Old Quebec City

Corner cafe

View from BD site, tidal zone

With our boondocking hosts Andre and Denise's touring advice firmly in hand we drove the 48 kilometers into Quebec. We zipped off the freeway onto a large boulevard where we were able to park for free, just a few kilometers from the city. We bicycled on the excellent bike path those few miles, down the river, into town, uphill (it seemed!), pushing hard into a 15-20 mph headwind.

Place-Royale

Chateau Fortenac

Old Quebec is the only walled city in North America north of Mexico. The main part of the city is perched up on the cliffs overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The oldest part of the city is located at river level. Quebec was established in 1608 by the French and was the most important strategic site for the trading empires that developed over the years. From the high ground they could defend the city from the English and Americans, who coveted it. The Citadelle is the armed fortress of the city and is still a military base today. The English took over Quebec in 1759 and remained there until Canada became an independent nation. The city contains many of the original buildings from the 1600's: lovely old churches, hotels and inns, shops, and homes. Governmental leaders realized early on that the city was an incredible treasure.  Preservation efforts began in 1872 when Lord Dufferin (Governor General at the time) put a stop to the demolition of the city walls. Other efforts at modernization and "improvements" have been squashed over the years. The city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Is that 3rd guy just laughing?

Gate into the walled city

We wandered the river level part of the city, called Place-Royale, enjoying the narrow, busy streets lined with quaint, old shops catering to people like us. A cruise ship had docked so there were swarms of camera toting tourists. I loved the sidewalk cafes and creatively decorated storefronts that were around every corner. We explored for a while then walked our bikes up the short, steep hill to the top part of the town and locked them up near the Chateau Frontenac Hotel. This amazing hotel was built in the early 1900's, its design based on famous old castles of France. We did a circuit of the city starting with the Governors' Promenade along the cliff and past the Citadelle. There are some wonderfully ornate buildings just outside the city walls housing the Parliamentary offices with each surrounded by statues, flowers and fountains. We entered the city again through one of the beautiful gates and zig-zagged through the narrow streets, taking in several churches along the way. At one time Quebec had the largest Catholic diocese in the world, stretching from the eastern seaboard to the Rocky Mountains. Circling back toward our bikes we took a short rest in the Chateau lobby, though it was a bit of a disappointment to me as they did not design or furnish the lobby for people to sit around and relax. It is a bustling, noisy place with only a few pieces of furniture for sitting and none of it comfortable. The finishes, flowers and chandeliers were fabulous but difficult to enjoy from the positioning of the few seats provided. They need to go visit Yellowstone, Glacier or Yosemite if they want to see what a real hotel lobby should look like. We checked out the menus at the two restaurants and determined that we could eat for a week on what one meal would cost us.

Place-Royale

Hopping back on our bikes we circled the town and rode down the hill to the farmers market near the marina. Quebec province is quite the agricultural wonder, producing apples, pears, plums, carrots, potatoes, leeks, peppers, eggplant, and expensive corn. We have been shocked by the corn prices-$6/dozen at the market and not much better at roadside stands. Our boondocking host said that the farmers had a difficult spring and may be saving their corn for feed. I was delighted to find affordable and delicious fall strawberries, grown locally! Do we have these in Washington?? If not, then WHY not?

Tired and chilled we jumped back on the bikes for the spinnaker run back to the rig. It was nearly effortless as we coasted along the bike path with the breeze, pedaling at the small hills if needed. Absolutely no headwind! In the fading light we left Quebec, knowing that we should be spending more time there. From the pictures I have seen, I can see that it would be a lot of fun and very beautiful to come in the winter as Quebec is truly a year round destination city!

Some interesting facts about the St. Lawrence River:

Its deep water ports are the key to trade and commerce in the Great Lakes, the US and across Canada. Quebec is 800 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and yet, this far inland, they have a tidal action range up to 22 feet! Today I've seen water up to the sea wall and now it is out at least 100 yards. This tidal and river action makes for some pretty interesting ice in the winter!

Church in L'islet

We spent the night in a quiet parking lot between Subway and the IGA and the next morning drove the short distance to our next boondocking home on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. It was a quiet day including a much needed shower, catching up on little chores, napping, mending the quilts (they take a beating in the nightly tug-of-war that goes on, now that it is getting cooler), and a gentle bike ride to the village. We have now watched all of the "Anne of Green Gables" shows in preparation for the next leg of the trip to Prince Edward Island. Whew! It rained most of last night and is continuing this morning. The weather report indicates rain for the next 3 or 4 days so we may slow down (is that possible?) a bit and wait for improvement. Made oatmeal for the first time on this trip - the strawberries made it a special treat!

Fall Strawberries!