Day 11 4th May 2009 Day trip to Quebec City

Day 11. 4th May 2009 Day trip to Quebec City.
We arose at 5am; breakfasted at 6am; walked to the Central Rail Station at 6:25am; boarded our train at 6:45am and departed at 7am. We are riding in very new carriages with a decor of light blue, dark blue and grey. The carriages were originally built for British Rail and designed for the trip from Edinburgh via London and the channel tunnel to Paris. British Rail cancelled the deal and the Canadians picked up each carriages cheaply; although they are reputed to have spent millions converting the power and brake systems to suit Canadian conditions. We have power for our computers and wireless internet; $10 for 24 hours. As we left Montreal we passed by a ship in a lock on the Welland canal. The ships do not travel on the St Lawrence River at this point because many Canadians go fishing in small boats. The big ships use the canal. The surrounding countryside was mainly arable land recently tilled ready for crops to be sown. We are currently about 160 metres above sea level. After a 3 ½ hour train trip we arrived at Quebec and climbed onto our tour bus. We drove through narrow streets surrounded by quaint buildings. They are several centuries old. The old city is on a hill and surrounded by a high stone wall. This wall did not stop the British conquering the French in the 1700s.The battle was all over in ¼ hour. After 4 hours of touring we were dropped off at the Chateau Frontenac. This is a beautiful old hotel. A different type of busker was playing classical music on an electric piano; we sat for while in the warm sun listening to the music. After strolling further we found a small restaurant for a late 3:30pm lunch / dinner. The soup was beautiful but the main looked funny although it tasted good. I selected my dish because it was served with vegetables; yeah! Long 2mm square strips of carrots, similar turnips and zucchini, all raw and incredibly hard. Not very nice. We walked downhill back to the train. Waiting at an intersection a small electric bus pulled up. I asked the driver if he went to the railway. He opened the door so we hopped in. To our horror he went in the wrong direction. I said to Fay, don’t worry he is probably taking a roundabout route. Sure enough we eventually headed in the right direction. When we got off the bus all we had done was get to the other side of the road. Anyway we had the experience of riding in an electric bus; and it was free.