Quebec 2017...Day Three

Thursday, August 3...

Up around 8:00 and headed to breakfast at the Creperie by 9:30.  We walked out of the old city toward the condo we used to stay in down by the river, coming across some super cool petunias and awesome art work...

This is four (I think) trash containers, turned upside down and the inside was pretty amazing.

"Celestial Rubbish"

There were holes drilled in the bottoms, now tops, of the containers, the sides were covered with mirrors and lengths of chain were hanging from the, now, ceilings.  Very cool effect!

"Invitation to Travel"

We came across this awesome feline cafe!

Cats roam freely throughout this cafe (not in the kitchen) and you can sit and read or snack with the cats cuddling up to you.  I have read about these but never come across one.  Unfortunately, you had to remove your shoes and I didn't have socks on, so we didn't stay but it was fun to check out.  Next time...

We walked through the train/bus station and the farmer's market, then along the marina and more art.

"Migration Pathway #2"

This next piece is supposed to evoke  "the feeling of sailing under heavy wind".

"10 on Beaufort Scale"

There are  holes in the large cylinders and they vibrate when the breeze blows through them, giving off a low, humming sound if you are standing close enough.  

We walked past a cruise ship that had just docked and past this bar, where you could sit with your feet in the water.  We didn't stop but promised ourselves we would next time!

Farther along our walk, we came across another splash pad, very popular here in Quebec.

Back into the Old City.  We walked along La Petit Champlain to the funicular and rode it to the top with passes given to us by our friends Archer and Karen Ann.  The fee was $3 each to ride, a large increase from the 50 cents when we were here ten years ago and it was like an oven inside!  We took another afternoon break at La Maisson Smith.  We lucked out today and got to sit outside, watching tons of people in the square, many with a 3' selfie stick...accidents waiting to happen!  This used to be one of my favorite places but it's super crowded now and that pretty much ruins the atmosphere.

After our break, we walked along the boardwalk and up a hill to an area surrounding The Citadel and overlooking the Chateau and the river.

Then and now...

"2007" 

"2017"

Apparently it's always windy up there and I'm thankful I'm not wearing the same outfit; I still have that blouse from 2007!  And...I like the roof better when it was new and bright green.

We decided to take a tour of The Citadel.  It's an old fortress and is still in operation as an active military base.  The tour lasted about an hour and it was nearly 4:00 when we finished.

An example of one of the buildings.  It was originally used to store ammunition but now it's a small museum, one of the few buildings we were allowed to enter.

One of the reasons for The Citadel was to protect the city and you can see that there was a good view of the area from inside.

This was a nice area located next to the Chapel.

Je Me Souviens translates roughly to We Will Never Forget.

More walking took us along the Grande Allee, which is lined with restaurants, art galleries and small shops.  We enjoy looking at the architecture.

We ate at a pretty fancy restaurant called Bella, although it was a pizza place last time we were here.  We ordered pizza, which was very good but was $28.00 and Bill had a $4.00 coke!!!

Back to the boardwalk where we sat and watched the ferries while our dinner settled, then to La Maisson Smith for gelato.  We returned to our hotel, sat on our little deck for awhile and enjoyed another perfect evening. We logged another 22,000 steps today!

Home tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)