ON HEADING BACK TO THE STATES: QUEBEC CITY

June, 2018

Our next stop was at a lovely campground in Levis, Ontario…how did I know it was lovely?  Rock, the owner told me so!

As we entered Quebec Province not only was the speed limit in km/hr, but everything posted along the road was in French.  Then I thought back to making the campground reservation and remembered that when I called, the person that answered the phone spoke only French as well.  Turns out this was Rock’s wife, who with their son Vincent operate the campground.

Now why French?  Brian had forgotten that French is the official language in Quebec Province.  The only things he knew in French were “shut your mouth” (thank you Mrs. Davis, my 3rd grade teacher), and a few lines from “Lady Marmalade” (thank you Patti LaBelle) so he had to hastily get his Bon Jour and Merci in line.  Barbara had more of a command of the language, and try as she might to educate the old guy, he was better off pretending to be without language skills for the duration.  Honestly, this was the first time in Canada that we felt like foreigners.

Quebec City had been a port of call for us some years ago while on a cruise, but at that time rather than see the Old City we had chosen to take a 20-mile bike ride to view Montmorency Falls.  We were excited to get the chance to explore the Old City, and we decided to purchase a 2-day, double-decker hop-on/hop-off bus ticket that included a river cruise.  At Vincent’s recommendation we were planning on riding the bus around the city once and then jumping off to explore parts of the city on foot.  As we rode the bus around the City it was well worth our effort to listen to the audio tour which described the buildings, neighborhoods, significant areas of the City and the history of Quebec City.

The campground provided a free shuttle service back and forth to the Levis/Quebec Ferry, which for about $5US offered round-trip transportation across the Saint Lawrence River.  We were all set to see Quebec City and the weather cooperated both days of our adventure with warm temperatures and  blue skies.

Quebec City has been designated a World Heritage Treasure by UNESCO.  World Heritage Treasures are areas or regions throughout the world having outstanding cultural value.  The Old City is the only fortified city in North America, and it is the cradle of French civilization in North America.  It’s been called a living history lesson with a remarkable mix of architecture, heritage, art, and culture.  Within the Old City the resort hotel, Chateau Frontenac is one of the city’s icons since being built in 1893.  It sits majestically at the crest of the hill overlooking the Saint Lawrence River and it is visible for miles around.  The streets in the Old City are often cobblestoned, and diagonal streets gather to form courtyards.  We kept ourselves off of the heavily trafficked busy main thoroughfares walking peacefully along side streets and taking in the quaint shops, art galleries and restaurants.  After walking some distance, we stopped for a good while, and we rested in the shade as we were entertained by a 3-person troupe performing their vaudeville act.  We found Quebec City to be the most European city we have visited.

The audio tour described the various areas of the city, along with the significant historical events or present day activities within the accompanying neighborhoods.  These include Upper Town (Château Frontenac), Lower Town, Parliament Hill, Montcalm (Plains of Abraham), Quartier Petit Champlain, and the hipster neighborhoods of Saint-Jean, and Saint-Roch  We were hoping to stroll a while on the Plains of Abraham as it is described as a marvelous greenspace, but we were a little disappointed because repair work on its walkways restricted accessibility.  The reason the Plains of Abraham is important is that in 1759 during the French and Indian War the French lost a battle with the British.  This lead directly to Quebec Province becoming part of the British Empire.  Quebec is fiercely loyal to its French roots even though dominion has been British ever since this battle.

In preparation for the Canada Day Celebration on July 1 there were some restricted areas outside of the Old City, but we did take time to see the Provincial Parliament Building and marveled at the commemoration of the Founders that was so evident in the statuary on the grounds as well as on the building.  Barbara particularly liked the vegetable and herb garden, noticing that the produce was used in meals prepared by chefs working in the Parliament Building kitchen.

Tourny Fountain sits just in front of the Parliament Building.  The Fountain was a gift to the City by a local family to honor Quebec City’s 400th (!) anniversary.

We fell in love with the Museum of Civilization, and spent a good portion of our second day in Quebec City enjoying the exhibits that traced through time artifacts and relics associated with the area, as well as viewing the current special exhibit on the impact and integration of 1960’s British fashion and design, architecture, music and the arts on society and culture.  Today was also the day for our river cruise which sailed past the City from the Plains of Abraham to Montmorency Falls.

We bid a fond farewell to Français Québécois, and were most appreciative to have had the chance to return to this charming and picturesque jewel.

Barbara and Brian