Triangle Loop – Week 17 (Quebec City)

Aug 17th to Aug 23rd, 2025

Day 112 – Sunday, August 17th, 2025 – In: Montreal, QC

Sunday, it rained for most of the morning, and it was cold, 65°. This is the first really extended rain we’ve had for a while. The rain took a wide swath across Canada, which is much needed to help with the forest fires that have been burning for most of the summer.

Brenda did some laundry, and I worked on the blog. Around 2:00, it stopped raining, and the temp started to drop, going down to 59°. At 3:30, we decided to go for a walk into town, to get off the boat and away from the constant rocking.

The Montreal Yacht Club Marina is very protected. It is situated in an old quay, surrounded by 20-foot concrete walls on three sides. The North end is open but has breakwaters to protect it. Just past the Clock Tower, the river is running at 4.5 to 6 knots. As a result, there is a rhythmic surge that comes in through the breakwater, causing a constant, gentle rocking from front to back. It’s not uncomfortable, but after a while, you get tired of it. Also, you have to be careful on the docks, as they are in constant motion. When a boat comes in through the entrance, especially a large one or one of the Jet Boats that give rides up the rapids, there is a surge that rocks everything in the marina for a few minutes.

We walked into Old Port, visiting the old Bonsecours Market, a large building right along the old quays that was the center of business on the waterfront in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, it has tourist shops, restaurants, and boutiques. After that, we just walked around the area, trying to decide on a place for dinner. We weren’t very hungry (we’d been snacking on the boat most of the day), so we just went to a pub for a salad and an appetizer order of ribs. We were getting cold even with our sweaters, so we headed back to the boat for the night.

Day 113 – Monday, August 18th, 2025 – To: Sorel-Tracy, QC
Marina de Sorel

Monday morning was COLD! It was 54° when we got up at 6:00. We broke out the long pants again and got the boat ready to head north toward Quebec City (Are we going the wrong direction? 😟). Today’s destination is Sorel-Tracy, which is at the junction of the St Lawrence River and the Chambly/Champlain Canal route. When we start heading back south after Quebec City, we will turn here and take the Champlain Canal route along Vermont and back to the Hudson River.

We had 40 miles to run, and were going with the current, so we didn’t take off until 9:15. After pulling out of the slip, we went down the fairway toward the exit into the St. Lawrence River. The current runs at 4-6 knots as soon as you exit the marina for a couple of miles. As we exited the marina and merged into the current, we sped up quickly! Looking toward the bridge, we saw a large ship, which we thought was moored to the wall. As we approached the bridge, I noticed that it looked like it was moving! I checked AIS, and it was heading toward us. About the same time I realized it was moving, it started cutting toward the middle of the channel to clear the bridge. I floored the throttles and turned the boat toward the far shore to get out of its way. We ended up outside the channel because the ship was occupying the main channel, but since there was plenty of water, it wasn’t an issue. Just after we passed the ship, and moved back into the main channel, we got to the end of the main rapids section, and headed out of Montreal, passing the many docks and terminals along the way.

The first 10 minutes of the video below are us leaving the Montreal Yacht Club, merging into the current, and passing the ship. My video software downloads an hour at a time, so I included the rest of the footage, which shows us going through the Port of Montreal with water taxis passing us and the ships docked along the side of the river.

The cruise to Sorel-Tracy was pretty uneventful. We were going with the current all along the way, so we made great time even though we had our engines set to mid-speed cruise. There was a fair amount of traffic from cargo ships, tugs, water taxis, and even a cruise ship. As we approached Sorel-Tracy, we had to watch for the car ferries that go back and forth across the river.

We stayed at Sorel-Tracy Marina on our last Loop trip. It’s a nice marina with a restaurant and fairly straightforward in and out. The only downside was that the marina office was not very well versed in English, and our French is nonexistent. There was a bit of confusion with our slip assingment and we went to the wrong slip at first. The office person came out and, through hand gestures and a mix of French and English, we figured out which slip we were supposed to be in and moved over.

After settling in, we walked to the office, a 1/4 mile hike, and checked in. Then we went to Le Belvédère, the restaurant at the marina, for a docking beer and a snack. There are only two restaurants within walking distance of the marina, and the steak house next to the marina was closed on Monday, so while we were there, we made reservations for dinner. As we were walking back to the boat, we noticed a burned-out hull of a boat on a trailer next to the marina. The boat was totally destroyed. We found out later that the fire happened the day before we arrived, and it was just four slips over from where we were moored. Initially, a dockhand told us that it was a fuel explosion (don’t buy a gas boat!), but we later found out that it’s suspected to be an electrical fire. No one was on board at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries.

