Quebec City, Day Three: Ow, my ass.

This morning we got up and sauntered over to Cyclo Services to rent a couple of bikes for the day. The service was top notch, friendly, informative and the bikes were comfortable and excellently maintained.
We left from the Old City and traveled east along the St. Lawrence river. It was a flat and windy ride (so windy that I had to buy a cycling jacket from the store before we left - first world problems, right?) along beautifully maintained and very safe bikeways. There were places to stop and take in the view, water stations, public art and a beautiful, heated bathroom along the way.
Crossing over the Quebec Bridge, however, was one of the scarier athletic endeavors I've ever undertaken. The gentleman from whom we rented our bikes said that we could ride it, but the signs would suggest that we walk our bikes. I probably biked about twenty feet on the "path" and immediately jumped off my bike. The "pathway" was the width of a narrow sidewalk, and this was for riders and walkers going both ways. The joins on the path were rusted and not flush, and the girders of the bridge would take your head off if you weren't looking. Additionally, it was so windy I was, at times, afraid that my glasses would be whipped off my freaking face.
Needless to say I made a very brisk walk of a very scary, old and thoroughly unenjoyable bridge. Suck it, Quebec bridge!
On the other said we cycled through the beautiful city of Levis on the other side of the St. Lawrence. It was a very tony area with lots of new, mod houses being built. Traffic was light and there was a little area full of cafes so we popped in for a coffee and a bite at O'Ravito which was recommended to us by Cyclo. Given that we don't speak French and we were somewhat off the beaten path, the gentleman that served us had a great sense of humour and even told us that the Quebec bridge collapsed twice while it was being built which wasn't entirely surprising to hear. It was nice to get out of the wind and get some sustenance.
Back on the bikes we rode past the ferry that we were going to take home, and up a hill where we could see across the St. Lawrence to the Chute Montmorency, which is thirty metres higher than the Niagara Falls, as well as being the tip of the Ile d'Orleans.
We doubled back and took the ten minute ferry from Levis back to the city and bombed around for a while more before dropping the bikes off, cleaning up and going to Billig for some charcuterie and crepes in another great space with delectable food.
To burn off some of our dinner time indulgence, we wandered around the Old City city again, checking down different streets and enjoying the more relaxed evening, post weekend-vibe.
All in all a great day. About 60k on the bikes, another great meal, lots of sight seeing, and a beautiful walk around a beautiful city as the sun was setting.