Chateau Frontenac...

Tuesday, October 20. Now 6C high today 13C. Sunny.

The best sleep since leaving home. Fully rested, both of us.

Today we ubered to Chateau Frontenac and all that goes with being in that area. We were last here with good friends Ian and Judy many years ago when we stayed in the shadow of that lofty Chateau and left from on a cruise, down the St. Lawrence and into the much friendlier USA, to New York.

Our time there today turned out much better than I expected, we Ubered to Chateau Frontenac which took mere minutes. The Dufferin Terrace as it is called is a 60 foot wide by 1400 foot long terrace in front of the lofty Chateau is in itself a wood worker's dream and in the brilliant morning sky was especially pleasant, no wind. We lingered there for some time and decided to get down to the streets below.

 

We took the Funicular down and strolled the interesting shops down there. We purchased our one and only gift for people at home: Great Grandson Miles of course! And a size too large for him to grow into.

I was shortly drawn into a wood carver's shop with a Gent inside carving. There we bought our one and only souvenir of the trip, a xmas ornament carved and painted by the two in the shop today, who then dated it for us, next we walked the two million steps up to Dufferin Terrace, had a  coffee and bought lunch and dinner and then Ubered it back to the Hilton. Pleased to say we made it back without having to use a Loo: Quite proud of that fact, not too bad for a soon to be 91 year old me thinks!

We have had many conversations with complete strangers, all have been a pleasant experience. Today for example we were approached by an Asian who did not speak a single word of English but he knew we were canadian, perhaps by the tiny gold maple leaf on my lapel given to me by my aunt Isabel when I went to Europe in 1960. Eventually I made out he was from South Korea. He wanted to thank Canada, through me, for saving his country from occupation when in 1951 The North Koreans pushed right down to Busan at the bottom of South Korea. Obviously he had some terrible personal experiences at the time. When  in  the Militia there were two sergeants I knew that served in that conflict in the PPCLI and often talked about it. It was never called a war, only a conflict!

Eating in the room tonight after I found out breakfast was not included in the Room Rate [breakfast cost $90.00 Caesar salad is $30.00]. We bought food on the trip today for lunch and dinner 

Off to the Airport tomorrow morning right after breakfast, home tomorrow very late afternoon.  Lord Willing.

A Great Day And Way to End  To End a bucket List Trip!

Champlain and the flag at half mast and blue sky

Popcorn window Seller.

Woodcarver shop.

Neat way to paint a building! 

Same, but illustrates it better.

Start of the winter Bob-Sled run, winter fun.

Winter? He is coming!..

Monday, October 19. Sunny but windy and cold. We had a long sleep in  after getting to bed at midnight. The train ride and inactivity seems to have taken a lot out of us, Doug more than Fellette. For the first time since we left home a week ago today, my age is beginning to tell.

I do not want to be a complainer but this hotel has a great amount of things to complain about! First of all it is a Spartan Room. No Mini bar; no printed room service menu; no instructions on how to use the damn phone; the floor layout is a maze instead of an easy to get to the elevators grid layout. You can tell that I am getting tired  [and grumpy].

We made it outside late this morning but the French Wind, he says sarcastically, stopped any plans for a pleasant stroll around the Parliament building right next door. That building is a most handsome piece of architecture I do admit. Our disposition and wind drove our decision to wander close to home and prepare for our day over to Chateau Frontenac tomorrow, unless something unexpected crops up.

An R & R Day for us.

View as we see it.

Better setting, great looking and impressive building!

Old timer buildings on an overlook.

More.

Could not get the full scene in where I had to stand.

Cool lady!

It looks like honey bees have special rights here. I would not be surprised!

Far distant Chateau Frontenac, the most famous and expensive hotel in all of the province of Quebec.

Better view, we will get over there tomorrow!

Train Day...

Sunday, October18. Sunny 5 C. 

