Old Quebec

Quebec Historic District

Quebec City, QC, Canada

August 2, 2001

After we visited Montreal in the Province of Quebec we were off to Quebec City. Quebec City, the capital of Quebec Province, was definitely a bastion of French Culture. It was not uncommon to encounter people, on the street, and in shops that spoke no English. By this time my high school French was starting to come back, but definitely in bits and pieces. After we arrived in Quebec City we decided that we wanted to see Old Quebec City. We had been told by many people, that we encountered, we definitely should not miss this beautiful section of the city. Old Quebec City reminded me of San Francisco, in that it was built on a hillside. Traversing the city streets in our 21 ft truck was a trick in some areas, due to the fact that the streets were so narrow and so twisting. We finally found a place to park on one of the side streets (no small feat in this crowded area), and started wandering down a set of stairs nearby. It was definitely a fascinating tourist area. Lots of shops and restaurants as well as beautiful parks and statues. We spent some time wandering up and down, in the shadow of one of Quebec's most famous hotels, the Chateau Frontenac. We learned that the hotel was named after the Comte de Frontenac, an illustrious governor of Nouvelle-France. Inaugurated in 1893, construction of this imposing structure was completed in 1924 when a central tower section was added. Two historic conferences were held here in 1943 and 1944, attended by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, as guests of then Canadian Prime Minister MacKenzie King. Guided tours of the hotel are available on the hour; there is a charge. You can get a guide book at any of the tourist bureaus that give you an actual street by street tour through Old Quebec. Again, we opted to take one of the trolley tours that gave us an overall view of the area around Old Quebec. There are any number of historic buildings around the area that are definitely worth your attention. After we finished looking around we stopped for a late lunch at one of the nearby restaurants and then headed off for home. Old Quebec was a tad difficult to get around in, due to the language barrier, but was beautiful all the same.

Good Luck! Have Fun! and Stay Safe!

Laura