Following our mixology class yesterday afternoon and a good dollop of ‘Clear Eyes’ (eye drops) to clear away the redness that had accumulated between finishing the class and going to the Commodores cocktails, it was with a great deal of effort and no afternoon kip (!!) I pulled myself out of the deep bath and dressed for dinner and cocktails.
The evening was not one of the most exciting that we have had on board as we were both a bit jet lagged from our afternoons drinking topped up with champagne (which we still had as a gift from the outlaws and the other half of a bottle of wine from the previous night’s dinner) I recall dragging hubby to H Stern (the jewelers on board) and together we admired some very nice tennis bracelets. Fortunately for us both, the shop was actually in the process of closing and although the lady behind the counter was more than willing to stay behind and serve, sanity prevailed and we promised be back the next day for a second opinion. This morning it was a relief to realize that the credit card hadn’t taken a hammering and that I still had some license to spend once we hit the shops at our next port of call.
This morning, like a big excited kid, hubby woke me up to announce that we were nearly in Quebec. (pronounced ka-bec and not Quebec as in Queen - another little fact given to us by Ray the cruise director on this mornings breakfast show). Anyway, I was very bleary eyed this morning due to the fact that I had woken during the night not being able to get back to sleep and sat on the balcony watching the rain coming down. Having made my way back to bed a couple of hours later and then being woken by hubby after what felt like a very short time, I did ask the time to which he responded 8 a.m. He realized the error of his ways when looking at the ships log I actually understood it to be 6 a.m. and I could have quite easily had another couple of hours shut eye. Anyway, 6 cups of very strong coffee later and a nice shower, I had elicited a promise from hubby to give me free reign in the shops in order to make up for my very early [uncalled for] alarm call and feeling quite human, hubby and I proceeded to the disembarkation lounge.
Today has been overcast and grey all day with a light smattering of rain but it did not deter, we packed light rainproofs and good walking shoes and we set off to enjoy Quebec.
Our first view of Quebec was actually from Deck 12 as we took a lift up there to get a birds eye view from the ship before setting off ashore and the view was pretty stunning. Quebec is very hilly and Chateau Frontenac dominates the sky-line.
Another little bit of excitement for us. As we came down in the lift to Deck 2 to disembark an announcement was made over the tannoy something along the lines of “Assessment Party; Anchor room……” not understanding what this was about we disembarked and as we were walking along the starboard side of the ship we noticed quite a bit of smoke coming out of one of the holes to the front of the ship. It was enough to excite some staff who were working alongside the the ship who ‘sprinted’ back on board obviously to gauge what was going on. This wasn’t the sort of smoke that could be attributed to burning the toast and was in fact quite toxic to smell, almost like the smell that plastic makes when it burns. We have yet to ascertain what actually happened but I’m going to bribe one of the staff later on tonight at dinner, ‘either tell all or I make up my own version’ perhaps I will have something to tell you later……
Anyway, we walked along the street and found the entrance to the funicular railway, which fortunately for us took us directly up the [very steep] hill and saved my legs some grief later. It’s only US$2 per person (single) but worth every single cent. By the way in Canada the US Dollar is widely accepted and quite often you will get US$ back although there may be a couple of “loons” (CDN$) in your change. Fortunately for us the weather was cool today. I could not imagine walking around Quebec in anything warmer than 20 degrees. If you do ever come to Quebec be prepared to do a lot of walking and bring sensible walking shoes, this is the one place where functionality overcomes style and you won’t regret it.
We walked, took photos, more walking, more photos. Every turn, every corner there are beautiful buildings and more beautiful buildings. Quebec really is one of the most stunning and beautiful places I have ever been to. We walked for miles today. All the way up the Grande Allee which is a long road (all of it uphill) just full of restaurants and bars, all with seating outside. We stopped for some Poutine – this was a recommendation by a colleague of hubby’s who hails from Quebec and we were not disappointed.
Poutine I suspect is the equivalent of the British Fish and Chips the or the American Hot Dog. It is a dish of chips (fries) covered in gravy with cheese curd..I had this plus peas and diced chicken. Poutine has to be the best hangover cure going, it was moreish and delicious and thank God I followed the restaurateurs recommendation and went for a ‘mini’ portion and not the ‘regular’ portion. I finished mine all up but hubby failed miserably as he had actually made it to breakfast (in order to give me some space to recover from my early morning call – wise move darling!).
