| Today the weather was much better. Again we drove in
along the river bank. The cliffs rise fairly precipitously above the few
houses along the road. These are the cliffs that Wolfe's men scaled to the
Plains of Abraham when they took Quebec City from the French in 1759 thus
paving the way for Canada to become a British Dominion. |  |
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As with many old cities, the skyline can hold some serious architectural
gems although which building this is the tower for, I am not sure. |
| Monuments and water features are always photogenic and
this is right in the heart of the city. If this was an English city then it
would be Victoria on top, but here I suspect not. |  |
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Many buildings in the area have metal roofs often painted red or blue. This
scene with its cafes and the striking roof is particularly eye-catching. I
obviously wasn't the only one who thought so. |
| The other side of the Chateau Frontenac and in the sun
rather than the gloom. It has been an important building throughout its life
with many wartime meetings of Allied premiers being held here. Today it is a
top class hotel with over 600 rooms and supporting a complete tourist
industry within its walls. |  |
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The dockside to the west of the old city is home to the Canadian Coastguard
and Fisheries patrol. Several of their specialist icebreakers were
alongside. Note the sliding helicopter hanger on the stern. |
| We walked towards the Plains of Abraham only to find
another sound stage being set up for a concert series. We had heard of few
of the groups scheduled to perform. Beyond is a tower which may well be a
hospital. Off picture is another theme park covering the Anglo-French
history and battles. But we missed out on that. |  |
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We did go on a tour of the Citadelle which was built by the French and then
enhanced by the British. It also contains the official residence in Quebec
City (there are others in other cities) for the Governor General; outside
its windows we found these cannon with a commanding view from the heights. |
| The Citadelle is also the home of the modern-day Royal
22nd Regiment so it is guarded as any British army base would be. There is
even a Changing of the Guard ceremony for the tourists each day.
Unfortunately we missed it. We did go on a tour of the Governor General's
mansion though. The present Governor General is a Canadian woman.
Photographs are not allowed which is a pity. |  |
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The view from the top over the harbour and the bay is very spectacular
particularly on a clear day. Note the grain silo on the left - it gives you
some idea of how high up we are. |
| The Puffin is a typical 'laker' ship carrying ore and
grain through the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway. |  |
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A festival was in progress and the streets were full of street performers
some of whom were quite good. This guy was a real showman as he jumped his
bike over his two 'willing' assistants plucked from the crowd. He had just
made great play of laying a female doll between them to reassure them. |
| Different in style was this gold painted 'automaton'.
You put the money in the hat and he sprang to life complete with whirrs and
buzzes - then went back to sleep. |  |
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These two 'hoopers' were skilful too. It takes quite a lot of effort and
body movement to move the big hoop and to keep it moving. She was VERY
supple. They played the audience well too. |
| Quieter and more serene is this ancient seminary
originally started by one of the monastic orders. |  |
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The sundial seemed to tell the time pretty well. |
| We went on a guided tour of the Chateau Frontenac with
this 'chambermaid' who was quite a character trying to get the kids (and the
adults) to explain how they had travelled to Quebec given that she was in
1892 mode. The model is being used to explain the layout of the chateau and
where we are within it. It was built in various sections, the original one
being commissioned by the railway company to encourage rail passengers to
break their journeys and spend time (and money) in the city. As it became
more successful further wings were added, and eventually, when there was not
enough space on the city block it occupied to add more, the tower was built
in the middle. |  |
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One of the later additions was this huge ballroom where part of the carpet
can be removed for dancing. However it has been used for many events,
including a tennis tournament (when the crystal chandeliers were shrouded in
netting to protect them from stray balls). |
| Walking back home the street musicians were out in
force. This fiddler is also dancing on the board with his feet. This is a
traditional if not common local style which we first came across with La
Bottine Sourriante, a Quebecois folk band of international renown. |  |
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