Quebec City

Part II - Quebec City

We spent the final two days of our trip in Quebec City which is about 3 hours downriver (Northeast) of Montreal.  It's famous for it's historic district which still has a whole section of buildings from the 1600's.  Though touristy, it was beautiful and fascinating!

Amazingly, the old city center still has it's defensive stone wall that was built around it during the colonial era.  Above is one of the gates through the wall.

Above is the AirBnB unit we got in the historic section.  The gray building in the middle. We actually had both the entire upper floors you can see, plus another attic bedroom above that which you can't see in this photo.  It was an enormous space!  And in a great location.

The Chateau Frontenac which is an enormous historic hotel overlooking the river downtown.

The historic district really did feel like being in an old European city, with its old stone buildings and narrow winding streets.  It was even overrun by tourists the same way too!

Another view of the Chateau Frontenac hotel.

An army band still wearing the traditional "Beefeater" historic british uniforms.

We took the short ferry across the river and back just for the views.  Again that's the Chateau Frontenac dominating the scene in the middle.

This incredible old stone church, complete with crumbling gravestones in the yard, was directly across the street from our AirBnB (which would be on the right, just past the people walking on the sidewalk.)

Various scenes trying to show how huge the unit was.  These pics are all from the main floor (the 2nd story of the building).  Above was the 3rd floor with two large bedrooms, and then the attic bedroom above that.

 

Montreal

We went to Montreal and Quebec City!

First, Montreal:

Where we stayed.  Our AirBnB was the main floor unit in the middle of this incredible old stone rowhouse. The one with the red banisters.  There were so many of these beautiful old rowhouses in Montreal.

Just some examples of the old, very European-feeling buildings and streets.

These two photos are of the funky, modern architecture that is mixed into the city as well.

The building below is the famous "Habitat 67"  which was built in 1967 as part of the Montreal Expo.

Those squares mixed throughout the building that look like you can see blue sky through them?  Well, you can!  They're empty spaces between the "blocks" that make up the structure.

Becky in the Old Montreal historic district down by the river.

The oldest buildings around date from the 1600's.

Montreal is French for "Mount Royal" which is the name of the low "mountain" that backs right up against the north side of downtown.  (Analogous to one of the tall "Hills" of Seattle.)

We rode a city bus to the top, which is a vast park, and did the short hike out to this famous lookout over the city.