Quebec City and Ottawa

We said good-bye to Montreal much too soon and were on our way to Quebec at 8am. The morning was a pretty drive along the St. Lawrence river. We stopped at a Copper art museum and specialty shop which was very interesting. Then we stopped at Montmorency Falls cascading down 100 feet. We never tire of waterfalls. This one is really spectacular and 30 meters higher than Niagara!

The top of Montmorency Falls.

Quick stop on way to Quebec to see house “The Adam’s Family” was filmed in! Fun!

From here we headed to the City where we checked into our hotel. That night we had a wonderful meal at L’entrecote Saint-Jean restaurant. It was a delightful restaurant and the food was delicious- my favorite meal of the trip. The next morning we got up at  8am and had a 2 hour tour of Quebec. It was a wonderful overview of the City. We had the whole afternoon to explore the City on our own which was really fun.

Beautiful view of Chateau Frontinic and the Fall Colors!

A huge mural painted in the center of old town. Feels like you can walk right into the street and meet the people there.

“Fresque des Québécois
Visitors to Old Québec’s Place-Royale can’t miss the immense Fresque des Québécois on Côte de la Montagne. This mural recounts the story of Québec City, weaving in visual allusions to its unique architecture and fortifications, and its larger-than-life personalities. Look closely at the building’s windows: you’ll see some 15 historic figures and nearly a dozen of Québec’s leading writers and artists. It’s truly a breathtaking work!”

Quebec gearing up for Halloween!

Delicious mussels in Quebec.

Love all the views of this gorgeous Chateau that is seen all over the City as you walk through it.

We left Quebec City after 2 wonderful days of walking and exploring. This City makes one feel as if you are in Europe. This was my second time here and won’t be my last I hope. We arose early to travel to Ottawa. It was another long ride on the bus. We arrived in Ottawa at 3pm and had a wonderful tour of this beautiful City.

Our lovely guide who gave us a tour of the city – dressed in 1800’s attire.

The Parliament building- Most important building in City.

There was a huge rib and Bar-b-Que cook off we enjoyed for dinner – blocks of Bar-b-Que and lots of people- great fun.

Police marching in memorial celebration of all fallen officers everywhere in the world

The first thing Sunday morning we were up and out the door to see the parade and memorial service for all police officers throughout the world. It was very impressive – the parade was huge with thousands of police officers marching in uniform with bands, bagpipes and much pomp and circumstance. We were there for 3 hours! With the parliament as the backdrop it was really impressive and a true tribute to those in service to protect and care for the people.

Hundreds of motorcycle officers led the parade then lined up with lights flashing.

After the memorial we spent an hour on bikes and rode all along the Canal Rideua which winds through the city. “Built during a time when Canada feared a potential attack from the United States, the Rideau Canal has become a defining landmark in Ottawa. The 202-kilometre (126-mile) canal, which travels south to Lake Ontario, first opened in 1832. Its 47 locks and interconnectedness with lakes and rivers is a true engineering marvel, leading to its designation as a National Historic Site of Canada and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Parks and trails line the Canal as its travels through Ottawa, perfect for a scenic picnic and bike ride.From May to early October the Canal becomes a popular spot for cruises, canoes, and kayaks. And during the winter it turns into the Rideau Canal Skateway, the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink.”

We then walked to the farmers market and saw some other sites along the way. We waited in line for 2 hours to see the inside of the parliament building and the beautiful library and rotunda. We were back at the hotel by 5pm- in time to make it to our final farewell dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant.

Biking along the canal

View of Parliament and the brilliant Fall colors

The canal freezes in winter and people ice skate here!!

Tons of garlic in the Farmer’s Market- Had a great sandwich here.

The impressive library in the Parliament building. For more information about this famous library go to http://www.parliamenthill.gc.ca/

This was a great day in Ottawa- I really loved this City. It was so clean and fun to explore. The people were really nice and I was sad we did not have more time there.

Our last day we boarded the bus once again and headed back to Toronto to catch our plane home. We had two stops along the way. First stop was one of the many locks along the Rideau Canal. This was an interesting and , also gorgeous spot along this canal which is a world heritage site.

Picture of home along the canal.

The lock in action.

Last stop- The Big Apple- a fun place for lunch and incredible apple pie!

Thank you Trafalgar, Peter our guide, and Ron the most amazing driver ever for a great trip!