After what turned out to be the worst sleep of the trip according to apple watch, we had a breakfast suitable for the day, then back to the room and then checked out and took the 8 minute walk to the VIA station to the business class Lounge, there we met a lovely couple, a bit younger. They lived in Kerrisdale where Jeanette and Craig were born. Great talks with them

The commuter trains are made for use much like a bus or old time street car only they reach speeds of 164 KPH or thereabouts!

The scenery was very picturesque but not photographable, sorry. We were in Ottawa for half an hour, again in the Lounge which is very nice, clean and quiet. There I struck up a conversation with the mother of a seven year old boy who was having a great time scootering around the Lounge on his small carry-on that folded down to a bright orange small carry-on piece of kids luggage. The mother was Russian, living in Germany, the male in the picture, the kid called Papa. The interesting thing was that she, the Russian, was born in Siberia in a city called Yekaterinburg which we spent the day in on our Moscow to Beijing train trip about a decade ago! She was a bit excited to hear that and so was I!

The rest of the day was just long, we got to the Hilton at 11:00 by Uber  and to bed at midnight, absolutely exhausted!!!

View at midnight from our room. Quebec Parliament 

Our Train.

The walk to the train.

Saturday, October 17. Cold in am Ok later. 7 C.

We both woke up at 5:30 after the best sleep in five days! Fellette made coffee, before we went to the breakfast room where we filled up for what we knew would be a long day, then back to the room to rug up for what would be a very long day. We walked the few hundred meters/yards to the appointed meeting place at the Fairmont hotel. We waited inside where it was warmer. Eventually a very large and comfortable bus arrived and we all loaded in, and were on our way to our reason for this trip... Niagara Falls!

It was then I realized the day would be long, but not overly strenuous. The weather was blue sky. Our fellow passengers were a mixed bag. Mostly Americans some Canadians, a few muslims and some Asians, all on the same quest as us see the Falls up close.

Our guide was a Black Canadian, very very chatty. When we arrived at the Falls the first impression is truly breathtaking, I can see why  it is WORLD Famous.

We had lunch in the Sheraton on the top floor and then were on our own to get on the boats that held around 150 ? passengers all garbed up in throw-away one-use red ponchos flimsy as the devil. We then did that on our own and went to the boats and headed to the Canadian or Horseshoe Falls that are double impressive as the American Falls and almost frightening

Suddenly the skies opened we were grateful for that flimsy protection that sort of protected us! we turned around and sailed back to where we left 15 minutes earlier. Over, all done in 20 minutes! 

Back on the coaches to a very nice wine tasting, next was a visit to Niagara on the Lake that has overdone itself with its own success! Too much like Disneyland for us.

The trip back to Toronto was an hour and one half longer than anticipated so the nine hour day turned into a 10 and one half hour day, but worth it!

Suddenly!

Torrentail spray

Before we got wet.

Happy as a Clam.

Lunch at the top of the Sheraton, that big building!

Last shot!

Good Canadian shot!

Fellette's new hat, bought early this morning

On track...

Friday, October 16. Cloudy.12. C.

Now in a room that is not moving for the fist time in five days. In recap the train trip was wonderful. The staff were beautiful people who were so happy to answer any questions or serve you. My mobility on the train was very very wobbly, the aisles are tiny as heck, our room so tiny that when the Murphy bed was down Fellette and I could not stand on the floor together, The only time the train was near on time was when we blew into Toronto today only 1/2 half an hour late but that was the one that counted! But, it was all wonderful met some great folks

I have done the damn blog but it bloody well disappeared and I am not going to do it again, we have been off the train for over and hour and in our hotel room which is very very nice.

Down to dinner after I hope to post this with some pictures!

An Interesting five days, but nice to be on solid ground again!

Jasper four days ago.

The room by day.

Great coffee in the morning!

Our own Dome Car in our Lounge car at the tail end of thetrain

The bar in or lounge car

The aisle in our sleeper car.