Walking Up and Down in Quebec

Quebec City is one of North America's oldest settlements.

The oldest part was built on a massive hill, for strategic reasons.

They wanted a good view of the St. Lawrence River, to see who was heading their way.

To walk around in old Quebec City is to walk uphill and downhill!

There are many remnants of a bygone era... including this former Jesuit seminary which is now a school...

The old port is an interesting part of the city.

It's old buildings are reminiscent of old European towns.

We usually started our day in the upper part of the old city...

We'd eventually walk downhill (sometimes on the sidewalk, sometimes taking stairs)...

Then take the cablecar (the "Funicular") back up!

Visiting Quebec City, Again!

We visited Quebec City twice in spring, passing through briefly on our way to and from Prince Edward Island. Both were too brief...

I'd like to go back again - and stay long enough to feel we've seen all the sights that interest us. I told Terry. He agreed.

So, a few weeks ago, we headed back. The drive (about 7 hours) took most of the day.

We were both tired as we checked into our hotel...

But "we didn't come here to relax..." (That's Terry's motto when on vacation...!)

So we headed off to explore the old city and find something to eat.

Tried the French onion soup at Cafe du Monde, one of our favorite eating spots. I really must try this at home!

Nearby we saw a sign indicating that nightly free outdoor circus performances were happening, weather permitting...

We'll definitely try to fit that in!

My favorite meal - during our four days in Quebec City - was at a new restaurant we tried, Cafe-Terasse La Nouvelle France. It's tucked away in a narrow street full of artists and art vendors. The evening we ducked in there, it was raining, so we sat indoors rather than in the terrace.

Their caribou stew was amazing! I wanted to go back to try their tortiere (meat pie) - but we ran out of time, and never did. (Next time!)

Terry's food find, on this trip, was a chocolate shop called Chocolato.

They boast 20 flavors of hot chocolate...

After careful deliberation, Terry chose  chocolate cake with chocolate syrup. He didn't regret it!

Wasn't it Napoleon who said that an army marches on its stomach?

Tourists do, too!

Summer Reading

I've been doing some interesting summer reading. As usual, I have several books on the go, all very different.

My favorite has been Bob Dylan's memoir, Chronicles: Volume 1. Never having been a musician or a writer of music, I find it very interesting to see how a musician thinks.

A few weeks ago, I started another memoir entitled Thirty Days: the journal of a 30-day silent monastic retreat. The retreatant  is a 59-year-old English professor who is struggling to understand himself - and possibly to forgive himself - for an affair he'd had a few years earlier. It's very intense and well-written - not really the light reading I wanted for the summer... so I returned it to the library, after only getting as far as the 5th day! (I notice that it has 5 star reviews on Amazon... Maybe I should read what others think...)

My third book is one I'm just beginning: a 2017 publication about recent type 2 diabetes research. I don't expect it to be very entertaining - but I do want to know what current research says about the disease.

I don't usually "devour" books - but rather "nibble" at them, reflecting on what I read. That's why my "perfect" book has short chapters!

Neighborhood Bee Hives

We've always had bees around our flowers ... as well as unwelcome wasps. I always assumed the bees were wild, but maybe not...

I recently noticed some bee hives - in a small fenced-in area at the college, near the soccer field. There's also a small garden next to it.

I wonder if the college now offers courses in keeping bees. Now that would be an interesting course to take!

Beautiful Fall Flowers

I don't have a lot of fall flowers... though a few late summer ones, like the brown-eyed Susans, are still in bloom.

This large bunch of Japanese anemones adds a delicate touch to my front garden bed. The bees love it, too. At times, walking by, you can hear them buzzing... (No wonder I don't do much weeding or transplanting, even at this time of the year. I don't want to mess with the bees!)

Terry would like me to divide the plant, so that it won't encroach on the lawn. But I like it the way it is! I'm afraid it might not recover if I divide it... (Time for a little online research on caring for this beautiful plant.)

Kingston Food Adventures...

Wherever Terry and I travel, we love to find interesting restaurants and places to eat...

A regular favorite for Terry is White Mountain Ice Cream Shop... No visit to Kingston in summer is complete without it. (Unfortunately, they are closed in winter.)

On our last visit, we tried a new pub-restaurant, the Kingston Brewing Company, where they make their own beer...

The patio ambiance reminded me of Hawaii... The food was good... (I forgot to take a picture!) I'm sure we'll be back!

Another memorable food experience was the "breakfast wrap" I had - several days in a row - at a cafe bakery near our hotel.

The special ingredient in this delicious spinach, bacon and cheese omelet wrap was apple! Not sure if it was cooked or raw. But it added a distinctive fresh flavor.

I plan to try it sometime at home.

(The place where we had breakfast every day was called "Fardella's.")

A Visit to Old Fort Henry

We often visit Kingston on our way to or from Toronto. At least once a year we spend a weekend or more.

But in all our visits, we have never taken the time to visit Fort Henry, the military fortress built by the British in 1812.

On our last trip to Kingston, Terry and I decided to head over and see the fortress, part of which is visible from downtown Kingston.

Walking up the hill from the parking lot, we were already impressed by the strategic view this fortress on a hill had of the surrounding area.

I can see why they put the fort here, Terry commented.

I was surprised by the size of the fort complex...

And impressed by the summer students, dressed in costume, who make the fort come alive during the summer months with their stories, military parades and historic enactments.

It was like stepping back in time to another era - 200 years ago.

This dynamic museum is definitely a MUST SEE place to visit in Kingston.

We spent 3 hours there, enjoying every minute!