| Some caravans are quite small, even over here. This
wooden panelled example turned up one morning at the Quebec camp site. It
didn't even look long enough to sleep in. We
were a little closer to Quebec but still 10 miles away and on the wrong side
of the St Lawrence River. |  |
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Getting from the campsite involved crossing the river on this bridge.
Another example of the fine steel bridges here. When it was built it was the
longest cantilever bridge in the world. I wonder how often they paint it? |
| There are in fact two bridges adjacent to each other.
The roads to get on and off the bridge are some of the most complex we have
found - nothing so simple as a cloverleaf. It was quite common to find the
traffic jammed up because someone (including us) was in the wrong lane. |  |
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We parked the RV along the riverside which is being nicely landscaped for
the big 400 year celebrations next year. Then we walked into the old port
area with its narrow streets now filled with coffee shops, boutiques and
tourist traps. |
| Wood carvings are much the thing here but the prices
are astronomical. There are better deals to be had in the country areas.
But this woodsman is quite fun. |  |
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The old port includes a castle with a set of cannons. It looks murky because
it was raining!. Here in 1775 they held the Americans at bay when they tried
to capture Quebec from the British. |
| The port square had a bust in the middle of it no
doubt of some French aristocrat who founded or sponsored the founding of
Quebec. That probably makes it Samuel de Champlain.(1570-1635). |  |
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One of the noted features of this area is the murals on the house wall ends.
This is all a trompe l'oeil painting, apart from the few tourists admiring
it under their umbrella. There are no real windows. The people are all
historical figures of importance with little biographies on the information
boards below. |
| There are dozens of art galleries trying to sell some
un-sellable stuff. This is one of the better pieces displayed in a window (I wonder
why it appeals?). |  |
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Canada's early history is based on the fur trade, and there is obviously
still an important market for the real thing here as we saw several furriers. Although it is politically unacceptable
in much of Europe these days, there must still be a demand. We didn't look closely at the
prices - if you need to ask, you can't afford. The shop looked up-market
enough to be doing alright though. |
| Just goes to show you can sell anything if you market
it right. The restaurants are quite expensive - and empty - but that may be
because of the rain. |  |
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Canadian cities do like their art and sculpture. I think this is meant to
represent the bow of a ship with a water feature at its foot. Note the
restaurants behind. |
| This must be one of the largest grain silos we have
ever seen. It did extend almost as far to the right hand side. The grain ships
were tied up behind it out of our view. |  |
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More of the silo, but it is the tug in front which caught our eye: Ocean K Rusby. Kate Rusby is otherwise known as the
'Barnsley nightingale' and is a
very popular young English folk singer we know. |
| Towering on the cliffs above the port is the amazing Chateau Fontenac (of which more tomorrow). |  |
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We wanted to go round the maritime museum but it is not open until mid July
(although it is free). Instead we looked out over the marina. Much like
marinas anywhere really. |
| It was cold, wet and miserable so we found a Quebecois
restaurant (ie not Japanese or Italian) for a local meal. This is a local
ragout (pork and meatball casserole) complete with vegetables, gravy and
coleslaw all on one plate. It would have fed three. My cipaille (mixed meat
pie) was about the same. Very tasty but a meal for a week. |  |
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We found another wall on the way back. Tremendous artistry. Then we went
back to the campsite to dry out. |
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