Lately, I’ve been writing about our trip to Québec City. Vieux-Québec is
the oldest part of the city within the ramparts. The first time I visited it, I
felt like I was in Saint-Malo, due to the stone buildings and narrow streets
that wend their way through town. It’s no wonder it was been declared a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
The Old Town is further divided into the Upper and Lower Town. The two
are joined by l’Escalier casse-cou (les-kal-e-ay
kass koo), or “Breakneck stairs,” so named for their intimidating steepness.
There is, however, also a funicular if you don’t do stairs. Nestled near the
Saint Lawrence River, the Basse-Ville,
or Lower Town, is the oldest commercial district in the New World. This is
where you will find one of the prettiest neighborhoods, le Petit Champlain, home to our favorite breakfast stop as well as
many charming boutiques. (There are also a vast number of tacky T-shirt and
souvenir shops, but they’re rather like fruit flies – pesky and prolific, and
drawn to the sweetness of tourists’ wallets.)
You will also find the historic l’église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires (the
church of Our Lady of Victories) on the Place
Royale, the port, and a highly detailed mural of the history of the city.
Also in the Lower Town, but on the other side of the promontory facing
the port is rue Saint-Paul. We liked it’s slightly bohemian flavor of independent
coffee shops, antique shops, and artisans’ boutiques.
The Upper Town, or Haute Ville, was always the governmental and
administrative hub of the city, due to its strategic perch high above the
river. Probably the most famous and recognizable building in the city is the
imposing Chateau Frontenac, a rather splendid historic hotel. I’ll talk about
it in detail another day. The Terrace
Dufferin is a broad boardwalk in front of the hotel that provides a
wonderful vista over the river. Near the Chateau, on the other side, is the
basilica Notre-Dame de Québec.
Around each corner, in fact, there is a pretty streetscape, a charming shop,
or an enticing restaurant. Whether you visit in October for the fall color, in
February for the festivities of Carnaval,
or in summer to enjoy the long days before watching the moon rise over this
405-year-old city, I’m sure you’ll be as enchanted as we were.
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