road trip

2014 Trip Six, Sept. 26, Fall in Canada and Deb and Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Montreal Friday Sept. 26, 2014

Today was our allocated day for history type museums. Surprisingly, one church falls into that category. The Notre -Dame Basilica on weekdays makes itself over into a tourist stop. Masses are held in a chapel and the Eucharist is removed from the main church to the chapel. Instead, a $5 admission is charged and hordes of tourist come through, take their pictures, and go on guided tours. That was certainly true today as hordes flocked through the church this morning and the square outside was even busier when we walked by this afternoon.

Notre-Dame Basilica or Montreal

Notre-Dame Basilica or Montreal

The history of the church is interweaved with that of Montreal. Montreal was founded in 1642 by a small group of people from France planning to build an ideal community and convert the native people to Catholicism. The original name was Ville-Marie, City of Mary.

People of Quebec were skeptical due to the town’s close proximity to the Iroquois who were British allies and frequently attached settlers. Initially, a good number of the colonists died due to Indian attacks. But the city prospered, as we know from Thunder Bay and Grand Portage, partially due to being a center for the fur trade. Now there are 1.6 million in Montreal with 3.8 million in the metro area. Quebec has been left in the dust although Toronto is larger.

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

So the town prospered, as did the church of Notre-Dame. Originally founded by Jesuits, the Sulpicians arrived in 1657 and still serve the church today. The original chapel was replaced by a stone church seating over 1000. That still was not large enough and the present church was built between 1824-1829 and seats 3200. The architect was an Irish Protestant from New York who moved to Montreal, converted to Catholicism, and died just a few months after its opening.

Notre Dame Basilica

Notre Dame Basilica

The church interior has a blue hue, the color associated with Mary. Much of the interior decoration was added after the church was completed. The altar has numerous statues. French made stained glass windows were added in 1929. The stations of the cross are intricate carvings. The organ has 7000 pipes.

Bronze sculpture in chapel

Bronze sculpture in chapel

The church added a chapel seating several hundred in the late 1800s. Kind of hard to have an intimate funeral or wedding in a church seating 3200. However, an arsonist burnt the chapel in 1978 and it has been re-built. Only two of the stained glass windows survived. The front of the re-built chapel has a huge, modern bronze sculpture piece.

The Notre-Dame Basilica was actually our second stop. First, we made a quick visit to City Hall, where Charles de Gaulle in 1969 stated: Vive le Quebec libre. Long live Free Quebec. This was during a state visit during the time when tensions were rising about Quebec declaring its independence. (Side note: There were two plebiscites on the issue. Both lost but the second one in 1995 lost by a slim margin of 50.6 to 49.4. 94% of eligible voters turned out.)

City Hall was built between 1872 and 1878. The lobby and Council Chambers were open for viewing. We were surprised to see so many official seats until we read that the Council has 64 members and a mayor. Evidently much work must be delegated since it only meets 11 times a year.

Our major stop for the day was the Montreal Archaeology and History Complex. Complex is the correct term. It is built on the site of the actual remains of the city’s birthplace. It occupies four buildings, connected by underground exhibitions taking you through the stone foundations of early buildings including the first cemetery and first marketplace.

Exhibit at Montreal Archaeology and History Complex

Exhibit at Montreal Archaeology and History Complex

First time visitors view a 20 minute multi-media show summarizing the history of Montreal. The city is built on an island and the initial settlement was on a point of the island where the Little River joined the St. Lawrence River. As further development occurred, the new buildings were built over the original ones. Our tour walks you past some of the stone foundations and the initial sewer pipes. The Little River was the first sewer. The pipes were not constructed for quite some time and replaced the Little River.

Archaeology and history complex

Archaeology and history complex

Twice we had to get directions and/or retrace our steps including the most important part of the day when we had lunch at their cafe. Turns out, the cafe is in the first building and when we were hungry we were in building two, or three, or four. We made it to the cafe in time to get one of the few tables open to touristy type people who had not made reservations. Excellent food again. These people use seasonings and spices!! Who knew the flavor that can come from seasonings?

Ah, Marco Polo knew about spices. Sounds like a weird connection does it not? But the Montreal Archaeology and History Complex was hosting a special exhibit on Marco Polo. Our tour guide was a young man who was heavily involved in the exhibit and his enthusiasm was infectious. Most of us had heard of Marco Polo but we certainly had not read his book about his travels from 1271 when he was 17 to 1295 when he was 41.

