The Streets of Old Quebec City
FINDING DELIGHT IN OLD QUEBEC CITY
BY MICHELLE WINNER
T
o describe Old Québec City using
the words “quaint and charming”
is simply too trite. One must try to capture
the sound of the horse drawn carriage on
cobble-stone streets, the beauty of the
sculptured shop facades, the exuberance
of summer planter boxes spilling over
with geraniums and inpatients, the many
colorful painted shutters accentuating
mullioned windows on old stone buildings,
the order of angles of a mansard roof
line, the French street and business signs
announcing “ rue” this and “table d'hote
saisonniere” (seasonal menu) that. One
must love the vowels and the syllables of a
French speaking city. One must see the
joy in setting out on foot on a lovely
spring day to shop and wander or in winter
and well bundled up, take a guided tour to
explore Old Quebec City as part of your
experience.
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FEBRUARY 2014 • LUXE BEAT MAGAZINE
The walls built for defense of the city stretch
to over 4KM in length around parts of this
UNESCO World Heritage Treasure as the
wide and mighty Saint Lawrence River flows
nearby. The port, not far away is a place of
call for cargo, cruise ships and pleasure boats.
Standing as iconic sentinel is the most
noticeable landmark, the Hotel Fairmont Le
Chateau Frontenac while in the oldest part
of the city the elegant Auberge SaintAntoine) beckons to visitors for a completely
different type of luxury stay.
For those wishing to stop For those wishing
to stop whenever they feel like it, there is a
podcast tour of the city. Visit mcq.org/placeroyale for instructions to download the “
Place-Royale” points of interest tour. You'll
discover the place the first indigenous
inhabitants called home, then the “ discovery”
by Champlain, subsequent settlements and
battles fought here with anecdotes about the
buildings events, points of interest and even a
costume work shop.
Something fun to do is hop the ferry at
Place-Royal for a trip to Levis across the St.
Larwence and back. The Round trip is about
45 minutes and gives yo