Frentures-Day 19!

Oh chute (fall)!

We went to the Chute-Montmorency water falls today!soooo coooooool!!!!!! They're 84 m high: interesting fact Chute-montmorency is 30 m higher than niagara falls!!

You Had to first go across a looooooooooong bridge then you can climb down in to a pile of roots I fell in the mud!!!

Mom was scared going across and held onto my hand really tight!

After that you had to climb down 444 steps!

Then we took in the sights

see the bridge? That's where we crossed over the falls!

A little later we took a cable car up!!We stayed up for dessert

                                               back in town!!!
We went to lower town again saw some more glass blowing!
Got my picture drawn by an artist who did poetry as well!

I got to sit in the governor's chair -not very comfy that chair had no cushions!

Saw a couple getting married on a WEDNESDAY from A GOVERNMENT building!!!!!!!!!

 Had supper at a Tunisian restaurant! Dad had soup and fish sole (not my favourite) Mom had salad and chicken tajine. I had cabbage rolls (made with grape leaves) and chouc tauk (a chicken dish).

After supper me and dad went to chouche tard (Mac's in Alberta) and got some very good chocolate ice cream with coffee crisp it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD !

The youngest and the one that will always have a place in your heart....... Avery!

Frentures- Day 18!

Rain... and then some fun!


The rain that started last night continued through the morning, so we hung around the apartment right through lunch.  After spending most of the last 18 days walking, a morning of not moving made for a restless crew! So we decided to catch the bus down to the Fleur de Lys mall. It was cool and humid; none of us knew how to dress for that!

It was a mall like any other, but we did have some fun window shopping. Avery created fun and crazy outfits in several stores, and trying them on. How things have changed from a few short months ago, when getting her to try anything on in a store was greeted with a decided lack of enthusiasm!

Avery is finally getting more confident about using french when we are out and about. She orders things in restaurants, was able to ask for a particular size in a shoe store and in general tells us what passers by have to say, or interpret when people speak to us randomly (which happens a lot! People are friendly here.)  On the other hand, I do try to communicate what I can in French. I am embarrassed to report that people reply to me in English or let me know that they can understand english and I should switch! I tell them I am trying to get better and need to practice. No one has ever argued me on that point!

The stores started to shut just before 5:30, so we hopped the bus back to our neighborhood in search of supper.

We settled on Chez Victor- a 'gourmet' burger joint. We were not sure what that meant when we entered, but we sure did know by the time we left!

It means more great burgers than you can shake a stick at!  We probably should have shared a couple of burgers amongst the three of us, but there were too many intriguing choices to pass up! So, Mark ordered a duck burger, Avery had a classic and I had a pork burger with brie and red peppers.  All got a thumbs up- so if you are ever in Quebec and feel like a burger, Chez Victor is the place to go!

When we were finished, we were happy to see the sky clearing and thought we would test our luck and see if we could take in the free Cirque de Soleil outdoor performance.  They have a stage set up for the summer under a highway overpass near downtown. We found that they were indeed going to go ahead with a modified version of the show and lined up... and waited. And waited... And waited. Hanging out in line for an hour some is the only price we had to pay for this great show!  

the clown guy

these girls were incredible- even dangling from one another's feet

dude has serious upper body strength

i honestly don't think people were made to bend this way. she is going to just stay in a puddle when she is 75!

guitar player was bouncing and twirling on a trampoline while playing!

crazzzzzzy bike people were on at the same time at crazzzy skipping people. the bikes even bounced through the skipping rope!!!

A demain...

Frentures- Day 17

Peace


By all accounts, today was a quiet day. We enjoyed our last breakfast at the B and B, packed up our things and stowed them away for a few hours.  We walked the old town a bit and stopped again at the farmer's market, before getting out the door with suitcases in tow to our new place. It is actually walking distance from the old city, but with heavy suitcases and backbacks and lots of undulating streets, Avery and I ganged up on Mark and vetoed the low tech idea.

We stood outside the wrong house for about a half hour, finally receiving a rescue from our new host. We were at 2 Rue Richelieu, when we should have been at Apt 2, 128 Rue Richelieu. Fortunately,  he was gracious about our mistake! We were shown around the place, introduced to the resident gecko and handed the keys. Our home until Saturday!

the actual door to our apartment. it opens onto a staircase to the upstairs apartment.

the windows in the middle and top are 'ours'. the top level (with a bedroom and the bathroom) has all crazy slanted ceilings.

