Bonjour Quebec City!

The beauty of having one’s birthday in the summer is having another excuse to go on a summer trip. Hubby and I decided to go to Quebec for one of my birthday trips. Since we were projecting Quebec City to be about an 8-hour drive, we decided to break up the trip—stay overnight in Montreal, then head off to Quebec City first thing the next day. We then planned to spend the night in Quebec City before driving back to Montreal again for a night, and finally heading for home. With two young kids in tow, we figured we had to keep the trip lengths manageable—at least for our sanity!

As with other trips to faraway places that we would not expect to visit often, we wanted to do so much but had so little time. After an early McDonald’s breakfast on the road, we arrived at Quebec City at around 10 a.m.  After checking into our hotel, we proceeded to the Upper Town in beautiful Old Quebec.  The first thing that signaled to us that we had reached our destination was the sight of the towering, historic Chateau Frontenac. This beautiful hotel was built in the late 1800’s as a luxurious stopover for Canadian Pacific Railways passengers. It was like a castle—complete with turrets and towers—and is said to be the most photographed hotel in the world!  

Chateau Frontenac

at Upper Town

Lunch at 1640

As it was almost lunch time, we decided to check out one of the many nice restaurants in the area. We had lunch at 1640 Restaurant in the heart of Old Quebec where the food, service and ambience were all quite good. The girls shared and enjoyed the sole fillet, while Hubby and I each had huge, juicy steaks! After that hearty meal, we were quite ready to walk around the city. We passed various charming structures as we headed back to the Chateau Frontenac for some breathtaking views of the Saint-Lawrence River.

We then decided to walk down to the Lower Town. Hubby struggled to hold on to the stroller as we walked down the steep hill! There were steps to go down to Lower Town, but with the stroller, we had to take the winding, cobble-stone road. We passed by the main plaza called Place Royale where we saw the late 17^th century Notre Dame church, another one of the city’s main historical landmarks. This is the oldest stone church in Quebec.  At the plaza, there were costumed vendors on the cobbled streets. Museums and art galleries were all abound. It felt like we stepped back in time--in Europe! As we walked along, we also saw the colourful Fresque des Quebecois, a mural which depicts 400 years of Quebec’s history and created by 12 different artists.

Going into the Petit Champlain area in Lower Town, we were fascinated with all the quaint shops and charming cafes. Each store was unique and bright and just plain lovely! We enjoyed walking around and looking inside the fun shops. After a few hours, we took a rest at one of the benches at the Old Port. We didn’t quite make it to the market which apparently had many more vendors and shops. The spirit was willing but the legs were not. We just relaxed for a bit before we went back to Upper town.

We decided to take the Funicular (cable car ride connecting the Upper and Lower towns) going back to the Upper town. We (or should I say, Hubby) would not have been able to manage pushing the stroller back up that winding road! We continued walking until we reached the Citadel, the military installation which is part of the fortified walls surrounding the city. The fortification of the city began in the 17^th century to secure the city against invasion. It also served as a refuge for the British troops. It was wonderful to see these walls in great shape, and still being used as a military installation.  This makes Quebec City the only fortified city in North America. A few steps from the Citadel, we relaxed at an interesting playground—at least hubby and I did. The kids, who were comfortably seated in the stroller all the time we were walking, had more than enough energy for a great playtime session.

We worked up quite an appetite for dinner with all that walking and playing! We had dinner at Le Petit Chateau where we enjoyed some beef fondue with baked potatoes on the side.  Dessert was a yummy chocolate banana crepe.  With our tummies happily stuffed, we decided to call it a day and head back to our hotel.

There was still so much to see, but we contented ourselves with the thought that we would explore more the next time we’re there.  After all, seeing the sights we had not visited would be motivation for a return trip—as if the charm of this old city was not enough reason to come back.

Quebec on Dwellable