Day IV, Old Town & Frontenac & Promenade, Quebec City

Our first day in Quebec City!! We got in late last night, slept in, and got under way around 1pm. Our plan was to head to the Old Town, have lunch, see Chateau Frontenac, and then see what we felt like. We purposely left things vague so we could wander as we chose.

These reflective selfies have become a tradition as we head out to explore! I love this one!! 

We headed north-east along the Blvd Champlain (our street) and the Lawrence River towards Lower Town and the Quartiere du Petit-Champlain. We had the cliffs, and eventually the ramparts on our left and the water on our right.

 Our first good view of the ramparts above us as we walked.

The cliffs on our left. 

Ah! Our first glimpse of Old Town ... this is the famous Rue de Petit-Champlain!

We lunched at one of the first cafes we came to, as we were hungry, which was unfortunate as the food was sub-par to be sure. C'est la vie! It had a first-rate view!

Selfie in front of our lunch window. 

The view out our lunch window. That is the Rue du Petit-Champlain.

After lunch, we continued along Rue du Petit-Champlain, and then meandered around different streets in the Quartiere du Petit-Champlain before heading up to Upper Town and Chateau Frontenac. Here are some of the images from that stroll:

 A gorgeous mural on the building side, depicting historical life in this area of QC.

We LOVED this painters work!!! So colorful and unique, and it shows local scenes. We actually went back the next day to buy something of his. His name is Jean Grenier and his work can be found at http://jeangrenier.net/

Even the doors are beautiful in Lower Town!! 

The funicular from Lower Town to Upper Town ... it drops you right on the Chateau Frontenac promenade. Cute little park at the bottom with a sculpture and plaques with historical info.

Sweetie on Rue de Petit-Champlain 

Ah! Our first real view of Frontenac! I love the red roof with the green/brown of Frontenac in the background. 

A great shot of Lower Town and Frontenac. 

The oldest church in QC, Notre-Dame des Victoies, 16th century I believe ... more info on the Picasa/Google+ website with all my images. 

The altar of Notre-Dame des Victoies in Place Royale, Lower Town.

Place Royal, Lower Town. Kurt and I thought this looked so old-Europe that it resembled a movie set! 

Another building mural, with ruins in the foreground. Info on the ruins on my Picasa/Google+ website. 

A close-up of the lower-middle of the HUGE mural on the building just outside of Place Royale, Lower Town.

We've now started to head up from Lower Town into Upper Town. We found this park below, and above as you'll see next, the ramparts.

So, a word on the ramparts. Quebec City's Old Town is still within its old historic fortification walls, and you can walk all along them, which if I recall is about a 3 mile walk. We hope to do that before we leave.

The park above the ramparts. Gorgeous!! Love the pink flowers, greenery, statue and blue sky!

Frontenac from the lovely park ... great pic with the lampposts in the foreground! 

Ah! The money shot of Quebec City for sure!!   :D 

A wide-shot of the park with Frontenac in the background. 

A really like this pic of us!!  There are MANY cannons along the ramparts, as one might expect.

I love the quaint street sign, pink flowers, and cannons lined up. 

This is the post office ... um, yeah, looks JUST like the ones we have in the States!  :P

After all that fabulousness, we finally made it to the top and to Frontenac! After gawking for a bit, we headed inside for a rest and repast.

 C'est magnifique!!!

The promenade and Chateau Frontenac on the right. 

View down to Lower Town and the Lawrence River from Frontenac's promenade. 

The lovely promenade. 

The main entrance to Fairmont's Chateau Frontenac, which is in a courtyard-like space after you walk (or drive) through a stone archway, like the one you see in the background of the image.

We are inside the Chateau and this lovely sculpture is just outside the 1609 Wine and Cheese Bar. 

Those are real flowers with water inside the glass globes - cool! I love the shadow that the branches make too. 

A mail box outside the bar. WOW!

The 1608 bar. 

Our repast ... a 4 cheese cheese-board with local cheeses, 3 jams, dried fruit, grapes and toasted bread. It was SO amazing!!

Refreshed now and in the lobby gawking before we explore more of QC. 

One of the alcoves as you leave the Frontenac lobby. 

One of the Chateau's elevators ... with me in reflection! This reflective selfie reminds me of my Euro trip, right momma!?!  :D 

All the windows in the lobby had small stained glass artwork, this one is of Jacques Cartier (a big name in Quebec) sailing up the Lawrence River (the main river in both Quebec City and Montreal) in 1535. 

The doors into the lobby. We are heading out. 

Frontenac from the promenade as we head south back towards our place ... though since we are at the top of the cliffs, we'll still need to get down! Love this shot!!

So, we head south on the promenade towards the Citadel and the Plains of Abraham, and soon discover the Governor's Promenade - - which is OUTSTANDING!

A north-east view up the Lawrence River from the promenade. 

From the Governor's Promenade ... a wooden walkway built into the treetops along the cliff side - wow! 

Mon cherie ... and the stunning Governor's Promenade. I loved the feeling of walking in the treetops!!!  :D 

A view down to our place from the Governor's Promenade, we are the fifth house in from the left. 

Nice selfie! 

We are now off the Governor's Promenade and in the Plains of Abraham, looking down the staircase that takes us back down to Blvd Champlain and the river. It was LONG and STEEP, and many Quebecois use it for exercise.

After getting to the bottom, we head north along the river about 3/4 of a mile to our place. We dropped off some of our stuff then headed right back out to the grocery store. This meant going BACK up the stairs above. Kurt counted over 400 stairs - whew! This is what we saw along the way to the grocery store:

We are back at the top of the stairs and in the Plains of Abraham, looking north towards Old Town - you can see Frontenac in the middle-right of the pic. 

The Quebec House of Parliament ... the only French-speaking parliament in Canada. It is a stunning piece of architecture!!

One of the many parks that surround the parliament ... love the tulips in the foreground, the sculpture in the middle, and the parliament building in the back. 

My last shot of the night ... looking towards the river from a little ways down the stairs, as we've got our groceries and are heading home to make dinner - which was OUTSTANDING!!!

:D

As usual, here is a link to ALL the photos I took yesterday (100+) for you to peruse as your leisure Honeymoon Day IV, Lower Town & Frontenac & Promenade, QC, Quebec

Thanks for visiting, and feel free to leave a comment!

Until tomorrow ...

Mr & Mrs Boreri