Our day started
promptly at 7:45 AM, when our Prevost bus arrived. Our bus driver Gilles was a
master driving the big bus. He expertly maneuvered the narrow streets, the wandering
tourists and double parked trucks. He also expertly maneuvered the bus around a
harrowing bit of construction. His driving skills were beyond question.
Roger was our tour guide. He supplied a continuous banter of colorful commentary on the history and folklore and supplied numerous facts about the life and culture of Quebec city, the Providence of Quebec and the Canadian Confederation.
Our first stop was Quebec City, one of the oldest cities in North America, developed on the narrows of the St. Lawrence River. The name Quebec, comes from an Indian term KE-BECK which means narrows or narrowing. It was this narrows of the river that defined the strategic and commercial importance of Quebec City.
With Roger as our
commentator, we visited the upper fortified and walled city, the lower recently
restored artistic city, Parliament Hill and the Plains of Abraham where the
final battle between the British and French, for control of Quebec, was won in
just 23 minutes by the British. The defeat at the hands of the British army
eventually led to the incorporation of the "New France" into the
Canadian Confederation.
.
After the whirlwind tour of Quebec City, our next stop was the Montmorency Falls Manor for lunch.
Montmorency Falls are located just outside Quebec City and were an impressive 275 feet high, approximately 100 feet higher than Niagara Falls. There were several walking paths to help work off some of our very nice lunch.
From the falls we
moved on to the Basilica of Sainte-Ann- de-Beaupre Shrine. The Basilica is a beautiful example of Quebec
Gothic architecture built by expert Quebec craftsmen.
The Basilica is a shrine to Sainte Ann, mother of Mary, who is the patron saint of Quebec. It is the site of a number of miraculous cures. As many as 500,000 faithful every year make the pilgrimage to visit the shrine.
On our way to the Basilica, we stopped at the Albert Gillis Copper Works, one of the families of artisans who donated their talents to the building of the Basilica.
After leaving the
Basilica we headed for the Isle of Orleans. This island separates the St.
Lawrence River into the North and South channels. The island is the home to
many beautiful farms, small villages, wineries, boutiques and some of the
finest French cuisine in Quebec. Our first stop on the island was to a farm
store where we all bought some fresh local vegetables, strawberries and “sweet
stuff”.
Our last stop was the one that everybody had been waiting for, the ice cream and chocolate shop. It was as good as it looks!
Roger and Gilles returned us to our campsite via a route that took us to the new Québec City, a city of 700,000. The new Quebec City is a very cosmopolitan city with large malls, shopping centers, a beautiful new Laval University and even some of the many US icons including Walmart, Target and a French Home Depot.
We ended our day at 6
PM, right on schedule. It was a long day but a good day!
Submitted by:
#11 Dave and
Gretta Storrs