The exhibit reminded us how little known the East was to Europe at that time, how many advancements it had over Europe, and how daunting such a journey must have been. While goods had traveled the spice road from Asia to Europe for quite some time, the goods were transported by different traders, each for a segment of the route. Polo traveled by land to China and returned by sea.

Polo’s written descriptions were the first writings describing many of these areas to Europeans; not only China, but Vietnam, India, Indonesia, etc. His tale was actually “dictated” to a scribe when Polo was in prison. Venice was at war with Genoa when he returned from China and Polo went to war as a Venetian and was captured and imprisoned. His cellmate wrote down Polo’s adventures and the book was published when the cellmate was released (a year before Polo was). It became a hit and was translated into many languages. Polo’s writings were one of the reasons Christopher Columbus was looking for China when he “discovered” America. Our tour guide was exuberant as he related the route, the people and cultures Polo encountered, and the life in China under Kublai Khan.

Chateau Ramezay Montreal

Chateau Ramezay Montreal

But the day was getting on and so did we. After a stroll along the streets of Old Montreal, we came to Chateau Ramezay. This building was built in 1705 by the first Governor General of Montreal. It is now a museum that details the life during this French colonial era. There is a mention of the American occupation of Montreal in 1775 before their defeat in Quebec City. The museum celebrates the French culture of Montreal.

By now, it was late afternoon and we had put in a full day. My attention was less than perfect so we decided to call an end to museum time. We did enjoy the sun and people watching for a while before heading back to the hotel. A late dinner was at a local restaurant on St. Paul Street where we sat outside and watched the world go by while we ate flammekueches, basically a French thin bread version of pizza. Once again we watched, and did not do much listening to conversations as most of them were in French. We do know that tourists come here from all over, though. Our basilica tour had visitors from India, Australia, UK, Japan and Ukraine besides the states.

Ed and Chris 9/26 11:20 PM

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2014 Trip Six, Sept. 25, Fall in Canada and Deb & Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Montreal, Thursday Sept. 25

Well it was a beautiful day. Our first day of temperatures in the 70’s since we left St. Paul two and one-half weeks ago. Despite a four hour drive, we put the weather to good use.

Kingston is at the head of the St. Lawrence River as it takes water from the Great Lakes and dumps it into the Atlantic Ocean. The river was “improved” in the 1950s with a series of locks and dams to create the St. Lawrence Seaway, allowing ships to travel to Duluth. The St. Lawrence was one of the great exploration routes of early explorers like Cartier and Champlain.

St. Lawrence River and islands

St. Lawrence River and islands

At Kingston, the river’s geology is such that there are numerous islands in the river. The Canadian Shield runs south across the river to the Adirondacks, creating these islands. Thousand Islands is an understatement, like calling MN the Land of 10,000 Lakes. In both cases there is a definition of what qualifies as an island (two trees growing on the land which is above water all year) or a lake (minimum size of ten acres). There are actually over 1800 islands in the river and there are almost 12,000 lakes greater than ten acres in MN.

The Kingston area is home to the greatest prevalence of these islands. The Treaty of 1793 led to a resolution of the border between Canada and the U.S. Drawing part of the U.S./Canada boundary line in the St. Lawrence generated a need to divide up the islands. Canada received 2/3 of the islands but the land area for each country is roughly equal.

Small islands with homes

Small islands with homes

That small bridge actually connects a Canadian island with a U.S. island

That small bridge actually connects a Canadian island with a U.S. island

We drove a half hour to Ganonoque to take a 2.5 hour cruise on the river. The cruise took us in and out of Canadian and U.S. waters by islands large and small. Some of the larger islands have power and phone service brought by underwater cables. Parts of the area have been recreational homes for generations, dating back to the U.S. robber baron era when industrialists from New York, Cleveland, Chicago and Pittsburg summered here.

Bold't Castle and outbuildings

Boldt’s Castle and outbuildings

The cruise ship circled one island where George Boldt, the owner of the NYC hotel, Waldorf Astoria, built a castle for his wife. But since she died before it was finished, it remained uncompleted for decades until the Seaway Authority took it over to make it into a tourist destination. The legend has it that 1000 Island dressing originated by someone here (versions vary) who gave it to Boldt who introduced it at his hotel.

