Quebec Province and Quebec City

Quebec City

This is such a beautiful city with a fascinating history.  I will write more of the history soon, but by way of introduction, it will suffice to relate that it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It is the only walled city on the Americas north of Mexico. The old walled city is very hilly, with some stunning heritage buildings and quaint stone houses, some dating back to the 1600s. Steep, pointed green roofs abound – steep to cope with the snow and green because they are copper.  Quebec province is one of the world’s largest producers of copper, and so it is no surprise that it has been used for roofs on grand buildings.  When new, each of these buildings must have looked magnificent with its golden copper roof.  Not so much now, with the copper having oxidised to the distinctive green over several decades.

Quebec City is situated on the St Lawrence river and below the old city is a major port into which more than two hundred cruise ships sail each year.  This is astounding, given that it is so far inland, but apparently it is very much a tidal river, having a tidal range of up to seven metres.

From our hotel window we had a wonderful view over the city and beyond.  We could see that it has quite extensive industry along the shore line. Ben told us that one of the major industries is the mining of asbestos!  Apparently the entire load is shipped to India and unsurprisingly, where it is used, health problems abound.

The distant view was that of the Appalachian Mountains, that stretch right down the east coast of North America to Georgia. With parts of modern Quebec City nestled at the foot of these very blue mountains, I was reminded of Hobart.

We spent the morning with a local guide, very knowledgeable in Canadian history.  He filled in the gaps of the history that Ben had started telling us about.  The morning finished with a group photo – taken in horrible sleety conditions.  From there the group broke up and we spent the afternoon at will.

Roger and I took the funicular down to the centre of the old city, to the quaint windy streets that are lined with specialty tourist shops.  Our first stop was into the warm and dry refuge of a café in a 1600s building.  There we had delicious French onion soup made the traditional way – bread in the bottom of the bowl and cheese having been oven-melted onto the top.

A short stroll (in now dry but very cold conditions), produced a warm ‘Dr Zhivago’ hat and a beautiful red leather bag for me.  Nothing but frustration for Roger however, as he attempts in vain to find a polo shirt. 

It was a steep climb back up to the top of the hill and beyond the city walls to our hotel where we rested until evening.  Then we partook of an optional extra that was on offer – a visit to the neighbouring Ile d’Orleans for a wonderful dinner.  The atmosphere in this restaurant was wonderful.  It is an old flour mill, beautifully decorated and with all the original features in place.  An excellent violinist and guitarist entertained us as we ate.  I was adventurous and chose the stew made from elk, bison and antelope! It was delicious – the meat so tender, rather like lamb shanks. Then the evening turned into a night of song and dancing, all of us declaring it a great evening.

   Roger in action with the spoons.

Don't give up here folks - more photos below.

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Now, what is the fascination with the history of Quebec province and Quebec City in particular?  The following is a much-abbreviated version of what I have learned.

The motto is ‘I remember’, taken from an oft-quoted phrase: ‘I remember that I was born under the lily and grew up under the rose’. This is in reference to the most interesting part French-part British heritage.

It was in 1534 that a French explorer, Jacques Cartier, first came to this area and claimed it for France.  It was intended to be a passage through to the Pacific for French traders.  A colony was established but soon failed because of scurvy and hostility from the indigenous people.

In 1600 a second attempt was made to establish a colony, because of the valuable fur trade with the Indians. In 1607, another explorer, Chamblain, found what he described as an ideal site for the capital of ‘New France’ and Quebec City was established, with 1608 being the date they remember as the founding of Quebec.

Between 1745 and 1759, the wall was built around the city as defence against the British who had many attacks on the city.  Over several decades, the province and city were French, then British, then French again. Finally, in 1763, defeat to the British was conceded. 1774 saw the Treaty of Quebec, in which the people were permitted to maintain their French heritage – the language, the laws, the customs. 

Between 1820 and 1831, forts were built to protect the city from a potential threat from the USA.  Indeed, during the American War of Independence, America expected that Quebec would support their side of the conflict.  However, as a general rule, the people of Quebec were satisfied with how life was under the British and so the province sided with the British against America.

In 1871 a treaty was signed between Quebec and USA and the peace has never been threatened since. 

Now for some general shots of this beautiful city.

   The blue and white flag is the flag of Quebec, with white fleur-de-lis on a blue background.

    A huge castle dominates the view at the top of the hill.

   The window of one of the most beautiful, high quality specialty shops.

 This trompe l'oeil (trick of the eye) painting transforms an ugly side of a building into a 3-D history of Quebec City.

Here it is again in context - the USA's oldest stone church further along the street.