After hanging out on the boat for a bit, we went back to Le Belvédère for dinner, which was very good. Brenda had an excellent “La Bombe Glacée” (aka Baked Alaska) for dessert. When we got back to the boat, we were treated to a fantastic sunset before retiring for the night.

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Day 114 – Tuesday, August 19th, 2025 – To: Portneuf, QC
Marina de Portneuf

The distance from Montreal to Quebec City is 160 miles. We could have made it by running at full speed in one long day because we were going with the current, but we decided to break it up into three sections. Montreal to Sorel-Tracy (46 miles), Sorel-Tracy to Portneuf (76 miles), and Portneuf to Quebec City (38 miles). This would allow us to run a bit slower and visit Portneuf, which was new territory for us.

We headed out from Sorel-Tracy back into the St. Lawrence River. Again, we were getting pushed by a pretty good current. We met a bulk carrier a few miles above Sorel-Tracy. The river is quite deep, and there is plenty of water for us outside of the channel, so we moved out of their way. When these large ships are loaded and pushing against the current, they put out a good wake, so it’s best to get as far away from them as possible.

About an hour into the trip, the river opens up into Lake Saint-Pierre, a 20-mile-long lake. Here, the current drops off as the river widens out. Even though the lake is fairly wide, 7.5 miles at its widest point, the channel is narrow. There are large boulders that stick up along the west side, and the entire east side is shallow and a military practice area closed to navigation. Halfway through the lake, we met a large ore carrier. These ships are impressive due to their length.

On the far side of the lake, we passed Trois-Rivières. This will be our stop on the way back from Quebec City. The name Trois-Rivières (“Three Rivers”) comes from the geographical feature where the Saint-Maurice River splits into three distinct channels, or “mouths,” as it flows into the Saint Lawrence River, creating the illusion of three separate rivers.

At Trois-Rivières, the river narrows down again, and the current picks back up. In areas where the river narrows down, it can reach 8 knots when the tide is going out! The Saint Lawrence River is tidal all the way to Montreal. Lake Saint-Pierre flattens out the tide quite a bit. Below the lake, the tides are between 2 and 3 feet. Above the lake, it averages 5-6 feet, and in Quebec City, the tides are 15 feet!

We arrived at Portneuf just before 2:30. A large cargo ship was coming up the river, and we would have had to cut in front of it to get to the marina entrance. We decided to wait until it passed. “Discretion is the better part of valor!” Also, the entrance to the marina is a sharp S-turn, and there is construction going on, so we didn’t want to go rushing in.

We had called ahead to the marina, and the dock master said to give him a call when we got to the entrance, and he would meet us on our slip. We hailed him as we came in, and he was waiting to help us tie up and give us a hearty greeting.

The Portneuf Marina is on a man-made peninsula that sticks 3/4 of a mile out into the St Lawrence River. The pier with a wharf on the end was built in the 1950s to support shipping from the lumber and paper industries in Portneuf. The old wharf at the end of the peninsula is currently being removed, and the area is being turned into a park to complement the walking path on the other side of the “Hook”. The 20-foot-tall stone jetties that surround the marina provide excellent protection from the current, wind, and ice flows in the winter.

We walked up to the office, which was a bit of a climb up the ramp at low tide. The tide here is 12 feet on average! After checking in at the office, we explored the walking path on the north “hook” and took a photo of the marina with the Frog. There is a restaurant on the peninsula, but it is closed on Monday and Tuesday. We asked the dock master about options in town, and he recommended a local pizza shop. The pizza shop was 1.5 miles away, and Denys, the dock master, offered the marina bicycles to ride in rather than walk.

We rode across the causeway that connects the marina to the mainland and into town. The pizza was great, and our waitress was happy to practice her English with us. After dinner, we rode to an ice cream shop at the end of the causeway for dessert before crossing back to the marina.

At sunset, the wind picked up quite a bit. We were glad to be well protected. Even with the surrounding walls, we had to wear earplugs overnight to dull the hull-slap of the waves kicked up by the wind.

