I took a brief trip to Quebec City from June 28th to 30th.  Instead of taking the boring highway, I drove along the beautiful Chemin du Roy, which is the old road from Montreal to Quebec.  There you will find a quiet, historic, meandering road that takes one through a number of small rural villages.  In and of itself, that old road deserves at least two days to explore.  The Chemin du Roy compels one to take it slow, stop, look and absorb the surroundings.  Time is the only bandit that can deprive one of its charms.

Unfortunately, time was not on my side.  I was able to drive through at least half of the chemin before getting back on the highway to make it to our hotel before all the restaurants closed.

After an incredible dinner at the Cafe de Paris in old town Quebec, I wondered the cobblestone streets until the bars closed.  This is truly a different world which harkens back to our trip in Northern France and makes one forget that we are in North America.  I feel lost in modern cities and detest the cold skyscrapers of Toronto with its ugly pragmatic and uninspired architecture that dominates a city designed by accountants.  On the other hand, Quebec seems like a city designed by people with a heart and soul, but who were astute enough build a city to withstand brutal winters and the centuries.  I am biased, but I think it is the most beautiful city in North America.

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