Quebec City

Citadel wall around Quebec

The Algonquian people called the area Kébec, meaning “Where the river narrows”. Jacques Cartier, the French explorer, built a fort here in 1535.

Samuel de Champlain founded the city on the bank of the Saint Lawrence River in 1608. Champlain adopted the Algonquin name, calling the new settlement Quebec.

The old city, Vieux-Québec, is still surrounded by ramparts. The fortified city walls are the last ones remaining in the Americas north of Mexico.

The Saint Lawrence River from the citadel walls

Lucas and I spent the day exploring Vieux-Québec. From the Plains of Abraham to the citadel walls and down to the railway station and the river port, we walked the historic streets of this fascinating city.

Monument to Samuel de Champlain

I brought the old Kodak 66 along just for this part of the journey. It offered a good excuse to pop into a pub for a pint to reload the camera with its 120 film. Since I’m traveling light on this trip, no laptop, just the smartphone and two film cameras, if anything interesting comes out of the film, I’ll post it upon my return to Alaska.

The Chateau Frontenac

I really enjoyed Quebec City, especially Old Quebec. I loved the history and character of the city, and found it so much easier than Montreal to get around. I would love to go back: spend a week wandering the city, then a week or more wandering the National Park to the north.

The city was not void of crowds, however. I found the tourist volume to ebb & flow. One moment we would have a street to ourselves, then a moment later we would be surrounded by madness. Luckily, both Lucas and I found a certain amount of amusement in that.

In many places, stairs link the lower and upper part of the town. The Escalier « casse-cou, literally means: “neck breaking” steps. Lucas insisted on getting the full experience, so we ventured both down, and then up this series of steps.

Gare du Palais, “The Palace Station”

The train Depot in Quebec is a work of art. Called the Palace Station, the Via-Rail station is the eastern terminus of the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor.

The Palace Station ceiling

Wandering the streets of Quebec City