Montmorency Falls, August 31, 2013

I took a cycle trip to Montmorency Falls with Cyclo Services is which located close to Place Gare. Our guide’s name was Guy. Bikes were low end hybrids and kind of heavy. Quebec City has 400 km in bike trails itself. Trivia Fact of the day....you are allowed to ride a bike on the sidewalk in Quebec and cross in all directions on a pedestrian green(maybe because the drivers are very aggressive. The route we took was paved along the St Lawrence: we passed Latin Square and Domaine Maizerets (a park on the north side of the river that used to be a Jesuit Farm). The St Lawrence exhibits high tides (about 12 ft). There is a Gondola that goes up the west side of the falls and you disembark at Manoir Montmorency which has served as a private home, officers club and Jesuit Monestary. There is a suspension bridge at the top and the east side of the falls has a new Via Ferrata (Iron Trail) which can be viewed be the stairs located on the east side as well.

Quebec City August 30, 2013

Quebec City airport is a nice size and offers free wifi. While there is no shuttle service downtown taxis charge a flat fee of 35.00 to the old city. I stayed at the Loews Concorde which offers nice views of the Port and river however it is a bit of a walk from downtown. During the afternoon I went to the Observatory of the Capitol which costs 10.00 but is too far back from the cliff to see any of the lower city. I also walked over to the VIA Rail station which is an historic building located way, way down the hill from the Chateau Frontenac. There is a neat fountain in front of the station and "Place Gare" has many restaurants and boutiques.

The areas around Hotel Dieu and The Chateau Frontenac are ideal locations and I checked out some smaller hotels. It is handy to be close to the thoroughfares of Rue St Louis and Rue St Jean. Other tourist areas in the upper city are Rue de Buade, Cote de La Fabrique and Rue St Anne. The lower city seems to centre around the stair cases leading down to Rue Petit Champlain, Rue Notre Dame and Boulevard Champlain. There are some interesting restaurants and a lot of shops and artisans. The hill is long and steep but the look outs from Dufferin Terrace and Parc Montmorency are panoramic.

Porter Airlines, August 30, 2013

Presently I am in the Porter Airline Lounge at Billy Bishop Airport. The process of getting to the Airport is relatively simple. Porter airlines shuttle service picks up from a spot very close to the exit from Go Transit at Front and York Street. My travel time from downtown to check in was about 45 minutes including my wait for the ferry and transfer to the island. There are check in kiosks on both sides of the channel. Yesterday I tried to copy my boarding pass onto a .pdf file but the check in or security agents did not accept it so I had to use my paper copy. Porter are not fully employing mobile technology for their passengers. The lounge itself is quite nice with complimentary wifi available to all passengers and coffee, water and fruit juices are free for everyone. There is a small station that sells food but it is quite expensive: a fresh yogurt fruit cup was priced at 6.00 while a dry bagel is 4.00. The waiting area is furnished with upholstered chairs and there are outlets for plugging laptops. The airport is in the process of building a tunnel to the mainland.

Travel Applications for Mobile Devices, August 27, 2013

The advent of Iphones and Ipods has eased navigation issues for cruise passengers and tourists in new cities. Recently I downloaded "Deck Director" an application that allows me to load a copy of the ms Veendam's deck plan onto my Ipod. Once on the ship I can input my cabin number and the Ipod will generate directions to the cabin and between public areas so I don't get lost during the first few days onboard. I have also been able to download a map and touring program for Quebec City so that I will be able to discover the sites with a self guided tour. It also has the advantage of providing me with a loaded map for finding my way home.

Packing Issues August 26 , 2013

This week I am preparing for my cruise with Holland America and like many travelers I am having issues determining what to pack and what to pack it into. The standard for checked luggage is a total size of 62 inches per piece for a maximum of two pieces. While I have planned a lot of my activities I failed to consider the issue of shoes. Shoes for the formal evenings on board, shoes for walking, shoes for running and shoes for cycling. I find it odd to be obsessing about shoes....