July 4:  Quebec

      Quebec is definitely a place for lovers.  Also families.  We’ve been here twice before - in the winter, once for a romantic weekend getaway, once with the kids.  We enjoyed both trips;  highlights included visiting the museums, tobogganing right on the promenade, and dogsledding.  We never came to Quebec in the summer until this year.

    We spent the US holiday walking around.  The old city consists of two levels, completely encircled by a medieval wall with tourists and gates. 

     The cobblestone streets are narrow, some of the stone buildings date back to the seventeenth century. 

      The newer city sprawls beyond the gates, with all the modern buildings of any large city, but even so, there is a distinctly European flair there too: large parks and gardens dominate, there are fountains, statues, and ornate wrought iron and other ornamental decor dresses up the buildings.  Dan and I explored the winding streets, admired the many, many churches, and took in many little hole-in-the-wall galleries.  We discovered a wonderful little European epicerie  (grocery) and purchased several kinds of cheese, sausage, watermelon, and a baguette and made our way to the Plains of Abraham for a picnic. 

      We indulged in creme glace (ice cream) at the foot of the Chateau Frontenac, on the promenade.  On the way back to the boat, we shopped at the farmers’ market set up right on the shore of the marina basin, stocking our larder with fresh veggies, fish, and what they call fondant, which is a breaded, fried cheese.  (That last sounds weird, but it is very good!) 

     After a a few hours’ rest, we went back into the city for our last night’s dinner at a small bistro in the Old Port.  Dan finally felt comfortable enough with the language to flirt with the waitress.  One of Dan’s favorite pastimes is flirting with waitresses, and I think he has been missing this activity.  We had fabulous entrees, and we split a bottle of wine and a chocolate-hazelnut-mango dessert.   We spent the evening walking off the meal as we meandered back to the boat.  This city lights itself with colored lights, some of which shimmer and shift color like the aurora borealis, and they were all coming on as we got back to the marina.  What a great way to end our time in Quebec!