Travel Thursday - Quebec City - Arrival and The National Assembly - with Tigris

 Dear reader,

Before I let the Lady take over with tales from her trip, I just wanted to say, I have discovered warm laundry. Even though it is summer and it is hot, I give this experience a 10/10.

Now to the boring stuff about Lady's trip.

Long time readers will know, the Man and I usually have at least one big adventure a year. This year,  we didn't plan anything big, because we had decided we were not going to leave the dogs alone again. So once boarding dogs wasn't going to be a problem, I suggest we would go to Quebec City for a few days. I had never been, and the Man had not been since the late 1980s. 

We left on a Sunday, took a leisurely drive to the city (which is about 4.5 hours away if you don't stop or take parts of the Chemin du Roy (King's Road), which is far more scenic. This road was completed in 1737 and was built between Quebec City and Montreal to facilitate travel and trade. 

While it could add a lot of time to your drive, it goes along the St. Lawrence through many little towns, and is a beautiful drive. I do recommend at least doing parts of it like we did, if you are ever in the area.

The St. Lawrence at a rest stop on the King's Road

Our first afternoon we spent by the pool at the resort we were staying at in the city. The second day, Monday, we set off for adventure. 

Our first stop was the Parliament Building that houses the National Assembly of Quebec. As an English speaking Quebecer, I have a love hate relationship with the provincial government (as many of us have with all levels of government).  In spite of this, I was very happy to visit this beautiful building. I think it is more beautiful then Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and very accessible, at least in the summer.

Built between 1877 and 1886 in what is known as a Second Empire Style. It has been the home of Quebec's Parliament since 1884,

I forgot to go across the road to get a picture of the entire building! 

I may be extra partial to this building because of all the statues. You can see them nestled everywhere on the outside of the building

:"The American Indian Family" by Louis-Phillippe Hebert, 1889

Inside, we were able to visit the library that houses over 2 million documents, with the old book dating back to 1473.

Outside the library is a tree of knowledge that lists the most frequently searched words in the library. 

The Library smelt just like you wanted an old library to smell, and because tourists don't know how to be quiet, there were a lot of "ssssshhhhhhh" by the librarian! 

While some walls are covered with paintings of past premiers (Quebec has had 32 premiers since Confederation in 1867), it was the stained glass I loved the most.

This was in the library and  the waterfall in it represents the endless knowledge found in libraries

Another cool piece of art, was made of wood and using different levels of carving depicted important aspects of the history of Quebec. This piece shows the importance of the North with the sleigh dogs. 

I thought this window was probably not appreciated by those who use the conference room. 

The Blue Room where legislation is debated and voted on, was under construction during our visit, so we could not see it. We were able to visit the red room, which used to be the main legislation room, but now is a place for committees and ceremonies. It was super, super hot during out visit because of the construction they can't have the air conditioning in. 

Outside the dining room

Reflection inside of outside

You may be asking, if Quebec is a province, why does it have a National Assembly? This is a good questions. Until 1968, Quebec had a Legislative Council. When this was abolished, it became National Assembly as it aligned with the French term for legislature and emphasized the province's distinct identity and history. Some of you may be aware, Quebec has a fairly strong separatist movement and this is one way they assert this. 

I hope you enjoyed the first stop on our tour of the only walled city in North America. Next week, we will wander around the streets of Old Quebec.