Travel
Québec City
By Solange Hando
In 1534 French explorer Jacques Cartier planted a cross on the shores of Gaspé Bay, claiming the land for his king. But for seventy years or so the ‘New France’ was a distant dream, until Samuel de Champlain set up a trading post along the ‘Kebec’, the ‘narrowing waters’ of the St Lawrence River. Rival settlers soon brought ongoing conflict and, on the strategic Diamond Cape high above the river, the so-called ‘Gibraltar of Canada’ fell to English rule in 1759. Today sprinkled with English traditions yet fiercely loyal to its French roots, language included, the provincial capital is hailed as one of the most attractive cities on the continent. On the Plains of Abraham where the final battle took place, history is recalled among quiet groves and picnic spots. Just a stroll away the Grande Allée is an elegant tree-lined boulevard, nicknamed Champs-Elysées, while on Parliament Hill the National Assembly sits in an opulent building, in French Renaissance style, topped by a lofty tower. The nearby St Louis’ gate leads into the Vieux Québec, the only remaining walled city in North America. First there’s the Upper Town gathered around the Chateau Frontenac, bristling with tower, turrets and copper roof. Now a nostalgic century-old hotel, it welcomes royalty, leaders and stars close to the site where French governors resided. Meanwhile, visitors stroll along the Dufferin Terrace, a magical place with glorious river views and the joyful ambience of musicians and artists. You find historic buildings and
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statues, among them Champlain who founded the city in 1608, a 350-year-old cathedral, a Holy Trinity modelled on St-Martin-in-the-Fields and a UNESCO monument celebrating the title granted in 1985 to the first North American city. Ride a horse-drawn carriage or explore on foot and you discover neat stone houses with pastel frames, fleur-de-lys on the blue Québec flag and myriad treasures hidden in the lanes. Next, wander around the citadel that took over thirty years to complete. The 22nd Royal Regiment still parades on the grounds, very Englishlike in red tunics and bearskin hats. The Lower Town beckons down steep slopes and ‘Breakneck Stairs’ or a short scenic ride in the old funicular, gazing at dormer windows and rooftops, a cruise ship or two below the cape and ferries sailing across the river. The rail track ends in the former house of Mississippi explorer, Louis Jolliet, in the delightful district of Petit-Champlain. Once the humble home of artisans and traders, it’s a bustling little place with winding lanes and pretty squares glistening with cobbles, peppered with French bakeries, outdoor cafés, restaurants and boutiques full of arts and craft. Just down the road, a lovely promenade invites walkers and cyclists to enjoy the old port and the quiet marina behind the lock. But most breathtaking is the harbour cruise with costumed guide, revealing the bucolic Orleans Island, the sparkling Montmorency Falls and the city’s historic skyline mirrored like a fairy tale in the great St Lawrence on its way to the ocean.
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