As we waited for the funicular ride from the Lower Town to the Upper Town, we saw the stunning Chateaux Frontenac standing high and prominent above us. We took the funicular ride and walked out onto onto a massive timber promenade that stretched for several hundred metres across the fortified wall on top of the escarpment we'd just travelled up and we stood in front of the building which we'd seen from below. The Chateaux Frontenac is said to be the most photographed landmark in the city and we understood why because it is a jaw-dropping sight and so very French in design. It reminded us of many of the fairy-tale castles we'd seen in France seven years ago ( how the time flies) - seems only like yesterday that we were exploring castles all over France.
Chateaux Frontenac Is actually a hotel, built in the late 19th century by the Canadian Railway as an ideal stopover for travellers. This year it celebrates its 125th anniversary and it still looks amazing. It's copper roof and medieval green turrets resembles the magnificent castles of the Loire in France. This grand establishment has been extended over the years and offers 170 elegant rooms, several dining areas and reception rooms which spread out over four asymmetrical wings that form a horseshoe. It also has a 17 storey central tower which links the hotel into one building and exceptional views of the surrounding area can be seen from almost every room. At night when the castle-like hotel complex is lit up with spotlights, it's a wonder to behold.
We walked the length of the timber promenade enjoying the sea views of the port area and the Lower Town area we had visited earlier in the morning. We could also see the citadel that was on our to visit list and we as we checked the map with the high viewpoint from the promenade area we gained a better overview of the city.
In winter the city is covered in snow and the promenade area becomes a winter playground. We saw a picture of the snow slidthis whole area e that operates with sled rides in winter. It would be fun to do since the sled ride comes down a man-made slope and ends after a echilerating, 250 metre run along the snow covered promenade deck. These first began in 1884 and have continue to thrill the locals and visitors each winter since that time. We continued our walk further into the Upper Town through pals with tall tees and benches and stress with interesting medieval French buildings with modern awning shading busy outdoor cafe areas, filled with tourists and locals .
We passed through an outdoor market place, selling popcorn, fairy floss, trinkets, leather ware , tattoos ( how ugly are they on the human body!) and various artists sketching caricatures for willing participants.
At the end of the open market trail we happened upon Protestant church amid this French town. It was a tall grey stone building with a bell towerand we were surprised when we went in side that the beautiful domed altar area had the Lord's Prayer, a vesper and the Ten Commandments printed English in gold lettering on white marble. Then it dawned on us, that this church must have been built during the time when England occupied the city which history shows fell in and out of France's hands. It was a simple unadorned building with extremely high vaulted ceilings with one central stained glass depicting Christ's assession back into heaven. Just up the road we visited a Catholic Church which had an attached convent. The church was very ornate inside and it had an adjoining nun's wing which was separated from the congregation section at the altar by an iron lace partition because the nun's were not meant to mix with society to prevent them from being ' stained by impure desires or temptations'. This partitioned church design was like the one in 'The Sound of Music' . We are so pleased that today this misnomer is not followed so strictly and that Christ followers across Christiondom seek to know Christ and make him known by the lives they live, the acts of love and kindness they do when interacting with others and the words of life they teach from God's Word. As we walked past the side od the church we saw a group of nuns and novice nuns and non clerical women laughing and joking together in full public view - how encouraging to see that man-made rules and regulations no longer regiment the lives of these women who are dedicated to serving Jesus as their Lord and master.
It had been warm and overcast all morning but as we left the church it began to ' spit' so we headed to a restaurant for a snack and cover from the clouds which were threatening to burst at any moment. The restaurant was housed in a medieval building with huge windows that opened out onto the street. It was on several levels but we settled for the garden dining area with a large awning and tables with sun shelter umbrellas. It was peaceful and relaxing to be away from the streetscape which was full of tourists jostling to get from A to B. We ordered a berry smoothie (strawberries, boysenberries, blackberries ) and French crepes with blueberries and thick maple syrup. These were SO delicious! The smoothie was really refreshing, the crepes so warm and smooth and the blueberries huge and tasty. The 'icing on the cake' was the real Canadian thick maple syrup. I can 'taste it' now, just thinking about it. I guess it's because often maple syrup is sold as the real thing but it's just a sugar concoction that mimics the real thing.
Whilst we were enjoying this special treat the rain bucket down, the clouds darkened, thunder and lightening did their thing and the water began to drip and ping onto our table so we moved to a table further under the awning to avoid getting wet.
When we used the bathroom area downstairs in the cellar region we were 'blown away' by the decode of the unisex toilet area. The stairs down to the cellar, ceiling, walls and bathtub were covered in graffiti ( tastefully done) displaying personal signature and comments about the restaurant. Over the bathtub were 3 pipes with old fashioned handles - this was where hands were washed. Small hand towels were rolled up for drying our hands and these were to be tossed in the silver garbage for laundering and recycling. What a great idea - less paper or carbon footprints created by air dryers. If you look at the walls there are no indicators that there are individual toilet cubicals behind the walls. We just had to tap the wall and push the "door" in to enter. We were a bit confused at first as there were no signs but we worked it out through trial and error.
As we left our relaxing lunchtime break we felt rejuvenated, the rain had stopped and we headed out to visit another area of the Upper a Town in Quebec City. The only evidence of the presence of thunder showers were the puddles on the ground and wet tourists who'd been caught out with the sudden downpour.
We were heading for 'The Plains of Abraham' a 103 hectare parkland area where families flock on the weekend to play soccer, fly kites or picnic. Historically this site is the area where the epic battles between the French and British forces took place in 1759 with the French ceding to Great Britain in 1763. As one writer noted, ' the British may have won the battle but Quebec City is undeniably French in so many ways'.
Whilst walking over some of the battlement area we met a Chinese fellow now working and living in Canada. His parents were visiting him from Chendu ( same Panda city we visited just 2 weeks before this trip) and they were do excited that we could say beheld in Mandarin that they insisted on our photographs with them and that their son take a photo of us. We have included it in the blog. In the background you can see the fairy-take castle and the beginning of the 'Plains of Abraham Parkland'- try as we did, we never were able to locate the reason for the park's name but we'll google it when we get home.
We will report on our visit to the fortifications in Quebec City-3 blog
