It's a pretty good life I'm living, you won't hear me complain. I'm just hoping tomorrow I get to do it all over again. –Howard Livingston
Old Québec...what an amazing place to visit. I think we'd like to return and spend a month just hanging out at the little sidewalk cafés and wandering around at a slower pace. The city made all our senses think we're in France, with the sight of winding cobblestone streets and century old buildings, the sound of French pleasantries, the taste of buttery croissants and the enticing smell of fresh-baked bread and amazing chocolate. It's a little piece of Europe right here in North America.
For the most part we had amazing weather while we were in Quebec...sunny and warm until our fourth day when a front moved in. One day we were in shorts and the next we were layered up trying to stay out of the wind. We knew the weather was going to change so we saved shopping for that day...well shopping for me and resting for Stan. One thing for sure, you need to be in good shape to really enjoy Old Québec. We spent our time wandering up and down every little street, learning about the 400 years of history of the city and taking in the amazing views at every advantage point we could find.
Château Frontenac is one of Canada's grand railway hotels, built in 1893. It's perched atop a tall cape overlooking the Saint Lawrence River and has a spectacular view. It's said to be the most-photographed hotel in the world.
Porte St. Jean is the northernmost gate into the Old City and is one of two main town gates originally built in 1694. It has been rebuilt through the years, the present gate was built in 1939.
Porte St. Louis is the gate closest to the Citadel also built 1694. It has also been rebuilt through the last 300 years. The present gate was built in 1878.
You can walk the whole fortification wall around Old Québec, we did parts of it. The fortifications were developed between 1608 and 1871, erected under both French and British regimes. The English began fortifying the existing walls after they took command of Quebec City in 1759.
Here is a map showing the fortification wall...it's the purple line
The City Hall of Québec City (Hôtel de ville de Québec) is located in the heart of Old Quebec, just across the street from our loft. It was inaugurated on September 15, 1896. The building slopes downward because it was built on a hill.
Looking down to Quartier Petit-Champlain. It's the oldest shopping district in North America and is known as one of the most beautiful sites of Old Québec. It's located at the bottom of the cliff under the Château Frontenac. The pedestrian streets offer a variety of interesting boutique shops and cozy cafés located in restored houses. It was my favorite neighborhood in the city. This is looking down from the Breakneck Staircase.
Looking back at the Breakneck Staircase. It's the oldest staircase leading down to the lower town. It dates back to 1635. The current staircase was built in 1968. Québec City boasts nearly 30 sets of stairs that link the Upper Town with the Lower Town. As I said...you need to be in shape to really enjoy this quaint old town.
Quartier Petit-Champlain
Quartier Petit-Champlain Fresco - Illustrates the lives of the residents of the Cap-Blance district, as well as the bombardments, landslides and other major events that have occurred here.
Rue Cul de Sac used to run alongside the first port of New France. This little street was the Port du Cul-de-Sac. Now it's full of little bistros.
Looking up Rue Cul de Sac at the Château Frontenac. We had lunch one day at the little bistro to the right.
Notre-Dame des Victoires is one of the oldest churches in North America. It was built atop the ruins of Champlain's first outpost. Construction was completed in 1723, but rebuilt in 1763 after being destroyed by the British bombardment in 1759. It sits in Place Royal.
The inside of Notre-Dame des Victoires. The small vessel hanging from the ceiling is thought to be a miniature of the "Brézé". The model was found in 1759 after the church was destroyed. It was preserved and placed in the museum of Quebec Seminary and Laval University until 1954 when it was returned to the church.
Place-Royale is considered to be the birthplace of the French colony and the French-American community. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this area of Old Québec acted as the French colony's center of business and industry, supporting a thriving marketplace and housing many wealthy merchants.
Mural of Quebecers - It depicts 400 years of Québec City history.
La Vivrière - is a fountain sculpture commemorating the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Québec City in 1945. Installed near the docks, this monument evokes both the history of the port of Québec and the city’s centuries-old relationship with the St. Lawrence River.
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