Our last morning in Montreal, and it's time to think about moving on - but not before breakfast.
More packing, and then out for a brisk walk to Taverne Gaspar for our second visit:
Two 'Quebecois':
Set up for the day, we strolled back to the hotel, taking one last look at the magnificent Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal:
Our bags were already packed and waiting:
Reception called us a cab and we were whisked away to the Gare Centrale:
Excellent service there - as soon as we walked through the automatic doors we were greeted by a member of staff who enquired about our destination. We were directed to check our cases in (standard procedure on long journeys in Canada) and then to the very comfortable Business Class Lounge:
where we settled down to wait:
for our 12.45 departure:
I had booked the only pair of single seats in the whole car that faced each other, and we were happy bunnies:
OK, one of us was a happy bunny; the other was a slightly-tired-and-relieved-that-all-the planning-had-worked-out-quite-well-so-far-and-been-worth-it bunny:
We said goodbye to Gare Centrale:
and Montreal:
and settled in for the 3+ hour journey - aided by complimentary nuts and drinks:
Lunch. Pasta for Amanda and a chicken leg in mustard sauce with rice and vegetables for me:
I think Amanda got the better deal - by the time I had dispensed with the skin and bones there wasn't an over-abundance of chicken, but I compensated by eating everything else.
These views were fairly typical of the scenery throughout the journey:
With so many flat, open plains and small roads crossing both the plains and the railway track it was standard procedure for the driver to sound the horn as we approached each un-gated crossing, which made for an interesting if not entirely peaceful journey.
At last - Quebec City. Amanda on the platform:
while we waited for the luggage to be off-loaded:
(Although this procedure seemed strange at first it certainly beats the English system of hauling your own cases off, onto and along railway carriages. The Canadian train coaches, though seemingly enormous from the outside, are surprisingly 'cosy' inside, and I had bumped by head at least twice - once getting out of my seat and again in the toilet. I would not have fancied managing our luggage in such a confined space.)
Out, and to the cab rank, from where we were swiftly transferred from the Gare du Palais to our home for the next five nights - the Auberge St Antoine.
A smooth check-in and straight up to our room (403) on the corner of the hotel.
And what was the very first thing that we saw through this small port-hole window as soon as we stepped inside?
The cruise ship Saga Sapphire, which we had last seen docked in Montreal!
Although more compact than our apartment in Montreal our new accommodation offered everything we required:
including a wall-mounted dental floss dispenser:
After a freshen-up, out for a quick walk and orientation.
From almost anywhere in down-town Quebec City, the skyline is dominated by the famous Chateau Frontenac hotel:
On the right, the Funicular, which provides the quickest means of transfer between the two major levels:
With no screws or nails used in their construction, the chairs designed and made by Jean-François Dugal are precisely the type of object for which the quip "if you have to ask the price you can't afford it" was coined. In fact, unless you are a customer M. Dugal seems positively coy about the cost of his pieces, but a little research when I got home indicated that prices in the range USD 6,000 - 15,000 (dependant upon wood choices, etc) were typical - in 2012. Ah well - perhaps in another life...
Back to the hotel, to think about where to go for dinner. After a long and tiring journey, neither of us was keen to travel too far afield, so we opted for the in-house café-bar Artefact.
Many items related to the history of the Auberge are on display throughout the hotel, and in particular in Artefact. Illuminated glass cases, such as the one seen here behind Amanda, display dozens of pieces of glass, stoneware, etc which give some clues to the history of the site.
Food. Linguine for Amanda and (whisper it quietly) the house burger for me:
Well satisfied, we opted for another stroll to continue to orientate ourselves:
The main (corner) entrance to the hotel. Our room is the one with the circular port-hole window; with conventional windows in the two walls abutting the corner we had spectacular views both up and down the St Lawrence River:
The Frontenac is iconic and familiar from any kind of publicity associated with Quebec City, and for good reason. It simply dominates the skyline and is genuinely hard to ignore:
Finally, back to our room. exhausted.
Most acceptable, then, to find that the Auberge provides newly-arrived guests with small chocolate cakes in the shape of maple leaves, and all guests with a nightly full turn-down service. We arrived back to find the curtains drawn, the bed turned down, a CD of smooth jazz playing and one of these:
on the bed.
Not too shabby; not too shabby at all...
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