Quebec City - one of our oldest cities...

Last year Stephen and I took a road trip to the east coast of Canada (the Atlantic Provinces).  I thought I'd send you a few posts since I promised that I would send some pictures of Canada.

Our first stop was Quebec City.  Like Xi'an, it has a fortress wall surrounding the old inner city.  This wall separates the historic buildings from the modern buildings.

Founded in 1608, it is one of the oldest cities in North America.  The older buildings have been maintained as they were hundreds of years ago.

Quebec City viewed from the St. Lawrence River

Chateau Frontenac Hotel

The city is a popular tourist spot.   Because it is in the province of Quebec it has retained it's French heritage.  Everyone speaks French and most people speak both French and English.  We stayed at the Chateau Frontenac.  This was a treat for us because it was our second honeymoon but surprisingly it wasn't much more expensive than a regular hotel (ALL hotels are expensive in Canada!).

The Chateau was built by the rich barons of the Canadian Pacific Railway (and opened in 1893).  It is quite beautiful and at one time, only the rich and powerful stayed there.  Now (ha ha), anyone can stay for a little more than the price of a regular hotel.

Me sitting in city park

The older part of Quebec City is beautiful.  The buildings have been maintained over the centuries and you feel like you have entered an older period in history.  There are many things to do in the city.

Fellow tourists

Stephen and I took a tour in a horse drawn carriage.  It was a wonderful way to see the sites.  The tour was just under two hours.

Since the area was originally a French fortress, we were able to walk along the top of the wall that circled the city.  The walk took us about two hours to complete.  There are cannons and military installations still in place and the Canadian military still operates a base here.

Plains of Abraham

We also visited the "Plains of Abraham".  This is where the British (under General Wolfe), defeated the French (under General Montcalm) in 1759.

After three months of conflict, this battle began and only lasted 15 minutes.   This battle influenced the future of the country to become under British rule.  New France (the former name of our country) became Canada.

The city is well known for its art districts.  Artists are highly regarded and there are many stores and open markets where art is sold.  Many of the buildings in the city centre have been transformed into art. We loved our visit to Quebec City and we will visit again.

Hope you enjoy this brief tour.  Take care and Happy New Year!

Jo-Anne