QUEBEC CITY

We left Moncton in early warm sunshine of September 9 and travelled on to Fredericton, the capital city of New Brunswick.  After a short visit we headed to Edmundston where we spent the night.   The next day we headed into the Province of Quebec and arrived in the early afternoon to the city of Levis.  Here we met up with Tony and Fran West, our friends from Chilliwack. 

The next day we took an Old Quebec City tour by bus and had a chance to see a lot of the attractions and sites of the old town.  We drove by the Plains of Abraham, Parliament Buildings and the Citadel.  The bus driver was very interesting and made a good point of explaining that Quebec City had only two seasons – winter and construction, which we feel is pertinent to many areas we have been in.

Afterward it was a chance to relive a lot of the tour, but on foot.  We started off our walk at the Chateau Frontenac, often called the soul of Old Quebec.  The Château Frontenac opened in 1893, five years after the Banff Springs Hotel, which was owned by the same company and similar in style.

The Château Frontenac was named after Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, who was governor of the colony of New France (Quebec) from 1672 to 1682 and 1689 to 1698. The Château was built near the historic Citadel, the construction of which Frontenac had begun at the end of the 17th century. The Quebec Conference of 1943, at which Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt discussed strategy for World War II, was held at the Château Frontenac. 

It is now bordered by a huge walkway that was occupied with hundreds of persons walking around, enjoying the sun and entertainers (singing in English and French) all over (some sounding very professional) – it was a magical place. 

One of our most favourite methods of transportation is also everywhere in Old Quebec.

Old Quebec sits high on the bluff above the Saint Lawrence River and Quartier Petit-Champlain, the lower town, is found at water's edge.  Both have roots that date to the beginning of the seventeenth century. 

At the bottom of the funicular (cable car) and escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Stairs) lays the Petit-Champlain district, a picture-perfect neighborhood reminiscent of an old-time French village.  I took this picture on the ride down on the cable car.

Standing on rue Saint-Louis or rue Sainte Anne in Vieux Quebec, the old walled city of Quebec, it was easy to imagine that somehow we had arrived in France without having taken a plane or boat to get there. Cobblestone streets, cafes with unscreened windows thrown open to the sidewalk, folks walking home with fresh baguettes and cheeses, table d’hôtel service all add to the ambience and the whole atmosphere of L'Belle Province.  From the next picture you can Susan and Fran hanging over the edge of the road, exhausted from seeking out new shops.

We enjoyed taking a few pictures of the Parisienne style front doors of the apartment buildings along the walk way.

This historic district is home to the former residence (1683) of Louis Jolliet (who discovered the Mississippi) and Maison Chevalier, whose 18th and 19th century interiors have been fully restored.  We also found the fresque du Petit-Champlain, a mural illustrating the origins of the Cap-Blanc neighborhood.  It is said that if you stand next to the painting, you will become part of it.  

Due in parts to their heritage, both areas possess a character and charm that eludes anything we have seen in most cities. It is home to many churches, cafes and unique shops, and everything we saw had qualities that endeared it to us.  We certainly want to return to do this again. 

The next day we headed out to see the impressive Montmorency Falls, which were named by Samuel de Champlain for his patron, the duke of Montmorency.  These are visible from the highway but we walked up to them and took some great pictures (and got more than a little wet).  At 83m (272 ft.) tall, they're 30m (98 ft.) higher than Niagara.  

We then headed out to see the Shrine to Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre.  St. Anne (Grandmother to Jesus) is known for performing many miracles, and people from all around the world come to visit the basilica. One of the builders had crutches but when he finished building the church, he was able to walk freely. Pillars in the front entrance are covered in crutches from people who have been said to been miraculously cured.  The original building was built in 1658 but burned in 1922, What we see today was built in 1926.  To say the least, it was more than impressive.

We then headed off to see the home of the Royal 22^e Regiment.  This is an infantry regiment and the most famous francophone organization of the Canadian Forces. The regiment comprises three Regular Force battalions, two Primary Reserve battalions, and a band, making it the largest regiment in the Canadian Army. The ceremonial home of the regiment is La Citadel in Quebec City, where the regimental museum is housed. The regiment is nicknamed the Van Doos, an Anglicized mispronunciation of the first two syllables of vingt-deuxième ("22nd" in French.)  The first protective wall of what was to become the modern day Citadel was built in the 17th century however it was the British, who between 1820 and 1831 completed the Citadel.

We also toured the Plains of Abraham.  The site of many clashes for supremacy between the French and British Empires, the park is the scene of the 1759 Conquest, which changed the fate of North America. Apart from its historical past, the park is to Québec what Central Park and Hyde Park are to New York and London: a city park of outstanding cultural and historical value.  The story goes that back in 1759 British scouts were near the St Laurence River, trying to find a way that an attack could be mounted from below the fortress where the steep slopes could not be conquered.  It was luck when they happened to see a couple of “black robes” (nuns) who were observed gathering water.  When they disappeared into the bush they were followed and discovered the secret path to the top.  Later General Wolfe led his Regiment up the path and met the French on the Plains of Abraham and defeated them, which is why, simply put, we speak English in Canada, not French.

After a much too short visit, on September 13^th, we said goodbye to our friends as they headed east to Gaspe and we likewise bid adieu to Quebec and headed back toward Ottawa.