| Page Views: 2,138 Last Visit to Quebec: 2007 | Vivre Québec! by tiabunna - last update: Apr 20, 2008 |
Hanging on a school classroom wall in Australia, long ago, was a copy of a painting showing the valiant James Wolfe and his men climbing the cliffs of Québec to liberate Canada from the French. Well, that was how it was presented in those long-gone days, when Australia still officially saw itself as “British” and whatever The British Empire did, or had done, was always presented uncritically as a ‘good thing’!
Times change! This particular schoolboy looking at that picture never expected, in his wildest dreams, that one day he would be fortunate enough to visit the very place – and any nonsense about ‘Britishness’ in Australia has long gone. History now is viewed with a somewhat more critical eye!
But back to our visit. We were delighted to find that the ‘Old Québec’ part of the city, at least, still retains quite a bit of the look and feel of a French provincial city. It is, after all, the Capital of the French-speaking Province of Quebec.
The arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the construction of the enormous Frontenac Hotel in the late 1890s (heading photo) probably led to as much change in Québec as the British invasion, by promoting the invasion of tourists. That continues and, not surprisingly, Québec has taken advantage of it so that now the whole of the old city probably qualifies as a ‘tourist trap’ – though in the nicest possible way! We had a marvellous visit and could happily have lingered longer.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. I am embarrassed to find that it is now almost a year since our visit - and here we are in Québec’s 400th anniversary year! It’s high time that I began presenting this page so that I have something in place for the anniversary on 3 July – though I shall have to ask you to return later as, because of other commitments, this page will have to be presented in stages. |
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| Pros: | "history, scenery, general charm" | | Cons: | "hordes of tourists (even outside school holidays)" | | In A Nutshell: | "Fully matched our hopes and expectations" |
tiabunna's Quebec Travel Tips
Comments for tiabunna about Quebec | | | | |
lynnehamman Tue May 19, 2009 07:32 UTC George-your interest in history, observant eye and wicked sense of humour make your pages a joy to read. This one is no exception. Excellent tips. Great photographs, as always. Thanks. | Ekaterinburg Wed Apr 22, 2009 21:30 UTC This looks like a very charming Gity george and your interesting descriptions and excellent photos certainly do it justice. I was particularly delighted with the Celtic Cross :)) | HORSCHECK Mon Apr 6, 2009 22:41 UTC George, excellent little page with brilliant photos of Quebec, which I once visited back in summer 2000. Especially your "tipping" tip is really interesting. I find the behaviour of these waiters kind of impudent. | LoriPori Mon Apr 6, 2009 13:21 UTC Wonderful page on Quebec City George. Though Canadian, I have never visited here. The Hotel Frontenac is indeed amazing. Excellent restaurant tips. It was rude of the waitress to assume her tip. Most are not like that & we tip according to good service. |
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