Day 21. August 27, 2013. Are we in France?

We realized that everyone in our campsite has bikes, which prompted me to look at our brochures about this area.  Apparently we are on one of the best bike paths in the world.  So, we got on the bikes and headed to the ferry.  The path follows the St. Lawrence River.  Old train bed.  It really is nice...divided into 2 lanes for bikes and another lane for walkers.  To get to the path, we had to ride about 1/2 mile on a busy highway.  It was a steep decline, so we were going fast.  I was scared.  I made it, then biked 8 kilometers to downtown.  It was mostly downhill, so easy.  I kept thinking about the return uphill trip, though.  

Made it to the ferry and crossed to old Quebec City.  The picture attached is a famous hotel that dominates the skyline.  When we disembarked, most people took the funicular, as the city is so steep. We, of course, claimed the steps instead, to save money and "to get exercise".  The city is just lovely.  You really think you are in Europe.  George found a brasserie where they make their own beer.  We walked up and down and around.  We tried to find a non-touristy lunch place, so we walked some more.  Found an alley with an outdoor terrace.  It was totally local and really neat.  A bunch of office workers had brought in food and were having a gay old time with lots of wine.  We whispered to the waiter about them not being back to work, and he winked and said they were government employees..  Unfortunately, they didn't serve food.  We had drinks and walked on.  We entered a small grocery and wandered around.  In the back, they had a deli.  We bought some pâté (had a choice of about 20 kinds) and a baguette, and ate it in a cemetery.  It was so good!  Only $4, as compared to expensive cafes.

Then, ferry back to this side of the river.  George wanted to stop at a brewpub that we had visited 2 years ago.  We sat at the bar, and this fellow switched from French to English and really bended our ear.  He is actually from Wales. He was planning a veterans' get-together and asked us to help him pick the beers to serve.  So, he ordered us a bunch of samples, and then bought George a beer and gave us a lot of history info.

 Then, the bike ride home.  The 8 kilometers were mostly uphill.  After all the walking, I about died.  But I made it!  I did give up, though, on the highway part of the trip.  George picked up the car and rescued me.

Back at the campsite....cooled off in the pool, and then relaxed in the hot tub!  Dinner is rice with some tandoori spices and canned chicken (still going through leftovers).  We are using our tripod grill since the fire ring doesn't have a grate