A good nights sleep makes a world of difference to the body I got up at 6.30am and did yesterdays document blog and am now up to date except for putting all the entries and photos on travelpod. Everyone will get a shock when all the entries appear at once probably thought I was feed up with doing the entries.

Richard is now awake now so I made coffee for us and went back to bed talked about what we were going to do today before getting up to have a shower. Looks cold outside so I put my winter top on Richard went over to the car and sprayed WD40 which he found near our back door and sprayed on the door hinges. I got some winter tops out for Richard so we will be right for the next few days the cold wind goes straight through you.

Richard looked on his ipad to see where we go for walking tours of old Quebec and once I had lunch and flask of coffee packed we were off. The clouds looked quite threatening but the young Car park Attendant said it was going to be okay today and he pointed us in the right direction to the old city of Quebec. The apartment building where we are staying for three nights and the Car park are both in the UNESCO protected area of old Quebec the walls are original limestone from the 1700's when Quebec was built. They are on Cote D'Abraham a very busy road connecting to Avenue Honore Mercier on the right and a major highway with high under and overpasses. Being in the basement with two foot limestone walls you don't hear the traffic outside.

Anyway we walked up Honore Mercier turned left at Saint Jean and walked through Saint John Gate (Porte Saint-Jean) the first gate dates back to 1639 and has become one of the symbols of the old city. The west side of the old city had fortified stone walls to keep the British and other enemies from attacking and the other three sides were cliffs facing the Saint Laurent River. Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec in 1608 and built it on the narrowest part of the river as the french canons didn't have the distance for firing and from this point they could bombard all the wooden battleships and no one could take the fort.

  Lots of winding streets with beautiful old buildings you could quite easily get lost here, we followed our little map down Saint Jean to the Information Centre where we booked our walking tour of upper and lower Quebec which starts at 11.00am just 45 minutes away. Very busy centre and so was the toilets from the tourist buses. Changed a $20 note for $5 notes for tip for tour guide. Went over to Place d'Armes and had a coffee while we waited for the tour to start only to realise the batteries in the camera were flat and we had to race around to find a shop to buy two batteries but we mad it back in time. The video camera and digital camera were continually being used and my memory of what I took is a bit vague plus the Information Centre didn't have any brochures with pictures and information of the building we looked at on the walking tour. So I have photos with little description.

The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac overlooks the majestic Saint-Lawrence River and is the most photographed hotel in the world but also a historical site. At the moment it is being renovated inside and out. We went inside and it is a really lovely old hotel. Overlooking the Saint-Lawrence River at the foot of the Chateau Frontenac is a boardwalk built by Dufferin in 1879 to cover the old burnt ruins of Champlain's home, which you can see through a glass structure. You have a gorgeous view of the river, cruise boats, the Ile d'Orleans (island) and the old harbour.

We stopped at the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral built in 1804 the first Anglican church built outside of England plus we saw the Notre-Dame-de-Quebec Cathedral Basilica a very impressive building. It was very busy with a lot of tour guides and tourists so our group had to move quickly. Viewed many buildings, first girls and boys schools, where nuns lived and parishes, universities and museums and monuments.

Looked at streets of English built homes long and thin with two sets of doors on the street and french style which I like better. I could go on and on but I wish I had a brochure to describe the buildings.

Walked down to the lower section of old Quebec where the first street was called Irish Street after the Irish and Scottish immigrants who moved there and were involved with the shipbuilding. The river was right at their doorstep and over the next three centuries areas of the river were filled in and the industry changed. There is still a paper mill there now and grain silos, a boat harbour in the protected area from the Lawrence River.

Saw a beautiful 100 square meter painting (The Petit-Champlain Mural) depicting the origins of the area before going to the square of Place Royale. Place Royale is the cradle of french civilisation in North America it is where Samuel de Champlain began the construction of the first permanent settlement in New France. A small fort at the foot of Cap Diamond. Rich merchants set up shop in this public square. When the English took over the merchants, ship owners and shipbuilders transformed it into a trade hub. It slowly fell into decline but now with tourists the old city has been transformed into shops selling all sorts of goods, restaurants and places to stay.

The tour ending in a little street of french style building where the locals sell their merchandise and it is expensive. Claude a retired chap from Montreal was a wealth of information and kept us entertained for two hours Richard gave him a tip and we were all went our different ways. Walked down the street looking at the shops but nothing interested us so we went back to Place Royale sat on the bench and had lunch. Another couple from the tour were also having lunch there we waved took some photos before climbing the stairs to the upper city.

Strolled through the city looking at the restaurants, people and buildings before exiting the Saint Louis Gate of the old city. Walked through the park in front of Quebec's oldest parliamentary institutions so many lovely old buildings. Had a group of noisy french school children following us can't seem to get away from kids wherever we go they draw to us like a magnet. Will go to the Citadelle tomorrow and walk part of the fortified wall.

Lovely scenic walk along all the beautiful architectural buildings in Grande Allee Est passed the old and new three storey homes in Rue De Claire Fontaine till we reached Rue Saint Jean the shopping street. Richard wants a french cake but all the places we have been to the cakes are tiny and costly not like at home where you get a good size slice with your Latte. Lovely french lady and gentleman saw us looking at our map and told us where the cake and chocolate shops were but we still didn't buy anything. The apartment is just around the corner so we went back and had Brie on crackers with a cup of coffee.

Richard relaxed with his ipad and I started dinner then did some of today's bog and looked at cabins on Lille d' Orleans for a couple of nights (in bloody french) rang them but all booked. After dinner I went upstairs to see Gilles to stay an extra night which we can but we will have to go upstairs to the apartment above us as ours is rented for the extra night we want to stay. Gilles showed us around the apartment and said we could have it for $90 cash so now tomorrow we will need to find an ATM.

With the basic equipment I have we do have enjoyable healthy meals. Richard relaxed with an English DVD and his IPA while I did some more of the bog trying to remember the tour and buildings we saw. Both tired of what we are doing and went to bed knowing we only had one more night of a smelly bathroom.