Day 2 in Quebec City - in progress

We took a taxi to the city this day, so I wouldn't have to find somewhere to park the car.

First, we went to the Citadel. It is the official residence of Le Royal 22e Regiment (the 22nd Royal Regiment). The guide says the name should always be said in French, that the administrative language is French, but if you want to be an officer you must also learn English. It is really an odd mix of French and British heritage there. The guards (of which we missed the official changing, because of the rain it was cancelled) are dressed according to the British style: Red uniform jacket with white belt, black pants, and a large black, fuzzy, q-tip style hat. Even the stone work of some of the buildings show a mix of French and British construction. According to the guide the buildings with the irregularly shaped and placed stones are of French construction and the uniform blocks are of British construction. There's a pic I took of it that I'll include in the pictures below.



We got the idea to grab a couple of rain ponchos the first night since it began to rain when we were sitting out on a terrace having dinner. Luckily we were covered by an awning. The ponchos look goofy but they beat having to carry umbrellas.


This is part of the display of the regiment's deployment to Afghanistan. I thought the burka was the only thing worth looking at in it. The rest were bombs. And they were all set up under a tent.


The first building you enter on the tour had displays of the regiments involvement with UN peace-keeping missions around the world (of which the tent display was supposed to be a part)






Third from the left in this photo is Theodore Roosevelt. Third from the right is Winston Churchill and second from the right is Eleanor Roosevelt. (I liked this picture because I recently read Franlin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage, which I thoroughly enjoyed.)




The wind and rain had picked up. And the wind kept getting up and under the ponchos inflating them like balloons. It was a good laugh.


The Chateau Frontenac. There is a screen print on the foremost face of the roof because they are replacing it.


Some of the views from the wall of the Citadel




All the cannons were on stands that could be wheeled in arcs so that they had a wider area they could protect.

A few days in Quebec City - Day One 8/1

So a new friend of mine, Isa (short for Isabel) Mengual Luna, who is from Murcia, Spain, and I went to Quebec City for 3 days (8/1-8/3).

At first when we arrived at the Hotel and Suites Monte Cristo, we thought that we had rented a room in some shady hotel. As it turned out the room was spacious, and clean and the beds comfortable (though I still didn't sleep well).

We arrived there not long after 2pm and checked in at the hotel. (Did I say how much I love my TomTom yet? It brought is right to the hotel with no problems.) The receptionist told us how to get to the old part of the city without having to use the TomTom. It was very easy. We had dinner there the first night at a place called Les Frere de la Cote. I had delicious lamb chops for supper that night.

Cheers to arriving safely and to an interesting stay in Quebec.



(sorry it's blurry)

Here are some street scenes









I love the flowers hanging from the windows...


and the winding streets and old architecture.

Around the old part of Quebec City are ruins from what they called the old Artillery. These are the arches and spires and cannons you'll see in these next pictures. And, there is a great view of the city from atop the walls.




Nice picture of Isa




another blurry one


neat shot, even if I do say so myself







You could take a carriage ride or ride on a trolley like conveyance pulled by horses too. The carriage ride was very costly. $80 for a half hour. I would have paid for one the following day, but I didn't want to use the cash I had for that and they didn't take credit cards. Still, someday I would like to take one. I think they could be very romantic with the right person and you get to see more of the city that way. Since it sits up on a steep hill, it is rough on the feet and legs to walk it all. And all around the city you see these big green water fountains. They are for the horses to drink from.

A visit to Rutland, Vermont

The day after my niece's wedding, Natelle, Debbie, Morigan, Karen, Chantelle and I went on a road trip to visit some family members: an aunt, an uncle and a cousin (and her family).

Here are a couple of photos of the day:

Debbie, Morigan, Chantelle, Brock Blanchard (my cousin's son), the little boy's name escapes me just now but he is the son of my cousin's other son Dustin, Natelle, Karen, Aunt Eileen Colarell(my dad's youngest sister), Uncle David Scott (my father's late sister Pat's husband) behind, the little girl is the sister to the little boy (her name escapes me too), my cousin Pam Blanchard, her son Dustin Blanchard (and father of the two kids) behind


All the same, except I'm in this between Natelle and Karen. And, my cousin's husband Jay Blanchard has the little girl on his shoulders.