Wonderful vacation
Wonderful week away. Destination was Quebec City. We went by way of Laval so that Andrew could take a look at the places he'd lived there as a child. Spent one night there, then headed to Quebec City the next day, arriving around noon. Checked into our hotel and headed out in the light rain (on and off all afternoon) to wander around the old city. The rain was a nuisance but didn't slow us down much. We grabbed a quick bite of lunch (poutine!) and went to the Musee des Forts, a light and media show of the history of Quebec City. Looked through the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and into Notre Dame. Then made our way down to the lower city and wandered around there. Found myself a new purse. Had been looking for quite a while, but nothing had met my basic requirements up to this point. (Happy with it so far.) Back up and returned to our hotel around the time that the shops closed. Simple meal at the hotel bar and a quiet evening. Monday was a beautiful day. We did a tour of the Citadelle and got some wonderful views across and up the river. The fall colours on the hills were gorgeous. Past peak, but still lots of yellow, orange and red. Bought a new umbrella with a very pretty poppy pattern. From there, we went to the Plains of Abraham park. No tours at this time of year, so we picked up a park brochure and wandered. Then decided to take advantage of the great weather and drive up to Montmorency Falls. Back to the hotel and found a nearby restaurant for dinner. Tuesday was another wet day. Walked to the Museum of Civilization in the lower city, getting quite wet by the time we arrived. Got tickets for the VR show in the Libraries at Night exhibit - great fun, VR headsets giving tours of 10 libraries around the world. Wandered around the museum for a while, including getting a bite of lunch. Then up the funicular to the old town. Stopped in a medieval store we'd spotted earlier, and I got a cool blouse with accompanying jewelry. Dinner at the very nice restaurant at the hotel, avoiding the need to go out in the rain. Good prime rib. Departed Quebec Wed am, good weather, heading to Saint-Lazare airport, where Andrew met a friend to see his plane, and from there, to Ottawa. Quick dinner at the St. Laurent mall, and another quiet evening. Thursday was another wet day. Took a city bus to Parliament Hill and signed up for a tour. Had a bit of a wait, so Andrew dropped by the COPA offices to say hi (Canadian Owners and Pilots Assoc). Then did the tour. Getting past security was almost as long as the tour itself. Oh well, tour was great. We then got seats in the Visitor's Gallery and watch some debate, some announcements and part of Question Period (ie a lot of pointed or non-questions and a lot of round-about or non-answers). From there, walked to the War Museum and saw an exhibit on WWI aviation. Then a taxi to the Byward Market (my feet were sore and I didn't want to walk that far in the rain). Met friends for dinner and got a lift back to our hotel. Home on Friday, miserable drive in the rain. Stopped at The Big Apple just off the 401. We'd passed it many times but this was our first time stopping. Got a quick lunch and bought a pie to take home. Home in time for dinner.