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We started today in the French way with a croissant which was delicious! We spent the morning wandering the streets of the old town looking in the shops & galleries. It was overcast & very windy which made it very cold. There were a few drops of rain but it didn't bother us. We both bought a few souvenirs & then caught a cab to the Farmers Markets. We weren't sure how far away they were or which direction so a cab seemed the best option. We got out of the cab & I realised I had left my camera behind. I must have put it down when I got my wallet out. We stood on the corner for a few minutes wondering how on earth we could find that cab again when he suddenly pulled up across the road and waved my camera out the window. Thanks, cabbie!!!
The Farmers Markets were only small but full of fresh fruit & veggies. There were heaps of different varieties of apples which were being sold for $3 a basket. I wanted to get some but didn't know if we could take them across the border as we go into the US tomorrow. On reflection, I'm sure we could as we weren't asked if we were carrying fruit when we crossed at Niagara.
We walked back from the markets via a strip that seemed to be antiques alley. It was uphill all the way back.
Poutine seems to be the national dish of Canada. It was invented in Quebec so we decided to taste it when we were here. Poutine is a dish of French fries covered with gravy, then topped with cheese curds. We had googled where to get the best ones & most responses said Chez Ashton which is a fast food chain but they cook to order. The cheese curds are 'squeaky clean' which means they are so fresh they have never been refrigerated and squeak between your teeth. We saw a Chez Ashton from the bus yesterday so headed there for lunch today. I didn't think Poutine had much flavour. I have now tried them & don't need to have them again.
After lunch we walked up to the Notre Dame cathedral. It was nice to go in out of the freezing wind. It was very ornate inside. Full of gold statues. It wasn't as attractive as the Notre Dame cathedral in Ottawa that I stuck my head in briefly. But, this one celebrated it's 350th anniversary this year by building a holy door. This door will remain open for a year but then will be closed and sealed until 2025. We had a look at the door which had Jesus carved into the front, with a protruding hand you used to open the door. The inside of the door had a carving of Mary. When you walked through the door you ended up in a small vestibule with an altar & candles.
Later in the afternoon we headed back to the hotel to warm up for a bit. I ventured out briefly again to go back to Place Royale which was much less crowded than yesterday. There are lots of street musicians around this old town which is really nice. We have seen the same people but they pop up in different locations. There has been a female opera singer, a sax player, a man playing keyboard, a harpist, a violinist who also plays the wooden spoons & a guitar player. It is nice to have live music as you are walking around.
Tonight we walked up the road to an Italian/French restaurant. Our waiter told us he would make us some cocktails during a special mix of grand mariner & maple syrup. He put one on the table & then knocked the other with his arm. It broke and spilt all over the table and floor. We got moved to the next table very quickly & eventually he came back with another cocktail. We ordered our meals but he came back 5mins later as he had forgotten what we ordered. This time he wrote it down. There was another man delivering the meals to the tables. When ours came, Robyn was given a veal dish instead of the rack of lamb she had ordered. She said she would eat the veal instead. He went away to check if he had been given the wrong plates but never came back. In the meantime our waiter had gone back to the table next to us and that man said Rob ordered rack of lamb but got the wrong meal. They had watched the whole drink episode unfold. Eventually Rob got the ok to eat the veal. The cocktail was nice so we ordered another round. The waiter said he would only charge us for 3 because of the stuff ups. It was a bit of a weird night but the food was very nice.
We are going to New Hampshire tomorrow. It will be about a 4.5hr drive. The forecast is for a cool day both in Quebec and in Whitefield.
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