Sept.19,
Today the temperature dropped from about 80 degrees yesterday to about 50 degrees today. It was also cloudy and very windy. We went to the Ille de Orleans today. It is known as the bread basket of Quebec. The island is in the middle of the St. Lawrence river and is about 30 miles long. We visited a couple of wineries and a place that makes Cassis.and other items from black currants. We also stopped in a cidrerrie which is a place that makes many things from apples. Apples are prolific on the island. We  also found a chocolate shop which of course was a must stop. We are bringing back many yummy things which I hope we can get through customs. The architecture is very interesting with many of the buildings having very steep roofs which helps the snow and ice fall off. Here are some photos from today.

                                                Cassis Monna & Filles Cassis shop

                                                       A farmers market along the way

                                                              Typical house

                                                        Domaine Steinbach Cidrerie

                                                          Fromagerie (cheese shop)

                                                                    Chocolate shop

                                          The beach on the St. Laurence River

                                                      Maritime museum along the way

                                                            Winery where we stopped

Sept.18,
Today we left Montreal about 9:00 and drove to Quebec city. We arrived around noon and were able to check into our room. We then drove to the old city of Quebec. The weather today was beautiful. Old Quebec is a beautiful place with the Chateau Frontenac being the center of attraction. The city sits on the St.Laurence River. The streets around the town are cobblestone with interesting buildings housing tourist shops and art galleries. There are many street musicians adding to the atmosphere. We walked around until about 4:00 and then headed back to the hotel to relax for a while before dinner. Here are a few photos from the day.

                                                     Old city street

                                                             Old city street

                                                    Restaurant in the old city

                                     Lots of horse and carriages carry people around the old city

                                                               Chateau Frontenac

                                               Old Quebec with the Chateau Frontenac

Sept. 17th
It was a cloudy but pleasant day today. It was supposed to rain but it didn't. We met Emilio this morning and first went to the Montreal Botanical Garden. It was nice but not as good as some other ones I've been to.. We had lunch and then went back to the old town in Montreal and walked around for a while. Emilio said the old towns in the US and Canada aren't as good as the ones in Europe and I have to agree with that. Emilio has been sick and George woke me this morning at 5:30 thinking it was 6:30 so we all went back and took a nap before going out to dinner. I had the best steak I think I've ever had. We said our good byes to Emilio after dinner as we will be leaving in the morning for Quebec City. I always feel like a little piece of my heart is ripped out when we say good bye.He has become like another son.

                                                      Montreal Botanical Garden

                                                     Montreal Botanical Garden

                                           Montreal Botanical Garden

                                          Insecterum at the Montreal Botanical Garden

                                                      Rue St. Paul Montreal

Friday Sept. 16
Today we left Rich & Liia's house and drove to Montreal. We got to our hotel about 4:00 PM and got settled in. We let Emilio know we were here and he came to the hotel about 5:30. Emilio is our former exchange student from Spain who is now taking a semester at the University of Quebec in Montreal. We drove into the center of Montreal and walked around the town after finding parking at the old port. We had a nice dinner and then drove back to the hotel after dropping Emilio off at his dorm. Tomorrow we plan on going to the Montreal Botanical garden and then walking around old Montreal again. The weather is quite cold in the morning but warms up nicely to about 70 degrees by mid day. Time to crash for the night.

                                                            Place Jacques- Cartier

                                                                     St. Paul Street

                                                  Restaurant on Place Jacques-Cartier

                                                              Place Jacques- Cartier

                  Notre-Dame Basilica                          Street in old Montreal