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Day 115 – Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 – To: Quebec City, QC
Port of Quebec Marina

It was high tide when we woke up. Yesterday, when we docked, we had 2.5 feet of water under the boat. I turned on the depth finder, and we had 17 feet under the boat! We waited until 9:30 to leave so that we could ride the dropping tide to Quebec City. By the time we left, it had already dropped 3 feet. Overnight, the wind had come up, and we had a steady 17 mph wind with gusts to 25 coming right down the river. As we exited the marina, we were greeted with 3-4 foot closely spaced waves with whitecaps. Since the wind was blowing opposite the current, the waves were building. With the outgoing tide, the current was running close to 8 knots just outside the marina! We’ll have to time our return carefully so that we don’t have to plow through! Slower boats would be going backward!

With the waves, we considered turning around and returning to the marina to wait for the wind to die down. I brought the boat up on plane, which lets it ride the wave tops a bit, and it smoothed out. Still, it was a bumpy ride for the first section until we got into an area where the wind was blocked, and the current slowed down.

We had hoped to run slower and had planned a 4-hour trip, but with the current and running up on plane at 18 mph, it shortened the time to just 2 hours. As uncomfortable as the ride was, it made it tolerable.

As we approached Quebec City, we passed under the Pierre Laporte and Pont de Quebec bridges. Quebec City sits on a hillside, really a cliffside, on the north side of the river. On the south side is a city called Levis, also built on a hill with steep cliffs. This creates a narrow channel where the current picks up again.

The Port of Quebec Marina is in a large basin. To enter, you go through a narrow opening in the concrete flood walls that line the riverbank into a basin. Here, you call a lock, which then lifts you to the level of the marina. The tide here usually is 15 feet, but can reach 20 feet when the river is in flood stage.

We pulled into the basin and only had to wait a few minutes before the lock doors swung open, and the drawbridge over the lock lifted to let us in. It was a quick ride up about 10 feet, and the lockmaster gave us our slip assignment as we were lifting. When the doors opened, we were in the marina basin. Twice a day, at high tide, they open both lock doors to let water flow into and out of the marina basin to keep the water fresh. On one side of the marina, there is an area that is an old quay, which they have turned into a public swimming area with lap lanes and a diving area.

We went to the fuel dock first to top off our tanks. We will be running against the current on our return to the Champlain Canal, so we want to make sure that we have enough fuel to make the trip. While we were there, we checked in, and they changed our slip assingment to a longer slip to make it easier to tie up. We pulled into the slip and tied off. We made it to Quebec City, the farthest point North and East we have been with the boat!

After settling in, we walked to the waterfront for some lunch. The route took us over the lock we had just come through, and we got to see another boat locking through. The waterfront in Quebec has a large cruise ship terminal, with a restaurant, Le Café du Monde, and a water park with waterfall steps and chairs in a shallow foot pool. We were surprised that the place was packed! It was only 68° and we were in long pants!

We had a snack and then walked to the Canadian Naval History Museum next door. There is a concert venue on the waterfront as well, and they were doing a dress rehearsal for a concert by several popular Canadian singers that was happening in the evening. Many people sat just outside the venue’s fence, watching and listening, some even had blankets and picnic lunches.

The Navy Museum was small but well worth visiting. It featured displays about Canada’s early naval history and its role in both world wars. There were lots of excellent ship models. I tried on a few hats to see which era I fit into best. Look at the photos below, and you be the judge!

After the marina, we walked around the Old Port area. This part of town is home to many antique dealers and restaurants. We checked out several antique shops and perused the menus at the restaurants, seeing where we might like to have dinner. At 5:00, we decided on a restaurant near the marina and headed there. Louise Taverne & Bar à Vin & Déjeuner is part of the Hôtel Port-Royal. Usually, in the US, we avoid restaurants in hotels as they are generally not that good and very expensive. We have found that in Canada, the opposite is typically true. They are excellent and reasonably priced.

The menus are in both French and English, but the specials board was only in French. Rather than sound like tourists, I snapped a picture and used my translation app to see what was on offer.

So, the specials were Steak & hedgehog with pan-fried vegetables and country fleas—Fietam with butter, mushrooms, lobsters, truffled pat puree, and straw purlins. And the third choice, two smoked parakeets from the farm, with vegetables, and truffled hockey pucks. Humm….. We ended up being the American tourists and asked our very helpful waitress to translate for us. In the end, it was a Hedgehog Mushroom dish, a Fish of the day poached in butter, and a roast chicken dish for two. We ended up with Fish & Chips and a Highland Beef Burger. Very safe!

After dinner, we called it an early evening and went back to the boat. We were both pretty beat after our slappy night and rough ride.

