Bon Jour Quebec City
Chateau Frontenac
“Quebec City is the most European of any city in North America; they speak French all the time. There is a part of town called Old Quebec which is really like being in France.” - Sebastian Bach.
Fortunately for me and my son most people are bi-lingual and speak English. So getting around was no problem at all in our one day wandering in Quebec City which we squeezed into our two and three quarter days of wandering in Canada.
The original word, ‘kebec’, which is from the Alonquin language used by the Indian tribes of this region is said to roughly translate as ‘where the river narrows’. Spread along the banks of the St. Lawrence River, the old city which is roughly 400 years old retains it’s European flavor from the cobblestone streets and buildings.
Quebec city is the only walled city in North America who’s original fortified walls survive almost intact. Old Quebec enclosed within these walls has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
As you come to the main square, the imposing façade of the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac dominates along with a statue of Samuel De Champlain, a French explorer and navigator who established the city of Quebec and New France in July of 1608. The River St. Lawrence flows below the wooden promenade where people throng enjoying the views, and explore ruins below the surface.
The hotel chateau is definitely worth stepping into and admiring the public areas which we did. I don’t know if Quebec city is like Vegas from a wedding standpoint but we were amused to see a pop up wedding chapel in the lobby of the hotel.
At the base of the statue sat this Jazz player who entertained us, the rhythm making us tap our feet with many people spontaneously dancing to the music. I especially enjoyed his rendering of Que Sera Sera which brought back many happy childhood memories of my aunt singing it to us.
I tend to get carried away when I’m on my wandering so it was very nice to sit in a rare burst of sunshine in what was otherwise a cloudy day, resting our feet and relaxing to the sound of the music.
This gothic style fountain is crowned by Monument de la Foi to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Recollet missionaries in 1615. In the center of the historic Place D’ Armes with Quebec City hop on hop off buses and a single horse drawn carriage making the rounds around it.
It was a Sunday and there are a lot of churches in this area so as we walked along the shops and cafes we could hear the melody of the church bells calling the faithful to prayer.
The Ursuline Monastery of Quebec City was founded by a missionary group of Ursuline nuns in 1639. It is the oldest institution of learning for women in North America. Today, the monastery serves as the General Motherhouse of the Ursuline Sisters of the Canadian Union.
Québec City includes the only walled city in North America. When you pass through one of the gate ways you are in the original old town (Vieux Québec or Old Québec) which was established 400 years ago.
In contrast there is a bustling modern city outside the walls where most of the locals live. We drove through some parts of this as we made our way to the old city but did not have the time to stop.
The walls that protected the original city now house a functioning quarter which is mostly thronged with tourists. Horse drawn carriages, sonorous church bells, winding cobblestone streets and ancient pitched roofs, built hundreds of years ago add to the charm.
We took a boat trip down the mighty St. Lawrence river to get a different flavor of Quebec. The I’lle d’Orleans bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Quebec city to the lle d’Orleans (Orleans Island) a popular weekend destination close to the city.
In the distance one can see the Montmorency falls that are not as well known as the Niagara falls through in reality they actually are higher than the better known Niagara falls but don’t have any where close to the popularity or the volume of water.
We did get a chance to visit the falls and make our way to a bridge overlooking these from the top by taking a cable car to the top. As we made our way to the top rainbows sparkled in the water.
The Port of Quebec is a deep water port that provides access to the great lakes. As we sailed by the Port of Quebec you can see the smoke like emissions from the high speed water spray that is used to spray the mettle and lower the Nickel emissions.
The buildings across the ferry terminal as we came to our dock. The wind was especially strong on the deck and I was glad to snuggle into my sweater and shawl even as chairs and tables flew across the deck.
The Pont de Quebec is a road, rail and pedestrian bridge that spans the lower St. Lawrence River making it the longest cantilever bridge in the world. It has been operational since 1919. Since 1993 it has been owned by the Canadian National Railway being designated a National Historic Site in 1995.
Being a three hour drive from Montreal it was a long day indeed. We were glad to get back to our hotel and after a quick meal in the hotel restaurant, headed straight to bed.