Sunday, October 27, 2024

We had signed up for a tour to Montmorency Falls and Ile d’Orléans (Island of Orleans), but learned yesterday that it had been cancelled since too few people had signed up for it. We were disappointed, but decided we could at least take a cab to the falls. Luckily for us, our driver said he could take us on a personal tour to both of those places, and drive through the Old City of Québec as well.

Our first stop, Montmorency Falls, is located in the City of Québec, near where the Montmorency River meets the St. Lawrence. The falls plunge over 270 feet into the St. Lawrence River, a longer drop than that of Niagara. A footpath and suspended bridge offer views of the falls and surrounding area. We had considered taking a cable car to the top of the falls, but it was quite cold out today, so we simply walked the boardwalk along the bottom.

A hydroelectric station was built near the falls in 1885 to power Québec City. It was one of the first hydropower stations in Canada, and Québec City was the first North American city to use hydroelectric. This station is no longer operational.

From the falls, we headed to Ile d’Orléans, just east of downtown Québec, and across from Montmorency Falls. The island measures about 5 miles in width and 21 miles in length, and contains six villages. It was home to one of the first settlements in the St. Lawrence Valley, and was enrolled in Québec‘s Cultural Heritage Register in 1970. Approximately 300 French families settled here in the mid-1600s. Due to the fertile soil of the island, agriculture has always played a big role in their economy. Today, we sampled some of the fruits of their labor, apples and strawberries, as well as some wines and chocolates.

While driving from one site to another, we noticed a sculpture of a guitarist alongside the road, so asked our driver to stop. It turned out to be a sculpture of Félix Leclerc, a French-Canadian songwriter, actor, writer and poet, who was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Félix Awards for Canadian songwriters honor his memory. As we walked along the path beyond the sculpture, we found several small art installations, mostly based on shoes – what a delightful and serendipitous discovery!

Shortly after returning to our ship, we cast off to begin our journey to the sea. Québec’s location on the St. Lawrence River gave it access to the Atlantic Ocean and to the Great Lakes, which provided a strategic advantage for transporting goods and people from Europe to the “New World.” We will now explore the access to the Atlantic.

The day continued to be cold, plus it became fairly windy, and we even saw some snow this afternoon. Feels just like home!!! Actually, that is a catch phrase for Crystal – when we boarded, and when we return to the ship, we are greeted with a “Welcome Home.”

Tonight’s entertainment was provided by James Fox, a Welsh singer who played the music of Billy Joel. Mr. Fox began playing piano when he was six years old, and played the role of Billy Joel in “Moving Out” on Broadway. Fox gave an energetic, rousing performance which we enjoyed immensely.