Next on my list was to check out St. Lawrence Market.


Fresh flowers on the lower level.


The market was super busy with many Torontonians out enjoying their weekend.


Maple Syrup.


Brown Brothers Meats up on the upper level, Canada's oldest meat shop.


Carnicero's.


Lots of shops were offering free tasty samples to tempt you.


View out over the upper level. The building was first opened in 1902.


Donuts, croissants and muffins.


Fish and fine meat.


A multitude of different mustards to taste.


Plenty of cheese to try too.


It was getting close to 1pm so for lunch at the market I grabbed a very tasty Italian veal sandwich for $CA10 from Uno Mustachio.


I then walked further east to the Distillery District.


Old Dodge truck. The Distillery District is a National Historic Site and contains numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops.


Miss Congeniality. The district has many Victorian-era buildings from the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery.


Love.


Stopping for afternoon tea at the Sweet Escape Pâtisserie. The district owners apparently refuse to lease any of the retail and restaurant space to chains or franchises.


And enjoying some very delicious pumpkin cheesecake.


I then began the 2 kilometre walk north back to Cabbagetown.

Newly-weds.


Jason Aldean.


Elvis.


I arrived back at the guesthouse at about 4pm and crashed out after my walking tour of Toronto.

After a good rest I headed out again. Back at the subway after buying some tokens.


Wellesley Station.


Louis Vuitton.


And after two stops I arrived at Dundas Square.


Toronto is hosting the Invictus Games in 2017 so the Canadian Army was helping to promote it.


Posing with a Leopard Main Battle Tank.


For dinner I went to a restaurant just off the Square, Asian Bowl, and had the 'Lamb On Fire', very tasty char grilled lamb chop with mango salad and vermicelli.


And back at Dundas Subway Station to catch the train back to the guesthouse after a very interesting day in Toronto.



Day 3.

My bodyclock was still a bit out of sync, so after waking up at 3:30am, I went for a run, packed my bags, and then walked downtown to Union Station.


And on the 6:30am Union Pearson Express. The UP Express was quite new and began operations in June 2015 with Japanese-built Nippon Sharyo rolling stock.


Checking in at the Air Canada D gates.


Grabbing a pita bread for breakfast air-side.


The Air Canada Embraer E190 at the gate for the 9am flight to Jean Lesage International Airport.


We boarded on time and settled into our seats. Air Canada had recently implemented additional charges for checked luggage for economy tickets so the FA had to pack a few extra bags in the business class overheads.

Fresh fruit, greek yoghurt and a croissant served on the ~90 minute flight.


After landing in Québec City, I headed out to grab a taxi for the short ride into town.


The price for the taxi ride into the city was a fixed $34.25, and I made a bit of cultural fubar by only giving him $35, only realising later that a 'voluntary' 15-25% tip is expected too.


Outside Hotel Palace Royal for my five night stay and the location of the aluminium conference I was attending. It was 11am and my room wasn't ready yet so I did the 'pre-check in', stored my bags and grabbed my camera for a walk around the city.


An alleyway in Old Québec with local art sale.


With some very cool skateboard decks too.


Tourists having some lunch at a beautiful hotel/restaurant in the autumn sun.


Walking along the promenade in front of the 19th Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, the 'most photographed hotel in the world'.


I then walked up the hill to Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine. Looking down on the Château Frontenac and the harbour with two cruise ships in dock.


Porte St. Louis, a gate in the city walls, the only remaining city walls in North America north of Mexico.


I then wandered to the Citadelle of Québec.


The Citadelle was initally concieved by the French in the 17th century on strategic Cap Diamant before being completed by the British in the 19th century.

It is also still a functioning military installation for the Canadian Forces, as well as an official residence of Canada's Governor General (photo courtesy of Corporal David Robert of Musée Royal 22e Régiment).


By chance they were having an open day of the Governor General's residence so I lined up for a peek inside.


The dining room.


The interior was quite an interesting mixture of classical and modern design.


A portrait on one of the walls of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.


Some Royal medals on display, They also were giving out some chocolate Citadelle coins and I couldn't resist grabbing a couple!


They were also giving free food for the open day including apples, cake, pudding and other stuff.


The Maple Leaf or l'Unifolié flapping in the breeze.


Zone de salut.


It was 2:30pm and I was getting hungry so I walked back into Old Québec and went to Resto La Buche for some fine cuisine québécoise du vieux Québec.

Soupe à la tomate to start.


And la fameuse tourtiére for the main. Filled with Québec venison and served with creamy salad and fruit ketchup. Delicious and really hit the spot.


The restaurant also had a very interesting unisex toilet, complete with copious amounts of graffiti and a bathtub to wash your hands!


After the late lunch I continued my walkabout through Old Québec.


Pub St. Patrick.


I got back to the hotel just after 4pm and my room was finally ready.


Quite nice for the next four nights.


The room was $CA257 per night including tax.


Having been up since 3:30am I was slightly exhausted so crashed out for a couple of hours.

Looking down at the pool in the hotel atrium. At 7pm I headed out to grab a bite to eat for dinner.


Some poulet poutine at Snack Bar Saint-Jean. My first time trying this famous Canadian Québec dish and it was definitely quite an experience!


After the carb and fat overload I had an early night, ready for the start of the conference tomorrow.