l’Escalier casse-cou

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.

Frommer’s Montreal and Quebec City

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Le soie

One of the most charming areas in Québec City is le Petit-Champlain. It’s full of charming little boutiques where you can find something special for yourself or as a gift. One of the prettiest boutiques is Le Soierie Huo, filled with beautiful, hand-painted scarves.

Dominique Huot and Hugues Beaulieu create the majority of the colorful squares at their home in nearby Lévis but can often be found painting in their shop at 91, rue du Petit-Champlain. Le soie (luh swah) means “silk” and you will certainly find plenty of beautiful silk scarves here, but you will also find fine woolen ones as well as men’s ties.

The scarves are a riot of colors. Some resemble a watercolor painting while others feature hand-painted flowers or stenciled leaves. Adding salt to the painted surface gives a dappled edge.

 

Many of the scarves feature a genius clip in a matching fabric. If you would like to wear a scarf with the insouciance of a française but feel that you can never pull it off, the clip will remake how you feel about yourself. They slip a handy guide for a variety of ways to wear your scarf into each bag. If a visit to Québec City isn’t in your near future, you can order on-line here.

 Frommer’s Montreal and Quebec City

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Le Cochon Dingue

Le Cochon Dingue (luh koshohn dahnge), or “The Crazy Pig.” deservedly has the reputation as the best breakfast place in Québec City. I ate there with students a few years ago and almost all of us left with pots of their jam to take home as souvenirs. The restaurant is located within sight of the St. Lawrence River, in the quaint Petit Champlain neighborhood of the old city. Appropriately enough, this French-style bistro opened on Bastille Day on 1979. It’s been such a success that there are several other bistros of the same name dotted about the capital city of la belle province.

This time, we indulged in their abundant platters. Le bon départ (the good start) is a hearty mixture of fruit, English muffins (called grillettes) topped with a poached egg, accompanied by cheese and their delicious apple butter. (It’s pale and tastes like a fresh apple, not at all like the dark cinnamon-y spread we were used to.) Another day I tried la brioche dorée de l’Île et fraises fraîches. This was a new item on the menu, composed of French toast made of cinnamon brioche served with maple syrup or chocolate sauce served with heaps of fresh strawberries. The beverage to choose to go with either is le chocolat chaud à l’ancienne. It’s thick, rich, and flavorful. I’m dingue de toi, Cochon Dingue!

 

Fodor’s Montreal and Quebec City

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