La Belle Quebec, Day Two, Apres-Midi

All that walking around Basse Ville, the lower town in Old Quebec City, it was time for lunch. But there were so many people coming in from the cruise ship along with other tourists, that we had to get to a quieter spot. So, Rick took the "breakneck stairs" and I took the funiculaire up to Haute Ville where we thought we'd stand a better chance.

The funiculaire is $3 and I wouldn't do it if you're claustrophobic because they put a ton of people in this little glass enclosed car, but it worked for me. (I should add that Rick beat me up, due to the line!)

We wanted a light lunch but were a bit hungry and Rick was aching for some poutine, a Quebecois favorite. I was all for some French onion soup to warm me up a bit after the gloomy, slightly rainy morning. We found an open table at a restaurant called L'omelette on Rue St. Louis. It was a charming looking spot and we were able to be seated right away.

The soup with garlic bread was good. (Well, the soup was great, the garlic bread, not so much.) But Rick's poutine was luke warm, the cheese curds not melted under the gravy. (Poutine is this artery-hardening combo of french fries with cheese curds on top and gravy over that. The cheese is supposed to melt. A taste, not so bad. But I'd never order it.)

And that spot had the worst service ever. Our waitress pretty much ignored us, it took a long time to get our food (we were off-lunch hour, about 2:30, so it wasn't crowded at all) and even when she was at the table beside us, wouldn't look at us when we tried to politely get her attention. We didn't return!

We ambled back to the B&B to take a break, enjoying more pretty sights  along the way.

This was our window view. Nice enough to have the windows open at night!

Then it was off again. I wanted to go inside Chateau Frontenac, which was built in the 1800s by Canadian Pacific Railway. A wide boardwalk goes in front of the hotel and is known as Governors Promenade. It offers great views and a nice flat surface!

There are some remarkable displays in the lower level corridor. I loved the one that highlighted how the shapes of wine bottles changed over the years.

Another showed how china changed over the centuries in Quebec. Many pieces are pulled out through archaeological digs in the oldest parts of the city.

It was fun to note the royalty enjoying a grand dinner at the Chateau -- and the china they used!

So, Rick says, let's go to the top floor. (The top floor is rooms.) So we did. And no one cared.

And we were so glad! The views were fabulous!

And I noticed things I hadn't noticed on the ground like this wonderful garden area.

It was worth it! (I'd recommend checking out Frontenac for the art within, the view from the top and the history.)

We wandered about for awhile, walking down the Governor's Promenade and also in the area behind. I found the Bellevue Hotel, which blogger Nana recommended to me (they were full on the days of our visit.)

 We continued taking in the sights and shops, checking out some of the art vendors and people watching. And then it started to rain again. Not just a drizzle. Full blown rain.

We ambled down Rue Tresor at this time, the artists rapidly taking down their work for the night. We happened to pass by a restaurant called La Nouvelle France, checked the menu and decided it was time to get out of the rain!

 

A smart decision! The Table d'hote menu had exactly what we were looking for  -- Quebecois food and at a great price.

We both chose the Tourtiere Quebec, a meat pie, which was served with greenery and beets and well done fries on the side. For our first course, I chose the yellow pea soup, another Quebecois favorite, while Rick had the French Onion. Both were good with a Canadian beer! Then the maple torte sucre for dessert. The piece was generous -- and delicious.

Best of all, we had wonderful service and a great waiter who was both attentive and charming. The view out the window was pleasant (and it would have been lovely to enjoy the terrasse on a nice day)

When we left, we were very happy and filled to the brim!

That made the walk back a necessity! We wandered down the streets on the way home, and I even managed to lure Rick into a Christmas store. Believe me, this was an act of love, not charity!

Our first full day in Quebec City had come to an end. We knew the next day wouldn't be quite so rainy -- or so we hoped as we placed weary heads on the pillows and drifted into solid sleep!


Miss anything -- here are links to Day One (Arrival) / Our terrific B&B / Day Two, Morning