QUEBEC CITY HIGHLIGHTS

Quaint Canadian City

Quebec City, built in 1608 on the St. Lawrence River,  is the only fortified city, north of Mexico, left in North America. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage City in 1985, Canada’s oldest city is known and loved for its European charms. Centuries-old homes line narrow, cobblestone streets of the exuberant, romantic city.

Ninety-five percent of the nearly 650,000 population in the provincial capitol speak French. The city is one of the safest places in North America. It enjoys a healthy environment with clean air and plenty of green space. Flowing from the Great Lakes to the sea, the mighty St. Lawrence is a gateway to a continent. It is also the heart-line of a province, the soul of a people and the jewel of Quebec City.

The well-preserved Vieux Quebec, Old Quebec, is small and dense, covering only four square miles. It is well  steeped in four centuries of history and French tradition. The ramparts that once protected the 17^th and 18^th century city remain in place and stretch nearly three mile. They are 20-feet high and 49-feet thick.

The park in front of the Frontenac Hotel is the Place d’ Armes. For centuries the square atop the cliff was used for parades and military events. Upper Town’s most central location is bordered by government buildings, including the Renaissance-style Old Courthouse, 1887. The Funicular entrance/exit that connects Upper and Lower Towns is located here.

The Gothic fountain, 1650, at the center pays tribute to the arrival in 1615 of Franciscan monks of the Recollet order. The monk holds an ear of corn in one hand and a cross in the other.

Across the street is a larger-than-life stature of Champlain, 1567-1635, who eventually became Governor of New France.

Quebec City is much smaller than Montreal, so we were able to see several things in a short period of time. Holy Trinity Anglican Church, a stone church dating back to 1804 was one of the first Anglican cathedrals to be built outside the British Isles. It has a simple dignified façade modeled after London’s Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields. The land was given in 1681 to French Franciscan monks by the king of France. When Quebec came under British rule the monks made the church available for Anglicans services.  The church houses precious objects donated by King George III. The wood for the oak benches was imported from the Royal Forest at Windsor. The impressive organ has 3,058 pipes.  The eight bells in the bell tower date to 1804.

The oldest parish in North America is Notre Dame Basilica, 1647, also known as Our Lady of Quebec Basilica. In 1759 cannons from Levis, across the river, damaged the church during the siege of Quebec. In 1922 fire destroyed the second church, but each time it was rebuilt on its original foundation. The façade is classical-style. The large and famous crypt holding 900 bodies, including 20 bishops and four governors, was the city’s first cemetery. Champlain is believed to be buried near the Basilica. The church has only one tower as the ground was not solid enough to support a tower on the left side. The ornate interior includes a ceiling of clouds decorated with gold leaf and richly colored stain glass. The oldest piece in the Cathedral is a sanctuary lamp, a gift from Louis XIV.

Masion Maillou, the colony’s former treasury building  was built between 1736- 1753. Its sharply slanted roof, dormer windows, concrete chimneys, shutters with iron hinges, and limestone walls typifies the architecture of New France. Now housing the chamber of commerce, the green roof and turquoise shutters are hard to miss.

            The Terrasse Dufferin boardwalk offers a wonderful respite from sight-seeing and should not be missed. From here the rooftops of Lower Town can be seen directly below. Constructed in 1878, this wide walkway has an intricate wrought-iron rail. The walkway offers a panoramic view of the St. Lawrence River and the town of Levis on the opposite shore. It extends from Place d’ Armes to the Citadel

            Late one afternoon as we were heading back to our hotel we stopped to ask a couple standing on a street corner, who looked a bit lost, if we could help them find something. We got to chatting and the point of this tale is the fellow asked where we were going to eat that evening. We didn’t know. He told us, “If you follow this street down the hill, there is a restaurant called Portofino Bistro. They have excellent food. You’ll really enjoy it.”

            We did walk down the hill and when we saw the restaurant we decided to give it a try. Portofino Bistro is located in a house dating back to 1760. We enjoyed the warm friendly atmosphere and the friendly people. But most of all we enjoyed the superb lasagna. It was, indeed, a good choice!---thanks to a chance Canadian encounter!