So…up around 8:30 ish and down to the International Cafe for breakfast. Mc’sandwich-type and cappuccino seem like a sound choice. Out the door and through the gangway on down to the ground floor of the port. Out another door where waits a shuttle that takes us out of the port area. Not really near anything specific but easier and faster than walking all that way (and FREE).
We make our way to Rue du Petit-Champlain (some 4,300 steps later) which is the star shopping street and one of the oldest commercial streets on the continent.
Wandering down this street provides (tourists for sure) the opportunity of wallet thinning in many different ways. But, being fair, the shops are unique, their employees welcoming (and all capable of speaking English) and the street itself is slightly reminiscent of Europe. Not a bad place for a leisurely stroll.
Having gone down the road from top to bottom and then back again, we return to the funicular which will take us up to Chateau Frontenac. From the outside it is extremely impressive. It is a Fairmont hotel however so the inside is certainly reminiscent of Hotel McDonald or Banff Springs. That said…if we had the money and were ever to return to Quebec City, it could be fascinating choice. 😊 On a side note, look closely at the sign for the ticket price of the funicular. Good to see they don’t discriminate about money. 😉
Ok… many many steps have been taken. It’s now about 12:30 and I think it’s time for a coffee break. Tim’s and Starbucks are a fact of life, but that’s like going to Italy for a MacDonald’s burger. Not what we had in mind. Eventually (surprisingly hard to find JUST a café around here) we did find a place to rest a weary bum. Nice little place that I totally forgot to take a picture of. Suffice it to say, the cappuccino was very good as was the chocolate croissant. 😊
Much like life at home, there is construction everywhere. However, unlike Edmonton, in both Montreal and Quebec City we did not see any homelessness. Now it’s possible they are located in other parts in the city, but everywhere that we went there were none to be seen. Be interesting to know how they’re handling the problem. Or if they actually HAVE a problem.
Another unusual note is that at any intersection where there are lights and walk lights, the lights for traffic handle only the traffic. When any traffic lights are green there are no pedestrian ‘walk’ lights. When ALL the traffic lights go red, all the pedestrian lights go on for crossing purposes. In all four directions. So, there’s never any pedestrians on the road when there is traffic going through the intersection. I have to believe this would limit car vs pedestrian accidents.
Onboard time today is 4:30, so we are a bit early at 1:30. However, we have done a fair amount of walking today. And we feel no guilt.
Google is telling me I did approximately 8,000 steps today. Yeah I know it’s not necessarily the 10,000 one is supposed to do everyday, but it’s a start. I keep reminding myself I haven’t done anything like this the last 3 years so I think I’m off to a good start. In the interests of lasting the next 10 days, I don’t want to push those particular limits just yet.
Let’s see….what to try, what to try…. Hmmmm… OK!! Apple Pie Martini for me and a Caipirinha for my dear wife. Bacardi Spiced rum, Licor 43 Liqueur, Apple Puree, Cinnamon. Tastes exactly like my daughter’s apple pie in liquid form. Now all I have to do is convince her that she needs to put some alcohol in her pie. But, probably won’t work quite the same way.
Next Frothy Fango. (yeah…weird name). Bacardi Superior Rum, Galiano Espresso Liqueur, Banane du Brésil (made from slow maceration of bananas—mostly from Brazil—hence the name), Maple Syrup, Lavazza Espresso, and a touch of spice. This could too easily become the morning coffee of choice.
Up to the room for a bit to work on this Literary Masterpiece (hey, self-praise is better than no praise. 🙂 ). And now it’s time to go to the Captain’s Circle lounge for pre-dinner cocktails and snackies. Life on this ship is TOUGH!!! We opted for steak tartare and a seafood medley (and somehow a couple of beverages also appeared). Trying to keep things light before supper, ya know. 😉
I won’t bore you with more food pics but as usual, dinner onboard (in the Alegro MDR this time) was very good. More wandering around and it’s back to the room. We’re on our way to Saguenay (see what I did there? 😉 😉 ). Talk with you tomorrow. And we have No Idea as to what we’re going to do. Nothing planned so we’re going to wing it.
On a final note. The (now probable) shutdown of the US Gov’t means (amongst a LOT of other things) air traffic controllers (legally unable to NOT go to work as they are deemed essential) will be working, but not getting paid. It also means a lot of other gov’t employees that work in the travel industry will NOT be working (and may even be fired). This is going to impact air travel (impossible not to – as well as a multitude of other industries) which means we may, or may not, be getting home when planned. It is also possible that we may, or may not, even be able to enter the US because border security (the people we have to get past to enter the US) will Also be affected. Not quite the vacation we had anticipated. We’re trying to maintain a positive attitude.