Upper and Lower Towns/Quebec City

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  Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Thursday, October 11, 2007

Today was about walking.  We drove to Lower Town, within the walls of Old Quebec, parked the car (and so didn't comprehend the French instructions re paying that we ended up getting a ticket), and set off on foot for hours in the windy chill.  I had on the heaviest layerS of everything I brought with me, plus a silk scarf (thank you, Madeleine for suggesting I bring that--I could aspire to French style AND keep my neck warm)

I don't think I've ever seen such a combination of authentic, meticulously maintained old buildings, all brick or stone with distinctive tall narrow doors and window boxes of autumn flowers, AND tourist shit shops.  Some shops were higher quality, especially the ones selling the wares of indigenous people, but there were t-shirts and Snickers bars and postcards, too.  I  spied what I thought was a wonderful old quilt in the window of a antiques shop and was floored to find several in great condition when I peeked in the shop.  But, alas, they had the unworn, tidy bindings and rough hand-stitching of quilts made in China.

We took the funicular up the very steep hill to Upper Town and walked more quaint streets, as far as the Citadel built by the British and the  the very wall itself . From the top of the  Parliament building flys the blue and white flag of Quebec, not the red and white of Canada, very interesting. 

We kept walking.   My hair was just about blowing off my head.  Jerry was huddled the way only a native southern Californian can in chilly weather.  We funicular-ed (verb) back down the hill and went to an impressive museum, clearly the pride of the province of Quebec about all things Quebec.  There we struggled to understand the political and social forces the cause the tension between Quebec-ers and the rest of Canada.  Didn't really get a handle on it and almost got locked in the exhibit.  A wooden gate, floor to ceiling, blocked our way when we went to leave about 5 pm.  I called out, We're still here! several times, and finally a guard came and let us out.  By God we would have really understood the political situation better if we'd been locked in there all night.

Tonight we're going to a local bistro and then tomorrow we face a long day's drive to Albany, probably 6-7 hours.  Everyone assures us that the 2+ hr wait at the border was an anomaly due to it being Canadian T-giving last weekend and because everyone is rushing to the US to buy  the US dollar iis weak.  I hope that's the correct assessment and tomorrow will be better.  I don't think the type A maniac I'm married to could take another 2 hr wait.  He's still ranting about it.  The ultimate in inefficiency, etc.  Which is true.

We ate an a bistro called Cafe du Monde last night and had an adorable waitress--Leslie Caron-like, we thought.  Haphazard pigtails, bright perky face, speeding around with platters.  It was like one of the little girls in 'Madeleine' grown up.

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