Another Québec Adventure Part II
“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” –Unknown
Old Québec was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. It makes all our senses think we’re in France, with the sight of winding cobblestone streets and century old buildings, the sound of French pleasantries, the taste of buttery croissants and the enticing smell of fresh-baked bread and amazing chocolate. It’s a little piece of Europe right here in North America.
Old Québec is divided into Upper Town (Haute-Ville), which is perched on cliffs overlooking the St. Lawrence River and provides amazing views of the countryside and Lower Town (Basse-Ville), which was the original city. It sprang up around the harbor and the buildings date back to the 1600s. This post will cover Upper Town. I’ll save photos of Lower Town for another post.
Our apartment steps out onto Rue du Trésor. It’s a narrow, pedestrian-only cobblestone alley that functions as a vibrant open-air art gallery. The name translates to “Treasure Street” because colonists went there during the French Regime to pay taxes at the royal treasury. Artists began hanging and selling their paintings, watercolors, and sketches along the stone walls in the 1960s. This small cobblestone street links the Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral and the Château Frontenac. There weren’t as many stalls open during this visit as there were when we were here in September many years ago.
This picture was from our first trip in 2018.
Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral was built on the site of the first chapel constructed by Samuel de Champlain in 1633 and is the oldest church in Canada. It has served the first Catholic parish in North America ever since 1664. Its history has been marked by shelling, fires, and multiple reconstructions and renovations.
The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is the focal point of Old Québec. It sits at the eastern edge of Old Quebec’s Upper Town with a wonderful view of the St. Lawrence River. It’s hard not to include it in every photo you take. It’s said to be the most-photographed hotel in the world.
Old Québec is the only surviving fortified city north of Mexico. The fortified walls and ramparts were the city’s defensive system built between 1608 and 1871. Today, the fortifications of Québec consist of 4 gates, 3 Martello towers, the Citadel and almost 3 miles of ramparts, complete with cannons. The gates connect Upper Town to the rest of the city.
Porte St. Jean is the northernmost gate into the Old City and is one of two main town gates originally built in 1694. It has been rebuilt through the years, the present gate was built in 1939. I took this photo in 2018.
One morning we walked around a section of the wall. It was a bit cloudy.
But as you can see the front was clearing it out pretty quickly. You can see Porte Kent in the center of this photo. It was erected in 1879 and named after Queen Victoria’s father The Duke of Kent.
Porte St. Louis is the gate closest to the Citadel built 1694. It has also been rebuilt through the last 300 years. The present gate was built in 1878. We were hoping we could continue along the wall until we came back to the water, but they had it closed off.
Terrasse Dufferin is a beautiful terrace stretching from the foot of the Citadelle to Château Frontenac. It offers breathtaking views of the St. Lawrence River and Lower Town. It was a great spot for us to soak up the warmth of the sun and enjoy the view.
This is the boat (Louis Jolliet)we took a harbor cruise on while we were in town.
A few of the beautiful buildings in Upper Town.
There were great Halloween decorations everywhere. October is a great time to visit.
Part 2 of The Walking Tour of Downtown Reykjavík, Iceland and The Lava Show
continued… we continued back down the hill towards the park with the lake. Close to the church, it was primarily colorful row homes. We weren’t sure if they were large single family homes or multifamily homes. Within a couple of … Continue reading →
Another Québec City Adventure Part I
“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right.” -Anonymous
Old Québec (Vieux-Québec) is an amazing place to visit. Our first trip to this beautiful city was to celebrate Stan’s birthday in 2018. There’s so much to see, wonderful food to try, people to watch and history to learn. I think we could enjoy more than just three days.
Another Québec City Adventure Part I
“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right.” -Anonymous
Old Québec (Vieux-Québec) is an amazing place to visit. Our first trip to this beautiful city was to celebrate Stan’s birthday in 2018. There’s so much to see, wonderful food to try, people to watch and history to learn. I think we could enjoy more than just three days.
