Wander through ghostly Quebec City

There's plenty to do in Quebec City, this lovely city of 765,000 (making it larger than Boston, Baltimore, or Washington D.C.).  Perched on a hill overlooking the St. Lawrence River, Quebec is France without the attitude.

 During our recent cruise ship stop, we wandered through the town (in constant rain) with performer/tour guide Danya Schroeder from Ghost Tours of Quebec.

Since the language, signs (and menus) are in French, it can make visiting a challenge, but an interesting and not intimidating one. Nearly everyone speaks English, at least as a second language.  Danya's English was excellent; she might have been from Chicago or Cincinnati.

Quebec is the only city in North America with fortified walls.Why the walls? The Canadians were getting tired fighting off the United States, for one.

We visited Quebec in mid-October, and there was already snow on Mount Saint Anne, the nearby ski resort. Four gigantic cruise ships, including our Norwegian Gem, were docked there and emptied thousands of tourists into town. I much prefer Quebec in winter, when cruise ships have gone south and tourists are at a minimum.Whatever time you visit Quebec, I can't help but think you'll enjoy the trip.