Quebec - Quebec City

Today is our last day in Quebec City before we head to the Gaspesie Peninsula. Roxy spent the entire day with us yesterday (15 km walking day) so we thought that we'd leave her home to relax while we went to do some exploring.

After our morning walk with Roxy, enjoyed some coffee and chocolate croissants, we got ready and headed back to Upper Old Quebec City. It is a nice walk down to the ramparts surrounding the Upper Old Town. We wandered around the city hall square and checked out a few shops as we went.

We found a shop that carries Pandora and they had the perfect charm for our trip - a red maple leaf. It will be a great memento of our cross Canada trip. It was a bit cool and the occasional drizzle kept the crowds down in Upper Old Town.

Stretching from the foot of the Citadelle to Château Frontenac, Dufferin Terrace offers breathtaking views of Île d’Orléans, the St. Lawrence River, the City of Lévis, and Québec City’s Lower Town, making it a perfect spot for taking photos. The 671-metre-long wooden boardwalk is a popular year-round gathering place.

This first boardwalk—Durham Terrace—was opened in September 1838. The 50-metre-long by 15-metre-wide structure followed the contours of what was once Château Saint-Louis. A wooden railing was installed riverside. The site was an immediate hit, and the dirt surface was soon replaced by planks. It was a place where people gathered, went to be entertained…and came back. So much so that the boardwalk had to be lengthened by 35 metres in 1854. Streetlamps and an iron railing were also added. A favourite of strollers, Durham Terrace was already boosting tourism in Québec. However, twenty years later, Lord Dufferin had even bigger plans.

Dufferin spearheaded the Durham Terrace’s expansion from 85 to 430 metres in length. The iron railing was kept and made to run the length of the boardwalk. Five green-and-white-roofed gazebos went up along the cape, as well as a music gazebo on the city side. Lord Dufferin would lay the first stone before leaving Canada in 1878. The new boardwalk, renamed Dufferin Terrace in his honour, was officially opened on June 28, 1879. It has not changed since.
Parks Canada now manages the historical boardwalk and ensures that it is maintained for years to come.

Once again we began our decent down the "breakneck stairs" into lower Old Town. Time for lunch!

We came across a local spot - Le Lapin Saute, and stopped in for the local french cuisine. It's specialities are rabbit based meals and country comforts. Rick had the Rabbit Cassoulet- $28 (duck confit, rabbit leg, bacon and duck sausage) and I had the Rabbit leg with salad - $23. The meal was fantastic! I have never had rabbit or duck prepared that way before. Simply delicious.

After lunch we headed over to the Place Royale courtyard. Place-Royale is one of the most eloquent witnesses to Québec’s French origins. This lively public square was the city’s commercial

hub until the mid-19th century. Hundreds of thousands of people visit it each year to experience the faithfully recreated atmosphere of New France.
They had an exhibition on in the square that allowed visitors to learn more about Acadian music and its "toe tapping" and "spoon playing". Chairs were lined up and with boards on the ground; they invited visitors to join in the toe tapping and spoon playing session. I jumped in at the spoon playing portion of the demonstration. Very tricky when you add the toe tapping into it. What a blast!

On our way home we headed back up to the Upper Old Town and looped around a few streets we hadn't walked down in the last 2 days. There are a surprising amount of residences in Upper Old town. I just assumed it was businesses, government buildings and other commercial space. The small roadways and parking would create a ton of challenges if you lived inside the walls. However, the

quaintness definitely makes up for it.

Quebec City is a unique city in its architecture, culture and history. It is definitely a place that everyone should visit. We really only touched a small portion of what Quebec City has to offer. I definitely will be back; maybe during the Winter Festival.