Two's Company

Arriving in Québec after the sun had set meant one thing — food was required.

Heading out of the station, the first thing that hit us was the illuminated fountain. First impressions hit hard, Québec felt different…

Arriving at the hotel fifteen minutes later, we were stumped. Arghhh, not quite the facilities we thought… With a tin of tomatoes and tin of tuna to make pasta as we knew we would be late… no tin opener and no erm… hob… fantastic room, lovely hotel but nevertheless… food!

We hot-footed it to Metro market and, well, microwave meals it had to be. All in all, we had a quality evening and had a laugh in the end.

This really was typical of our travels.

The next day we explored Québec Old Town, making our way along the St Lawrence River front where cruise ships had moored up for the day.

Québec, so far, was lovely — a complete contrast to Montreal and Ottawa.

We walked through streets with art galleries in abundance. The houses and shops were divine, streets and alleyways like a labyrinth.

A hustle and bustle that was fun, relaxing and brought a sense of calmness yet excitement, as people scurried here and there seeking out a restaurant, a coffee or a souvenir.

Eventually we made our way up to the magnificent Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and onto the Dufferin Terrace, with views of the river and ships below.

Buskers played cool jazz; from Beatles to Simon and Garfunkel to classical ballet.  The music created an atmosphere that was so very special.

It wasn’t long before Helen had me climbing stairs — 310 in all — as we made our way along the Promenade des Gouverneurs.

Eventually, climbing and climbing, we arrived at a viewpoint worthy of the hard work!

The Citadelle and fortifications surrounding it were impressive. Walking on battlements and part of the city wall, we made our way back to the boardwalk where a toboggan run stood lonely, waiting for the winter snow.

Ramshackled it may have looked, but James would definitely have been game for a go…!

Our second day was simply wonderful. We jumped on a bus and visited Montmorency Falls.

There’s little to be said as the falls themselves were stunning, so images and scenes will do the talking for us.

One thing to note was the return journey to the top of the falls was by cable car…

Unless, of course, you were Helen. So 478 steps later, I made it…!

I think by now you may be spotting a pattern here, Helen walks and I, James follow. More often than not there are always stairs involved, which of course Helen runs up…! 

We spent our final hours in Québec exploring the Parliament buildings — grandeur springs to mind — followed by crêpes for lunch before a sneaky look inside the cathedral.

Our time in Québec City had come to an end.

Now exploring differently was on the agenda, so we made our way to the airport, picked up a car and headed inland…

Next stop, Alma and Lac St Jean!