Quebec City

June 30, 2008


Today is our eldest son, Adrian’s 40th birthday. We thought of him and had a birthday toast at happy hour. He was vacationing and celebrating at a friend’s private island in the Abacos, Bahamas.
The sun was shining and it was a wonderful warm day. We walked this great city and took a calesh (horse and carriage) guided tour ride through the old city, Battlefield Park and Plains of Abraham.

Prior to our guided tour of the Chateau Frontenac, we enjoyed a cool beverage out on the hotel's terrace, where we enjoyed the breeze, some shade and the outstanding view of the St. Lawrence River and the mountains in the distance.

Towering above the St. Lawrence Rivers, the historic Chateau Frontenac is part of Québec City's history and culture, and serves as the city’s most notable landmark. The hotel was built to provide early rail travelers with a comfortable place to overnight and enjoy a good meal before continuing their journey the following day.

The tour lasted a little over an hour and was most interesting. There are many wonderful rooms; that if walls could talk, would surely have some interesting tales to tell. The ballroom was magnificent with its painted dome ceiling and glistening chandeliers. The most noted room in the hotel is the “Pink Room”, smaller than the ballroom; it housed a meeting between President Roosevelt & Britain’s Prime Minister Churchill during WWII. The entire hotel was shut down and taken over for these high level historic meetings.
Most of the public rooms have a commanding view of the river. The name Quebec comes from the a word from an Amerindian language (Kebak) and means “narrowing of the river”. The narrowest part of the St. Lawrence is in front of the hotel Chateau Frontenac.

Fatigued from a busy day of sightseeing, these weary travelers stumbled down the hill to the old port. Hot and thirsty, we needed some cool refreshment and found the Moss hotel on Rue St. Paul, not far from the marina. We decided it was time to stop and rest on the outdoors patio. After ordering some cold Belgian beers, we learned that their specialty was mussels, cooked fourteen different ways. This was too good to pass up so we opted to share two orders, and call it dinner, Mmmmm, they were scrumptious!