We pulled into the KOA Quebec City on Ron’s birthday! A fairly simple drive, but man, I have never
seen so many RV’s on the road and the traffic!
Parts of the highway were very rough and parts were very smooth. We played a little corn hole and put some
ribs on the pit and had a very enjoyable afternoon.
The next day the rain started about 4 a.m. By the way, the sun likes to rise way before
5 a.m. here. Geez…… But we boarded the
tour bus at 8 in the rain and struck out for Old Quebec City. Even though the rain was not so fun, the town
was so beautiful. Our tour guide was so
very knowledgeable (and he never quit talking if you get my drift) so here are
a few things I remember. The name Quebec
comes from the Algonquin word for “narrow passage”. The St. Lawrence River narrows near what is
now the city of Quebec.
|
Can you see where the St. Lawrence River narrows by the city?
|
Quebec is also pronounced with more of a “K”. The river as it flows through here is 300’
deep. It is fresh water, but 35 miles
away it becomes brackish. The town is
built on 2 levels – upper and lower. Old
Quebec is a walled city and the only remaining walled city. It has a very distinct old world character
and charm. It has narrow cobblestone
streets, stone buildings, fortifications, and rich French Canadian culture that
is grounded in the French language. It
is a major tourist destination. The
population is about 700,000 but tourists number in the millions. I found it interesting that most of the
housing is apartment buildings or duplexes or structures for
multi-families. There were a lot of
military advantages here because it was at the confluence of the St. Charles
and the narrowing of the St. Lawrence River.
Do you remember the explorer Jacques Cartier? He was seeking a route to Asia and he sailed
up the St. Lawrence in 1535. Skip
forward in history to when the British attempted to capture this stronghold,
and failed, until the famous Battle of Quebec on the Plains of Abraham in 1759
in which the French were defeated. There
was another Battle of Quebec in 1775. The US broke away from British North
America had implications for Quebec.
Anyway, enough history.
Here's some pictures of Old Quebec City.
|
Beautiful cobblestone streets |
|
The government paid for restoration here and you can see the dates of original construction. You can rent an apartment for 30% of your income. |
|
Tourists |
|
The NE side of buildings have no windows due to weather so it's a perfect place for beautiful murals. |
|
Another mural |
|
This is where we had lunch. |
The Parliament Building was outstanding.
We drove through the Plains of Abraham, a historic area
within the Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Quebec. This battle took place on September 13,
1759. It has now become a park.
|
Beautiful peonies everywhere! |
|
Joan of Arc Statue, gift from the US |
|
Their empire state building. Did you know these buildings were built to anchor the flying derigibels? |
We visited the Centre Catherine-De-Saint-Augustin and as we
understood it, this was the first hospital in North America. The year is 1648. Catherine of St. Augustine was 16 when she
set sail from France to Quebec. She
began the task of nursing the sick in the hospital of the monastery, attending
to both their spiritual and physical needs.
We had the most awesome lunch at the historic Le Chateau
Frontenac. This is an excellent example
of the grand hotels developed by railway companies in Canada in the late 1800’s.
It’s the world’s most photographed hotel.
Day 2 was another long tour day, but it didn’t
disappoint. Our first stop was the
Shrine of Sainte Anne de Beaupre’. Being
Catholic, I have never heard of St. Anne.
I soon found out she’s the mother of the Virgin Mary, the grandmother of
Jesus. Apparently this comes from
apocryphal literature which is ancient writings that weren’t included in the
Bible. It doesn’t matter. This place is beautiful and will inspire you
to no end. It has been a pilgrimage site
for over 350 years. The first chapel was
erected in 1658. The second was in
1661-1676. The third church was
1676-1876. The first Basilica was
erected in 1876 and burned in 1922. The
present Basilica was erected in 1923 and completed in 1927 (but wasn’t really
completed as apparently they keep adding to the beauty). Oh my gosh!
You would need to see this place in person. Also – the Pope will be visiting here later
this summer!
|
These copper doors are beautiful |
|
Look at the detail! It's everywhere! |
|
The United States representation is on the right side. |
|
Canadian representation on the left. |
|
The lone survivor of the fire of 1922. |
Next stop was the Gilles Copper Museum. Albert Gilles family has been playing with
copper for 93 years. They crafted the
doors of Saine Anne de Beaupre church, and 40 other churches. He was commissioned by a Pope to do a gold
chalice. Beautiful work and was so
interesting to see how you work with the copper.
We had lunch at Montmorency Falls. The Falls are 275’. The Duke of Canada who is the father of Queen
Victoria owned the Le Manoir Montmorency where we had lunch. It now belongs to the government.
|
We had lunch here. |
Last but not least, we took a ride to the Isle of Orleans,
which is an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. Lots of farming here.
Whew! A really busy
and full two days of touring!
Wow The pictures are Great! It's like being right behind you touring. Love all the explanations and what is going on. Thank you, Mary, for sharing!!!
ReplyDelete