I didn't sleep well. The bed was comfortable enough, but these pillows are soft as mush and I am not used to it. Also, since the work out I did in Toronto before I left, my back has been really sore so these two factors did not contribute to a good sleep. However, as always, when I am on vacation, I wake early. Rolled out of bed at 730am, changed into my gym stuff and went down to the gym for a morning work out before breakfast.
The gym is nothing impressive. Two bikes, one treadmill, an olympic squat bar and dumb bells. I brought my rope and rubber band just in case they didn't have any weights. There is complimentary bottle water service in the gym which is a nice touch. I am so out of shape - I couldn't even ride the bike for 30 minutes. Got off after 4 minutes!
Came in to my room to take a shower and guess what? No hot water! The front desk sent up a room key next door for me to use its shower. After going into the next door suite, I am a bit disappointed. That room is 25% BIGGER than mine, is a corner unit with two large windows for more of a panoramic view of the river and it has a bathtub in addition to the shower. It was empty and available, obviously, and yet I was given this one. Probably because I was only paying $109/night where as the others are paying the standard fare of $170+. Next time, it'll be the corner room 725 for me.
I ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant downstairs - it was unimpressive. Nothing to write about, really. I won't be eating there again. Tomorrow I'll walk around and look for something at a small quaint cafe. Speaking of walking, I did that all morning. My face was frozen and I couldn't feel my cheeks. It's not that cold here (-12/-19) but the wind really burns you.
Quebec City can be done in three days - thoroughly. That's why tomorrow, I'm taking the Ferry across the river to Levis and spending the morning there - possibly lunch too, depending on how friendly they are to English speaking tourists. Levis is a part of Quebec that will be completely new to me. Let's see how it goes.
After hours of walking and touring, I was tired - yes, I'm old. I came back to the lower part of old Quebec and had a classic French bistro lunch - prix fixe menu. Here's the picture story of the meal.
This restaurant is 1 minute walk from my hotel.
The interior was very French - the floors and chairs are a dead giveaway as to the restaurant's menu.
I sat by the window - my view from my table looking out.
The starter: spiced, herbed soup of some sort - the menu was in french so I am not certain as to what this was but it was excellent and definitely homemade. The bread too was excellent. The quality of ingredients was obvious. The bread was cut exactly how I like it - thin and uniformly. After walking in the cold for over two hours, this felt so good!
The main: Chicken breast. I almost didn't get this because the waiter was recommending the Ris de Veau. A quick look up on my iPhone google translator let me know it was "Sweet Bread" he was pushing on me. I am quite the adventurous gourmet, however, I felt for something more filling than five pieces of cow brains. Yes, for those who don't know, "Sweet Bread" is the gourmet euphemism for yucky brains. I am glad I ordered the chicken breast because it was absolutely delicious. This is one of the best chicken breast dishes I've had anywhere. The cream sauce was full of flavour and not overwhelming. Everything was balanced. This was truly a delectable dish; and one that I savoured.
Take a good look at this picture. Some of you may see just a cup of coffee and a plastic container of cream and milk. If that is what you see, you need to open your eyes and try again. Look deeper. This should be made into an art photo. To me - that photo artist who came up with this composition (hee hee hee) - this photo is French cuisine. It represents the French attitude towards dining. It's a simple cup of coffee, albeit, a great, flavourful cup of coffee, but just coffee. That is how the French cook: using simple ingredients. Notice the cream container is double the size of the ones we get in Ontario? The French use generous amounts of cream - for sure. And yet, they are no where near as fat as the Americans, why? The answer lies back in the coffee. Focus for a moment on that cup of coffee. This is a classic bistro cup of coffee. The American sizing is about four to five times this size; just like their serving portions when compared to the French. The meal is balanced between butter/cream with serving size using simple ingredients. I will frame this photo and sell it to some art fiend for $500 when I get back.
When my dessert arrived, I was afraid to eat it. It looked so sweet and I am not really into overly sweet desserts. That's why at home, I eat a simple crepe with jam.
The dessert was amazing. The chocolate was not strong, but rather very understaned. The flavour actually came from the berries. It was rich from the use of cream but sugar was nowhere near the level of being as offensive as they are in desserts back home. It was a perfect way to finish a French lunch.
After the meal I came back to my hotel, stripped and jumped into the shower for a good solid 20 minutes of just standing under the rain shower head in extremely hot water. I am now in the hotel robe - look rather sexy and dashing, if I do say so myself - typing this blog entry on my bed....my eyes are getting heavy so it's time for a nap. Don't you just love vacations? You wake when you feel like it, sleep when you feel like it....this is the life.
I'll send you guys the sexy pose pic of me in my awesome white Hugh Heffner robe separately. The youtube videos for today will be sent separately as well. If I missed anyone, just email me and I'll send it out.
Nappy time for now, then wake up and go out for dinner and a night stroll. Hopefully, I'll find myself a nice cozy pub/bar where I can enjoy a warm single malt scotch before calling it a night.
