Wake up! It's a glorious morning and the wonders of Quebec City beckon. No time to lollygag over your caffe au lait. There's far too much to see and do in this thoroughly charming, unabashedly French provincial capital. But lollygag you will (for cafe au lait stubbornly refuses to be rushed).

And that's just as it should be.

Time enough (you say to yourself) to take on the winding staircases, Place Royale and Musée de la Civilisation of Basse-Ville (aka Lower Town) - Quebec City's oldest and one of its most popular districts.