Today, Tim and I celebrated our fifteenth anniversary. Gisella, the wonderful Assistant Restaurant Manager in the World Café, who has been spoiling us every day, wanted to be the first to congratulate us with a mimosa. Our anniversary was one reason we decided to book this cruise.
We docked this morning in Quebec City, the port I was most looking forward to visiting. Quebec City was fortified in the seventeenth century, soon after its founding in 1608, and is the only remaining walled city in North America outside of Mexico. Quebec City is often called the most European city in the New World.
Today was a busy day for me, with two excursions scheduled. This morning, I took the optional “Montmorency Falls and Île d’Orléans” tour, while I spent the afternoon in the city on the “Old Town by Foot and Tea at the Chateau Frontenac” excursion. This post will cover the morning tour.
Although I love to visit historic cities, I also enjoy getting out into the neighboring countryside. This tour took us to the pastoral landscapes of the Île d’Orléans for a picturesque drive through traditional rural villages. Île d’Orléans is an island located in the St. Lawrence River about three miles east of downtown Quebec City, and it is accessed by only one bridge. It was one of the first parts of the province of Quebec to be colonized by the French.
We passed the beautiful homes and shops of the nineteenth-century merchant class, as well as the many heritage barns. Île d’Orléans is called the “Garden of Quebec” and is known for its produce. Our guide told us that apple picking is a very popular activity this time of year. Autumn strawberries are also a thing here, something I had never heard of.
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| The Bridge and Historic Buildings of the Île d’Orléans |
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| Heritage Barns and Farms of the Île d’Orléans |
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| Wine Grapes, Strawberries, and Apples Are Grown Here |
After circling a portion of the island, we stopped to enjoy more maple syrup at a local sugar shack, Relais des Pins. After watching a video about the sugaring process, we tasted different maple products, starting with a slice of sugar pie and a cup of maple tea. We then experienced rolling taffy on snow on the outside patio.
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| Tasting Maple Sugar Products and Rolling Maple Taffy |
As we left the Île d’Orléans, we were treated to a skyline view of Quebec City, with our ship in the foreground. It was then time to visit the impressive Montmorency Falls, which fall 272 feet to the St. Lawrence River. I walked close to the falls, but not close enough to get wet from the spray.
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| Quebec City Skyline |
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| Sarah at Montmorency Falls |
It was a short ride back to the ship, where I grabbed a quick lunch before my next tour.
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