Day 53 Thurs-Citadels Wee, Wee Monsignor

Actually slept in a bit yeah….Did the blog…did my pics download….Brekky was part of the deal…but honestly it cardboard food, so I did my own John had the cardboard food….
Then off we set well I thought it would be..but it’s been raining and a bit cool, so I headed back to my room to get my coat….Got to the room ok for once I managed to get in the lift first go….then the darn door card won’t work…seems they only program it for a bit….The line up to use this lift at this time of the morning is crazy with only one lift for 4 floors of people….ridiculous really…. anyway dawn 4 flights of stairs…managed to get the card re done…that in itself was a task with the girl at the desk having limited English.,,.then back up the 4 flights of stairs huffing and puffing….Got the coat….looked at the line up for the lift again so down 4 flights of stairs….this took around 15-20 mins John had been waiting in the car patiently for me and parked in a very busy position thinking I would only be a few minutes…..he couldn’t work out what had happened to me….anyway finally in the car and off we speed to the Old city along the waterfront which is being extensively revamped….a pretty messy sight at present…..but you could see that once finished it will look amazing….

The car park we planned on was totally full so not sure what we could find, set the nav for another…only we found a different one on the way….thank goodness….parked up we set off on foot to start our exploration of the Old City….already on the lower section, I was overjoyed with the fantastic old French and English style Homes….We found a fantastic little coffee shop run by a couple of young guys and girl….great service, really good coffee and 2 just out of the oven croissants 🥐…very warm and delicious only…sadly it gave me my weird thing called dumping…I went Dohey and uncoordinated as I do…it took a good hour for it to go…but kept my old brain very fickled for hours…I don’t get it much at all these days but when it hits after certain foods it knocks the arse off me…all I want to do is sleep,..but ponding the pavements you can’t sleep so onward you push…. We made our way via the Marina first that is in an odd spot in front of a massive Grain Silo setup…very odd scene seeing heaps of expensive boats floating in front of grain silos….

In amongst of all of this was a floating 4 poster bed…yep you got me right a 😳4 poster bed….meant to be art…then as we walked around towards being able to head up to the high level wall of the old city were more weird art instillations…Like a massive rock in a shopping trolley…then some really weird Speaker sound tall banks ….. very odd…but each one had been apparently there were more…we needed to head up the hill to the walled old city…. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, Old Québec is the most intact fortified town north of Mexico, retaining its colonial architecture for over 400 years. It is the historic and cultural heart of Québec City, and the birthplace of French North America….

We started at Parliament Hill….. then we wandered around inside of the Quebec City Walls….seeing amazing buildings…window decorations….great doors….next was to the Citadelle…. the famous Cap Diamant lies the biggest British fortress in North America. Built by the British between 1820 and 1850 to defend the city, the Citadelle is a remarkable military heritage site and home to the Musée Royal 22e Regiment, where you can learn all about the history of the regiment and the fortress.

Here we did a tour with a guide which was very informative…Yo her shortened name was…plus the regiment were in the middle of practicing trooping the colours ready for the New Commanding officers appointment next week…plus their mascot the Goat were all in attendance…we witnessed a complete parade rehearsal with marching band and marching troupes..,…it looked awesome…Poor Yo had her work cut out for her try to keep our attention…going around the citadel from one part to the next of the buildings there…
Forgot to mention before we did the tour they did a change of the Guard dressed in their red dress uniforms like British! Called Guard Mounting

(A BRIEF HISTORY
The Changing of the Guard has been a tradition at the Citadelle of Québec since 1928 except for a brief hiatus between 1939 and 1945. The ceremony features soldiers of the Royal 22e Régiment decked out in their scarlet regimental dress and bearskins as the "new guard" relieves the "old guard" after 24 hours of sentry duty at the Citadelle's entrance.
It is based on the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and is the only such ceremony in the province—a must-see experience for visitors to Quebec's capital!)

(The strategic importance of Cap Diamant was recognized by the French as early as 1608. Several defensive fortifications were built on the site first by the French, and then by the British after their conquest of New France. The modern citadel was built from 1820 to 1850, in effort to secure Quebec City against a potential American attack. The British used the citadel until 1871, when they formally handed the property over to the Canadian government. Following the handover, the citadel was used as a military installation by the Canadian Armed Forces, and as a royal and viceregal residence.)

We had a good nearly 2 hours there…so had to hightail it down to the main part of the Old City for lunch….we found a very quaint very French restaurant….truly made us feel like we were actually in France….lovely lunch even got to try a Caribou it is a an aperitif you have either warm or cold….Caribou is a sweet French-Canadian alcoholic beverage composed of red wine and a spirit (usually rye whisky) (mixed 3 parts to 1), and maple syrup or sugar…. Anyway very tasty with my Potato soup! John had Fish and chips! Still a good break in a very French setting !

What I forgot to tell you is that as we wander around in from of the Parliament Hill and near the Citadel where huge stages set up…Revamped shipping containers…marquees everywhere and to top it off Rock bands practicing…. The place was pumping as we walked from on area to the next…tonight was a big night if the 2 week FOQ Festival Of Quebec….put on by Bell communications….a massive event expecting 1,000’s…

Finished looking around the main front wall of the old city seeing Fairmount Chateau Frontenac….$3,500 a night without taxes 😩😩 to stay one night 😳😳😳😳….my goodness that’s crazy…. Also along another part of the front wall of the city were massive Cannons….over 25 at least in pristine condition….the only thing we didn’t get a chance to see was the funicular….

(Old Québec is built on the side of a cliff, with an Upper Town and a Lower Town connected by numerous sets of stairs and steep streets. That means you’ll want to see all the sights in one before moving to the other. In the Lower Town, you’ll find Rue du Petit-Champlain, Place Royale, Musée de la civilisation, and the Old Port, among others. The Upper Town is home to Château Frontenac, the fortifications, the Citadelle, the Parliament building, the Plains of Abraham, and more.)

We were well and truly buggard…but had the best day exploring and discovering the delights this old area had to offer…my feet were very sore…but a sit down with a Sangria for me and ice cream shared and cappuccino for John…we took our time relaxing before the last walk back to the car….

Sitting listening to the French accent continually around us really made us feel like we were in France….sight after sight tantalise my juices took so many pics it was unreal joy…

We had to find somewhere to get a microwave meal for tonight as we didn’t feel like going out again..so Walmart it was to find frozen meals…mine only cost 97cents 🤔😁😁😁 bonus it was a special…but what a special it was and very tasty as well worth the $1 spent…Read more