When I left you last we were walking around old city Quebec. We had walked to the top a long hill and done a walking tour of the fort. We planned on participating in a walking tour of the city itself, but we were tired. So we walked to the tourist information building and asked the woman what we could do or see that would not involve any more walking.

She looked confused.

Why would we be in Quebec City and not want to walk. She suggested a couple of musee (museums) where we could sit in ‘conditioned air.’ We suggested maybe a boat tour and she perked up saying that was a good idea. So we walked to the boat tour place only to find out the last tour for the day was already headed out.

We really wanted to be in town for dinner and the evening lights. But it was only 2 in the afternoon. We sat in a square for awhile but it felt like we were just sitting to while away the time.

So we decided to drive to some waterfalls we had heard about, even though that would mean giving up our valuable parking spot in town. The falls were only a few miles out of town and we figured the drive would be nice, we could rest, restore, and then come back to town for dinner.

This is what they looked like:

Yes, you see correctly. Those are stairs to the right headed up to a bridge at the top. You know us right? How many of you think we walked up there even though we had, only an hour before, been looking for something to do that did not involve walking?

You would be correct. Because if there’s something to do that gets us higher, gets us a view, challenges us….well…

…then you’ll see us there. Though we did say in 10 years when we are 70 we might just look at it from down below.

Maybe. But I wouldn’t count on it.

At the top of the stairs you walk along a long path and finally you get to the bridge.

Which of course you must walk across. And stop in the middle and stare down at the water rushing past.

And try not to think about it.

On the other side are more stairs to get you closer to the water.

Yes, that’s a zip line. Lucky for me they closed it for the season at the beginning of September.

By now it was getting late so we went back across the bridge and back down the stairs to the car. Where we came upon a large number of people walking toward the stairs wearing orange hard hats and repelling like gear. A special event of sorts was going on..they were going to use the zip line.

Lucky them.

I promised you a bit of Quebec Province. Let’s start with Quebec City because that’s where everyone starts…oui? (Click on any photo to enlarge it and see more detail.) It’s a romantic city, especially when wandered at night while street artists are singing old tunes, the crowd softly singing along, and couples are dancing nearby. Turns out John Denver’s “City of New Orleans” is so much sweeter when sung in French on a warm fall evening.

In the center of the old city is the LaChateau Frontenac hotel, build in 1892-1893. It’s huge, looks like a castle and it looms over the waterfront of the city.

It’s impressive, but I was more drawn to the simple stone and brick family homes.

They all look so warm and inviting and I like to imagine what it must be like to live there in a property so old, in a culture so unlike my own.

I also like the busy commercial streets full of tourists. The row upon row of shops and restaurants each offering something unique or fun or both intrigue people from all over the world.

At one end of town, high up on a hill is a fort. It’s the Citadelle de Quebec, and of course we walked way up there and took the tour. This is our guide.

I took this picture because it shows the tour group in his sunglasses. The tour was an hour and a half, and we learned much about the life of the soldiers that lived here, before, during, and after the war of 1812. It’s still an active military base today.

In the above photo you can see the oldest building that survives, built in the 1700s out of field stone, sitting (in this shot) in front of a building made of cut stone built in the 1800s. The older building was the powder magazine, and the outcroppings were there so that if the building exploded the explosion would be absorbed and not injure people in the fort.

From the fort you got a terrific view of the city.

Also in town are many churches, two of which are called Notre Dame. We found this small older version on our last night as we were heading for the car.

It sits in a perfect little square of very old buildings, all lit up at night. That evening, even though we were headed to the car after a very long day having walked over 9 miles and up the equivalent of 80 flights of stairs, (the header photo of this blog is one of the many hills we climbed.) we sat down and just soaked it all in for a bit.

We had already visited the larger version of Notre Dame closer to the center of town.

This church is beautiful inside in a way that is different than the Notre Dame church we saw in Montreal.

So there’s a little bit about Quebec City. There’s a whole lot more to see and do in the city. We walked a lot the one full day we had in Quebec. But it wasn’t all in the city. Oh no indeed. I have much more to show you, but it’s time for sleep tonight.

You’ll have to wait for Quebec Part II. I think you’ll be surprised.