Quebec City - Canada

This is a city you can't help but love and can understand the great pride the residents have in Quebec City. 

Old Quebec City is one of history and the people seem to know its history well.  There is an upper and lower city.  You climb a series of steps--about 100 steps in all--to go from the lower city to the upper city.

The lower city takes you back to the 1700 and 1800s.  It has cobbled stone streets and light gray stone buildings in elaborate and wonderful ornate architecture.  There are old homes with their wooden porches and balconies and their metal roofs.  The streets are narrow and are flanked with lovely shops and many many outdoor restaurants.   Parks are everywhere as you walk through the city, and musicians are singing and playing various instruments along the streets--classical and contemporary music.  It is so delightful!

The upper city has the Chateau Frontenac hotel.  It looks like a magnificent old castle with many steep conical roofed towers.  It is the basic landmark of Quebec City.  Below the Chateau is the Terrasse Duferrin, the Boardwalk, which overlooks the magnificent harbor on the St. Lawrence Seaway. You always find people strolling along the Boardwalk and again a number of musicians singing and playing instruments.  Beyond the Chateau are many restaurants and up-scale shops and interesting museums. 

The people of Quebec City, and in general Quebec province, are friendly, curious, helpful, and interesting.  We have not found anyone who refused to speak English with us and even when they did not know but a few words in English, they made every effort to try to understand what we wanted and to help us.  We found that when we asked in French, can you speak English, they would say yes and speak English beautifully.

A few statistics that came over the news while we were here.  Quebec City is the safest city in North America and until now had the most educated people in any province in Canada.  Now Alberta holds that honor.  However, 20% of Quebequers do not believe in God and very few are active in any religion yet they behave in a very Christian way looking out for each other and accepting of differences in people's cultures and beliefs.

Some examples,  we left a backpack we were carrying full of things we needed at an outdoor restaurant and did not realize it for some time, when we went back, the backpack was still there with everything in it. 

We were told there was a parking lot near the harbor where we could park our dually truck, but we could not find it.  We saw a worker along the way and asked him,  He walked down the street with us where we would be able to see where the lot was and explained about parking there and payment.

When we were in the parking lot, we did not see any person to assist us, there were only credit card machines and we were having problems with the machine.  All instructions were in French and we felt we must be doing something wrong.  There was a couple leaving their parked vehicle who we ask for assistance.  Not only did they come over to the machine and review the instructions with us, but when they realized the machine was broken.  The walked with us to where they knew there was an attendant.

Whenever we are taking pictures, it is not unusual for a Canadian to cover over and offer to take a picture of both of us with our camera. 

We have had only wonderful experiences with the Canadians and Quebec province is a most beautiful place--whether it be Montreal surrounds or Quebec City and its surrounds or the wild and natural wonder of the Gaspe peninsula.