Québec City - day one

  I hardly know where to begin!  And it's really not so much where to begin as how MUCH there is.
The above photo is the view from our hotel window.  The first morning began with breakfast at the Château's Café de la Terrasse.  Eggs benedict, please!  Smuvlee.
We spent the rest of the day touring and walking along some of the many streets, walkways and parks of the city.

Overlooking the Saint Lawrence River.




The town of Lévis, a quick five minute ferry ride over the fleuve Saint-Laurent from Québec City.




The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac - one of many photos of the old hotel coming soon from a Colleen near you.




One lucky winter tree with a view of it all.


Shops and buildings in the Old Quarter.

The Plains of Abraham.

I could nay get enough of the trees.


He went that-a-way!

The Parliament buildings just outside the walled city.

People live here.  I hope they are grateful.


All the shops are amazingly decorated for Christmas.

Socks, darn it!


  It was a wonderful day but the best thing of all happened in the evening and I haven't a photo to show you.  We went to see Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal perform Casse-Noisette - the Nutcracker Suite.  It was beautiful beyond words.  All my life I've wanted to see it and I was not disappointed.  Far from it.  It was all I could do to keep from weeping through the first half.  I wasn't expecting to be so emotional but the combination of the dreamy sets and costuming, the talent and grace of the dancers and the live orchestra playing all the music I know so well mixed in with all my hopes and expectations of what it would be like was almost too much.  It far exceeded my imaginings and if we did nothing else in Quebec that week I'd consider our trip a success.