Luxe Beat Magazine March 2014 | Page 15

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. 09 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