A home on the only island artificially constructed by connecting three shoals

A home on the only island artificially constructed by connecting three shoals

After the cruise, we drove to Montreal. This time we plotted our directions to the new hotel precisely. Good thing. The last 10 minutes involved numerous one-way streets, partially on butt-busting, auto shock challenging cobblestone streets. The SpringHill Suites Old Montreal is (as its name suggests) in the Old Montreal area. This is the historic district rampant with tourists. The car is parked for several days as we walk around the area.

Ed on Rue St. Paul street with cobblestones

Ed on Rue St. Paul with cobblestones

Along Jacques Cartier Place

Along Jacques Cartier Place

Our first foray into Montreal gave us enough daylight to tour part of the area around the hotel without time for any museums or historical sites. More of that will take place tomorrow.

Along the Old Port area

Along the Old Port area

Clock Tower WWI Memorial along St. Lawrence River

Clock Tower WWI Memorial along St. Lawrence River

Dinner was at a restaurant in which Charles Dickens wrote the notes for “A Tale of Two Cities” in May of 1842.

Ed and Chris 9/25 10:15 pm

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2014 Trip Six, Sept. 24, Fall in Canada and Deb and Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Kingston, ON Wednesday Sept 24

Beautiful time in Quebec province and we still have 5 nights in Montreal to look forward to. Everyone was nice and we had no problems in making ourselves understood in Quebec Province. But we have to say, it is nice walking in to a restaurant or hotel and speaking English right off the bat. I am sure this is a self-inflicted problem, but so be it. We are who we are.

View from top of Mont Tremblant mountain

View from top of Mont Tremblant mountain

Our decision yesterday to hold off on the gondola ride was justified by today’s weather. It has been gorgeous and we began the morning by riding the gondola to the top of Mont-Tremblant mountain. The gondolas ride was smooth and the gondola moves quickly. However, it is enclosed with windows of a plastic type material that is cloudy and scratched, making for poor pictures. A small window might open to give you limited picture-taking opportunities. The gondola in Banff gave great pictures, I can not remember now if Banff was open or just great glass but the images from there are vastly superior.

Gondola window shot Mont Tremblant Lake

Gondola window shot Mont Tremblant Lake

Luckily we planned to hike the upper level also. We climbed a lookout tower and shot the video below. The noise in the background of the video is the wind.

Next was the 360 trail which winds around the mountain top. It starts on a gravel road and then alternates between the grassy fields of the winter ski slopes with trails that again are muddy, rocky, and with tree roots. The mountain has ski trails going downhill in all directions. Today’s path came with the extra feature of rain run-off using the trail as its route to lower ground. Nevertheless, the hike was good exercise and provided sunny views for a change.

The 360 trail on Mont Tremblant

The 360 trail on Mont Tremblant

This trail, and the ones the last few days, were ranked as easy. We have come to understand that Canadian and American park trail definitions differ. An easy trail in an American park would be a paved, level, handicap accessible trail. Not so here.

Views from the top

Views from the top

Views from the top

Views from the top

Views from the top

Views from the top

Montebello was our mid-day destination. You may recall we stopped here for chocolate on our drive to Quebec City. A different target today, though. We ate lunch at Aux-Chantignoles, the restaurant at the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello. A waiter in Quebec City had said we should go back and eat here.

Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello

Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello

This place is something else. It was built in the 1930s as a private business and political leaders retreat, which it remained for 40 years. World leaders have met here. It reminded us of the great US National Park lodges at Glacier, Mt. Rainier, Yosemite, etc.

Ottawa River from Fairmont Montebello

Ottawa River from Fairmont Montebello

A Wikipedia note about its construction states that the crews worked around the clock to accomplish the work in 4 months. Since working on the Sabbath was frowned upon, the local cure’ received an all expense paid trip to Rome for two months. The place is frequently described as the world’s largest log cabin since 10,000 red cedar logs from British Columbia comprise the building’s structure. The logs are painted black on the exterior but are natural inside.

Lobby of Fairmont Chateau Le Montebello

Lobby of Fairmont Chateau Le Montebello

We had the lunch buffet (one hot and one cold buffet) which pretty much used up our meal budget for the day. The dessert selection made up for the cost. We each had two helpings of several desserts each time. After lunch we walked around the grounds which are situated on the banks of the Ottawa River.