After eating all that, the only thing to stop us both from falling asleep where we sat was to walk and walk some more. We headed for the highest point in Quebec which is the Citadel. It’s huge, breathtaking and provides some of the most stunning views of Quebec as you really are at the highest point. The camera was on fire as we took photo after photo, every turn was another photo opportunity and I can’t wait to download them all later and revisit some of these places. We decided to walk around the ramparts of the Citadel which is a lovely walk and then came across the Governors Promenade totally missing the sign telling us that due to some renovation work the exit at the end was blocked off. The Governors Promenade is another stunning walk alongside the hill leading DOWN alongside the Citadel with stunning views of the St. Lawrence river. It is a beautifully maintained board walk with a lot of steps (for anyone considering this walk). Having reached the very end and having descended almost all the way back down the hill and hitting the blocked off exit, we about turned and proceeded back UP the hill. Our decision not to hit the gym this morning was indeed a blessing in disguise.
After reaching the summit again and taking big gulps of oxygen we then walked all the way round the citadel taking even more photographs, including great pictures of the Queen Mary from up high and Chateau Frontenac (which we were standing over – that’s how high up we were). From thereon in it was downhill all the way.
We decided to get the Funicular railway down to the main street (du Petit-Champlain). There are plenty of shops “up town” but the prettiest, most appealing, beautiful boutique type shops are on the street where you exit the funicular railway. These shops sell everything from wood carvings, glass, some gorgeous clothes (alas too warm for us as we hail from Bermuda) and of course the touristy type shops for the essential souvenirs. We loved the little cook shop there which sells absolutely everything for the essential cook (Pot en Ciel) and hubby was in heaven. We purchased (get this….) a salt and pepper pot – perfect for the humid conditions in Bermuda and some Le Creuset stirrers. It was nice to see hubby looking so happy (a happy cook equals a happy partner). So, a salt and pepper pot and a couple of stirrers are our reminder of a great day in Quebec.
I also tasted some maple syrup taffy. I believe that this is a mixture of maple syrup and water, wrapped around a stick and placed on ice till it solidifies. It is very very sweet (which goes without saying really) and is tasty, but I was only able to eat half before I had to dispose of the other half as it really is very sickly but a “must try” if you’re in Quebec.
Also along du Petit-Champlain, if you walk all the way to the end (which isn’t that far actually) there is a shop called “Lush”, a lot of you will know of this shop which can actually be smelt before you see it. It’s a shop that sells bath bombs, soaps and lotions. I actually purchased a couple of bath bombs (one to aid sleep and the other to aid aching limbs!)
Actually the point of this is that at the side of the shop is a huge mural which is absolutely fascinating. It covers the entire side of the house and actually depicts the rooms of the house (as seen through the bricks). We sat for a long time taking this in as each time you looked something new was to be seen, a raccoon, a cat climbing the wall, a cannon ball embedded in a wall, a wife beating her drunken hubby with a rolling pin. Take a look for yourself!
Having lasted just 6 hours of solid walking and with aching limbs we headed back for the ship. The ship was surrounded by tourists all taking photos as it was easy to get very close up to the ship with unobstructed views so was a great draw for those that haven’t seen her before. As we walked up the gangplank I felt like turning around and giving a royal wave and felt very proud to be a guest on board as the visitors looked on enviously – I’m sure they were itching to get on board and take a look around for themselves, indeed it was a great marketing pitch for Cunard just having her sit there on the dockside, I’m sure many would have been inspired to book a future cruise just by gazing at her from the sidelines.
I don’t suppose you will be too shocked to learn that having made it back to the cabin we headed straight for our [very comfortable] bed and I think we were both asleep in minutes.
We were woken up a couple of hours later by a phone call from hubby’s dad – who having had a kidney removed today was actually coherent enough to spend a good deal of time chatting with us on the phone. He is in a lot of pain but has a self dispensing morphine drip, I think the morphine may have affected him quite a bit as we had a lovely conversation without hint of sarcasm or put down – I’m sure the effect won’t last that long so I will milk it for all it’s worth while he is “under the influence” as I’m sure it won’t be long before we are back to bantering and put downs (believe it or not we have a very good relationship). In fact I would also go as far as to say I hope the old bugger is well enough to make it out to Bermuda in the not too distant future. I might even make a point of being nice to him when I first wake up/pre-coffee. My MIL is staying in a hotel just around the corner from the hospital (St. Barts) and is a constant at his side. Barbara, you too may want to elicit some promises of jewellery/trips on the QM2 or a spa day or two here and then before the morphine effect wears off!
Well, I am now going to enjoy a long glass of vodka and tonic, download this blog and attempt to download some photos of a fantastic day. Today was our last port day *sob* but we still have two full days at sea – one of which will include a facial for myself (while hubby enjoys some “me” time) and a round of golf on the simulator at the top of the ship.
