Quebec City - Train/bus station and another fountain

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Sadly, this is our last full day in this wonderful city.

What luck - the bus tour company returned my umbrella to our hotel. We would need it because the forecast was for rain on Saturday. This would be a good time then to take a bus tour to the falls out of town. Originally, I thought of renting a car and driving to it and beyond. There are lots of places out in the countryside to explore if you have the time. But, seeing the traffic, knowing it was going to rain and feeling plain lazy, I decided I'd rather just sit on a bus.

But first... with the assistance of our most helpful Irish doorman, Glenn had packed up his bulky Auberge Saint-Antoine housecoat among other things to mail home. The post office around the corner is closed on Saturdays so we were going to hike up to the one in the Upper Town via the funicular. But the doorman suggested trying the bus station, which is down where we are, in the lower town. Seemed like a good idea. We took a cab over since the box was a bit heavy to carry for several blocks. The cab was cheap but the mailing was not. $47.00!!

Free of the package, we were able to walk back toward our hotel.

Gare du Palais - the train & bus station. The front part was designed in the Chateau Frontenac style by a New York architect.

I understand these interesting chairs, by Michel Goulet, were a gift from Montreal for Quebec City's 400th anniversary.

"Rever le nouveau monde." To dream the new world?

Glenn figured out that the line connecting the two chairs depicts the St. Lawrence River! How clever. I notice that chairs and benches in this city seem to always be clean, as if someone routinely wipes them down.

Now here's one of those slightly disappointing fountains. The vertical spirts of water don't quite make it, to my mind. But I like it anyway for the big slabs of bronze and the way the water washes up onto them. This 1998 fountain is called "Éclatement II." ('Bursting?') I'll bet it looks nice lit up at night.

Vieux-Port scenes. There are some interesting European clothing shops down here.

Now we were free to eat so we returned to the Cochon Dingue restaurant in Quartier Petit Champlain for that inexpensive breakfast. Surprise - that deal does not apply to weekends, but we ate there anyway. I noticed that all the patrons within earshot were French speaking.

I thought this circle in front of the Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church in Place-Royale was just a design element but then I read on the internet that the church was built in 1688 "exactly where Samuel de Champlain built its 'Abitation'. On the ground, you can see a stone circle made with a different colour and circling the church that defines where that Abitation once stood." I don't know what that word means exactly but our friend Ron thinks it would be a fort or a home where the settlers lived.

I hiked up these stairs to see what was at the top.

They may have led to here because this photo was taken around the same time.

'Toast!' Another well-known restaurant in town.

We went back to our hotel and got ready for the bus tour.