Travel Thursday - The Streets of Old Quebec City

One of the remaining gates

 Quebec city was settled by Europeans in 1608 and is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. It is the only fortified city north of Mexico. Much of the old world charm has been preserved because it is a UNESCO site. 

Quebec is the Algonquin word for narrow passage, as the city was built on the narrowest passage of the St. Lawrence Seaway

A very brief history.

1608 - Champlain establishes it as a fur trading post. 

Fortification of the city begins here and it continues to be built on until the gates are removed in 1871.

1663: Quebec becomes the capital of New France

1759: The British and French have a war over this, including the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, ending the French rule of New France. However, the French language, culture and legal system is maintained. 

1791: Quebec city becomes the capital of Lower Canada

1867: Confederation of Canada

We will talk more about the history of this city (from a European perspective) as we go on.

Here are some of the sites from a stroll around the old city:

On top of the wall

The Chateau Frontenac

Notre-Dame

Inside Notre Dame de Quebec Basilica-Cathedral

  

Reminders this was a fortified city

See the modern Funicular to take you up to the top of the city if it is 37C/98F and you have been walking all day and have bags of food and drink to bring home (cost $6 Cdn one way per person - really priceless on days you are walking over 15000 steps in that heat)

From a boat tour - it is not overcast - that is poor air due to smoke from forest fires

Modern art in an old city

I would be remiss not to mention some of the favourite food I ate.

First up Onion Soup. A stable of the French diet since medieval times.  It has evolved over the years and now includes bread and cheese, which is under the broth. 

The Quebec invention of poutine, historical made with fries, gravy and cheese curds. I do not like this generally as I don't like gravy. However, I died and went to heaven with this poutine - Duck a l'Orange Confit Poutine with a red wine gravy. If you are ever in Quebec City I can't recommend the Gluten Free French Restaurant Bistro Hortus enough (we ate there for 2 meals and one dessert). 

Pictured in the back is a Lamb Shank also excellent

A brownie with homemade blueberry ice cream

Next week, if the cats allow, we will leave the city for a day and go and explore some of the country side around it. 

Wordless Wednesday - Tigris

 

Tuesdays with Tigris - View from Above

 Dear reader,

Not everything that Lady gives us is a torture device (please see Styx's post from yesterday). Some things are actually very nice.

Last week Lady and Man also got us a second tree for the upstairs patio window. There is a lot of action here with birds and squirrels and chipmunks.

It is nice to view it all from the perch and not the floor.

Thank you Lady and Man.

Tigris - who likes a perch

Mischief Monday - Please Send Help - by Styx

 Hi friends, hi friends,

Please send help, please send help! The evil company called Amazon brought Lady torture devices. 

It brought all the hats. So many hats. 87 million hat! (Editor's note 10 hats). Styxy hates hates! Gris tolerates hats.

We are now undergoing hat training. 

Even for the treats, I don't think it is worth it.

Be prepared for much hat tax in the coming weeks.

Pinned between her legs for a picture

Please don't be like one of Lady's best friends and encourage this behaviour.

your hat hating Styxy - who thinks Lady should get a dog for hats

Nature Friday - City Garden Edition

 Thanks to Styx for letting me share some of the gardens around Quebec City's Parliament.

Thanks to Rosy and Sunny for hosting this event. 

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. 

Wordless Wednesday - Styx In The Bag