Quebec City – La Vieille Capitale

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Founded in 1608, Quebec City has a population of just over half a million and is the capital of the province of Quebec. Old Quebec, the oldest neighbourhood in Quebec City and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is surrounded by ramparts. The Citadelle, the oldest military building in Canada and still used by the military, is part of the fortifications that have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

On our Quebec Culinary Adventure, Tomiko and I spent two nights in Quebec City. On the first day, we walked around the castle on the hill, the formidable but beautiful Chateau Frontenac hotel, one of several ‘château’ style hotels that were built for the Canadian Pacific Railway company. Then we discovered the Lower Town (Basse Ville) of the city, and finally had dinner at Le Billig, where we ate crepes and drank cider.

For our second day, we visited the Montmorency Falls and then spent most of the day at the Île d’Orléans. We then returned to the city and took another stroll around the old town, ate poutine for dinner at the Chic Shack, and then watched the sunset from the boardwalk along the Chateau Frontenac.

We stayed at a hostel in the more modern part of Quebec City. It was just a brief climb up a set of outdoor steps and then up a hill to the Old City by the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac.

Little did we know, the very weekend that we were in Quebec City was the same weekend of the Festival d’été. The Festival d’été is an annual 11-day music festival that was first established in 1968. Numerous bands were in town, including the Foo Fighters, and it seemed everyone had Foo Fighter fever! The hostel staff told us at which hotel Dave Grohl was staying, the busker artists were drawing Dave Grohl portraits, and hostels and restaurants were playing Foo Fighters songs over their sound systems. The city was hopping and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

The Place d’Youville where the crowds gathered around a stage for some of the myriad performances. This year, other big bands included The Rolling Stones, Boston, and The Tragically Hip.

Old Quebec is as close to Europe as one can get in North America. Some of the buildings are from the 1600s and 1700s!

The building above looks straight out of Europe – I love the stone houses and the mansard roof, a style of roof made popular by French architect François Mansart in the 1600s. A lot of them are roofed in metal, and when driving through Quebec you can see the roofs glinting in the sun.

Many of the buildings, row houses included, are also made with stone and brick masonry.

I don’t know if the buskers are out all the time or just for the Festival d’été de Québec, but there were so many musicians, magicians, clowns, and other performers scattered throughout the streets and city squares.

Calèches, horse-drawn carriages, take tourists on tours around the Old Town. However, we decided to use our own feet on this trip.

Tomiko and I took a quick look inside the Notre-Dame de Québec, the oldest North American parish north of Mexico. It has been located on this site since 1647, surviving two fires through the centuries.

The wall protecting the Upper Town from the Lower Town has signs warning tourists of falling.

The quite stunning view from the Upper Town looking down to the Lower Town. The streets were lined with shops, restaurants, boutiques, and tourists!

Many of the buildings are from the 19th century, but a few date from as far back as the 17th and 18th centuries. The small town near our Oma’s village in Germany was 850 years old, but in Europe that’s nothing. It’s rather amazing to think of a city even 400 years old in North America, though.

Le Lapin Sauté is a restaurant in the Lower Town and does indeed sell rabbit – in poutine, cassoulet, salad, and rillettes. The exterior of the restaurant was charmingly decorated with fairy lights and rabbits. We didn’t eat here, but I would love to go back and see some of the dishes in person.

A couple of the buildings have beautiful painted murals. This Fresque du Petit-Champlain is at the bottom of the Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Steps) and shows historic moments of Cap-Blanc, the city’s working-class waterfront neighborhood, from the beginnings of New France until the present day. The Fresque du Petit-Champlain is on the Rue du Petit-Champlain, which is one of the oldest streets in North America.

Le Cochon Dingue is a local chain of French-style bistros in Quebec City. The one in the Lower Town was packed, but Le Petit Cochon Dingue was had more space available. This is a more casual style restaurant that serves sandwiches and pastries. Both are on my list for places to visit on my next trip here.

On our rambling stroll around the Old Town, we found a cobbled square that I would swear was straight from Europe. We have been to squares in Tallinn, Estonia and all over Germany that look just like this one. I would have loved to sit on one of the patios for a drink; once again, next time!

We strolled along the clifftop boardwalk that hugs the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, overlooking the St Lawrence River, and watched the sunset before finding our dinner.

I love the architecture in Quebec. Here is a example of a metal Mansard roof typical of Quebec.

Investigating the giant fork!

Aux Anciens Canadiens is a famous restaurant that serves traditional Quebec specialties by servers in historic costume. The building, the historic Maison Jacquet, was built in 1675-1676. After our pricy dinner at Toqué! in Montreal, we decided for a cheaper meal here in Quebec City.

Quebec City is quite hilly and there are steep public staircases dotted throughout the city. It’s a great way to quickly get around the city instead of climbing windy roads.

Some of the windy hill streets almost look like Edinburgh, Scotland.

Our view from the Upper Town looking to the Lower Town and across the St Lawrence River.

On our second evening in Quebec City, Tomiko and I took out our watercolour pencils, found an empty bench on the boardwalk, and did some sketching. We attempted to draw the ornate gazebos that pepper the boardwalk outside the Fairmont Chateau Frontena, and practiced our painting.

Quebec City does indeed have European charm.