The capital of Quebec province, Quebec City, is a curious little tourist destination. The city consists of a few distinct regions, the most visited of which are the Upper and Lower Old Towns. Upper Old Town sits on a massive hill with sheer cliffs on the river-facing side, separating it physically from the lower town and making it an optimally defensible location.
Entrance to the Citadel
It’s no wonder that the British decided to build a military fort there during their rule. On the highest point of the city is The Citadel, a collection of military buildings surrounded by a star-shaped protective wall. Today, the Citadel is part active military base, and part museum, open to the public for tours multiple times a day. Our tour guide gave us an excellent overview on the background of the place, explaining that the British built the Citadel as a precaution after warded off two previous attacks by the Americans (“those nasty Americans!”). The walls were built in a star formation to ensure that there were no blind spots anywhere approaching the fort. Add that to their highly advantageous position, and it would have been almost impossible to take Quebec using 19th century weaponry. In fact, the Citadel has the proud distinction of never having been defeated. Granted, no one has ever tried.
Majestic Chateau Frontenac
The Citadel is widely regarded as one of the must-see tourist spots in Quebec City. Chateau Frontenac is one of the other ones. Resembling a castle in both size and structure, Chateau Frontenac is a luxury hotel built about the same time as the railroads in an effort to attract visitors to the city. Today, the Chateau is the place to stay for people looking for the 5-star experience and willing to pay the 5-star price. It’s also a popular photo spot for those of us who are too cheap to actually stay there.
Poutine from Chez Ashton
Much of the charm of Quebec City comes from the European style cobblestone streets in the Upper Old Town, lined with small boutiques and restaurants. It’s a great place for shopping and food, and we definitely ate our share of local and regional foods. Right next to our hotel was Chez Ashton, a fast food joint native to Quebec and famous for their poutine. For the price and speed of service, the poutine was quite satisfactory, and way better than most fast food places we have in the US. Just down the street from there was Les Delices de l’Erable (Canadian Maple Delights), a store selling every maple product imaginable. There was maple mustard, maple jelly, even maple lotions and soaps all available for sampling, and also a gelato bar where you could taste maple flavored gelato. Most of the restaurants we ate at also had maple pie available for dessert. I thought the maple pie was really good - it was similar to pumpkin pie but had a sightly grainier texture and obviously a more syrupy taste. If only they had maple pie back home too.
Maple pie!
After a day and a half in Quebec City, we got on a sleeper train for the 20+ hour journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia, our next destination. Our time in Quebec was brief, but enjoyable, and I hope to have the opportunity to return someday. For now, we leave the French-Canadian culture to experience the Anglophone parts of the country.
- MC 6/25
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