The Postcard View

Yesterday, we set off in search of the place we had seen on the internet.  We found the postcard view of Quebec City.  It's in old Quebec City.  

The hills are steep from river level up to the old fort and chateau.  I wanted to take the Funicular (see metal tracks in background) up the hill but we decided to walk so we wouldn't miss any sites.  Lots of great little shops, coffee houses and places to eat.  

We walked around for five hours yesterday - up and down hills. There are lots of stairs. In fact, there are 310 stairs up to the Governors Promenade, the walkway along the old Governors home and fort.  The views of the river and village are breathtaking from up there.  The old fort walls still stand.  We followed the walls around and ended back in the village.  

The chateau is enchanting with its towers and arches.  Here's a picture of the view coming out from under and arch.

And views of the chateau..

And some of the views from our walk along the fort walls...

We had lunch at a small French restaurant located in a building from 1677.  Along with all of their awards, their menu out front announced their daily special at approximately $20 for soup, an entree, dessert and a glass of wine or beer.  We started with French onion soup - perfect for a drizzly day.  We went with the chef's special - chicken breast stuffed with duck and rosemary with sides of red cabbage and mashed potatoes.  The sauce over the chicken and the red cabbage had a German flair. Delicious.  By this time, we were stuffed but somehow made room for dessert since it was included.  Eric had chocolate cake with raspberry sauce.  I opted for the intriguing maple syrup pie, one of their specialties --- so glad I did.  It was similar to a pecan pie minus the pecans.  The maple syrup was crusty and crunch on top.  Not overly sticky sweet like I expected because it was balanced by the buttery, flaky crust.  Very good - but in small amounts.

Then, off to the village to walk off the food.

Love the Art Deco theatre tucked between the two older buildings.  The building on the left side of the photo has Quebec Young Men's Christian Association carved over the door.  YMCA...and that's where I leave today...with that song stuck in your head :)