We finally made it to the walled confines of the city, with an archway allowing traffic to flow in and out. We did not want to leave the walled city yet so we went south towards rue Saint-Louis that then would lead us to Grande Allee. The slope of this hill was steep as we got a good view of the wall and also the Quebec parliament buildings on the other side of the wall. As we hit Saint-Louis we made a quick pit stop at La Citadelle.
La Citadelle is a partially star shaped fort that was built in preparation of possible attacks after the War of 1812. It is a double walled fort which allows open access to the outside wall but only guided tours for the inside part. This fort is still in use by the army as soldiers mind the area. Although we couldn't go into the fort we did walk along the outside wall, which allows many nice views of the Chateau and the Lower Town and St. Lawrence River.
We left the fort and finally left the walled-city. The difference from within the wall and outside it is obvious. The cobble stoned streets and stone buildings fade into normal standard architecture. We were now at Grand Allee, which is known for many cafes, bars and lounges. Since it was a bit of a miserable day it was not really busy in this area, but I can imagine the action that goes on here in the summer time.
We took a little detour off the main street and walked towards this big open park that overlooked des Champs-de-Bataille. This park was the place of some of the French-British battles in 1759 and is very hilly and allows again for some great views of the river and lower town.
After all this walking and before we headed back we decided to stop for some cafe again. We shared this cake that looked liked a Black Forest and it was great; it hit the spot. We then made the walk back to our hotel to rest up and get ready for our 8:30pm dinner reservation.
Restaurant Initiale was right next door so we got there right on time. From the moment we stepped in this place was fancy. Reservations are a must and are the only way you get a spot. By far we were the youngest couple in there by a few years and at first we seemed out of place. Everything was at the highest level of quality, from the service to the silverware. Nobody here missed a beat. We enjoyed a nice glass of wine and our French delicacies. We saw from the pictures that the portions were not large, but they offer a lot of things to you that are not on the menu, which does fill you up. Then after dinner you get a choice of different cheeses. Everything came well presented and most importantly it tasted great. The price is steep, but this dinner was also to celebrate our two year anniversary, so we decided to splurge on ourselves. Two and half hours later we finally finished. Content and satisfied we made the short walk back to our hotel and enjoyed a nice quiet evening in the room.
