So, we'd finished touring the gaspe region and were headed for Quebec City. We had originally thought we would get there early in the day but by the time we finally reached our destination it was roughly 5:00 pm. Of course it was a Monday so that means rush hour with lots of traffic. I can't thank Brenda enough for her wonderful skills in navigating us around the city. I would have been hopelessly lost by myself.
We had no difficulty finding the camp ground and quickly set up the tent while enjoying a glass of wine. (Note- we took three bottles of wine with us and came home with 2 1/2 of those!)
Once that was done, we got changed and headed into the city. We found a place to park and went touring. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening and there were a lot of people out enjoying the energy that is Quebec City. After visiting the tourist centre, we found a table on an outdoor patio at a very nice restaurant. Our meal was wonderful. I had the steak, which was cooked perfectly, and Brenda had a pork chop which was also very delicious (I know cause I had a sample)
We were trying to figure out just where the concert might be taking place but the Plains of Abraham is a very big park. We walked all around and saw the sights and then eventually went back to get the car. We drove around the park and into as many entrances as we could find but still nothing. We knew the staging was set up and would be pretty easy to see but no luck. We planned our attack for morning. We found a little parking lot at a church beside the park and decided to arrive early in the morning to get a spot.
Brenda guided us back through the maze of highways and construction and we found our way to the campground once more. It had been a really great night. It was very warm and a full moon hung low in the sky. Fingers crossed for the same nice weather on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning we were awake early. It was very overcast and looked like rain - not what we were hoping for. But we packed up our stuff and headed back into the city. Once again we found the little church and parked for the day. $11 to park for 24 hours was perfect. We left some stuff in the car and only took what we would need for walking around during the day.
We went to the park and it looked much different in the daylight. We found all kinds of beautiful gardens and an information booth. Fortunately there was someone inside preparing for the day and he was able to send us in the right direction to the concert area. We hiked over there and found a number of people already waiting at the gate to be let inside - which wasn't supposed to happen until 6:30. They were going to have a very long wait.
We continued spending the day touring this beautiful city
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| Lunch at not another Tim's |
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| The farmers market |
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| When you have a common hobby, language isn't a barrier - you make each other understood. This lady showed me how she wove her mats and gave me some written instructions but they're all in french. She said if I could figure that out, I'd be able to speak french! |
Around 3:00 we headed over to the gates. It was still going to be a long wait so we found a place to sit on the grass. Usually the sound check takes place around this time. Unfortunately it didn't. Brenda made the trek to the car to bring our back packs with rain gear, just in case, although by now the day had warmed up and gotten a bit sunny. (turns out it was a good idea)
Sound check didn't start until after 5:00 and wasn't finished by the time we were to be let inside so that was delayed. Then once inside, we were standing in a crowd of people and remained there for several hours. I have to say now, that Brenda deserves the BFF of the year award. Only a true friend would still be speaking to you after that ordeal. I've done it many times before but we all know it's not really what a sane person would do. All we can say is she's been there, done that, and has the T-shirt and I've ever so grateful she did. The show itself was late starting but was wonderful as usual. The crowd loved Sir Paul, and as always he didn't disappoint.
The one tune he performs with pyrotechnics was made even more spectacular by the addition of fireworks off the top of the stage. They had done the same thing in Halifax in 2009 and it really is quite the sight.
Other than really sore and tired feet and legs, it might have been the perfect evening except for the fact that during the last song of the last encore, it started to rain lightly. Then as some 90,000 people were trying to get out of the park, the skies opened up and it poured! By the time we got back to the car, we were totally drenched.
We slowly worked our way through the pedestrians and found our way back to the campground. At the one point in the trip when we would have loved to climb into a nice hot bath, we were both sopping wet and crawling into sleeping bags in a tent! Now that is a true friend!
We were up early the next morning to pack up all the wet stuff and head for home. Once on the road, the sun came out and it was another great day. We took the highway back as we only had one day to get back. A quick stop for snacks once in a while, a visit to a cheese shop and a stop to have a cup of tea with Bernie's father in Grand Falls and we were finally back on the island.
It had been a busy few days and we packed as much into them as we could. All in all, a really great time was had!! Thank you once again Brenda, for going with me.
PS - a belated happy birthday to Ethan who celebrated his special day yesterday and a big thanks to all the folks who emailed or called to wish me the same thing!
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