September 26 Québec Le Grand Tour Fantastique du Touriste

Le Chateau Frontenac

No Vacancy

Pats with the Harlequin

We finally had the tourist day that we have been waiting for, having the tour bus pick us up at the RV park and taking us to see the sights of the city.  No hassles with maps, finding the route, finding a place to park, reading a tour guide to get some idea of what we’re supposed to see.  Instead we have the sort of charming bus driver/tour guide, tell us bad jokes, point out places/buildings/monuments, and telling us some history of the city and the people who created or were influential in the development of the city.  Our tour was only 2 hours long and we had 4 hours to wonder on our own.  At our age we can comprehend no more than two hours of information so it was just right.

Quebec is the only walled city in North America.  When the French built it they only walled three sides of  it, the approaches from the Saint Laurence, but left the western approach undefended, thinking that no force could penetrate up the Saint Laurence past Quebec because of the narrow strait which was heavily defended on both sides of the river with cannon.  In 1759, on a moonless night, the British did just that, they slipped up the Saint Laurence to the west of Quebec and attacked with a force of 4000 on the Plains of Abraham.   Both the British and the French generals perished in the battle, but the city was won by the British.  The Brits, now in possession of Quebec, extended the fortifications around all four sides of the city.  Once the walls were in place Quebec was never attacked again.

 Old Quebec is the consummate tourist attraction for the middle aged and older.  There are stately old buildings,  churches, art galleries, antique shops, statues and monuments, restaurants ,souvenir shops the grand hotel Le Chateau Frontenac which overlooks the walled city. Being built on a steep hillside down to the shores of the Saint Laurence, the cobble streets are narrow and winding, the buildings built of brick or stone make this a very European looking old city.  Some of the streets are lined with the old cannons that used to defend the city.  The Quebec City Hall  is called the “Hotel de  Ville.”   After too many English speaking  tourists entered the building trying to rent a room,  the mayor had the words “City Hall” added to the stonework of the building.  So much for the French only language policy.

Today there were five cruise ships in the harbor, dropping off over 10,000 tourists.  There were lots of oldsters in the crowds and few kids.   It was a blustery day with a pretty fierce wind, it was chilly but not biting cold.  For lunch we had a big bowl of French onion soup and Caesar salad.  Qui Manufique!