I love Quebec City this time just as much as I loved it 11 years ago. Since my first visit here I have been struggling to put into words the magical feeling that this city evokes. It’s the same feeling that I encountered when I visited Prague, London, and Edinburg.
Finally today I think I put my finger on it. I was running on the Plains of Abraham this morning and noticed banners on all of the lamp posts. Each post had 2 messages: one historical, and a related modern message. The one that caught my attention had, on the left, a drawing of a cannon and the word ‘Battles’, while on the right, a depiction of the bandstand where they play live outdoor concerts with the message ‘Harmony’.
I think that the magic comes from this contrast of old and new. This city (like the ones listed above and many others) is a canvas of centuries old architecture with a modern overlay. It is a place where we see a McDonalds housed in a stone building, a busker stand in front of the Chateau Frontenac, and a light show broadcast on the face of an old mill. It is not unusual to hear the tolling of church bells and the base beat from a club on the same block. Cars patiently wait behind horse drawn carriages at stoplights hung on the archways of the old city wall. We can feel the ghosts of where we came from as we create our futures.
Don’t let the stereotypes sway you; Quebec City is an easy place to travel. It is a ‘walking city’, with much of the tourist draw in an area that can be manoeuvred on foot. Moreover, the tourism industry of Quebec knows how to woo a visiter. The old town area is packed with art galleries, artesian booths, gelato stands, street performers, benches with views, and essentially anything else one may desire. There are free events abound: outdoor concerts, Cirque de Soleil shows, and fireworks.
The language ‘barrier’ is a misnomer. RobO and I have been speaking an awkward kind of Spanglish – too much ‘si’ in place of ‘oui’. We’re like parents who holler out the name of every child before finding the right one. “Hello… Hola… Bonjour”. The people we’ve met have been accepting and accommodating, replying in whatever language we offer.
Yesterday was our first full day to explore. We explored the oldtown around our condo (a wonderful studio suite right beside the Chateau Frontenac with (drumroll please) a Murphy bed!!), then made our way to the Plains of Abraham, rollerblades in tow. This was the catalyst for this whole trip; I ‘bucket listed’ for Rob to experience this setting. Under the proud and watchful eye of this old battleground, the city has laid a large track only for rollerbladers. After working up an appetite, we headed for fresh poutine, followed by refreshing gelato. Our evening included more city exploration and finished with an exclamation point: listening to Celine Dion’s outdoor concert from a grassy hill beside the Citadel. (Note: the concert was not free for those in attendance, just for the thousand-odd group of us who sat one hill over!)
I’ll let RobO fill you in on today’s events in the next blog as this is getting rather long. So here’s some pictures!!
