A lovely day in Vieux Québec and an unexpected hockey superstar in our midst!

We got off to a good start this morning in the sunshine and took the shuttle bus into old Québec where it is impossible to find parking. I had forgotten how hilly and steep the inclines were between the lower "basse" and upper "haute" villes. But, feeling like a pro after navigating the hills of Montmartre in Paris, I knew I could make the climb on foot even though Allan and Sophie wanted to take the funiculaire. The stairs were tough, but I felt I earned my venti latte at the Château Frontenac Starbucks at the top.

The château itself is magnificent and we plan to take a tour of it tomorrow - it was way too crowded on a Sunday to go in today. The Château Frontenac was named for the Count of Frontenac who was governor of New France (1672-82). Before the hotel was built, the site was the residence of the British colonial governors of Quebec/Lower Canada. The hotel is now part of the posh Fairmont Hotel chain in Canada. Walking around the Terrasse Dufferin provided great views of the St. Lawrence, la Basse-ville and la Citadelle behind.

It was very reminiscent of France wandering the cobblestone streets. Full of restaurants, shops and tourists, I almost felt like I was back in Paris -except there was no smoking!! - a big bonus. In fact, I had to remind myself that I am in Canada since Quebec City is not your typical Canadian city as well as the almost total lack of Canadian flags flying - mostly only the fleur de lys is flying. Like a good ethnographer, I took lots of photos, made some notes and picked up a bag full of flyers, maps and other useful documents and got some recommendations at the main Bureau de Tourisme on the Place d'Armes.

We visited the Musée du Fort - a lovely little museum which recounts the fall of Québec into British hands during the battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. There was a 30 minute diarama show ($5 for students) which was well worth the price. This would be an excellent activity for our students and I spoke to the curator, took down some information and left her my card. We will visit battlefield park on the Plains of Abraham tomorrow.

Restaurants were plentiful and the beautiful evening sky and warm temperatures made for an excellent end to the day as we had dinner at Le Cochon Dingue (the Crazy Pig) a restaurant that Allan and I had visited about 18 years ago when we were here for a conference. It was kind of a nice trip down memory lane and the prix fixe menu was very tasty.

We had a very interesting surprise when we returned to the hotel. We are staying in a hotel which is part of the Super 8 chain but it is a step or two up from the standard motel and includes a golf resort. The name on the hotel is Stastny and Allan recognized this as being the name of three famous brothers who played NHL hockey in the 1980s for the Québec Nordiques. We figured that maybe the family owned the hotel. Tonight, however, we found out that Marian Stastny, the eldest of the brothers and best hockey player amongst them, did in fact own the hotel and lives here too. He was here this evening at the desk and we had a chance to speak with him. I'm not really a hockey fan, but I think Allan will have to ask him for an autograph - how could he pass up the opportunity!