Quebec City
We took a cruise from Quebec to Boston, with stops in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Maine. It has been years since we visited Quebec, and it was great to be back. It's such a beautiful city, surrounded by walls with seventeenth and eighteenth century buildings and great neighborhoods to explore. The Lower Town dates from the seventeenth century, and is the oldest commercial district in North America. The Upper Town is nearly as historic, with quaint streets and eighteenth century architecture. The walled citadel saw some of the most significant battles in the French and Indian War (where Britain expelled France from North American) and the Revolutionary War (an unsuccessful attack against British Canada by General Benedict Arnold). Outside the walls, Rue St Jean is lined with restaurants and bars.
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| St Louis Gate |
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| Quebec Parliament |
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| View of Upper Town |
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| Chateau Frontenac |
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| Place Royale |
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| Rue Sous le Fort |
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| Casse Cou |
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| St Louis Gate |
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| Rue du Marche Champlain |
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| Place Royale |
We stayed at the Le Monastere des Augustines, as the name implies it's an Augustinian monastery (really a convent). it served as a hospital for two hundred years, and some nuns still live there. It's a really nice hotel with great ambiance, but the rooms are small.
Quebec has tons of great eating options...
Chez Temporel - very good onion soup. Bar Le Sacrilege on St-Jean, dark bar with nice outdoor space, good local beer selection. Pub Nelligans's whiskey bar with a great selection of Irish and Canadian whiskeys. Aux Ancients Canadiens, traditional Quebecois, good onion soup, meat pie, bread pudding. La Buche for Quebecois brunch, excellent omelets. Ferme Audet in Petit Champlain, delicious goat milk ice cream. Ninkasi breakfast on St-Jean, great omelets and house made jam on an outdoor patio.
Saguenay
Saguenay is a conglomerated settlement of three towns, the largest being Chicoutimi. The abundant hydroelectric power in this area led to the development of the Aluminum industry, which dominates the region. A massive flood in 1996 destroyed an entire neighborhood of the town, but one lone white house remained.
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| The little white house |
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| Sunset over Saguenay River |
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| Chicoutimi Sacre Couer |
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| Saguenay River |
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| Saguenay River |
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| St Lawrence River |
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
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| St Dunstan's Basilica |
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| St Dunstan's Basilica |
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| Water Street |
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| Charlottetown Harbor |
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| Charlottetown Lighthouse |
Charlottetown is the Birthplace of the Canadian Confederation, home to the Confederation Congress of 1864. St Dunstan's Basilica has a pretty, Gothic revival interior. St Peter's Cathedral and its All Souls Chapel has beautiful murals and stained glass windows. We walked around the perimeter of Victoria Park on the Boardwalk that leads back into town, which was a beautiful walk along the harbor. The Olde Dublin Pub had live music and excellent food, PEI Oysters and Mussels, fish tacos, Blueberry Bread Pudding, Sticky date pudding were all great.
Sydney Nova Scotia
Sydney was founded in 1785 and populated by Loyalist fleeing persecution in the United States after the American Revolution. Because of the many Scots and Irish immigrants, traditional music is part of the culture on Cape Breton Island. Apparently there are more fiddlers per capita than anywhere in North America, hence the giant fiddle near the dock.
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St George's
Ten Commandments |
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| St Patrick's |
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Ste George's
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| St George's |
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| St Patrick's |
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| Giant fiddle |
St George's Anglican church is the oldest building in Sydney, dating from its founding; it was constructed of stone blocks taken from the French Louisburg Fort, destroyed by the British during the Seven Years War. The Cossit House Museum is the oldest house in Sydney, built by the first rector of St George's. St George's Church was used by the British soldiers stationed at Sydney, and so the Ten Commandments were edited to meet the unique spiritual needs of those who conduct war: the Sixth Commandment was changed from "Thou shall not kill" to "Thou shall do no murder"!
Jost Heritage House is the oldest wooden building in Sydney, and a very interesting museum with informative guides. St Patrick's Church Museum is in the first Catholic church in Sydney. Lunch at Governor's Pub (link) was very good, the desserts were excellent, and great views of the harbor. Drinks at Old Triangle Irish Alehouse, with Irish traditional music (also locations in Charlottetown and Halifax).
Halifax, Nova Scotia
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| Province House |
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| Clock tower at the Citadel |
Halifax has the second-largest harbor in the world, next to Sydney Australia. Founded in 1749, Halifax was the home port for the Royal Navy during the Seven Years War and the American Revolution. Province House (1819) was the capitol of British Canada for a period, and is now the Legislature of Nova Scotia; it is the oldest government building in Canada.