I will be back……………………
The evening was not one of the most exciting that we have had on board as we were both a bit jet lagged from our afternoons drinking topped up with champagne (which we still had as a gift from the outlaws and the other half of a bottle of wine from the previous night’s dinner) I recall dragging hubby to H Stern (the jewelers on board) and together we admired some very nice tennis bracelets. Fortunately for us both, the shop was actually in the process of closing and although the lady behind the counter was more than willing to stay behind and serve, sanity prevailed and we promised be back the next day for a second opinion. This morning it was a relief to realize that the credit card hadn’t taken a hammering and that I still had some license to spend once we hit the shops at our next port of call.
This morning, like a big excited kid, hubby woke me up to announce that we were nearly in Quebec. (pronounced ka-bec and not Quebec as in Queen - another little fact given to us by Ray the cruise director on this mornings breakfast show). Anyway, I was very bleary eyed this morning due to the fact that I had woken during the night not being able to get back to sleep and sat on the balcony watching the rain coming down. Having made my way back to bed a couple of hours later and then being woken by hubby after what felt like a very short time, I did ask the time to which he responded 8 a.m. He realized the error of his ways when looking at the ships log I actually understood it to be 6 a.m. and I could have quite easily had another couple of hours shut eye. Anyway, 6 cups of very strong coffee later and a nice shower, I had elicited a promise from hubby to give me free reign in the shops in order to make up for my very early [uncalled for] alarm call and feeling quite human, hubby and I proceeded to the disembarkation lounge.
Today has been overcast and grey all day with a light smattering of rain but it did not deter, we packed light rainproofs and good walking shoes and we set off to enjoy Quebec.
Our first view of Quebec was actually from Deck 12 as we took a lift up there to get a birds eye view from the ship before setting off ashore and the view was pretty stunning. Quebec is very hilly and Chateau Frontenac dominates the sky-line.
Another little bit of excitement for us. As we came down in the lift to Deck 2 to disembark an announcement was made over the tannoy something along the lines of “Assessment Party; Anchor room……” not understanding what this was about we disembarked and as we were walking along the starboard side of the ship we noticed quite a bit of smoke coming out of one of the holes to the front of the ship. It was enough to excite some staff who were working alongside the the ship who ‘sprinted’ back on board obviously to gauge what was going on. This wasn’t the sort of smoke that could be attributed to burning the toast and was in fact quite toxic to smell, almost like the smell that plastic makes when it burns. We have yet to ascertain what actually happened but I’m going to bribe one of the staff later on tonight at dinner, ‘either tell all or I make up my own version’ perhaps I will have something to tell you later……
Anyway, we walked along the street and found the entrance to the funicular railway, which fortunately for us took us directly up the [very steep] hill and saved my legs some grief later. It’s only US$2 per person (single) but worth every single cent. By the way in Canada the US Dollar is widely accepted and quite often you will get US$ back although there may be a couple of “loons” (CDN$) in your change. Fortunately for us the weather was cool today. I could not imagine walking around Quebec in anything warmer than 20 degrees. If you do ever come to Quebec be prepared to do a lot of walking and bring sensible walking shoes, this is the one place where functionality overcomes style and you won’t regret it.
We walked, took photos, more walking, more photos. Every turn, every corner there are beautiful buildings and more beautiful buildings. Quebec really is one of the most stunning and beautiful places I have ever been to. We walked for miles today. All the way up the Grande Allee which is a long road (all of it uphill) just full of restaurants and bars, all with seating outside. We stopped for some Poutine – this was a recommendation by a colleague of hubby’s who hails from Quebec and we were not disappointed.
Poutine I suspect is the equivalent of the British Fish and Chips the or the American Hot Dog. It is a dish of chips (fries) covered in gravy with cheese curd..I had this plus peas and diced chicken. Poutine has to be the best hangover cure going, it was moreish and delicious and thank God I followed the restaurateurs recommendation and went for a ‘mini’ portion and not the ‘regular’ portion. I finished mine all up but hubby failed miserably as he had actually made it to breakfast (in order to give me some space to recover from my early morning call – wise move darling!).
