AUGUST 2019 : CANADA : DAY 12 : Quebec City - Ottawa : 6 hours (train)

Returning to Ottawa

Just a 5 minute walk to the railway station. We were able to have a full breakfast for a very reasonable cost in one of the cafes there. Another queuing session in the ticketing area before being whisked down to the station and a speedy departure. No wonder the platforms are spotless!

Leaving Quebec City on the St Lawrence River. We passed through small farming communities and main highways.

We passed by Montreal with good views of the St Lawrence Seaway and of the Biosphere built by the US for their 1967 Expo Pavilion and the Montreal skyline.

We caught a public bus from the station in Ottawa to the city centre. Tonight we had a delicious seafood meal in the Byward Market district with Richard and Piers.

It feels safe walking around Ottawa but last night, close to the restaurant at the Byward Market, there was a crime scene after a shooting incident, probably drug-related.

M&M

AUGUST 2019 : CANADA : DAY 11 : Quebec City

We were fascinated to find this machine in our hotel room, it makes tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Gone is the electric jug. One of the nice surprises. Another was mouth wash, which I only realised after I added it to my washing, thinking it was  liquid soap.

 Breakfast downstairs in the restaurant - bagel for a change. Some beautiful paintings of Old Quebec decorate the hotel. Our waitress was complaining she was a little slower than usual this morning as she recovering from a new tattoo - Quebec City set in a maple leaf. Classy!

The Museum for Civilisation is only a few blocks from our hotel. It is a modern building with some beautifully organised exhibitions. 

The first one we visited was Secrets Uncovered. So clever. There were a range of artefacts, ancient to modern, in large glass cases. When you stood in front of any item, it would be highlighted and a slide would appear with information, either static or a video.

The second gallery was a permanent exhibition about Peoples of Quebec..Then and Now. It began with 12,000 year old basic tools, moved to French settlement in the sixteenth century, the British conquest in the eighteenth century with helpful documentaries with headphones in each section and then migration, the issues of religion and the Quebec patriot independence movements.

 Minor exhibitions were Soft Shells, where an artist, Libby Oliver, dresses friends up in all their wardrobe of clothes and photographs them -yes, there are people under there. The final was on the work of the couturier, Jean-Claude Poitras.

The foyer was very attractive and there were some eye-catching designs on the exterior of the building.

Then we climbed up to the upper section of the town towards the Citadel. We found a walkway, Promenade of the Governors, starting near the impressive Fairmont Hotel. This one is Le Chateau Frontenac. We had good view of the St Lawrence River.

The French started the construction of this fort in 1693 and was completed by the British in 1831 for fear of attack by Americans. It is still a working military barracks. Two guards, in busbies, stand by the 19 th century Dalhousie Gate. The fortifications continue around the old town with several impressive gates for traffic flow.

We found an Italian restaurant for lunch with no French fries or hamburgers in sight. Soup, grilled fish and vegetables. Heaven.

Flowers and greenery everywhere

Relatives?

We climbed down to the port by the ramparts, passing some historic buildings, some dating back to the 1500s.

 The harbour with pleasure boats bordered by multiple silos used for the massive storage and export of grain. Canada, like Australia, is one of the main grain providers to the world.

Evening walk after dinner.

Quebec City is such a pretty place. A lovely way to end our trip here.

M&M

AUGUST 2019 : CANADA : DAY 10 : Montreal - Quebec City - 4 hours (train)

Our last port of call on our Canadian whistlestop tour is Quebec City.. We took a 8.30 train after walking from our hotel.

We walked past an Olympic memorial. Not a happy memory for Australians as we didn’t win any significant medals in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. This triggered the development of the Australian Institute of Sport, in an attempt improve future performances.

More queuing in the ticketing hall before we were whooshed down to the train for boarding.

We had some occasional views of the wide St Lawrence River during the trip. But the carriage was entertained/harangued by four English jocks, on their Gap year with no consideration for anyone on the trip. So we heard about their attitudes to women, to legalising drugs, to every city in Canada (all **** except Toronto) and which of them would make the British PM (good luck!). The defining comment was when they were signing into the train internet, it asks what class you are travelling and one of the boys immediately said Upper Middle, which said it all. It felt like a Monty Python skit that lasted three and a half hours!

We arrived in Quebec City about 1pm. It is a small city on the St Lawrence River and because of its European ambience, architecture and its historical importance as one of the earliest settled areas, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

Lunch in a traditional cafe.

In the main square in the old town is the Eglise Notre-Dame-des Victoires, opened in 1759. The main Cathedral is in the upper town near City Hall.

The town in awash with galleries, wall murals, Canadian products and fashion - so plenty to please tourists.

Our hotel is comfortable and convenient.

It also has a bar and good restaurant, which was handy tonight as it was raining. Our first wet evening. It is the result of the cyclonic conditions down the east coast of the US, with the arrival of Hurricane Dorian.

M&M

AUGUST 2019 : CANADA : DAY 9 : Montreal

We decided to explore Mount Royal Park today. We use a free website rome2rio to organise our trips. The website gives distances, options for walking, bus, trains and times, schedules and links to buy tickets. We took the walking option today.

It was an easy walk through the various ethnic districts. We ended up in the Portuguese area. Some of the businesses had beautiful painted tiles.

Just below the park I found a hairdresser, so had a quick haircut for $20. Mark waited outside and enjoyed the antics of a  traffic controller while the road was being re-tarred. He watched several pre-school groups returning from the playground and a carer pushing a six-seater stroller.

The view up to Mont Royal (234m). There is a statue of Jacques Cartier, who named the mountain Montreal in 1535 and then the city was also known as Montreal as it developed below the mountain.

Lots of walking trails in this popular parkland. I walked up to the Chateau Mont-Royal and enjoyed the panoramic views.

From there we wandered through the campus of Macgill University, including a massive stadium. We were impressed with the university’s student housing in beautiful old terraces.

When we mentioned we were staying in Montreal, several people said that we must go to Schwartz’s to have their smoked beef sandwiches. They are an institution and have been so for 90 years. It is still owned by a Romanian Jewish family. The condition is that you line up and wait until you are called.

The menu is simple and the most popular dish is the smoked meat sandwich ($12), which is in fact corned beef. It is smoked, soaked and steamed in a process that takes about 8 days. We were allocated seats with four Canadian friends. Only a few choices, no alcohol and they move the hordes through pretty quickly. Cash only.

There is lots of memorabilia and artwork about the cafe, which has not changed its decor. There was even a musical made from this remarkable story.

Then we followed Rue Rachel, passing a lot of street art. We regretted not having a Fitbit today as it would have been interesting to see how many kms and steps we did.

We found the Fontaine Park with its two large lakes and hordes of squirrels, including these light-coloured ones. We like squirrels but we’d also like to see some raccoons, beavers and moose. Mark thought it unlikely we would find them here today.

Then we were back in The Village with all its colour and activity, with a quiet community garden and stylish cafe nearby.

Italian for dinner amongst the summer crowds on Rue Saint-Denis

Au revoir, Montreal!

M&M