Even prior to our leaving Vancouver, VanRamblings had set aside Monday, August 15th for our sojourn to Québec City. You’ll want to take the Flickr slideshow above to fullscreen mode to truly appreciate the travelogue.
Originally, we’d planned to stay overnight in Québec City, allowing us to roam to our heart’s content, but the ‘real life‘ considerations of which we have written previously played into our decision to make it a somewhat leaner visit than had previously been planned. In point of fact, though, we had an exceptionally good time, managing during our brief stay to take in everything we wanted to see, experiencing Québec City to its fullest.
We arose from an all-too-brief slumber at 5 a.m., made our way to the VIA Rail station by 6:30 a.m., boarding the train. By 7:10 a.m. were peacefully rolling on our way to Québec City for a 10:26 a.m. arrival time. The journey by train was uneventful, and relaxing (we just love train travel).
Upon our arrival and after disembarking from the train, we trudged up a very colline escarpée towards Rue Saint-Jean du Vieux Québec, closed off for pedestrians weekday evenings, weekends and holidays (although there were no vehicles on the rue during our midday visit). The warm, exquisite ambiance of the street allows passers-by to enjoy a unique shopping experience, while the many restaurants operate terraces which serve to showcase the 18th-century historical architectural to good advantage.
While exploring Vieux Québec, we overheard a couple planning a bus tour later in the day. Good idea! Next thing we knew, the Chateau Frontenac lay before our very eyes, and we were beckoned to book passage on an altogether comfy and air-conditioned 20-seat tour bus, as our garrulous driver / narrator Roland regaled us with enchanting tales of Vieux Québec.
During the two-hour tour, alighting at stops along the way, we visited l’Avenue Cartier, le Grande-Allée, La Citadel, le Vieux-Port du Québec, the Plains of Abraham, the Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame, the Quartier Petit Champlain, the Parliament Buildings, le Jardin Saint-Roch, le Fontaine de Tourny, le Parc de l’Artillerie, le Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, and more, many more sites! We were thrilled, and had a great time!
As far as possible, we covered most of what we experienced during our stay in Québec City with our Panasonic Lumix FZ-28, the results of which may be found in the Flickr slideshow at the top of today’s posting.

During our eight day stay in Québec, so as not to disappoint our constant reader, and to get all out of our vacation sojourn that we might, we have packed in as much as possible ‘to do’ during our time in la belle province.
St. Catherine’s Street. Check. Old Montréal. Check. Schwarz’s Deli and Dunn’s Famous. Check, and double-check. Montréal Botanical Gardens (Jardin Botanique de Montréal). Covered that and Saint Denis already.
Basilique Notre-Dame. Well, kind of. Québec City. That’s coming today, with a report tomorrow. Mont Royal? Will ride my Bixi bike there on Tuesday. May, or may not, get to St. Joseph’s Oratory. Between trips on the Métro all over town and getting off at stations to explore various neighbourhoods, 8 – 10 kilometres of walking each day, bus rides galore, and now riding on my Bixi bike all over creation, for what is in reality a relatively brief stay in Québec, we believe we’ve covered a great deal and, overall, feel quite satisfied with what our experience of la belle province.
Sunday was the day we’d set aside for the Hop-On Hop-Off Double Decker Montréal Bus Tour, which would assure us that at least we’d get to most sites on our ‘must-see‘ list while visiting in Montréal. Alas it was not to be. We couldn’t get hold of the office either Saturday or Sunday, nor could we confirm a reservation online. C’est la vie; sometimes these things happen.
Instead, VanRamblings opted to ‘rent’ a Bixi bike (you may want to change the language at the top to English on the website) for a 72-hour period. Bixi is a public bicycle sharing system available in Montréal’s central core. Users rent a bike employing a ‘subscriber key’ obtained from a 24-hour a day touchscreen-operated pay station (employing a credit card): $5 for one day, $12 for three days, $28 per month or $78 annually.
A ‘no extra charge time period‘ covers the first 30 minutes on every individual trip. An unlimited number of such included trips are covered per subscription period. A trip that lasts longer than the ‘no-charge time period’ incurs additional charges, on an increasing price scale: $1.50 for an extra 30 minutes, $3 for 60-90 minutes, and $6 each subsequent 30-minute period (the increasing price scale is intended to keep the bikes in circulation). Given that there are 400+ stations, it doesn’t prove too much of an inconvenience to park your bike at a station, and after two minutes, recharge use of the bike for another 30-minute period at no extra charge.
Onto the travelogue portion of this Monday morning VanRamblings post.

Continue reading Montréal: In Which VanRamblings Travelogues For You →

Saturday was a scorcher all day, with daytime temperatures ranging from 27° C to 32° C, Saturday somewhat more humid than we’d experienced earlier in the week, although a cooling breeze off the St. Lawrence provided some respite from the effects of sun, which beat down relentlessly from early morning through early evening. Still, as 2011 in Vancouver brought about the bummer summer, VanRamblings felt quite alright throughout the day, as we got our first taste of a ‘real hot summer‘, and all that entails.
As in our previous post, we’ll address issues in point form. Here goes …

• PC blues: VanRamblings brought along our 14″ Toshiba laptop so that we might post memories of our visit to Montréal. Wouldn’t you know it, PC ‘glitches’ abounded in our first couple of days: 1) we couldn’t connect to McGill’s computer network, so had to use our iPhone 3G; 2) our video editing software, Windows Live Movie Maker, failed just as we were ready to publish yesterday’s video, and because we hadn’t saved the video, we lost two hours work; 3) the screen orientation on our PC went kablooey; and, 4) our Movable Type blogging software has proved glitchy, troublesome and unresponsive. Problem 1 was resolved by a visit to McGill Tech Support, at 688 Rue Sherbrooke, Room 285, late Friday morning. We’re hoping Problem 2 will be resolved with a download of the latest version of Microsoft’s video editing software. Problem 3 was resolved following a Google search. And Problem 4 may be occurring as a consequence of our rather infrequent posting of late, which has caused us (perhaps) to forget some of the lessons we’ve taught ourself about how MT’s html functions best.

On to VanRamblings’ glorious, hot and perspiring Saturday, after the jump.

Continue reading Montréal: The Weekend Has Arrived, and There’s Lots To Do →

Wending our way into a second full day in Montréal, having had two good night’s rest, we are once again feeling energized and ready to explore the Québécois city where we will reside for the next six days.
Today’s posting will seek to provide cursory impressions gleaned during our first 48 hours in Montréal, glancing observations under the Montréal sun, perhaps not particularly insightful, but not devoid of value, rather a wholly subjective take. Make of what follows what you will. Of course, there may be a bit of the travelogue, words about the Métro and the Jardin Botanique de Montréal, about Dunn’s Famous and Royal Victoria College residence.
So, without further ado, let’s get today’s VanRamblings posting underway, as we tackle Montréal in point form, covering a whole gamut of topics …

• Royal Victoria College Residence: Call us parsimonious if you will, but when travelling and on vacation, VanRamblings has long made arrangements to reside on a university campus in the city of our destination. Royal Victoria College Residence is but one example. Last year, we spent about a week in total at Dalhousie University’s Howe Hall. And, why not? Daily rates are only $45, a comfy bed in a spacious dorm room, wifi at the ready, centrally located, friendly students to serve your every need, professors participating in symposia, and young, energetic and friendly travelling students residing in groups. And, did I mention that there are family rates for family groupings? What’s not to like? Inexpensive, fun, if you’re not Harrison Ford or Brian Mulroney, residing at a university while on vacation is the way to go!

Continue reading Montréal: A Potpurri Posting As VanRamblings Settles In →