It was a very long day on Saturday, with connecting flights from Victoria to Toronto to Quebec. We didn't arrive into the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac until well after midnight. Thankfully we had a driver waiting at the airport to transport us to our hotel. Our tour the following day didn't commence until 10.30am so we could have a sleep-in, or so we thought. The previous occupiers of our hotel room had thoughtlessly left the alarm clock set for 6am so we were very rudely awakened much earlier than we anticipated. Le Chateau Frontenac, that was built around 1892 is a beautiful hotel and the rooms, although small, are very charming.
Breakfast was included with our room so we headed down to the restaurant for a delicious buffet breakfast that well and truly satisfied our appetite. From the hotel, it is only a 10 minute walk to where our bus awaits. The tour our travel agent has chosen for us is a 5 hour "Countryside Tour". As we head out of Quebec City our driver/guide keeps us entertained with his sense of humour. We cross from the mainland to the island of d'orleans and make a stop at the village of Sainte Pétronille. On our way to the village we pass through acres and acres of strawberry fields and then through a tree lined avenue.
When we arrive at the village and disembark our bus we head down to the waterfront so that I can take a few photos. I love the way people in the village are not worried about showing off their smalls....
Our next stop as at the very impressive Montmorency Falls that are a towering 84 metres high - higher than Niagara Falls - and are the tallest falls in Quebec. We grab a quick bite to eat as it is almost lunch and there is not a dedicated lunch stop.
Quite a few times over the years on various tours our drivers have made unscheduled stops at places where I am sure they get commission from sales. Today was no different with a stop at a family based copper embossing factory. We are given a talk by one of the family members with a demonstration of how the feather light sheets of copper are embossed. You do get the impression that you are meant to purchase something from the extensive range of copper pieces, but we declined.
Our journey continued to Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré, a village that dates back to 1650 and home to the magnificent basilica that houses the Statue of St. Anne that is believed to heal those that have trouble walking and two of the columns inside the church are covered with crutches and canes that people have thrown away.....
After the Basilica we continue our journey through country roads passing many very old buildings but the biggest surprise for us is seeing the "Adams Family" home. How amazing is that!
We noticed a group of people out and about in their mobility cars and they had music blaring. They were having a ball!
Around 3.30pm we ended the tour and we were back in Quebec City. We had dinner reservations for 5.30 at the famous Lé Continental restaurant so we didn't spend any time in downtown Quebec. Instead we decided to take a long walk after our dinner as it doesn't get dark until well after 9pm.
Dinner was quite the spectacle and very delicious. Most of the food is prepared right in front of you and they specialise in Flambé. It really is quite amazing to see all of these giant flames leaping up all around the restaurant. We ordered Caesar Salad for entree and the Duck a l'orange for our main. Both dishes are for two people. The Caesar was one of the best I have ever eaten and the chef/waiter explained what ingredients he was adding to the dish so that we could copy this when we get home. He prepared a mayonnaise first using egg yolk, dijon mustard, oil (not olive), tabasco, Worcestershire sauce then added anchovies, bacon, parmesan and lastly the lettuce leaves. Every single leaf was coated in this wonderful dressing.
Next course was the Duck a l'orange. The whole duck is cooked in the kitchen and the waiter then dissects it and places it in the flambé pan along with stock and orange juice. It simmers for around 10 minutes that leaves the duck very tender. The last ingredient is the Grand Mariner that is ignited to flambé the dish.
We left the restaurant around 8.30 and headed to the boardwalk in front of our hotel. After walking to the end of the boardwalk we came across a very large staircase leading high up towards the town wall that we decided to follow. It was a very long walk up a lot more stairs but it was terrific to be able to walk off the dinner.
We have loved our time in Quebec and just wish we had more time to explore the beautiful old city but time is not our side unfortunately.
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