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| Government House |
Government House was the residence of the Premier of British Canada, now home of the Governor of Nova Scotia. It is the oldest continuously-occupied executive residence in North America. [The White House in Washington was burned by the British in 1814 in retaliation for Americans burning York (Toronto) during the War of 1812.]
Immigration Museum at Pier 21 was excellent, covering 400 years of immigration.
Maritime Museum was very interesting, with an exhibit on the Titanic sinking and the 1917 explosion on Halifax Harbor that killed 2000 and leveled much of the city. Old City Clock near the Citadel is impressive. The Harbor front is really nice, with dozens of restaurants, shops and bars lining the water.
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| St Paul's Church |
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| St Paul's Church |
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St Paul's Entrance
with ship fragment |
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Ship fragment from
the great Halifax Explosion |
St Paul's Church is very historic, being the oldest Anglican church in North America. When the great Halifax Explosion occurred in 1917, a piece of a ship imbedded itself in the church wall from the explosion in the Harbor (nearly a mile away). Lunch at McKelvie's Restaurant (link), very good food and atmosphere.
Bar Harbor, Maine
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| La Rochelle "cottage" |
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| La Rochelle garden |
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| La Rochelle garden |
Bar Harbor is a beautiful seaside town with an historic downtown, and scenic views of the harbor. We had previously visited Bar Harbor for Acadia National Park (incredibly beautiful); this time we just spent time in the town. The Historical Society is housed in the largest remaining Estate "cottage", most others having been destroyed in the devastating 1947 fire.
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| Bar Harbor park |
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| Bar Harbor waterfront |
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| Bar Harbor park |
Cottage and Main Streets are both very scenic, with lots of restaurants, shops and bars. Village Green city park has a fountain from Florence Italy. There is a small park on the water with great views of the harbor. Lunch at the Thirsty Whale Tavern was great, the grilled lobster tail was amazing. Sherman's Book Store (link) is in an historic building on Main Street.
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| Sunset in Bar Harbor |
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| Sunset in Bar Harbor |
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| Bar Harbor |
Portland, Maine
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| Portland Observatory |
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| Eastern Promenade |
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| Cannon from Battleship Maine |
Portland has nice areas downtown and along the waterfront to explore; since it was a wealthy trading port, there are lots o Victorian era mansion to visit. We explored the port area along Commercial Street, which has numerous historical building. The Harbor Fish Company has an incredible selection of oysters and lobsters. Long Wharf has an original chunk of the Berlin Wall (why?). Fore Street and Wharf Street have lots of historic buildings from the time Portland was a thriving seaport. Federal Street is filled with higher-end shops. We walked through the streets of West End, and stopped to see the Victoria Mansion, a beautiful 1860 mansion (book in advance, it was closed for a private tour).
Nearby is the Maine Historical Society with an informative exhibit on Maine's role in the Revolution. Next door is the Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow House, which was interesting to tour. Later we walked to the 1807 Portland Observatory, which looks like a lighthouse but was actually constructed to spot inbound ships. The Observatory is located in the East End, which has lots of nineteenth century homes, and one of the nicest antiquarian bookstores I've visited (Carson Turner Antiquarian Books). Farther east is the Eastern Promenade, a beautiful walk along the bay. Lunch at Eventide Oyster Company was very good, especially the fish sandwich. Next time we want to visit the Tate House Museum (book in advance). On the way out of town we had great views of the Portland Head Lighthouse, commissioned in 1791 by Gorge Washington.
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| Henry Wadsworth Longfellow house |
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| Longfellow's portable desk |
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| Victoria House |
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| Boothby Square |
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Pine Tree Flag, later appropriated
by Christian Nationalists |
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| East End |
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| Portland Harbor |
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| Portland Lighthouse |
Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts
Since we have been to Boston many times, we chose to spend our day in Cambridge. We took the subway to the Porter "T" stop, then walked Massachusetts Avenue back into Cambridge, stopping for breakfast at Bagelsaurus (great bagels and bagel sandwiches). We continued on Mass Ave to the Harvard campus and Harvard Square, and wandered around. It was really surprising to see wild turkeys wandering around the campus. We then walked Massachusetts Ave to the MIT campus, then crossed the Charles River into Back Bay. Lunch at Joe's on Newbury (link) was really good, Tammy loved the Tequila Cosmo, chili and clan chowder were both great. Walked through scenic Boston Commons.
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| Harvard gate |
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| Harvard turkeys |
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| MIT |
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| Boston Commons |
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| Boston Lighthouse |
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| Cape Cod Lighthouse |
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| Sunset near Cape Cod |
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