Having a baby means an even earlier bedtime than my previous 9 PM. The AP likes to go to sleep before 7 so we need to squeeze in as much as possible before that. It's easy since she usually wakes up before 6:30.
We started the day off with a quick breakfast at the Best Western restaurant, Bistro Le 330. The waiters there are so friendly and really helpful with a baby. The breakfast buffet is $15.00 and includes various eggs, home fries, sausages, french toast (of course!), fruit, etc... Since I am still trying to lose the baby weight and then some, I chose to have cottage cheese and a fresh fruit plate. It was only $4 for the fruit and it was real fruit, not that junk they give you in many places that comes from a jar.
With our tummies stuffed, we headed off to Montmorency Falls; it was about a 10 minute drive. The AP fell asleep on the way so we sat in the parking lot for a bit; but it was still better to get there nice and early. When we rode the cable car up, there was only one other family on the car; when we came down, the had to have been at least 100 visitors in line. It cost $40.00 for 2 adults to park and ride up the cable car to the top of the falls. At first I thought that was a bit pricey, but I was WRONG! The ride up in the cable car was worth the money. What an amazing view it gives! The cable car operator informed us that 300 cubic meters of water was falling PER SECOND due to the rain yesterday. It was so powerful. Once at the top, we crossed over the falls on the suspension bridge where we were sprayed from the forceful falls. Although this waterfall is not nearly as wide as Niagara Falls, it is approximately 90 feet taller.
From there we drove into Old Quebec to explore for the remainder of the day. There is plenty of parking in this area. It cost us $22 for the day, but we didn't mind paying as we didn't have to pay for parking at the hotel last night (The meters stop at 9 PM and begin again at 9 AM. At the hotel, you can use the meter for up to 5 hours.) Everyone and every write-up says Old Quebec is very European. They are certainly correct. It did not disappoint. The buildings are charming and colorful, there are cafes and cathedrals everywhere, and the streets have just the right amount of cobblestone. Highlights - Notre Dame Cathedral which was rebuilt at least 2 times due to fires. It was also allowed to be built originally by the English after they basically stole Quebec from the French. Apparently, they had been eyeing it for over a hundred years when James Wolfe led the charge and the French gave in. They signed the Treaty of Paris and that is how Canada still has a French stronghold in the middle of it. Man those British were greedy little ________ back in the day! We tried to have a drink in the world famous Chateau Frontenac (yes, it is the most photographed hotel in the world) while the AP was sleeping in her carriage but were nicely informed that children under 18 are not allowed in bars. I was bummed because we were going to sit in crazy fur covered seats that had horns but alas, the law is the law. We weren't hungry enough to venture into the restaurant where the AP was acceptable so we may try it another day. After strolling the streets and passing the Citadel (insurmountable with a buggy) and Parliament, we were finally hungry enough and tried out 1640 Restaurant right on the square. If you go there, sit outside. There was so much to see. There were Tibetan monks getting their caricatures drawn (truth). They also had cell phones and tablets. Hmm... maybe they don't take a vow of poverty either. These waiters were absolutely amazing. We had everything we wanted, and they loved the AP. The poor men spent so much time picking up her toys that she threw and reciprocating her smiles. One even stood with his tray beneath her hand so that when she let go of the keys, he could catch them. The beef bourguignon was really as good as claimed to be. It was so tender you didn't even need a knife to cut it. It was also reasonably priced.
As the rest of the world started their night, we quietly hopped in the car and headed back to the hotel to end ours. 6:30 PM comes pretty quickly and the AP goes from friendly, happy baby to tired, sad one in 60 seconds. Even with this, Padraig and I agree she is the most amazing baby ever so that's why we need to do so much in so little time!
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