Walking Tour of Downtown Reykjavík, Iceland
Sunday, May 17 — Since arriving in Iceland, we haven’t been sleeping well. It didn’t get dark until around midnight, and it got light again at 0300. While the hotel did have blackout curtains, the curtains exactly fit the inside … Continue reading →
Oct. 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY
“Wrinkles only go where smiles have been.” -Jimmy Buffett
We’re taking another fall vacation. This time we’re on our way to Quebec City. It’s almost ten hours from our home in Lewisburg so we thought we’d do a little exploring on the way there. We’ve only been in Saratoga Spring to go to the horse races years ago. So we thought we’d spend part of the day to see what else this pretty little town has to offer.
Saratoga Springs is named for the mineral springs in the area, which has made it a popular resort destination for over 200 years. It’s also known for thoroughbred horse racing. The Saratoga Race Course is one of the oldest and most famous thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the country. The Belmont Stakes are held here every June. Informal trotting and harness races date back as early as 1847 and the Saratoga Race Course was officially opened in August 1864. The city’s official slogan is “Health, History, and Horses”.
We chose the historic Inn at Saratoga Springs for our stay. It was built in 1843 and is the oldest continuously-operating hotel in Saratoga Springs. Initially it was a simple large boarding house for people who came to soak in the springs. In 1866 as tourism began to boom in Saratoga Springs it began operating as a true hotel.
This room at the inn is used as a sitting room and a dining room. The bottom pictures show our room.
We spent the afternoon at Saratoga Spa State Park. We hiked a little, sampled the spring water and looked at the old spa buildings. The park is renowned for its natural mineral springs, classical 1930s architecture and rich history as a premier health and wellness destination. In the 19th century, the area became a popular place to visit for the medicinal effects the springs held. The spa was named a state park in 1962. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, for its natural and architectural features, and for its role as the subject of early conservation measures. The park features mineral baths, walking trails and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Later in the afternoon we walked around the downtown area. The weather was just right for soaking in the sights of this beautiful little town and the warmth of the sunshine.
State Seal Spring is famed for providing a smooth, refreshing, and clean-tasting drinking water. It was wonderful and we filled our water bottle several times.
There are 13 distinct natural, cold-water carbonated mineral springs throughout the park. We tried three of four. Definitely not a fan of the more mineral tasting springs. Each spring has a little different properties, taste and beneficial qualities. Geyser Island Spouter (“The Geyser”) is a continuously bubbling and spouting natural carbonated spring surrounded by a growing dome and island of hardened mineral deposits called tufa.
We hiked along Geyser Creek.
Some of the buildings in the park. There are two spas, an event building, two pools, a golf course, tennis courts, a preforming arts center, a car museum and twelve miles of multi use hiking trails.
We enjoyed dinner at a Spanish Tapas Restaurant called Boca Bistro.
Toasting to my good friend’s birthday…she was celebrating in Turk and Caicos.
We had meatballs and Shishito peppers. Both were very good.
Oct. 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY
“Wrinkles only go where smiles have been.” -Jimmy Buffett
We’re taking another fall vacation. This time we’re on our way to Quebec City. It’s almost ten hours from our home in Lewisburg so we thought we’d do a little exploring on the way there. We’ve only been in Saratoga Spring to go to the horse races years ago. So we thought we’d spend part of the day to see what else this pretty little town has to offer.
Keith’s Perspective on Our Week in North Palm Beach and San Diego/Le point de vue de Keith sur notre semaine à North Palm Beach et à San Diego
Saturday, April 11 – Friday, April 17 — This week has been fun. On Saturday, Dad and I went for a walk. On Sunday, we didn’t do anything. On Monday, we checked into a hotel and moved some stuff there. … Continue reading →
The Lava Tunnel Tour Part 2, Raufarhólshellir, Iceland
continued… We came to another staircase, this one leading to a much wider platform where it was easy for us to gather around Dimitri. He pulled out a flashlight and started explaining the various features of the cave. He showed … Continue reading →
The Lava Tunnel Tour Part 1, Raufarhólshellir, Iceland
Saturday, May 16, 2026 — Eric left for the conference at 0930. Since Christi and Keith’s tour wasn’t until 1230, we had a leisurely morning in the hotel room. We were still feeling tired from jet lag, and relished having … Continue reading →
