18 May - In Quebec City - Day 14 of TCE

Sleep deserted me early in the morning. With nothing much to do other than documentation and downing a couple of cups of hot coffee I turned to rejig the itinerary a bit. By taking overnight ferries from North Sydney towards St. John’s and from Channel-Port aux Basques on the return I would be able to save on accommodation for two nights. The only compromise would be to sleep in the free seating in the ferry rather than take a comfortable cabin. Such compromises have to be made in an expedition to cut corners and reduce costs where one can. I could definitely save some more on the expedition if I took camping accommodation. However, despite carrying a tent and other accouterments, I have not experimented because of the weather; some places have been extremely cold and others have had heavy overnight rain.

High of the agenda for the day came Montmorency Falls, which is a twenty minute drive from the City. I took a package for parking and the Cable Tram for a bit over C$20 that gave me unlimited access to all facilities in the park till 5 pm. The views of the falls, which is higher than the Niagara Falls, is beyond words. And there are numerous lookout points to view the falls from. Steep wooden staircases and platforms almost form a ring around the falls with a suspension bridge right across the crest of the falls. I walked across the crest of the falls on the suspension bridge from where the falls seemed so close by.

The views were lovely and the water had a yellowish tint to it, thanks to the high iron content. The two-tiered falls seems to gently roll off the first one and thud on to the second and tear themselves down the cliff at a height of over 270 feet, its misty spray soaking those in the vicinity. The unrelenting roll, thud and tearing hurry for the fall’s waters to merge with the waters of the mighty St. Lawrence River is a sight that will never tire your eyes. There is a zip line too across the face of the falls. Intrepid adventure seekers take it and enjoy a different perspective of the falls.

After walking across the suspension bridge and through a portion of the park I took the Cable Tram to the bottom of the falls. The tram went slowly down the slope giving passengers the opportunity to take videos and pictures at will. The views were fantastic. Once I got to the base of the falls I thought of walking up on the opposite face of the rocks up the staircase to get to my car. That exercise got me completely drenched from the spray of the falls. The staircase is also very steep and they went on and on. From a distance one cannot really appreciate the steepness and the number of steps. I had thoroughly miscalculated and almost paid for it. My legs almost gave way and the wound in my feet that should have been kept dry was left floating in water inside the shoe.

A visit to ile d'Orleans is highly recommended if one is in this part of the world. One of the first places to be colonised by the French, its pastoral character is very much on display throughout the island. It is the fertile soil of the island that attracted early settlers from France who adopted the system of living and farming that they had back home. The practice, I heard, continues to this date. The island had been famous in the 18^th century for boat building. It was a center for fishing too. The mainstay today, however, is agriculture with potatoes, strawberries, grapes, apple and production of local wines and maple syrup.

Every bit of the island on the St. Lawrence River is worth a photograph, but the single carriageway and narrow roads with barely any shoulder makes one just drive through taking in the sights of an area almost frozen in time. The 67 km drive along the periphery of the island on Chemin Royal took me to several churches with amazing views of the St Lawrence River and a lovely view of the Montmorency Falls from Horatio Walker's waterfront walkway. More than 600 buildings on the island are designated historic property.

The evening was reserved for another foray to the old city, the previous evening having been rained out. This evening the city was swarming with tourists, with it being a holiday and the weather perfect for such an outing. Had enormous difficulty getting a parking slot.

The Dufferin Terrace is possibly the most crowded with the attractions around it and magnificent views of Chateau Frontenac and the River. The Terrace is named after the then Governor General of Canada who directed its construction. The 350 step boardwalk along the Governors promenade took me along the fortification of the walled city with the River on the other side to the Plains of Abraham, which is a historic site. It was here, in September 1759, that the British defeated the French in a battle that barely lasted 30 minutes and took control of the City and eventually the whole of Canada the following year. History beckons at every turn in this awesome old city.

Across the Plains of Abraham I reached The Citadel, the oldest military building in Canada, which is an active military installation. The Citadel also has the secondary residence of the Governor General of Canada and the Canadian monarch. Through Rue Saint-Jean I emerged on to the Place D’Youville, a major square in Vieux Quebec City.

The square is home to a popular ice skating rink in winter. The bronze statue of Les Muses is worth a visit. The sculpture by the famous artist Alfred Laliberte was donated to the city by the government to commemorate the 375^th anniversary of the founding of the city. The Palais Montcalm is a live concert centre. The place was choked to capacity for a show when I visited it.  Opposite the Palais is the Theatre Capitole de Quebec, a theatre built in 1903. It is under major renovation now.

The rest of the evening was spent walking around enjoying the streets, its liveliness, the street artists and some exceptional food. The Lebanese cold cut pita bread wrap with the veggies and sauces tanked me up but I couldn't resist the dark chocolate dipped vanilla and chocolate ice cream from a specialty store that delivered more than what it promised.

My car was parked near the massive complex of the Augustinian Monastery, a former cloister, which is now a wellness Spa with authentic ‘cell’ atmosphere and regulated diet. The visit to Quebec City will remain evergreen in my memory for a very long time, possibly also because of the wonderful place I got to stay in, Le gite du Vieux Limoilou, and the super host Helene Paulin.