Then it was on to Kingston, situated at the eastern end of Lake Ontario and the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and Thousand Islands area. First we had to cross the Ottawa River which took some doing. We knew (kinda) that there was a bridge at Grenville. We drove the slow route to Grenville, it was not supposed to be that far but our understanding of Canada town structure is lacking. It seemed that we passed through at least three city (well, maybe village) centers named Grenville before finally coming to the bridge.

As we crossed over the Ottawa River we returned to more level land, primarily agricultural with small towns and our usual two lane roads. For the last 120 miles, we drove a four lane, 100 kph road heavy with truck traffic as we entered a more urban area of Ontario. The rocky ground replaced at least a portion of the agricultural land.

Fall colors are less plentiful since the Ottawa River area, but not non-existent. Shrubs, in particular, are showing bright colors. Pockets of brilliant red trees show up.

Ed and Chris 9/25 5 AM

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2014 Trip Six, Sept. 23, Fall in Canada and Deb and Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Tuesday, Sept 23, Mont-Tremblant,QC

That darn American work ethic. Even though we jokingly say our current jobs are as travelers and we do this 7 days a week for 4-7 weeks at a time; I have to remind myself periodically that it is okay to not be doing activities from morning until night. Of course, Chris helps to remind me.

Mountain top to right and to center are covered by clouds

Mountain top to right and to center are covered by clouds

Today, for instance, the top of the mountain was socked in by low clouds and instead of the planned afternoon hike, we took a nap and watched the clouds go by and the leaf colors on the mountain opposite our time share while snacking on popcorn. It was relaxing and enjoyable too.

View from small gondola

View from small gondola

The day began at the resort center (cutesy village) which has a small gondola that transports people from the lower village by the parking area to the top of the village by the big gondola that goes to the summit of the mountain. This small gondola is free and a nice diversion which provides an elevated view of the mountains, shops and lodging.

On the Ruisseaux trail

On the Ruisseaux trail

Our morning hike took two hours. The Ruisseaux trail is also known as the muddy trail. They could add stone, tree root, and muddy trail. The trail takes you along a stream, up the mountain for a ways through the forest and back down by a water fall. You pass across and under the path for one of the chair lifts for skiers in winter. Several deer were on that path. We have skipped most of the photo opportunities for deer. Between Crosby Farm Park at home and our travels, deer are almost like big squirrels now.

Waterfall on the side trail

Waterfall on the side trail

There was a side trail from the Ruisseaux trail that offered another waterfall viewing opportunity so we added it. Along the path, we met a very nice couple from Ottawa who have been married for 55 years. They are both originally from Germany and still retain a German accent.

Waterfall at end of Ruisseaux trail

Waterfall at end of Ruisseaux trail

The waterfall was pleasant but less dramatic than the one at the end of the Ruisseaux trail. Still between the extra exercise, the Ottawa couple and the waterfall, we were glad we took the side trail.

End of day view with clearing skies

End of day view with clearing skies

“Lunch” was back at the crepe restaurant for dessert/fruit crepes. One each was necessary to regain our strength.

Fountain one block from our lodging

Fountain one block from our lodging

Ed and Chris 9/23 8:45 pm

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2014 Trip Six, Sept. 22, Fall in Canada and Deb and Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Mont-tremblant, QC Monday Sept. 22 2014

Alberta-provincial parks. British Columbia-provincial parks. Manitoba-provincial parks. Ontario-provincial parks. Etc. Except Quebec. Quebec-Quebec national parks. Why the difference, which caused confusion for us, was never explained to me. I chalk it up to the desire of Quebec to be its own nation and not just a province of Canada. A day admission fee is also more expensive than it was in Ontario.

Why do I bring this up? Well, we spent the day visiting Parc National du Mont-Tremblant. This park is the oldest in Quebec and close to our lodgings. As we drove up to the gate and gave them our Parks Canada annual pass, the gate-keeper politely told us it was no good and fork over $15. Which we did. Our goal was to spend much of the day looking for fall color and more waterfalls.

Mont-Tremblant Park. Indicative of our day. Rain to left, sun to right.

Mont-Tremblant Park. Indicative of our day. Rain to left, sun to right.

Hiking and driving through the park met our goals. Of course, the day was: “Rain, no rain, rain, no rain, sun, rain, no rain.” We spent five hours here and found great color. Reds were brilliant, not washed out. The oranges were bright, not marginal. The greens of the fir trees and late bloomers provided excellent contrast. Most of the pictures are a little more muted due to rain and/or cloud cover.

