My husband and I, along with another couple made a quick visit to Quebec City and its surrounding area last week. Since one of our goals was to enjoy the fall colors, we rented a condo north of the city near the Jacques-Cartier Park. Early on our first morning we drove up into the park and the colors were indeed spectacular. Even more spectacular were the three moose we saw - a young bull, a young cow, and an adult cow - crossing the road in front of us.

Mid-morning we went into the city. The old town was teeming with cruise ship passengers. The Crown Princess and M.S. Poesia were docked below, and a large NCL ship was somewhere nearby. After walking around a little, we decided to have lunch at Aux Anciens Canadiens. We were lucky to get a table when they opened at noon, since there were many with reservations. The atmosphere, service and local specialities were very good, and the daily special menu at $19.95 was certainly a good value. www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca

Our friends needed to find an ATM, and we saw none in either the lower or upper old towns. I guessed that there might be one in the Chateau Frontenac, and indeed there was in the lower level where the shops are. A sign in the lobby points the way to the "guichet automatique."

Later in the afternoon we drove out to Montmorency Falls and on to Ste.-Anne-de-Beaupré to visit the basilica. The waterfall is impressive, but the parking fee is high, and cable car rides to the top are quite expensive. I understand that it is possible to drive to another entrance at the top of the falls, which is what I think I would have preferred to do. It looks like you can get much closer to the falls up there. The basilica is also impressive. The mosaics in the vaults of the nave and transepts depicting the life of St. Anne are wonderful, but what impressed me the most are the small relief sculptures on the ends of the pews that depict Canadian animals.

The next day was gloomy with periods of light rain. After spending the morning in the old town, we headed west to follow the Chemin du Roy. Our brochure for this historic route seemed adequate for navigation, so we headed out from our parking spot in town looking for the promised blue Chemin du Roy directional signs. Somehow we must have missed a sign and ended up lost in a neighborhood just north of the bridge crossing the St. Lawrence. Fortunately a helpful soul put us back on track and we were soon in Cap Rouge. It would have been much easier to take Autoroute 40 west, and exit at Cap Rouge. http://www.lecheminduroy.com/en/cartes.php

The route took us on and off main highways through picturesque neighborhoods with beautiful old homes. Stopped for lunch in Donnacona at La Bonne Fourchette, a small, very casual place where you order at the counter. The offerings ranged from slices of pizza and burgers to a multi-course "menu du midi." We were the only tourists in the place, and the counter staff couldn't have been more friendly and helpful.

After lunch, we continued along to Deschambault and Grondines. In Deschambault we wanted to see the old mill on the Chevrotière river. When we finally found it, it was closed. The building was interesting nonetheless, but what was especially interesting was the new bridge over the river in front of the mill. The old bridge was destroyed by high water, and its replacement is a work of art. Along the sides are rows of aluminum shafts symbolizing wheat. At night these are illuminated with rope lighting at their base. An interesting juxtaposition of the old and new.

In Grondines we wanted to find the oldest windmill in Quebec. Unfortunately we never saw any sign for the turn-off so spent about fifteen minutes wandering around before finally stumbling on the right street. It's right on the river next to a wharf in a little park.

Although the Chemin du Roy brochure gives the addresses of all the sites described, some, like the two mills, are not actually located on the route. Since we didn't have a GPS, I wish we had done a Mapquest for the exact directions to the mills. It would have saved much time. We also noticed that the blue Chemin du Roy signs were sometimes located right at an intersection where you had to turn, requiring very quick reaction time.

This was my third visit to Quebec City, but my first exploration of the surrounding area which was both very interesting and beautiful. It certainly won't be my last. La Nouvelle France has much to offer visitors.