Monday October 12th 2009 - A Fascination With Railways

We rose early, ate at the breakfast buffet before heading to the main Montreal railway station. The buffet was an all you could eat breakfast of reasonable quality. We fortified ourselves with cereal, coffee and toast for the day ahead, not knowing when our next meal would be. The walk to the station was long and the pace unremitting in the cold icy conditions. The wind was brutal and we had difficulty finding the station which had an easily missed double-door entrance to a huge underground retail and railway complex. It was like an underground city down there. The midday train to Quebec City was fully booked so we waited in the hope of a cancellation. The professional staff were working hard to accommodate us, even to the extent of walking out into the concourse to find us and give an update. This felt good after our bus ride from hell on the previous day. The level of commitment and professionalism of the train staff contrasted starkly with that of the bus personnel in the US. It reminded me of Australia or at least how it used to be. We boarded at the last minute and had seats in separate carriages. The exit from Montreal was unusual in that the train reversed into a siding before moving forwards for the rest of the trip. We passed through typically inner city industrial decay before moving into the suburbs and beyond into farmland. By and large the land was completely flat. About halfway into the trip, Bryce came and told me of empty seats in his carriage, so I moved. Upon arrival in Quebec City we had no maps and no idea of where the station was or where we were going. After consulting an out-of-scale tourist brochure excuse for a map, we orientated ourselves and headed into the unknown. Our first stop was an hotel where everyone sat around the entrance in wheelchairs. We quickly realized our mistake and trying not to give away our embarassment, moved on. Despite having the word hotel fixed to the side of the building, it was now converted into an out patient facility. But our luck changed. As we rounded the next street, we came into the core of the old Quebec City. We passed a couple of hotels before settling on one that looked reasonable both in price and quality. The person at the counter was very friendly and helpful. The cost? About $140 per night. Being on foot, the location was ideal. After checking in we explored the old town. Quebec City definitely has of European feel with the old Georgian buildings and shops. We walked to the old fort high on the hill overlooking the majestic St Lawrence Seaway. At this point it was probably at least a mile wide and reminder me of views I'd seen last August in Seattle. We continued on through the old town until we reached the old town walls. The walled city aspect was visually very similar to that of York in the UK. On we walked, past many hotels, one of which I entered at Bryce's bidding to ask the cost per night. Alas, the lobby was full of people, so we left. At this point Bryce threw in the towel in regard to being our resident navigator and requested I take over. So uncertain of where we were I just navigated by instinct. We ended up somewhere near our hotel and entered into a store selling mediaeval wares. Bryce was tempted to buy a well presented quill and ink set, but resisted. I was tempted by some mediaeval tapestry reproductions suitable for who knows what, but they looked nice and were certainly something you don't see every day. We ate at a British style pub, sat in at a corner and ordered beer. The meal was good. We made it back to the hotel around 9 PM and Bryce tapped away on the micro laptop.