Fall Color in the Laurentian Mountains

Fall Color in the Laurentian Mountains

Buck in Mont-Tremblant park

Buck in Mont-Tremblant park

Despite signs warning of moose, we did not see any moose. We did see a number of deer, one with his antlers. The park did not have many people present. I found this surprising given its closeness to Montreal and the leaf colors. Possibly bus tours are discouraged by the fact that half of the road we traversed was gravel.

Mont Tremblant Park

Mont Tremblant Park

Mont Tremblant Park

Mont Tremblant Park

Chute-du-Diable

Chute-du-Diable

We took several short hikes mainly to waterfalls. Our first waterfall was more of a rapids, Chutes-Croches. The second was a nice waterfall, reminiscent of MN’s North Shore, the Chute-du-Diable. The road we drove was essentially a circle route; the fourth leg being on a local road that had great color also.

a section of road through Mont Tremblant Park

a section of road through Mont Tremblant Park

Dinner was in the village and back to our lodging for the night.

The mountains are alive with color

The mountains are alive with color

Ed and Chris 9/22 9:00 pm

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2014 Trip Six, Sept. 21, Fall in Canada and Deb and Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Mont-tremblant, Quebec Sunday Sept. 21

On the road for two weeks and fall colors are finally starting to pop out. We left Quebec in clouds and drove through rain, heavy at times to reach Mont-tremblant. There was one Canadian historic site along the way we wanted to visit but like many places up here, and in other northern tourist areas, it shut down for the season Sept. 1. So the drive was not exciting until the last hour or so as we drove up the Laurentian Mountains.

Mont-tremblant mountain and village from our unit

Mont-tremblant mountain and village from our unit

For the Laurentian, think Appalachian or Smoky Mountains. The highest point in the Laurentian is about 3800 feet. Mont-tremblant is 3000 feet. The elevation gain makes for interesting driving. Steady rain lower down, up here becomes misty and mixes in with low clouds to provide not quite foggy driving conditions with very little view above you. The Adirondacks in New York are actually an extension of the Laurentian Mountains.

Fall leaf color as seen from our unit

Fall leaf color as seen from our unit

We could observe trees with greater color once we were about 100 miles out of Quebec. We kept hoping for an opportunity to take photos but the rain and lack of pull-overs made that impossible. As we drove up, we thought, well, Monday is supposed to be sunny so we should get some great shots then. As always, the weather forecast is changing. What was forecast as a sunny day for Monday has changed to mainly cloudy and then partly cloudy on Tuesday with a freeze at night.

The drive here gave me another opportunity to complain to Chris about (other) drivers. Speeding through construction zones was frequent. To me, it seemed that the proportion of drivers only using daytime running lights was abnormally high. With the rain and the mist, it was difficult to see cars in front of you if they did not have their rear lights lit.

Entrance to Mont-tremblant ski village

Entrance to Mont-tremblant ski village

We checked in at our lodging, Club Intrawest. It is a timeshare affiliated with Hilton. We have a one bedroom loft with jacuzzi tub and a patio on the second floor of a block of ten units. From our patio we can view the Mont-tremblant ski slope and village. The literature in the room says this place was started by a guy from Philly and by Lowell Thomas, the journalist. They installed one of the first mechanical ski lifts in North America and the boom began. The area reminds us of Park City, Utah or Whisler, BC. There are condos, timeshares and hotels and cutesy shops at the bottom of the slope.

Street scene from cutesy village

Street scene from cutesy village

The town hosts numerous events through the year. Right now, there is a 10 day event of programming for active epicureans (people much more into food than us). The town hosts FOUR Ironman competitions here during the summer. The last one was September 7. We were too late to enter it.

Fall colors

Fall colors

Fall colors

Fall colors

A crepe dinner was our reward for a day of driving followed by shopping for miscellaneous groceries for the timeshare unit. The skies alternated between raining and trying to clear up and
afforded us several opportunities to snap some good photos.

Fall colors

Fall colors

Ed and Chris Sept 21 9:10 pm

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2014, Trip Six, Sept. 20, Fall in Canada and Deb and Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 20, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Saturday, Sept. 20; Quebec City

Our last full day in Quebec brought a return of overcast skies with drizzle and cool temperatures. We countered by not walking around a great deal.