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Day 116 – Thursday, August 21st, 2025 – In: Quebec City, QC

For Thursday, we booked a two-hour walking tour of the Quebec City Historic District. Our tour was at 11:00 and started at the top of the hill near the Chateau. We went to a breakfast place that we had seen yesterday in the Antiques district to fortify ourselves for the day. We then walked up the hills and stairs, the 300 vertical feet to the Chateau. We have certainly been getting our steps in on this trip!

The area between the Chateau and the cliff wall is a large boardwalk. Beneath the boardwalk are the remains of the foundations of the first Governor’s home, which you can tour. We found the visitor center where our tour would meet and checked in. We had half an hour before our tour started, so we wandered around the area seeing what we might want to visit later. Just outside the door to the visitor center was a Geocache, so we grabbed that while we were there, #538!

At 11:00, our tour guide Phillip arrived. There was only one other couple, so we almost had a private tour! We introduced ourselves, and our tour companions were from Italy. Phillip asked us what brought us to Quebec City, and we told him about our boat trip. He was fascinated and kept asking questions as we walked between locations.

Phillip was excellent! An Australian who has been visiting the city for 20 years and has lived here for 15 years. I think he was a professionally trained Shakespearean actor. His presentation was exciting and animated, and his knowledge was extensive. He began by providing a brief history of the city, including its founding and the declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage City. We then walked around the Hotel, and he gave us a history of the site and the building of the hotel.

He explained that the old city had two sections. Lower Town at the base of the cliff along the banks of the St. Lawrence River, which was the site of the initial settlement founded by Samuel de Champlain as a trading post in 1608, and Upper Town on top of the cliffs, which began as military installations to protect the city, and later expanded with hotels and churches including the Anglican University. In his explanation of the various military skirmishes first between the French and the British, and later between the British and the Americans, he took a very “Canadian” view, very “critical” of the British. He also pointed out to us the site where Benedict Arnold was beaten in battle trying to take Quebec during the American Revolution.

Over the next two and a half hours (he went 30 minutes over in his enthusiasm to share all he could about the city), we visited several historic sites, including the Ursulan Convent established in 1639 to educate girls in Quebec, the English Anglican Church, and the stunning Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral home to one of the only “Holy Doors” outside of Italy. We walked along the old streets, making our way from Upper Town to Lower Town, where we learned about the differing architecture. The buildings built by the French are earlier, and primarily made of smaller rough stones mortared together, while buildings from the British area are either brick or constructed of large cut stones.

Like many old cities, Quebec has been ravaged on several occasions by great fires that destroyed major portions of the city. Most of the buildings in Lower Town, the oldest section of Quebec, have been reconstructed over the years, but have retained their original look and feel. Many that were built after the fire of 1682, after which stone construction was mandated, still exist today.

We finished our tour in Lower Town on Rue du Petit Champlain, which is said to be the oldest market street in continuous use. It is lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants. At the Finicular, an elevator/train that runs between Upper and Lower Town, Phillip said his goodbyes, and we gave him our boat card so that he could learn about the Great Loop. The Italian couple was also fascinated by the idea of living on a boat and asked for one too.

We had covered a couple of miles during our tour, and we were hot and thirsty, so we found a cafe to have a cool drink and a snack. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the many streets and alleys of Lower Town, visiting shops and reading the many plaques along the way. We found the famous “Umbrella Alley,” which has a roof of colorful umbrellas over the outdoor cafes that line the street.

At 3:00, we were pretty worn out, so we headed back to the boat to drop off our treasures and have a rest before dinner. At 5:30, we walked back to Lower Town and went to a small pub with a fascinating history. The Pub L’Oncle Antoine is in the basement of a stone building constructed in 1754. The cellar had arched stone vaults that were used for storing furs and pottery. Today, the pub is in the vaults. We ordered drinks and a large order of nachos with Smoked Meat (a local favorite).

At the next table, a group of four 20-somethings was playing a Trivial Pursuit-type game called Tribond, fortunately in English. It seems that the question cards they were using centered around the 1970s. We got a kick listening to them answer questions from our era. The premise of the game was that they would read three or four words, and the group would have to guess how they were related. One of the word groups was “America, Kangaroo, Crunch”. No one in the group could figure out the answer, and we sat there chuckling. Brenda raised her hand, and the person reading the card gave us a shot. “They are all Captains!” From then on, when the group was stumped, we got to join in and answer. It was good fun.

