Quebec City

Quebec City - Sunday, Monday and Tuesday morning 

We headed north out of Montreal and towards Quebec City. We visited the old town in Quebec City briefly in winter and were keen to return in summer. Of course, the change is dramatic. Not only is the environment almost unrecognisable, but the number of tour groups frustrated us! Quebec City is the capital of Quebec, the province. 

 Montreal is the biggest city in Quebec province but Quebec City is the capital. It has a population of 800 000 but an area of less than half of Canberra. It is located on the St Lawrence River and we learnt Quebec is actually a word from the Algonquin tribe, one of the indigenous tribes of Canada. Most assume that it is a french word. Quebec means “narrow river” which is why the French settlers set up camp there - they figured they would be able to see and stop any enemies coming up the river. It is very flat land except for one hill, on which the old town is perched - and it is up a very steep escarpment.

Our first day was a day of travel and after arriving at our van park, we unloaded our bikes and set off. One of the main tourist attractions is the Montmorency Falls. These falls are 30 metres higher than Niagara Falls, but not as wide and not nearly as much water falling over them. We all found them a little underwhelming. We enjoyed our bike ride there and the walk across the top; but probably our ice-cream and people watching was more interesting! There was a high school prom at the function centre that evening, so we enjoyed watching all the girls in their stunning dresses arrive for photos!

The Montmorency Falls, with St Lawrence River in the background. 

The next day, we drove into the city and (eventually) found a park for Bertha. We unloaded our bikes and used them to get around the old town. First stop was Changing of the Guards at the Citadel, which we thought would be a 20 minute visit. Three hours later, we left! We love it when we find an unexpected, interesting tourist attraction! We had a tour around the Citadel, which is an active military base and learnt much about the Canadian history and the three distinct periods: the French, the British and then the Canadian. For the first time since January, we also heard and met several other Australians!

Interesting, the phrase “je me souviens” is the phrase at the bottom of all number plates in Quebec province. Translating to “I remember”, we have often wondered what we are remembering. Seeing it displayed in floral format at the Citadel, we asked … it is to remember our history and our ancestors. Now we know!

Being at the Citadel much longer than expected changed all our plans. After lunch and coffee, we headed into the areas in which we explored in winter. The bikes proved to be very useful for this and allowed us to travel quickly between places. The differences between winter and summer were extreme. Much more life with people everywhere; more colour with potted flowers everywhere; outdoor tables at cafes and restaurants; and a more vibrant feeling from the shop keepers made it feel more alive. We were caught out with our parking expiring so had to leave; but it was also very hot; we needed to shop and our van park had a pool … so by 4.30, we were happy to leave. It was 6pm by the time we returned home and we headed straight to the pool which was beautiful!

We were somewhat undecided about plans after Quebec City, but felt that we wanted more time in the old town area. We decided to give QC a few more hours so headed back in there the next day. This time, we just wandered … with no agenda, we explored little streets and meandered. We discovered a few squares that we hadn’t seen before. The area felt much like the old town of Stockholm with its cobbled stones, or Rome, with architecture from the 1600’s and the small squares, with five or six streets leading into them, dotted with cafes and galleries. 

One of the best things was this enormous fresco on the side of a building. It is a pictorial history of Quebec province, featuring Jacques Cartier who first found New France, right up to modern day (ice) hockey players. It is an amazing art work and we saw it a few times. It is created so that you feel as though as you could walk right into the scene - it is all life like and life size. It was stunning. 

Lunch was in Bertha, right on the edge of the old town and the St Lawrence River. RVs are not so common in the city of Quebec so we feel that we are constantly providing entertainment for everyone! Bet our lunch was healthier and cheaper though! We left Quebec and headed north again, to the town of Baie St Paul. Rain … the whole journey.