The Museum of Civilization was our first stop, arriving there shortly after it opened at 10 AM. The museum does not allow pictures so we can not brighten your day with images from there. As mentioned yesterday, the museum had a fire here on Monday and one wing on both floors was closed. In compensation, the entrance fee was reduced.

We spent three hours touring three exhibits; a history of Quebec, an exhibit on Olympic gods, and a show about the creative world of animated film makers of the Canadian National Film Board. The Olympus exhibit was pretty lame and boring. The history of Quebec display was much better, but suffered (for me) with the fact that most display plaques detailing specific objects were placed about two feet from the ground. Large plaques summarizing the history of a time period were at a readable height, though.

The animation show had numerous screens showing clips created by artists of the Canadian National Film Board (see more at http://www.nfb.ca). The Film Board’s purpose is to educate and stir discussion about items of interest to Canadians and to educate non-Canadians about Canada. The NFB has received over 70 Academy Award nominations, the most for any organization outside of Hollywood. There were sections on humorous films. Then there were clips from films that were dark or simply confusing. We had never heard of the National Film Board previously so this show was definitely illuminating even if it did not create a desire to run out and buy videos of their work.

Our cruise ship

Our cruise ship

Montmorency Falls as seen from the St. Lawrence River

Montmorency Falls as seen from the St. Lawrence River

We had a quick lunch at the museum cafe and then walked down to the quay for a cruise of the St. Lawrence River on the Louis Jolliet. The rain and gray skies did not lead to dramatic pictures but we had an enjoyable time-sitting inside the boat. The tour guide gave his spiel in French and English. The tour goes down river as far as the Montmorency Falls and provides a better view of the Ile d’ Orleans. The island splits the St. Lawrence into two channels, the north one (by Montmorency) is shallower.

Sailboats along the industrial portion of the river

Sailboats along the industrial portion of the river

Cruise ships in Quebec Harbor, Chateau Frontenac in background

Cruise ships in Quebec Harbor, Chateau Frontenac in background

This section of the river is about 10 miles from the intrusion of salt water and tidal effects. Besides providing river level views of the ramparts and Chateau Frontenac, we pass by ship building and shipping terminals. Quebec has Canada’s second largest number of grain elevators, after Thunder Bay. Sailboats dotted the river, frequently passing very close by our boat. We sat next to two women from CA who were touring Montreal and Quebec as part of a Road Scholars trip.

Lower port area below the ramparts

Lower port area below the ramparts

After a pastry and tea stop, we headed to Notre Dame Cathedral for 5 PM Mass. Our journey was interrupted by a two person busker team performing in front of the Cathedral. Or at least trying to perform. After drumming up business from passerby’s, the start of the show was delayed by 10 minutes of bell ringing from the Cathedral, announcing that services would start soon. Then after five minutes of performance, the rains began. We decided that was a message to drop the show and get into church. We were only a few minutes late. Not a major loss since the Mass was entirely in French.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral

Rains increased this evening and we decided to pass on the outdoor art show around Place Royale. Tomorrow we head out for Mont Tremblant in the Laurentian Mountains for three nights.

Ed and Chris 9/20/14 8:30 pm

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2014 Trip Six, Sept. 19, Fall in Canada and Deb and Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Quebec City, Friday Sept. 19

Sunrise comes to Quebec City

Sunrise comes to Quebec City

Today’s challenge? Walking.

We spent the day just wandering around Quebec. We chose a day also chosen by two cruise ships and lots of school children. Most of our time was spent in Lowertown, a section of the city by the river where the first landings by Europeans occurred. This is an area between the ramparts of Old (walled) Quebec and the river. It is accessed from our section of the city by either a funicular or one of several long staircases. We chose the staircases.

One of our sites to see was the Quebec Museum of Civilization, only to discover that it experienced a fire Monday before we arrived in the city. If we knew French, we would probably have read about it in the local paper. Mainly smoke and water damage and it should re-open tomorrow.

Looking down at Lowertown and mural of 400 years of history

Looking down at Lowertown and mural of 400 years of history

Quebec is a city of statues and commemorative markers. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization was founded in Quebec City in 1945 and it has a statue of a woman holding food from around the world. There is a children’s park with a historical and nautical theme. Two major wall murals are in Lowertown. One depicts 400 years of history and one is dedicated to the shipping experience and its people.

