Quebec!

One thing that I love about Quebec City is that it doesn't overwhelm you (except with its charm). Go ahead and guess its population! Give up? Just a tad over half a million. Bringing that home -- it's twice the size of Madison and exactly the size of Milwaukee. Long time ago, when I was still undecided where to make my home, I wildly considered living in Quebec. More than any other non-European city, it reminds me of... Europe. It's full of history -- a mix of indigenous people's first habitations, through French exploration and settlement, British architectural expansion, and a return to a French quest fro self-determination. Yet it's modest too. Unpretentious. And it's embedded in its landscape. You cannot think of this place without feeling awed by the great river that runs through it, or the forested mountains just to the north and west. You're never far from nature.

(sunrise over the St. Lawrence)

It's going to be a beautiful day here in Quebec Province of Canada.

(when I get up, the sun is shining brightly high up over the river)

I have a very leisurely morning. The young family is catching up on sleep. I'm up earlier. Ready for a hotel breakfast.

(...which is too big, but hey -- whether you eat a croissant, or poached eggs with smoked salmon and a heaping bowl of berries, you're going to pay the same price...)

And then I take a stroll. At this early hour (just after 9), the town feels sleepy still. (I always get the impression that tourists hate mornings). I walk up, all the way up.

It's this unique topography, where the old port is below and the citadel is high up above it all, that gave Quebec City its strategic advantage when it was first settled. 

In modern times, on the clifftops, a boardwalk stretches from the Chateau Frontenac to the Citadel. I walk along its beautiful expanse...

And take in the river views.

There are countless steps going up and of course then countless steps going down. Steps are not easy for me. The muscles around my new knee are not yet conditioned to do the job, so it's always a bit of an effort to navigate inclines, but I surely have the energy for it!

By 11, I head down to meet the young family for a brunch. Or lunch. Call it a midday meal! (At the Buffet de l'Anitquaire.)

(here they come...)

And now for some Quebec tourism: to the port!

(stunning public spaces...)

(happiness is...)

And to the Museum of Civilization, where we check out the energy exhibit, the indigenous settlements displays, and a whole exposition on the life of Quebec's past premier Rene Levesque (he was the first to push for Quebec's independence).

Perhaps the finest moment for the younger kids came when they were set free in the children's play area downstairs. It's magnificent and gives them the freedom to explore without adult supervision. Sandpiper liked everything, including cabinets that he could for once open without restraint.

The museum is just across the street from my hotel and Sparrow really wanted to see my room! 

(on my lovely terrace)

From there we walk up, up, up the city streets. And down the steps. Phew! Surely it's time for an ice cream treat.

It's when we got in line to take the funicular back up the steep hill that Sparrow noticed he was missing his favorite stuffy. The one he cannot live without. The one that accompanies him everywhere. 

The search is on! 

From the boardwalk...

... down again, with Snowdrop returning with me to the hotel to look there, and the dad checking out the ice cream store and the museum, and the mom waiting with the boys for the big denouement: will the little koala, without which life cannot go on, be found??

Lucky break! He is found. In the museum. Tragedy averted. Much relief for everyone!

At this point Snowdrop and her dad rejoin with the rest up the hill, but I opt for a break. I've done my climbing and descending (equally hard!) for the day. I pause for an hour in my room, fortified by a gift from the hotel of the most perfect afternoon treats!

And then I am again at the young family's place, getting ready for my second night with the awesome threesome.

(I challenge Sparrow to a checker game. He's good but very king oriented. Still, with my best efforts to effectuate this, I manage to get us to a draw!)

I search online, trying to find take-out that is something other than pizza but fail miserably. Faced with the possibility of not finding any deliveries within the hour, I default to pizza. It's fine and indeed, my mushroom pie is quite exquisite, but Sandpiper, napless once again, turns up his nose at any piece of any slice.

Does it matter? Not at all. Milk is nutritious! Sandpiper never says no to milk. With that, he crashes, happily falling asleep immediately after. The big two choose a movie once again and once again they are captivated by the big screen as mom and dad return.

I walk back on a beautiful late summer evening. People are out and about and it feels good to feel safe even late(-ish) at night in a city that is kind to its visitors, even those who forget that it's not l'addition s'il vous plait (the check please), but la facture s'il vous plait (the bill please) and those who look puzzled when a cafe au lait (milky coffee) is brought for them in a bowl instead of a cup, to say nothing of those who think diner is dinner and not lunch and who, when handed a menu for dejeuner wonder why it's full of egg dishes because isn't dejeuner lunch? (No, it's breakfast here.)

A splendid day in Quebec City. Truly splendid!