Quebec City: France at our doorstep

The spirit, the language, the history are French: the city with its fine examples of Old World architecture and European manners, the countryside with its quaint farms. It seems incredible that North America is home to this exquisite transplant.

By JIM PATTERSON

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 7, 2000

[Photos: Jim Patterson] From the slopes of Cap Diamant, Rue St. Denis and the Chateau Frontenac form a European horizon.

Our charming waiter was classically Gallic. So was the menu from which we chose a good French wine and five courses, including Les Queues de Langoustines roties au Parfum d'Ail and Le Magret de Canard au Poivre et Groseille.

After dinner, we strolled beneath the looming chateau and enjoyed the lights of the old city reflected in the river flowing by.

Yet we were not in France but rather a few hours' flying time from our Pinellas County home: Quebec City, where visitors can get a true taste of French lifestyle at about half the price.

For instance, for our stay in Quebec City, we chose the Auberge du Tresor and its package of room, parking, full-course dinner with wine and breakfast for two. The cost, last autumn, was approximately $108 U.S.; the fluctuating exchange rate now makes that about $126. We opted for just the room after the first night of our stay, and we paid about $54 U.S. nightly.

Our room in this oldest of Quebec City's hotels (built in 1679) was tiny but comfortable and overlooked the busy Place d'Armes and the imposing Chateau Frontenac hotel across the square. Beneath our window, in the alleylike Rue du Tresor, dozens of artists displayed their works to passersby.

North America's oldest walled city, Quebec City exudes the charm of old France without the hauteur that is often found in the mother country. Although more than 90 percent of its half-million residents speak French, a simple "May we speak English?" is usually met with a smile and often the response, "Of course, if you will speak slowly."

Adding to the continental atmosphere is the Quebec law that requires all signs to be lettered most prominently in French; if it also has English words, they must be in a smaller type size. A caution: Many signs have no English, so it is best to brush up on your French enough to distinguish between a boulangerie and a boutique d'lingerie.

The atmosphere of the city is spiced by shades of history -- from the looming citadel atop Cap Diamant to the ancient buildings of Place-Royale on the tidal banks of the St. Lawrence. Settled in 1608 as the first permanent settlement of New France, Quebec City's original village was peopled by merchants, traders and artisans gathered in the community below the cliffs, while clergy, military and government leaders chose the easily defended upper plateau.

In the 1750s the French and Indian War was a major part of the worldwide conflict between England and France. By 1759, the tide was turning and the St. Lawrence River was entered by nearly half of the British fleet under the command of Gen. James Wolfe. After weeks of unsuccessful siege tactics, Wolfe discovered a weak spot in the French defenses and in the early morning of Sept. 13, he sent troops to climb a ravine in the cliffs two miles west of the city.

By dawn, British troops occupied positions on the Plains of Abraham and broke the French lines in a massive volley of musket fire. During the battle, both Wolfe and the French commander Montcalm were killed. Neither side knew of the other's major loss, however, and at day's end, the governor of the city surrendered the town to the British. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ended the French and Indian War and gave England all of the North American territory west of the Mississippi.

Today, the Plains of Abraham are part of the huge Battlefields Park, where Quebecois and visitors hike, bike and enjoy inline skating. The present Citadelle, built by the British in 1820, is now occupied by the Royal 22nd Regiment and is a popular tourist attraction.

Old Quebec is a walking city. To the west of the Citadelle is a set of 310 stairs called the Promenade des Gouverneurs, which lead down the cliffside to the broad boardwalk of the Terrasse Dufferin. Benches and gazebos line the boardwalk, which leads to the Place d'Armes.

To reach the lower town, a set of steep stairs known as Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Stairs) can be taken. Fortunately, a funicular makes short work of this trip for just $1.25.

Quebec's Old Town has three neighborhoods of interest. At the funicular station, you find yourself in Quartier Petit-Champlain, a pair of narrow streets lined with shops, galleries and restaurants. The Quarter leads into Place-Royale, the oldest part of the settlement and massively restored, starting in the 1950s.

Today's Place-Royale is cobbled streets leading to the square where Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church sits upon the site of Samuel de Champlain's original residence.

Beyond Place-Royale begins the Vieux-Port, the restored original seaport. It houses the farmer's market, numerous museums and shipping facilities.

From the Place-Royale, one can look up the cliffs for a dazzling view of Quebec City's landmark, the Chateau Frontenac. Built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1893, the chateau is a wedding cake of gables and turrets topped by cheese-wedge copper roofs. Its green-roofed tower is visible from nearly everywhere in Quebec City.

With architectural counterparts in Banff, Lake Louise and Victoria, these chateaux have become the historical symbol of the Canadian Pacific. We took a tour of the hotel where our guide, Gaston Bolduc, wore the pillbox hat, leather jacket and woolen vest that was the uniform of bellmen in the early 1900s.

With numerous additions over the years, Chateau Frontenac is a maze of elevators, passageways and rooms on different levels. The one-hour tour was a fascinating glimpse into luxury hotel life over the past century; a room today may still be obtained for about $200 Canadian per night.

Outside the urban bustle of the walled city is Isle d'Orleans, just a 20-minute drive down river, billed as an open-air museum of Quebec rural life. Stop at the information center at the top of the hill from the bridge to pick up a guidebook: Few signs along the 36-mile circuit of the island have English translations.

The bucolic west side of the isle is lined with farmhouses in the French architectural style of curving rooflines, surrounded by orchards of apples and cherries. On the east side of the island, the communities are more oriented to river trade and offer a variety of charming architectural styles.

The return trip across the suspension bridge from Isle d'Orleans offers a good view of Montmorency Falls, which plunge 85 feet from the cliff high above the river.

Quebeckers love to party and no sooner is the Summer Festival in July a memory than they begin to make plans for February's Carnaval, said to be the biggest winter festival of its kind in the world.

Another landmark of the city is the toboggan run, the Glissade, on the boardwalk between the Frontenac and the Lower Town. When the snow flies, citizens and tourists climb the slope for the thrilling ride down the chutes and onto the long runway of Terrase Dufferin.

Quebec City prides itself on being safe and clean for visitors. Indeed, we strolled the Terrase at night, listening to several of the platoon of street musicians who seem to be everywhere, among throngs of other folks enjoying the evening air.

James Patterson is a freelance writer who lives in Largo.

If you go

GETTING THERE: Quebec City is served from the United States primarily by United and Air Canada. Via Rail Canada provides rail service within Canada.

STAYING THERE: Auberge du Tresor, 20, St. Anne St., Quebec G1R 3X2, Canada; Call toll-free (800) 566-1876. Single room prices from about $55 U.S.

Chateau Frontenac, 1 Rue Des Carrieres, Quebec City, Quebec, G1R 4P5, Canada; call (418) 692-3861. Single room prices from about $140 U.S.

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