Another Notre Dame church, this one the Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, was open and we went in. This church is smaller than many of the others we visited. The name comes from the two times the women of the city prayed to Mary to save the city from English invaders. The English were defeated and the previous church title changed. No mention was made of the final British attack which was successful. The church is built on the site of Champlain’s first outpost here in Quebec, Place Royale as it is called now.

Place Royale-cradle of French civilization in North America

Place Royale-cradle of French civilization in North America

Place Royale leads to numerous other streets, cobblestone usually, with buildings dating back hundreds of years. Some sections are pure tourist with restaurants and souvenir shops alternating store fronts. In other parts, “normal” businesses predominate. The tourist area has more foot traffic but all parts of Lowertown were busy.

Lunch was at Panache, a Quebecoise restaurant that allowed us to eat even though we did not have reservations. It is located in a former 19th century warehouse with beamed ceilings. Like many other restaurants, the meal is 3 course, including appetizer, main course, and dessert. All is done in style with excellent presentation and taste. On the street outside are markers showing the river’s shoreline in past centuries; higher than it is now. I did not note a reason for the change, I presume urban build-up of the area.

Rue du-Petit-Champlain

Rue du-Petit-Champlain

The Quartier Petit Champlain is a section of Lowertown where the artists and merchants of the area formed a co-op in 1985 to maintain its heritage. Louis Joliet, born in Quebec to European parents, was a well-known explorer and navigator (including portions of the Mississippi River) in the late 1600s whose home is located here. Rue Du-Petit-Champlain is supposedly the oldest street in North America (not sure what happened to Santa Fe or Saint Augustine).

One negative comment. It struck me that the city has a abnormally high amount of graffiti on buildings and almost any facade of any size. It is noticeable and there do not appear to be any major efforts to remove it on a structured basis.

In the evening, we took another walk to observe the city at night. Several of the taller buildings are lit, some in color. It makes the view more romantic and European-like to us.

Tourny Fountain and Parliament at night

Tourny Fountain and Parliament at night

Ed and Chris 9/19 10 pm

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2014 Trip Six, Sept. 18, Fall in Canada and Deb and Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Quebec City, Thursday Sept. 18, 2014

The people of Scotland have gone to the polls and much of the world awaits their decision. There are a lot of Scots in Canada and the topic is of much interest and speculation. The last two days we have been able to find an English language newspaper and the quality of the articles and opinion pieces has been excellent.

Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre

Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre

After breakfast and the newspaper, we headed out for an active day of touring outside of the city center. Our first stop was the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre. It is located about 30 miles east of Quebec and we decided being inside early would be smart; let the day warm up before tackling our outside adventures.

Statue of Sainte Anne

Statue of Sainte Anne

The shrine is now very large but it started as a small chapel built in 1658 by a group of sailors from the Brittany area of France as a visible sign of their thanks for a safe passage during a storm on the St. Lawrence River. It is dedicated to Saint Anne, the mother of Mary, the grandmother of Jesus. The shrine is visited by over a million people each year. The current shrine is the fifth edifice and construction began on it in 1923 when the previous basilica was destroyed by fire.

Interior of Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre

Interior of Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre

The Basilica is very inviting on the inside, colors are vibrant with side altars behind the sanctuary and statues and stained glass windows everywhere. In the back of the church are two pillars with crutches hanging from them, given by those whose disabilities were cured. The church is a major pilgrimage site in North America.

I think of my father when I enter a new church. He would always tell us to say an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be prayer in a new church, but I have forgotten the reason for it. We finish touring the shrine, both upper and lower churches. We visit the museum with an amazing collection of art and of artifacts from the third church which stood from 1676-1876.

Canyon Ste-Anne

Canyon Ste-Anne

The Canyon Ste. Anne is our second stop of the day, just a few miles from the shrine. The canyon holds a 240 foot waterfall. The trail here goes from the top to the bottom and back again over three suspension bridges. Although visited by early explorers, and even Henry David Thoreau, it was not visited often and was “re-discovered” in the 1970s. It is now privately owned and open to the public for a fee.

One of the suspension bridges

One of the suspension bridges

Rainbow at Canyon Ste-Anne

Rainbow at Canyon Ste-Anne

The fall colors are just starting here so the walk, even with the hiking up and down, is great exercise. The sound of the falls is always in the background with many observation points of the falls and river. I end up taking way more pictures than necessary.