After eating all that, the only thing to stop us both from falling asleep where we sat was to walk and walk some more. We headed for the highest point in Quebec which is the Citadel. It’s huge, breathtaking and provides some of the most stunning views of Quebec as you really are at the highest point. The camera was on fire as we took photo after photo, every turn was another photo opportunity and I can’t wait to download them all later and revisit some of these places. We decided to walk around the ramparts of the Citadel which is a lovely walk and then came across the Governors Promenade totally missing the sign telling us that due to some renovation work the exit at the end was blocked off. The Governors Promenade is another stunning walk alongside the hill leading DOWN alongside the Citadel with stunning views of the St. Lawrence river. It is a beautifully maintained board walk with a lot of steps (for anyone considering this walk). Having reached the very end and having descended almost all the way back down the hill and hitting the blocked off exit, we about turned and proceeded back UP the hill. Our decision not to hit the gym this morning was indeed a blessing in disguise.
After reaching the summit again and taking big gulps of oxygen we then walked all the way round the citadel taking even more photographs, including great pictures of the Queen Mary from up high and Chateau Frontenac (which we were standing over – that’s how high up we were). From thereon in it was downhill all the way.
We decided to get the Funicular railway down to the main street (du Petit-Champlain). There are plenty of shops “up town” but the prettiest, most appealing, beautiful boutique type shops are on the street where you exit the funicular railway. These shops sell everything from wood carvings, glass, some gorgeous clothes (alas too warm for us as we hail from Bermuda) and of course the touristy type shops for the essential souvenirs. We loved the little cook shop there which sells absolutely everything for the essential cook (Pot en Ciel) and hubby was in heaven. We purchased (get this….) a salt and pepper pot – perfect for the humid conditions in Bermuda and some Le Creuset stirrers. It was nice to see hubby looking so happy (a happy cook equals a happy partner). So, a salt and pepper pot and a couple of stirrers are our reminder of a great day in Quebec.
I also tasted some maple syrup taffy. I believe that this is a mixture of maple syrup and water, wrapped around a stick and placed on ice till it solidifies. It is very very sweet (which goes without saying really) and is tasty, but I was only able to eat half before I had to dispose of the other half as it really is very sickly but a “must try” if you’re in Quebec.
Also along du Petit-Champlain, if you walk all the way to the end (which isn’t that far actually) there is a shop called “Lush”, a lot of you will know of this shop which can actually be smelt before you see it. It’s a shop that sells bath bombs, soaps and lotions. I actually purchased a couple of bath bombs (one to aid sleep and the other to aid aching limbs!)
Actually the point of this is that at the side of the shop is a huge mural which is absolutely fascinating. It covers the entire side of the house and actually depicts the rooms of the house (as seen through the bricks). We sat for a long time taking this in as each time you looked something new was to be seen, a raccoon, a cat climbing the wall, a cannon ball embedded in a wall, a wife beating her drunken hubby with a rolling pin. Take a look for yourself!
Having lasted just 6 hours of solid walking and with aching limbs we headed back for the ship. The ship was surrounded by tourists all taking photos as it was easy to get very close up to the ship with unobstructed views so was a great draw for those that haven’t seen her before. As we walked up the gangplank I felt like turning around and giving a royal wave and felt very proud to be a guest on board as the visitors looked on enviously – I’m sure they were itching to get on board and take a look around for themselves, indeed it was a great marketing pitch for Cunard just having her sit there on the dockside, I’m sure many would have been inspired to book a future cruise just by gazing at her from the sidelines.
I don’t suppose you will be too shocked to learn that having made it back to the cabin we headed straight for our [very comfortable] bed and I think we were both asleep in minutes.
We were woken up a couple of hours later by a phone call from hubby’s dad – who having had a kidney removed today was actually coherent enough to spend a good deal of time chatting with us on the phone. He is in a lot of pain but has a self dispensing morphine drip, I think the morphine may have affected him quite a bit as we had a lovely conversation without hint of sarcasm or put down – I’m sure the effect won’t last that long so I will milk it for all it’s worth while he is “under the influence” as I’m sure it won’t be long before we are back to bantering and put downs (believe it or not we have a very good relationship). In fact I would also go as far as to say I hope the old bugger is well enough to make it out to Bermuda in the not too distant future. I might even make a point of being nice to him when I first wake up/pre-coffee. My MIL is staying in a hotel just around the corner from the hospital (St. Barts) and is a constant at his side. Barbara, you too may want to elicit some promises of jewellery/trips on the QM2 or a spa day or two here and then before the morphine effect wears off!
Well, I am now going to enjoy a long glass of vodka and tonic, download this blog and attempt to download some photos of a fantastic day. Today was our last port day *sob* but we still have two full days at sea – one of which will include a facial for myself (while hubby enjoys some “me” time) and a round of golf on the simulator at the top of the ship.
I will be back……………………
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