After dinner, we walked back toward the marina. Earlier in the day, we had noticed a small figurine about the size of a Barbie Doll perched on a ledge above a door. As we walked down Rue du Saint-Pierre toward the Old Port, we noticed another one standing on the top of a column looking down at us. We snapped a picture, and then saw another a little further down the street. We kept looking and found about eight of them along our route. We looked it up, and it’s a local artist who has placed them all over the old financial district in the Old Port area. Apparently, there are 45 of them! We will have to keep looking.

We took the long way around the marina, which happened to have an ice cream shop along the way. At the end of the marina basin is another chateau-like building. When it was built in the 1930s, it was the Quebec Post Office. After outgrowing the original building, they built a new one farther out of town, then renovated the old one, and today it serves as offices for the Canadian Government.

We got back to the boat just as it was getting dark and saw that the grain silos next to the marina were lit up in the evening with red and green lights that gave a light show. We had been hearing that, like Ottawa, Quebec has a twice-a-week fireworks display during the summer on Thursday and Saturday nights. At 10:00, we heard the first bangs and were treated to a 20-minute show. The fireworks are set off from a barge in the St. Lawrence River in front of the Chateau, and we had a great view from the back of the boat. The only obstruction was the drawbridge at the lock being raised to pass some sailboats just as the show started. Damn, sailboats!

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Day 117 – Friday, August 22nd, 2025 – In: Quebec City, QC

Just outside of Quebec City, there is a large waterfall called Montmorency Falls, which is a large tourist attraction. The falls are 272 feet tall, which is taller than the Niagara Falls. The area is a large park with a cable car that brings visitors from the top of the falls to the bottom. A suspension bridge over the falls, a long stairway you can climb up or down the adjacent cliff, and, for the truly adventurous, a zip-line that goes over the falls!

We took an Uber to the park, at the top of the falls, just a 15-minute ride, getting there around 10:00. The line for the cable car ride was short, so we took that to the bottom of the falls, getting a spectacular view of the falls and the park on the way down. We walked to the viewing platform at the base of the falls. Nature is fantastic! Scenes like this never get old. We cooled off in the mist for a bit and watched the idiots brave people zipping across the top of the falls on the zip lines.

We then walked back to the cable car station, stopping along the way for Geocache #539. We took the cable car back to the top of the falls, then walked down the path and across the suspension bridge that is above the falls. The day was pretty hot, and Brenda was feeling the heat. I twisted my ankle walking down the stairs a couple of days ago, and with all of the walking and stair climbing we’ve been doing, it has swollen up a bit. So, we skipped the zip line and took an Uber back into town, having it drop us off near the Chateau.

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We stopped at a cafe for something to drink and a snack, then wandered down the street, which is closed to traffic and lined with restaurants and shops. We picked up some gourmet popcorn (maple flavored, of course), and wandered through the craft and artisan shops, eventually ending up back at the Chateau.

During our tour yesterday, our guide mentioned that if you enter the hotel and take any stairway to the lower level, you’ll find a museum showcasing the hotel’s history and photos of famous dignitaries who have stayed there.

We wandered through the hotel, looking at the exhibits and photos. It wasn’t as interesting as Phillip led us to believe. At this point, we were pretty walked and touristed out. We took the Funiculare to Lower Town, and walked back to the boat where we crashed until dinner time.

I had seen a brewery in town that had 5-Star reviews, so at 5:30, we took an Uber the mile and a half to the brewery. Noctem Artisans Brasseurs is a small microbrewery. The restaurant, brewery, and most of their beers have a cat theme. I tried a couple of them and they were excellent! For dinner, Brenda had Maple Mustard Salmon, and I had the Parvis Sandwich, which is glazed pork belly. Both were excellent. I tried another beer for dessert while Brenda had their Three Times Maple Cake (white maple cake with maple mousse and maple crumble). I had a bite or two to make sure that it was good, and it was! I loaded up with some of their beer to take home.

Day 118 – Saturday, August 23rd, 2025 – In: Quebec City, QC

Whenever we get to a new place, we check to see if there is a farmers’ market. There are a couple of small Saturday markets in Quebec City, but by far the featured market is Le Grand Marché. This is an indoor farmers’ market in a 97,000 square foot facility. It is open 7 days a week, all year round. The produce is almost all from Quebec, and much of it is from the local area around Quebec City. Many of the vendors are local farms with permanent booths set up. They also have a large commercial kitchen that entrepreneurs can rent time in to help kickstart their products.

Most of the vendors are food-related, with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. There are also a couple of bakeries, two butchers, a cheese shop, several cider and maple producers, and some restaurants. There are a few craft-type vendors, mainly focusing on plants, but it’s mostly food.

