7/21: a very hot day turns to muggy rain

Today turned out to be very hot.  I spent the morning in search of better internet access, but draging my powerbook all the up the hill to the Chateau Frontenac Starbucks turned out to be a bad idea.  The normally free wifi at all Starbucks was controlled by the Fairmont hotel for a fee.  It was frustrating to see 5 bars and not even get an intercept.  We wandered back down the hill and Jon found a hotspot outside Le Cap restaurant, so I sat on the ground there for awhile.  I finally discovered that our own Marina internet was much stronger on the city side of the marina, and also that the Market in the Old Port (Marche' Vieux Port) had an entirely free hi-speed wifi.

I cooked omelets on the boat, but they weren't as good as L'Omelette.  The effort and the heat did me in for awhile.  I finally mustered the energy to drag Jon to the Musee' Americain Francaise where we were rewarded w/cool air conditioning, and an interesting account of French influence in N. America (all the way to the Willamette Valley?)

Still dehydrated, we sought out Tea glace' san sucre (unsweetened ice tea), and a nice bar barker told us about Davids Tea.  I though it was just a touristy tea shop on the Rue St-Jean, but it turned out that they actually would brew you up any of a huge variety of teas.  Jon had a really strong one; I had a citrusy jasmine green tea.

We wandered back to the boat, but Jon decided to search out a bike shop in typical male fashion- just heading out in a direction with no idea where it actually was.  I didn't have the energy for this, and I had to get back to do laundry.  I took this artsy photo of the Palais Gare (train station)

Palais Gare and Daylilies

Got Jon to take me to a cute little restaurant that I'd had my eye on, but while my escargot and sole with lemon and butter was excellent, his ceasar salad and soup l'ognion wasn't.  Plus the service was very slow.  Well, Ceasar salad was invented in Las Vegas, so how can you expect French Canadians to get it right?