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January 2003

Quebec City

David Aaronson
2005-09-29 15:08:51

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Quebec City is the oldest city in Canada, with the site discovered in 1535 by Jacques Cartier and the city founded in 1608 by Samuel Champlain. It is the only walled city in Canada or the United States, every guidebook will inevitably call it the 'most European' city in North America and it is one of the most visited sites in Canada. UNESCO has designated it a World Heritage Site as a good example of a fortified colonial city. It is in fact the only fortified French colonial city in North America.

We started our walking tour of the city outside the walls at the national legislature building. An odd title for a provincial capital. We stayed about a half-mile from the gates to the old city which seemed like a good economical choice at the time. It's also a good way to discover just how mind-numbingly cold a half-mile walk can be, at least in January.

All of the most recognizable pictures of Quebec City feature the Chateau Frontenac (1). It is a very impressive building but it is sort of unusual that a city's defining landmark happens to be a hotel. It was built in 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway company who seem to be responsible for a good percentage of all the truly recognizeable buildings in Canada.

Old Quebec is split into upper and lower town and all the connotations that go with those two words apply here. The upper town is higher being built on a plateau. It was also the wealthy, refined section of town, and the part that is protected by the fortifications. From the modern downtown section (also on the plateau), there are several gates that lead into the city. This is the Porte St. Louis (2).

The streets of the upper town are a maze of narrow alleys. With a few exceptions, there are not all that many souvenir shops. Rue St. Jean and the area around the Chateau are what you might expect, but it is easy to wander off into quieter areas of the city which ...