The market was busy, with people pushing shopping carts full of produce. Currently in Quebec, it is Sweet Corn, Strawberry, and Blueberry season, with many of the fruit vendors showcasing large displays of berries. Apples are also coming into season, and there were a few orchards with fresh apples.

We walked up and down the aisles checking out what was on offer. After we made a complete pass, we circled back around to pick up the items we wanted. We picked up some sweet corn, tomatoes, a zucchini, radishes, some baked goods, maple water, fresh eggs, apples, and a Smoked Meat sandwich. After seeing and smelling all the food, we were hungry!

Our time in Canada is coming to an end. We expect to cross back into the US next week. One of our Looper friends crossed and was stopped by the US Coast Guard. They confiscated fruit and meat that wasn’t in commercial packaging from the US. Because we’ve been eating out most days, we still have a full freezer, including a steak from our friend Michael. We don’t want to lose that! So we picked up some fresh veggies and plan to eat on the boat for the next few days to work through our supplies before we cross.

After finishing our shopping, we headed back to the boat to put away our goodies and then worked on a few boat projects until about 3:00.

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The last major site on our must-see list for Quebec City was the Citadelle de Québec, a fort at the top of the hill near the Château. This spot, the highest in the city, gives a commanding view of the St. Lawrence River and the surrounding countryside. There has been a fort on the site since 1608, when the area was first settled, with the major fortifications built by the British between 1819 and 1831. It is still an active military fort, home to the Royal 22e Régiment, a French-speaking infantry regiment. It is also the residence of the Governor General of Canada.

To get to the fort, we walked through the financial district. We continued to look for the little figures perched on ledges and light poles in the area. On our walk, we found another 15 of them! That makes 23 of 45!

The Citadelle is 328 feet above the St. Lawrence River. It’s a steep climb of about 100 vertical feet from the terrace boardwalk in front of the chateau, so we cheated a bit and rode the Finicular up 194 feet from Lower Town to Upper Town.

On our guided tour, we had seen the famous Tobogan run on the Dufferin Terrasse in front of the Chateau, but didn’t get a good look at it. The Tobogan run opened in the winter of 1884 and has been operational every winter since. On the 3-lane, 800-foot-long run, riders can reach 70 km/h (43.5 mph).

After checking out the tobogan run, we climbed 128 feet up the steep slope to the Citadel fort. The views from the top of the hill are spectacular! You can see all around Quebec and for miles up and down the St Lawrence River. We followed the edge of the defenses to the entrance to the fort. The fort is open to the public for tours, but because it’s still an active military base, they only offer guided tours. It was already 4:30, and we didn’t want to wait until the last tour from 5:00 to 6:00, so we just went into the museum and took photos of the guards at the front gate.

Quebec City still has its historic city walls intact. These walls are 3 miles long and surround the historic Upper Town section, connecting to the fort. After visiting the fort, we walked along the top of the wall to Saint Louis Gate, one of the historic gates into the city. We climbed down the steep stairs to the street and found a large tent with an arts show going on. We walked around the show for about 30 minutes, then headed downhill into Upper Town to Pub St-Patrick for dinner. The pub was very busy, and we had to wait even to get a seat at the bar. Dinner was typical Irish pub food: Shepherd’s Pie, Bangers & Mash, Fish & Chips, Curry Chicken. Brenda had the Shepherd’s Pie, and I had the Bangers & Mash. The food was just okay, nothing special. (As I write this on Sunday morning, I am feeling the effects of dinner. If you visit Quebec, give Pub St-Patrick a miss!)

After dinner, we walked back to the marina. We took side streets to avoid the crowds and found a staircase that went down the old wall. At the bottom was yet another plaque touting how the Québécois beat Benedict Arnold, explaining that near that spot, they wounded him! Poor guy can’t get a break!

It was almost dark when we got to the boat, and we got a good view of the tower at the Chateau lit up from the back deck. At 10:00, there was another round of fireworks. I slept through it, but Brenda managed to get some good shots without the bridge in the way.

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Recap of the week

We traveled 160 miles this week, bringing our total to 2,153 miles so far. We reached Quebec City, the farthest North and East that we’ve been on the boat, and the turnaround point of our trip. Quebec City was a delightful and beautiful place with a visible history going back 400 years. We visited Montmorency Falls, a spectacular waterfall just outside the city that is taller than Niagara Falls, and visited many other historical sites. Quebec City is definitely a recommended visit, either by boat or car!

Next week, we begin our journey back south and return to the US by way of the Champlain Canal and Burlington, Vermont.