Morning in Quebec City, a Visit to Paillard, and Épicerie J.A. Moisan

The rises early Quebec during early June; before 5am. And we took full advantage of it; heading out before six. We enjoy taking early walks when on vacation, especially when visiting places that are popular with tourists. Things look a bit different and you get to meander around and spend a bit more time admiring things. Like the La Fresque des Québécois, which celebrates the rich history of the city. There's a wonderful post on this mural on this site. It was still early so even La Maison Smith a very popular bakery and coffee shop wasn't opened yet.

The quiet lanes were very different at this hour, so peaceful, but still very charming and full of character.

There was nary a person to be seen; except for the folks walking their dogs in the light drizzle.

 

We headed back up Escalier Casse-Cou, deciding to head to Terrasse Dufferin and get another look at Château Frontenac. And wouldn't you know, unlike the day before, the sun decided to make an ever-so-short appearance. But it was enough time to take some lovely photos.

During winter there's actually a toboggan slide on Terrace Dufferin, must be qutie a thrill.

We took the steep stairs up La Promenade des Gouverneurs; the Governors Walk.

There are some pretty nice views from here.

Up to the Plains of Abraham, where the pivotal battle between the French and the British took place during the French and Indian War. This battle basically determined the fate of New France.

We'd seen some very in shape men and women running up and down the steps while walking up....I'd forgotten that La Citadelle was also located close by. It is still an active military installation and home to the Royal 22nd Regiment. We skirted the walls and headed down côte de la Citadelle.

Heading down one of the smaller side streets off Rue Saint Louis we came across this statue of Marie de L'Incarnation who was sent to New France to help establish the presence of the Ursuline Order of the Catholic Church.

You can read more about the story by enlarging this photo.

We wandered around a bit more; coming across places like Le Monastère des Augustines.

By now, some espresso and perhaps something light to eat sounded good. I had a place in mind on Rue Saint-Jean named Paillard.

Upon arriving, the Missus wasn't too impressed with the cafeteria like set-up. But I told Her that Paillard had a reputation for making a decent croissant; something we hadn't had much luck with in Montreal.

An espresso for the Missus, an Americano for me, croissant, and some sparkling water.

The croissant ended up being pretty good. Nice flakiness, a touch of butter, light saltiness, perhaps a bit too chewy, but we were satisfied.

We'd actually return the next morning for coffee and a light snack.

Paillard
1097 Rue Saint-Jean
Quebec City, Canada

It was still too early to start thinking about lunch. So I told the Missus there was one more place I wanted to see. To get there, we had to head up Rue Saint-Jean. Near the Porte Saint-Jean are the old fortifications/city wall.

The view from here was different.

A few blocks up Rue Saint-Jean resides Épicerie J.A. Moisan, established in 1871, said to be the oldest existing grocery in North America.

With over 3000 products, you can really take your time here. And we did.

It is a food lover's paradise.

Looking at the beer selection, I inquired about something local....the response? "Monsieur, this whole case is pretty much local." And the nice gentleman helped me pick something out.

We had a great time shopping for gifts...everything from sweets to JA Moison shopping bags.

I'm sure we'll be back again. Heck, we enjoyed the neighborhood so much, we might even stay in the Auberge upstairs.

Épicerie J A Moisan
699 Rue Saint-Jean
Quebec City, Canada

We really enjoyed the neighborhood, full of bakeries, pubs, restaurants, and yes, the poke fad has arrived here as well.

More of a residential area....it seems a bit Quebecoise-Hipster, but really neat.

And then there's this sign.....which I loved.

By this time we'd starting getting a bit hungry. It was time to find some lunch and we knew just the place!

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[kat]

poke everywhere! moisan looks like a great place!

[Kirk]

Yes, seems like what they call "poke" is everywhere these days Kat! JA Moisan is a wonderful place to browse and shop.

[caninecologne]

Poke in QC? Wow...

It's neat seeing your pics of QC in the day. We were there at night. Was curious about the funicular as well but we didn't ride it. We had stayed in Levis, across the river. Your posts make me want to revisit Canada.

[Soo @ hungryones]

I love the city photos. I like the old buildings better than the sleek new ones. The old city wall looks great!

[Kirk]

Hi CC - I think you'd enjoy revisiting Quebec! And yes, poke everywhere...saw several places in Montreal as well.

It's quite a picturesque city Soo!