Right, so where were we? I believe I left off with Nick being disgusted with himself and all of French Canada for eating a fajita filled with deep-fried bacon. We made our way down to the port (the Quebec City Old Town is incredibly small, you can walk from St. John's Gate to the port in probably 10-15 minutes), all while Nick tried to reconcile who he was as a human being with what just happened at the food stalls. The port was now packed with people awaiting the light show, and we had to settle for a seat on the wooden boardwalk, which still afforded a decent view.
The light show was pretty neat, giving a history of Quebec City using old footage and stylish animations. Some of it didn't make a whole lot of of sense, I think the creators got a little carried away with their artistic license, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, including us.
That concluded the first day. Having done so much and seen basically everything there was to see, meant we could take Saturday at a slow pace, which is what we did. We spent the morning and afternoon exploring some of the side streets and parts of the Old Town that we may have missed, and I felt pretty confident that we had covered the Old Town in its entirety. We stopped for lunch on St. Jean street, the avenue that runs from the newer part of town to St. John's Gate, grabbing kebab from a Lebanese store. The woman who served us, who spoke no English, was absolutely gorgeous (I have heard that about Lebanese women), but we assumed she might be the owner's wife, and he was a pretty large individual. Great kebab though, hats off, both for the food and having a beautiful wife.
After a brief rest we decided to see what the newer town had to offer. It wasn't much, it is primarily residential, but it was worth it anyhow, as we got to check out the homes in the area, many of which are very nice (and probably cost a pretty penny). It is rare that you see residential areas and homes so close to a city center, but there you have, right there in Quebec.
By now the early evening was beginning to set in, and we ventured back to the Old Town and started by plopping ourselves down on a wall along a busy street and chatted and people watched until we discovered we were hungry. After filling up on some poutine and hamburgers from a local fast food joint (Ashton Burgers-won't find those on the American side) we climbed up onto the ramparts at the Old Town entrance. A concert was going on in the square below, featuring a Bob Marley cover band. A sizeable crowd was in the square jamming to the beats, and the ramparts were crowded with revellers listening to the music and having a good time. We hung out up there for a while, and before calling it a night we went back to our spot along the wall further into Old Town, watching the night scene and chatting about whatever came into our heads. By 11:00 we were bushed, and we would have a long drive ahead of us the next day.
The drive back went as smooth as possible, and actually passed pretty quick. We stopped in Brossard again, just by dumb luck, to grab something to eat before crossing into Red, White, and Awesome. We just went for some McDonald's, Nick claiming that "I don't even care anymore dude" that he might as well finish the trip with something awful for his body. After some Big Macs we made our way to the border, where we encountered backed-up lines of cars, but made it through without much hassle, surprisingly. It is interesting to note that, coming from Canada to the US, when you reach the border you are met by a huge sign in bold letters exclaiming "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA", yes they even embolden the of. Coming in the opposite direction, the only thing that greets you is a friendly Canadian border guard, maybe with a French accent, telling you to enjoy your stay. An interesting contrast.
Overall the Quebec trip, though short, was a great time. Sure, it was a long drive, and there is not a whole lot to do in the city, but it was great to get away, if just for a weekend. I was beginning to get cabin fever, and needed to get that passport some attention. Nick was an absolute hoot to travel with to, particularly with his own assessment of the deep fried bacon saga. I don't think Canada gets a lot of love, particularly from us Americans, but it is a fantastic place with a diverse and friendly population, and is always good for a visit.
Be sure to come back soon for that "end of the month" bit that I do. Its back to work for me.
The light show was pretty neat, giving a history of Quebec City using old footage and stylish animations. Some of it didn't make a whole lot of of sense, I think the creators got a little carried away with their artistic license, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, including us.
That concluded the first day. Having done so much and seen basically everything there was to see, meant we could take Saturday at a slow pace, which is what we did. We spent the morning and afternoon exploring some of the side streets and parts of the Old Town that we may have missed, and I felt pretty confident that we had covered the Old Town in its entirety. We stopped for lunch on St. Jean street, the avenue that runs from the newer part of town to St. John's Gate, grabbing kebab from a Lebanese store. The woman who served us, who spoke no English, was absolutely gorgeous (I have heard that about Lebanese women), but we assumed she might be the owner's wife, and he was a pretty large individual. Great kebab though, hats off, both for the food and having a beautiful wife.
After a brief rest we decided to see what the newer town had to offer. It wasn't much, it is primarily residential, but it was worth it anyhow, as we got to check out the homes in the area, many of which are very nice (and probably cost a pretty penny). It is rare that you see residential areas and homes so close to a city center, but there you have, right there in Quebec.
By now the early evening was beginning to set in, and we ventured back to the Old Town and started by plopping ourselves down on a wall along a busy street and chatted and people watched until we discovered we were hungry. After filling up on some poutine and hamburgers from a local fast food joint (Ashton Burgers-won't find those on the American side) we climbed up onto the ramparts at the Old Town entrance. A concert was going on in the square below, featuring a Bob Marley cover band. A sizeable crowd was in the square jamming to the beats, and the ramparts were crowded with revellers listening to the music and having a good time. We hung out up there for a while, and before calling it a night we went back to our spot along the wall further into Old Town, watching the night scene and chatting about whatever came into our heads. By 11:00 we were bushed, and we would have a long drive ahead of us the next day.
The drive back went as smooth as possible, and actually passed pretty quick. We stopped in Brossard again, just by dumb luck, to grab something to eat before crossing into Red, White, and Awesome. We just went for some McDonald's, Nick claiming that "I don't even care anymore dude" that he might as well finish the trip with something awful for his body. After some Big Macs we made our way to the border, where we encountered backed-up lines of cars, but made it through without much hassle, surprisingly. It is interesting to note that, coming from Canada to the US, when you reach the border you are met by a huge sign in bold letters exclaiming "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA", yes they even embolden the of. Coming in the opposite direction, the only thing that greets you is a friendly Canadian border guard, maybe with a French accent, telling you to enjoy your stay. An interesting contrast.
Overall the Quebec trip, though short, was a great time. Sure, it was a long drive, and there is not a whole lot to do in the city, but it was great to get away, if just for a weekend. I was beginning to get cabin fever, and needed to get that passport some attention. Nick was an absolute hoot to travel with to, particularly with his own assessment of the deep fried bacon saga. I don't think Canada gets a lot of love, particularly from us Americans, but it is a fantastic place with a diverse and friendly population, and is always good for a visit.
Be sure to come back soon for that "end of the month" bit that I do. Its back to work for me.
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