Day 3 begins with a train ride to Quebec City. Unlike day 1 which started at 5 AM, today we got to sleep in until 6:30 AM! Train station by 7:15 and board just after 8. Left the station on time at 8:20 AM. A little cloudy out but nothing adverse. Fairly warm, temperature is about 18. We’re taking business class on this trip for a couple of reasons. Number one. The cost differential was not nearly as much as it would be on a plane. Number two. It just seemed like a reasonable treat for a change. And I’m certainly glad we decided to do this. Much nicer seats, coffee and breakfast. Not a lot of passengers on the entire train, and very few in business class.
It’s going to be about a 4-hour trip to Quebec City. We were warned of some potential delays of 45 minutes to an hour somewhere along the way. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen.
First stop at Saint Lambert. Only a couple of minutes here and I’m not sure whether or not anybody got on or off. There’s certainly no change in business class.
Our next stop is Saint Hyacinthe…and it has much the same results as Saint Lambert.
Breakfast is served. To say that it is only edible would be doing it a disservice. It is actually better than I thought it would be. Would it live up to somebody like Gordon Ramsey’s standards? Certainly not. But nor is it expected to. It was tasty, hot, served with real cutlery and a ceramic coffee cup. Absolutely better than a lot of plane food we have had. French style three cheese omelet with caramelized onions and mushrooms. A side of bacon and potatoes. Fresh fruit cup. Cinnamon bun. Breakfast done and satisfaction reigns.
Next stop Drummondville.
Perhaps it is an unusual thing to comment on, but it is somewhat worth mentioning. The washroom facilities, at least in business class, are large. Probably to accommodate handicap/ wheelchair necessities. But a pleasant change nonetheless. And unlike most travel washrooms, this one uses real toilet paper. Anything on a plane is of the so-thin-it-has-only-one-side variety.
The colors are beginning to change. We may be a little early to see them in their full magnificence, but there are splashes nevertheless. Also, there are plenty of large corn fields. I think out here it is like our grain fields are in the west. I have not seen much in the way of dairy farms yet. However, given that Quebec is famous for their cheeses, I suspect that they are in abundance in other areas of the province.
Next stop, Sainte-Foy. A much larger town than the ones we have passed through previously, but again not much in the way of passenger change. Our next and final stop will be Quebec City proper. I say proper because, as of 2002, Sainte-Foy was amalgamated. It is now part of a larger borough within Quebec City. I guess kind of like Queens and Manhattan etc. within New York City. As boroughs go, those are MUCH larger…but then, so is NYC.
Arrived Quebec City 11:50. Good timing, no delays. Off to the Hotel Maurice.
The room is nice, and as we are only here overnight it will be very adequate. Noteworthy is all the light switches are touch sensitive and dimmable. Numerous light combinations all over the room. And several different choices within the bathroom. The bathroom has a very nice shower and appears to have a heated floor.
Fourth floor, with no real view, but again that’s not the world’s biggest problem. Unusual here is that each hotel room has its own internet SSID and specific password. Plus, the internet here is considerably better than the one we had at our hotel in Montreal. Yeah…I’m spoiled but given how much time my blog can take to upload content, speed is beneficial. 😊 And, no real surprise here, don’t go choosing a snack or 3, or even something from the mini-bar. Unless you’re using someone else’s dime. 😉 The Bonbons are the Jolly Ranchers, Chocolat is the Oh Henry, Gomme is the Excel…you get the idea. And yes, that IS a $ sign to the right of each one.
HoHo time now…and top floor! Better views. 🙂 We got a one day pass (later info suggests that may not have been the Best idea) which gave us a 2 hour tour through Quebec City. I could (and have certainly done so in the past) give you oodles of bits of information…like though modest in size, the Plains of Abraham looms large in history—proof that impact isn’t just measured in physical size (with 250 acres, 6000 trees of 80 different species). Or the fact that the Quebec bridge is the largest cantilevered bridge in the world, and collapsed twice during construction, once in 1907 and again in 1916. Or that the US border is only 85KM away (as the crow flies – Jackman Maine). Or…gasoline is 156.9/litre.
But…I won’t. 😉
As I had mentioned before, getting a two day HOHO pass instead of a one day might have been (or will be depending on how tomorrow goes) a better idea. That bus has 15 stops in its 2 hour loop. We are at stop 10 (about 1/2 block from our hotel). Stop 1 is at the Chateau Frontenac. And That sits at the top of the hill overlooking the Place Royale which we want to go to tomorrow (along with the hotel). The Place Royale is accessible by funicular both ways (which beats the heck out of rock climbing both ways). If we’re REAL lucky we can upgrade our one day pass to a two day pass for about $5 each. Given the cost of taxis, that is a Bargain for a trip back to Chateau Frontenac. HOWEVER…now that I’m writing this down I’m thinking wait a minute. We’re going to our ship tomorrow morning (boarding is at noon..ish). The ship is about a 10 minute walk from the port to the Place Royale and there’s a shuttle that goes most of the way there. Apparently moments of clarity can still be had.
Last dinner that we need to ‘pay for’ in Canada so we thought we’d go out in style. The tallest building in Quebec City is Édifice Marie-Guyart, also known as Complexe G, which stands at 33 stories. Half a block away from our hotel (where we caught the HOHO bus) is the Hotel Loews Le Concorde. Almost at the top (floor 27) is the Ciel Restaurant. It’s is Quebec City’s answer to the Chateau LaRonde in Edmonton and yes, it too revolves giving great views of the city.
So, with the above in mind, and in keeping with inundating you with “foodie-stuff” here’s todays last little … morsel. 🙂
Butternut squash soup for my dear wife and Red Snapper Ceviche for me as our appetizers.
We both had the Spanish Octopus with smoked, paprika-roasted fingerling potatoes, artichoke-olive-bell pepper salad and Romesco sauce.
She had a glass of 2023 Gneiss and Glimmer Niburu Riesling (from Austria) – a much drier riesling than the norm.
I had a glass of 2024 Valdadige Le Fratte Chardonnay from Italy. Totally different on the palate than a California Chard would likely be and absolutely a keeper!
That’s it for today but tomorrow is first ship day! Still in the ‘Royal’ class of Princess ships, it is one we have not yet been on. It will be familiar but with nuances all its own (especially with the lack of Vines, our favorite wine bar). Explorations still to be had in Quebec City tomorrow and for most of the day on Tuesday with the ship sailing at 5 PM on that day.
Now for some shuteye. 🙂