Road tripping

The Concorde

 

the lobby

OFTEN we have to go beyond our comfort zones to seek adventure.  One of my dis comfort zones is public places.  The people that know me think I'm this outgoing extravert that thrives on attention.  It's an easy assumption to make. 

Looking down the St Lawrence

After all I began a motorcycle training program, a business, changed careers a number of times, stood in front of a room with 2000 souls waiting to hear something inspiring from these lips... nothing could be further from the truth.  I'm in reality, probably as shy as anyone you know.  All of those things took stepping beyond the borders of my comfort zone.  That's possibly why I took up motorcycling in the first place.  I could be on my own and push my envelope yet have the comfort that being in control of at least my tiny little environment offered.

So... here we are in Quebec city, one of the great European cities, but wait... its in Canada.  I'm not talking about modern QC... I'm talking about hundreds of years old behind the wall, Wolfe and Montcalm, Plains of Abraham Quebec City.  This is where Canada's future took a major shift in history. 

Not Wolfe. not Montcalm, but St Joan

One of five gates

We're here on a road trip from PEI, on our way to Ottawa as a family and from where I will continue to Calgary for a visit with my girls and their spouses and a new born grandson.  My first.

Oldest house in the city.

 

For now we have a day and a half to explore old Quebec.  Our hotel is right on the fringe of the plains and just outside our door literally, the English surprised the|French by climbing the cliffs.  After being held at bay many times, the French defenders were overcome.  Even though both generals died as a result of the fighting, the French defeat insured that Canada became English.  September 13, 1759...

Quebec parliament

Since then the province of Quebec has fought hard to maintain it's individuality in the country and if this was any indication, has been enormously successful.

The plains of Abraham

My lunch

TODAY the city thrives on the tourist business, over 4.5 million visitors come a year to this piece of France in North America.  There are restaurants galore, t shirt vendors, boutique shopping, old hotels, new hotels, iconic views of the St Lawrence river and so much more.

Quiet residential street below the Citadel.

We took a small guided  tour and saw the sights so to speak, took a bunch of photos and once again, had some adventure outside the box. 

La Pizz good eatery in the central square.

This was my first visit to the old city and if you have always wanted to head across the pond to the continent but for some reason have not... why not give QC a whirl?  You might find what you want here in Canada.

 

 

 

Self explanatory!