Sunday,23 December

Quebec

This morning we bought a weekly bus ticket and caught the 801 bus to town, about a 20 minute journey. We were very early for our brunch booking so had a little walk around the area, down a long flight of steps, past a derelict church (there seem to be lots of them) and  the oldest patisserie in Quebec, according to a man we were talking to.

After we climbed back up those steps it was a short walk across a little park, then a quick look at
some very French-style houses with beautiful zinc roofs and into the hotel which houses Bistro Ciel,
a revolving restaurant with a view and a half.

We enjoyed a tasty brunch as we completed a 360 degree revolution that gave us a birds-eye view of the whole city and beyond. A big thank you to Sarah Heemskirk and Anne for suggesting it. Once again we have been incredibly lucky with the weather. Today was very cold (-7) but sunny, with the fewest of few snow flurries. We now believe that a snow flurry consists of about 10 flakes wafting down.

After brunch we walked to the Musee des Beau Arts, with a little detour down a lively street full of cafes and shops. There was a special exhibition of modern art works by Marcel Barbeau. We enjoyed
playing with the magnetic shapes which mirrored some of his own works.

Another section of the gallery was housed in an old prison with tiny cells.

A third area had a window with a great view of people skating in a park.

As we left, we noticed a most unusual, but not very warm, fire.

Home again on the bus, enjoying  Christmas lights along the way.