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QUÉBEC
Celebrating 400 years with Joie de Vivre
Québec City could well be a French town instated in North America, having earned the moniker ‘Cradle of New France’. The French aura has been preserved since Samuel de Champlain first landed here 400 years ago. It is perceptible in the ensemble of 17th- to 19th-century grey-stoned buildings within a fortification. Add to that the horse-drawn calèches trotting down narrow cobbled streets, Québécois French spoken extensively, and the best of French cuisine this
side of the Atlantic.
Lovable Levels
The fortified Upper Town, located atop Cap Diamant, overlooks St Lawrence River and is dominated by the towering Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, a historic copper-roofed hotel with its medieval gables and turrets. Fronting it is Dufferin Terrace, a wide wooden boardwalk with cannons.
The Lower Town is connected by a funicular at the foot of Cap Diamant. The Place Royale buildings have been restored and house the interpretation centre, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and bistros.
Where Old is Gold
Near Old Quebec (Vieux-Québec) on Parliament Hill is the Hôtel du Parlement where the National Assembly meets.
It runs parallel to the Plains of Abraham also known as Battlefields Park. Streets of great interest are rue Saint-Jean, Grande Allée and avenue Cartier, while a short distance away is the rejuvenated Saint-Roch District.
History buffs can visit Musée national des beaux-arts
du Québec (National Museum of Fine Arts), Musée de la civilisation (Museum of Civilization), Musée de l’Amérique française housed in an ancient Seminary, and Musée des Ursulines. Facing Île d’Orleans is the Sainte-Anne-de- Beaupré shrine visited by devotees since the mid 17th century. If you are travelling with children, make a pit stop at the
Parc Aquarium - the kids will love it!
18 SEPTEMBER.DECEMBER
photo by yves tessier, tessima