The City Inside the Walls

I have been enjoying the streets of Quebec City for the past three days. Exploring the alleyways, boutiques and taste-testing almost every variation of poutine or crepes that is available.

Apart from Quebec being our last port in North America, it was also the first time many of the students and myself got a perspective on how spectacular the journey ahead is going to be! The architecture and European influences of Quebec City gave insight to what’s coming once the Atlantic crossing is complete, and I can't wait. Until Quebec, many of the ports that the Sorlandet has docked at have been westernized and similar to what most of us would find back home.

Sailing into Quebec City I was wide-eyed and excited. The architecture, as well as the walls which surround old-town, were something out of a movie, literally because Catch Me if You Can was filmed here. Our first night in port a few student,s and myself, took a random bus which ended up at the gates to old town Quebec. We finished the night listening to street music (spoons and a banjo) sitting on the wall looking over all of Quebec.

For a port program Class Afloat took us to Montmorency Falls, Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, and a sugar shack! 554 steps later I was at the top of an amazing waterfall, apparently 94 feet higher then Niagara. The cathedral was also very stunning, surreal even. And, to top off our second night the entire Class Afloat crew danced their dinner off at the sugar shack. It was such a wonderful evening.

On our third and final day in Quebec City I took a walking tour of the town all the way to the Plains of Abraham where my class mates and me enjoyed a picnic and discussed Canada's history. Did you know that there's a monument with both Wolfe and Montcalm in the city? Apparently it is one of the few, if not the only, in all of North America that honors two opponents on the same piece. 

With provisioning complete, a deep clean out of the way, and the purchase of snacks to last us all through our night watches as well as studies, it is now safe to say that this year’s crew is ready to embark on our first Atlantic crossing. Wish us good luck, fair winds and full sails.