraham at 11:00AM. It is only one block from our hotel. Took the wrong route. Went almost all the way up. The walkways are under construction, and we were only allowed to walk part of the way. We will try again later on.

Rita was overdressed so we came back to the hotel. Here is a picture of our stairs.

Arrived at the Lauzes at 12:15. Rachel had arrived an hour earlier. She was jetlagged.

Had a GREAT lunch, quiche, cheese omelet, all kinds of cold cuts, cheeses, pastries. The Lauzes know how to live on holidays.

Left their place around 4PM. We had decided to take the Funicular to the bottom of the hill, and then take the short ferry ride across the St Lawrence in lieu of a cruise, as someone had suggested to Tina and Dean.  Went to  Notre Dame again, the Lauzes hadn't seen it before. Rita asked an attendant where the holy door was. It was at the side of the cathedral. Another attendant was there to explain how the door worked. He had a very heavy French accent. His English vocabulary was not great, nor  easy accessible for him. Didn't matter, religious stuff is Greek to me anyways. We would have been better off, if they would have given us an IKEA instruction type book on how to use the door.

So we walked through it. It is supposed to be a one way door, You should enter the Cathedral through the door, but you should never leave through it. Tina, Rachel and Hanna were walking in, then out, then in again. Tina wants to go back tomorrow to do it properly. As far as I'm concerned, it's not a biggie. Nothing a sprinkle of pixie dust can't remedy.

So Rita received her Indulgence. The beauty of it was, that it was free!

Raya and Eija are sinners, whereas (at present) Rita is not. Wouldn't worry about it, by later this afternoon Rita will have caught up, and by this evening she will have reclaimed her position as "Leader of the Pack".

Hanna had discovered a market yesterday, and she was anxious to show the ladies her discovery. The Lauzes all disappeared down a long flight of stairs Rita and I waited up top. Joshua and Dean reappeared after a few minutes and said we would meet them at the bottom of the Funicular. Walked around for a while on the boardwalk.

Then we went down the Funicular ($2.20). On the way down Rita was holding on, to anything she could, for dear life. A lady standing beside her asked, with a French Canadian accent, whether she was scared. Rita replied "No, I'm Canadian".

I was proud of Rita. Being in a very stressful and dangerous situation, going down the Funicular, she had the presence of mind, not to let on, that her Finnish passport has expired and therefore she is an "Illegal Finn" in Canada. Just in case the lady was an undercover PCMP officer chasing down "Illegal Finns" going up and down the Funicular. Raya and Ken should learn from this experience. Or, have they renewed their passports and, are here legally?

We met up at a restaurant on the bottom.

It was getting late and they decided to go to the concert, and take the ferry tomorrow. So we parted ways, and continued with our plans.

Took the ferry ($3.20) to the other side of the river, looked around, and returned with the same ferry. There is not much to see, on the other side of the river.

Walked around.

Took the Funicular back up to the Chateau. On the way back to the hotel, we found a grocery store. Bought a bottle of wine, and a sandwich for Rita. I was still full from the humongous late lunch we had.

July 14 Quebec

Amazing! Simply Amazing! We arrived at the Hop-On Hop-Off station where we had agreed to meet at 9:55. Rita stayed and talked to the tour guide from the bus while I went inside the tourist office to buy the tickets. In Toronto I had paid $35 for a three day pass. In Quebec it's $41 for one day. I paid for the tickets, which is also amazing, but what I was amazed about is that the Lauzes were there at 10:05.

As you can see from the picture, Dean was also amazed they had made it by 10.

Hanna and Rita stayed on the bottom level while the rest of us went to the top deck.

Didn't get off the bus took the whole tour. Old Quebec is picturesque and charming. The rest is like any other North American city.

Got off the bus at the Chateau and went for lunch at _______ . I have never seen Black Pudding on the menu in any restaurant. But there it was. I asked asked the waitress if that is exactly what it said it was. Sure enough, blood sausages. Very tasty, but unlike Hungarian blood sausage which has rice in it to give it texture, this was, like it said it was, pudding.

Agreed to split the bill with Dean, and the waitress brought me the bill which had $125 written  at the top of it. After Dean paid his share, it was my turn to pay. I expected to see half of $125 on the machine. My share was $125. $250 dollar lunch. Decided we would go to the market, and Tina would cook diner.

Tina and the kids had left to go back to their place while we paid the bill. As we were coming out of the restaurant there was a downpour like I've never seen. Dean decided to ask the Hop-on bus driver if he could drop us off close to their place. The bus driver told him the bus was full, but after Dean explained that it was just a few blocks that we were going, he agreed, and let us stand by the front doors of the bus.

Went to the Lauzes and while we were there there was another downpour.

Went to the market after the rain had subsided. Rita bought a little barrel of Maple Syrup.

Tina bought duck breasts and duck sausages.

We decided to to walk back instead of taking the bus like we had planed. We let Tina Dean and Rachel go ahead since they walk faster. Noticed they took a different route back and decided to follow them. Lost sight of them behind some construction scaffolding. After we went around the scaffolding, they were nowhere to be seen. Walked along looking for a road to the right that we could take back to their place. The only road was a switchback on the hill. After walking all that way, we weren't about to loose any ground we had gained. Walked and walked. Finally there was a road to the right. After climbing the hill we ended up at Notre Dame. Walked downhill to their place.

They said we should have taken the switchback, it comes out close to their place.

We had a feast. Tina, being Tina, kept apologizing that the duck was tough and not crispy. It was delicious. Said our goodbyes and left around 8PM. They were heading out to a concert at 9.

Tomorrow Washington.