The hotel that just keeps giving served up a lovely free breakfast on Day Three morning. We sat in a sunny window overlooking Ste. Anne and les Artisans de la cathédrale, sipping delicious coffee (or chocolate milk). We hoped to be able to enjoy a caleche ride around the old city before piling into the Jetta for the trip in New Brunswick. It was early, however, so we weren’t sure the horses were up and out.
After breakfast, we strolled down Ste. Anne, Sam walking the length of the cobblestone street up on top of the old wall bordering the Cathedral Holy Trinity and smiling at the singers who were performing for those enjoying patio breakfasts. We didn’t pass an open guitar case without Sam shyly tossing in some coins (and then turning to whisper “can I have a turn?” We’ve now promised to consider buying him a guitar).
We spent a few minutes in the square, re-enacting the morning exercises of the soldiers who assembled on the spot 250 years ago. Sam’s march kept breaking into a scamper and I had to plead with him to stand still long enough for a photo. Then we spotted a carriage and struck a deal for a 40 minute tour. It was a lovely ride. The sky was blue, the air was cool and fresh, and the streets were quiet (especially compared to our evening arrival on the last day of the Festival d’été de Quebec– which draws 900,000 visitors!).
For Sam, the clippity-clop of the horse's hooves and the nearly-nonsensical descriptions of the tour highlights (we kept tra
nslating into preschool) rendered him floppy, but he was happy to snuggle in between Jeremy and I for most of the trip. I photographed everything: it was so beautiful and storied a place. Of course, at spots the then-and-now discrepancies were nearly ironic: it’s hard to let your imagination run free across the Plains of Abraham while there are workers in the foreground dismantling large pics of Kayne West and Los Lobos. For Sam, the highlight of the trip came once we disembarked and he caught site of the leather sling that catches Kim-the-horse’s “business” before it hits the streets. Now that’s entertainment. I had to take a picture of the horse’s butt just for Sammy.
Satisfied with our visit to Old Québec, the family loaded up the Jetta and called out our goodbyes and our signature ROOOAAAD TRIIIP and followed the pictureseque river valley up into New Brunswick. We arrived at the famous Auberge Pres-du-Lac in Grand Falls in good time, Sam breaking for the playground the instant the doors were popped. While I’d envisioned a trip to the Falls & Gorge park that afternoon, we forgot to factor in the time change, the presence of a pool, and the lure of dinner.
After hauling our stuff to the second floor room and enjoying a little breather on the balcony, we suggested to Sam that he be the lead explorer around the hotel. He gamely marched the hallways and stairways until he discovered the pool. As he started to say “Ohh, I don’t have my…” I pulled out his swimsuit and he leapt for it. The pool was a big hit. We pretty much had
the place to ourselves. I spent maybe 30 minutes in there before hitting the sauna and stretching out on a deck chair beneath the skylights, but Daddy and Boy-0 broke the record, clocking at least an hour and a half playing and jumping and getting Sam comfortable on his own in the shallow end. He even learned how to take a wave in the face without sprinting for my lap. For the finale, I shot a 5 minute re-enactment of Finding Nemo, in which little fish lost is reunited with his fiercely protective father. A wonderful way to spend sundown in Grand Falls.
After breakfast, we strolled down Ste. Anne, Sam walking the length of the cobblestone street up on top of the old wall bordering the Cathedral Holy Trinity and smiling at the singers who were performing for those enjoying patio breakfasts. We didn’t pass an open guitar case without Sam shyly tossing in some coins (and then turning to whisper “can I have a turn?” We’ve now promised to consider buying him a guitar).
We spent a few minutes in the square, re-enacting the morning exercises of the soldiers who assembled on the spot 250 years ago. Sam’s march kept breaking into a scamper and I had to plead with him to stand still long enough for a photo. Then we spotted a carriage and struck a deal for a 40 minute tour. It was a lovely ride. The sky was blue, the air was cool and fresh, and the streets were quiet (especially compared to our evening arrival on the last day of the Festival d’été de Quebec– which draws 900,000 visitors!).For Sam, the clippity-clop of the horse's hooves and the nearly-nonsensical descriptions of the tour highlights (we kept tra
nslating into preschool) rendered him floppy, but he was happy to snuggle in between Jeremy and I for most of the trip. I photographed everything: it was so beautiful and storied a place. Of course, at spots the then-and-now discrepancies were nearly ironic: it’s hard to let your imagination run free across the Plains of Abraham while there are workers in the foreground dismantling large pics of Kayne West and Los Lobos. For Sam, the highlight of the trip came once we disembarked and he caught site of the leather sling that catches Kim-the-horse’s “business” before it hits the streets. Now that’s entertainment. I had to take a picture of the horse’s butt just for Sammy.Satisfied with our visit to Old Québec, the family loaded up the Jetta and called out our goodbyes and our signature ROOOAAAD TRIIIP and followed the pictureseque river valley up into New Brunswick. We arrived at the famous Auberge Pres-du-Lac in Grand Falls in good time, Sam breaking for the playground the instant the doors were popped. While I’d envisioned a trip to the Falls & Gorge park that afternoon, we forgot to factor in the time change, the presence of a pool, and the lure of dinner.
After hauling our stuff to the second floor room and enjoying a little breather on the balcony, we suggested to Sam that he be the lead explorer around the hotel. He gamely marched the hallways and stairways until he discovered the pool. As he started to say “Ohh, I don’t have my…” I pulled out his swimsuit and he leapt for it. The pool was a big hit. We pretty much had
the place to ourselves. I spent maybe 30 minutes in there before hitting the sauna and stretching out on a deck chair beneath the skylights, but Daddy and Boy-0 broke the record, clocking at least an hour and a half playing and jumping and getting Sam comfortable on his own in the shallow end. He even learned how to take a wave in the face without sprinting for my lap. For the finale, I shot a 5 minute re-enactment of Finding Nemo, in which little fish lost is reunited with his fiercely protective father. A wonderful way to spend sundown in Grand Falls.
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