Kilometres Remaining: 6,971/11,978
Yay civilization. Don’t get me wrong, I love the wild, like, love, the wild (no sexual connotations implied), but when your car is showing signs of being pretty sick the wild starts looking a little more ominous. Jerusalem needed a Doctor and badly. Through my time in Saint John, and then in Truro, I have come to trust NAPA AutoPro. We cracked out the phone book and tried to find one. We found several. I used the GPS to determine which one was closest to us, and then we gave them a call. There was an English speaking mechanic who answered the phone (thank God) and he said that we could bring Jerusalem in.
We ate our continental breakfast, that we had not expected but were grateful for, called the mechanic, and then drove Jerusalem there. I told them a list of things that were wrong (it was a frighteningly long list) and then we hopped on a bus to the “Old City.” Our hotel was well placed and the bus took us straight to Old Quebec. We got off a bit in front of the gate and wandered to the hotel I stayed at last time to use the toilette. After that we were off. We headed in the Saint-Jean gate and were inside the fortifications.
I love Quebec City, and I am not the only one. If you have not been there, you should really try to make it. The Old City is extremely historical and is filled with some of the most beautiful buildings you will ever see. For Canada it is as old as they come, and it is rich with purest of Quebec’s culture.
Inside the gate we headed towards the information centre to see what there was to see. The woman there was medium helpful, but gave us a map that was tres helpful. We then decided that today we would see part of the upper section of the Old City (on top of the cliffs) and then would go see all of the lower part (along the St. Lawrence). Earlier my Father had called to say he wanted to treat us to lunch at one of his favourite restaurants, and told us the name. I noticed it on the map and made note of where it was.
We walked along the boardwalk and through a few parks. We looked inside the Chateau Frontenac and then around the streets of the Old City. We admired works of art for sale on the streets and took photos of... well... everything. I was amazed to see how many people were on the streets, as opposed to last time I was there when it was -40 C and the streets were barren. I was also amazed to see how many people. Through all of our travelling it has been “low” season, but here it was full of people.
Getting hungry we headed towards the restaurant Dad suggested: “Ancien Canadiens.” He suggested it because it was a gem in his memory, and because it served traditional Quebecois food, in a historical surrounding. The building must have been as old as Quebec, and it showed in its architecture and construction. It was the lunch rush so we had to wait half an hour to be seated but it was worth it. We had the lunch special, and with Dad’s recommendation we started with the French Onion Soup (where better a place to have it?!). The soup was incredible, as was the turkey that followed (our impromptu belated Thanksgiving supper) and the sorbet after that. Beer/wine was included, and though I did not drink it, I ordered it so that my better half might indulge. She did to some extent and by the time we were done eating we were full and content.
Full... so very full... we headed back to the boardwalk and then down the stairs to the lower part of Old Quebec. This part has been rebuilt and was made to be as close to what it was (or might have been) as possible. It is great for walking and great for shopping. We saw musicians (and in the upper part too) and people, and murals, and lots of amazing things. We caught one song of a guy playing the cups. I bought a CD of his, but wanted to make a movie. Unfortunately it was his last song and we missed it. Maybe I will see him again tomorrow... if not I have the CD... but still... cups. Like, 50 different glasses filled with different levels of water. It was nuts!
It was about this time that the Car Doctor called me. I am sooooo glad that we found and English speaking mechanic! He told me about the things that they checked, and about the things that needed fixing. Turns out that if they fixed everything (oil change, balancing the tires, removing one inch of sand from the front passenger tire, replacing the front passenger wheel bearings, replacing the rear brake pads, replacing the sway bar links) it would cost $900!!! Yep $900! For a car I paid $1000 for, $900 seems a bit... excessive. I asked him what was essential and how much that would cost. He answered that we could do the oil change, balancing the tires, removing one inch of sand from the front passenger tire, and replacing the front passenger wheel bearings for just over $300. That would be enough to get us back on the road. That was better... that, at least, I could afford... well... more better than $900. Every time I have that conversation I get a boost of adrenaline. It is like my heart skips a beat and bam, I am shocked. There is a resolution here, and we will be back on the road in no time. We will pick up Jerusalem tomorrow and be good to go from there on in.
We walked to the water where we could get some photos and then continued on. We found a farmers’ market where we bought some apples and carrots and then headed back to the centre of the city. We continued walking back towards our hotel, just strolling along and taking in the sights. Quebec City is a beautiful city. It took a while, but we made it to the hotel, and with the satisfaction of not paying $2.60 each for the bus. We rested for a bit in the hotel while I called and e-mailed people to confirm that they could still host us and then we went for a quick snack. We had a little pizza at a pub not far from the hotel and were once again full. Back to the hotel where I wrote this blog, and then where I will go to sleep and try to recover from the days of driving through the worst weather and roads I have ever seen.
Gah.
Fin.
p.s. Quebec rocks!
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