This apartment is on two levels, with a small deck out back. Again, we are still centrally located, and after just relaxing and reading for awhile, we headed out to explore our new neighborhood. It has a great mix of little shops (we stopped at Lady Kookie for a treat!) and a diverse selection of restaurants. Our ultimate goal, however, was a grocery store. We found a Metro and stocked up on breakfast items and ingredients to make our own supper!!!  At this point, cooking a meal is a treat. For the price of one supper out, we had enough food for one supper, leftovers for lunch, some snacks, a bottle of wine and a week's worth of breakfasts:0)

We came home, played a game of 65, cooked a steak dinner then went out for another little walk about, just to explore the other direction. All in all, the day was not very exciting, but just what we needed. Then we were delighted with another rain shower; this equals a cool night to sleep.

On a sad note, we got word today that Mark's Grandma passed away in Chilliwack. The news was not unexpected really, but the reality of it is hard. She was a strong, formidable lady and she will be missed!

Frentures- Day 15 & 16

A Weekend in Old Quebec City


We went to the family fun activities.There was lots of cool things there. Mark learned some tricks on the chinese yo-yo. Jayme did some flower stick tricks (a kind of baton and two sticks). I went to circus school where you had to climb up a net and zip line down again! I got to paint a horse! I got my hair and face painted!

We went in to a little shop that had a music kind theme and there were bells every where in diffrent ways. there was a slope and you would take a soccer ball and you roll it down- it was so cool!

We saw some street performers and some glass blowing!

Avery

After the rush of Montreal, Quebec has been a far slower and gentler experience so far!  It is simply out of this world (or continent anyway) to see so many stone buildings that are hundreds of years old. The streets are narrow, many are pedestrian only and most are one way. The result leads to strolling, pausing and not hurrying to enjoy all the sights.

found a veranda to stop and read at. (Avery snapped this photo!)

all kinds of little hidey holes to discover!

along the promenade. There is an excavation under it of some even older buildings!

these people worried about invasions a lot- with good reason. there are cannons everywhere- and Avery climbed them all!

so much to look at wherever you turn

A bit about the bed and breakfast: the building itself is 244 (244!!!) years old and was the original city hall for Quebec City (or Hotel de Ville). We had a room on the third (and top) floor, where the ceilings were a good 12 feet high. The doors were tall and thick with real! wood all the way through.  We had a great view of the street below, which was a blessing and a curse. With this weekend being the wrap up for Quebec's summer festival there are HUGE crowds coming down to the Plains of Abraham (a mere block from our hotel). We were part of the crowds Friday night for the Sarah McLaughlin concert, but they were friendly crowds. Saturday night was a different experience altogether, as The Offspring was playing. There were hoards of angry, intoxicated people out that evening making lots of angry, intoxicated noise under our window... but I digress.  Back to the BnB. We were expecting cereal for breakfast, or at best, greasy sausages. Instead, we were treated to the most amazing foods, served restaurant style in a formal dining room, with classical music playing to boot! Each day there was a different kind of fresh baked bread, a different kind of breakfast (moroccan pancakes with homemade preserves, omelettes, fresh berries on waffles, homemade yogurt, fruit smoothies, AWESOME coffee). If ever you are in Quebec City and need a place to stay, I totally recommend BnB Saint Louis!

info about the building. it is now separated into two separate addresses.

our window is right at the top over the door

We spent one late morning in the Chateau Frontenac sipping coffee and playing a game of 65. Mark won that game! Going into the old CP hotel in Ottawa (Chateau Laurier) was something we missed out on, despite walking past it about a thousand times. I just never though people who were not guests could go in; I should know better as we have gone into Hotel MacDonald in Edmonton many times. We did not make the same mistake here!

Otherwise, we've been strolling, napping and enjoying great food! The weather has been super humid and hot and a thunder storm Sunday night was a welcome, albeit temporary, bit of relief.

the.best.poutine.ever lives here!

we see these tiny doors everywhere. they belong to the same address, but these ones get a half on their numbers. no idea what they are for.

ever feel like you are being watched? It is so neat to see statues old and new. 

we shopped lunch at a farmer's market one day. fresh croissants, cheese curds and cucumbers- MMMMMM!

another museum of civilization, another samurai exhibit. so, so so very cool!

dessert

more fountains and art

Monday we move from the old city to down the way to a less old part on town. Our apartment there is a mere 150 years old!