Before our third stop, we have lunch in the town of Ste. Anne de Beaupre. The food is home made (chicken pot pie and hearty vegetable with chicken soup) with great desserts. The staff knows enough English that we get the food we wanted without embarrassing ourselves.

Montmorency Falls

Montmorency Falls

The final stop is the Montmorency Falls. At 275 feet, it is higher than Niagara Falls (167 feet) but has less flow over the cliff. The Montmorency River is only 63 miles long but the cliffs of the Canadian Shield rock formation create stupendous waterfalls.

Montmorency Falls

Montmorency Falls

Here we rode a cable car to the top. The trail goes over another suspension bridge right at the edge where the water drops over the cliff. We walked down the 487 steps that brings one back to the starting point.

Dinner was a stop at a market where we purchased croissants and locally made cheese and crackers. Lunch was substantial and dinner was more of a snack.

Ed and Chris 10 pm 9/18

Fall color update: Primarily green. A few trees starting to change.

Fall color update

Fall color update

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2014 Trip Six, Sept. 17, Fall in Canada and Deb and Rebecca’s Wedding

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Quebec City, Wednesday Sept. 17

Canadian weather forecasters are no more accurate than their American counterparts. Today has turned out to be another cool and rainy day. Luckily, a good portion of the day was spent inside.

Breakfast was at another small restaurant near the hotel. The restaurant options are numerous, we are trying, but not succeeding, in eating at all of the options. While out walking, we were even able to direct a family seeking shelter from the rain to a nearby restaurant of reasonable prices.

Quebec Parliament Building

Quebec Parliament Building

Our first stop was Parliament. This was the provincial, not national, parliament; similar to our visit to the British Columbia Parliament we toured in Victoria last summer. We were early for the English tour so we took pictures outside. The fall flowers were colorful and there is a large fountain in the street in front of the building. Some of the gardens in front of the Parliament Building are used to grow edible plants. The harvest is used both in the Le Parlementaire restaurant in the building and to a local community food group.

Inukshuk (stone landmark or cairn built by Inuits, etc) on Parliament grounds

Inukshuk (stone landmark or cairn built by Inuits, etc) on Parliament grounds

statue honoring women in politics

statue honoring women in politics

Around the building are numerous statues depicting historical figures in Quebec history. The facade of the building has more sculptures in various nooks and crannies. The clock tower has a series of four lights that are turned on when the Legislature is in session.

Tourny Fountain

Tourny Fountain

The Parliament Building is home to the National Assembly of Quebec, a one-house legislature. The Senate was abolished in 1968. Legislature was in session so we were unable to enter that chamber but we did take in the former Senate chambers. I am not sure how much legislating was happening today; our tour guide indicated that many of the members of the opposition party were in Scotland to observe first-hand the separation vote occurring tomorrow.

Plains of Abraham

Plains of Abraham

Our next stop was the Plains of Abraham and the Discovery Center. The Plains of Abraham was the site of the 1759 battle between the French and the English. The English won the battle and New France disappeared as Canada became part of the British Empire. The Discovery Center is a multi-media presentation (with additional exhibits) of the 1759 battle, history, and significance of Quebec. The rains came down as we walked part of the plains (it is a big park) and so we headed back to the Parliament Building.

In the Parliament Building is a restaurant, Le Parlementaire, which was originally only for members of Parliament, but is now open to the public. We came here for a late lunch and to get out of the rain. You have to go through security again in order to enter the restaurant but it was worth it. Of course the interior was very nice and the food was even better. I think Chris is becoming a foodie, savoring the presentation and aroma of the meals we are having. I do not believe it will extend to the actual cooking process however.

The rains were still coming down hard as we left the restaurant so we returned to the hotel to discover we had an invitation from it to a free cocktail reception this afternoon. We took it easy, one glass of wine and one Coke plus some snacks.

Interior of Palais Montcalm

Interior of Palais Montcalm

Our evening was spent at the Palais Montcalm listening to Les Violons du Roy, a Quebec chamber orchestra. The building has a nondescript exterior dating to 1932 while the interior was redone in 2007 in rich wood tones with excellent acoustics. We sat behind the orchestra, a location we first tried in Miami Beach and have grown to like it. You have a much better view of the musicians.

I can not tell you what the person said who made a several minute introduction, nor any chatter during intermission, or any information from the program since it was all in French. But the music was great; from Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. A French pianist, Alexandre Tharaud, was the soloist.

Ed and Chris 11:15 pm

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