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The 30th Anniversary of the MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
 Experience Quebec's Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (FIJM), also called the Jazz Fest, the largest jazz festival in the world.
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FEATURE BOOK
‘Red, White and Drunk All Over–a Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass'
By Natalie MacLean
Natalie MacLean’s award winning book ‘Red, White and Drunk All Over’ is an informative, often hilarious trip through wine cellars and vineyards around the globe.Read more |
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Romantic Quebec City ~ Over 400 Years of History, Art and Culture
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Posted by: Publisheron Monday, April 06, 2009 - 01:45 PM |
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By Kris King
 Quebec City, surrounded by a 4.6-kilometer wall is North America’s oldest city; capitol of the province of Quebec and the seat of the National Assembly, it is also one of North America’s most beautiful and romantic destinations. Founded in 1608 by French navigator and explorer Samuel de Champlain, it is now home to over 638,000 people who share their effervescent city with over 5 million tourists each year. Every season is the perfect season to visit Quebec City and find out why the citizens have a special “joie de vivre”.
I was elated to visit this historic, cultural hub for the second time in June 2008 to join in the 400th anniversary celebrations. Although there are 12,000 rooms available, for me, the world-renowned Fairmont le Chateau Frontenac is home away from home. The historic hotel is set high atop Cap-Diamant overlooking all of Quebec City. It is a beacon; allowing tourists to easily find their way through the maze of boulevards and cobble stone streets where art and culture are in evidence everywhere you look. This vibrant city is known for its unique parties, festivals and celebrations was vibrant with trees and flowers in full bloom; café patios were in full swing, with outdoor artist galleries beckoning passersby.
 When I checked into my room at the Fairmont le Chateau Frontenac I was met with a marvelous view of the St. Lawrence River. I had two turrets, one on either side of my room and a bank of large windows facing two directions, one looking over the city and the other over looking the St Lawrence River. In all honesty, I could take a day to stay in, hide out and simply enjoy the room, the comfortable bed, wander around the hotel, and be perfectly happy. The cozy, comfortable and inviting ambience makes one want to spend more time exploring the variety of nooks and crannies hidden off the multi-directional hallways that snake throughout the building.
Conveniently, just outside the Frontenac, the Funiculaire du Vieux Quebec is at the top of the Dufferin Terrace, taking passengers down to the Quartier Petit-Champlain. It is the only one of its kind in Canada and has been in operation for over 127 years, providing impressive views of Old Quebec City and the St. Lawrence River. The house from which it departs once belonged to the man who discovered the Mississippi River. The Dufferin Terrace was named after Lord Dufferin, the third Governor General of Canada. The boardwalk is a meeting place that runs from in front of the Frontenac Chateau to the Citadelle; it also serves as an entertainment venue during the summer months as becomes home to the ‘Les Bouquinistes du Saint-Laurent’ open-air bookstore in August.
 This quick and easy way of getting from the top of Quebec City down to Old Quebec City is just one alternative available. There is also the stairs, not for the fainthearted or those in a hurry. The Breakneck Staircase is steep and convoluted although one is still able to enjoy scenic views and other historic designations. There is even an interesting little gallery, Boutique Art-titude on the stairs about half way up, just around the exact place you want to rest and catch your breath.
My own impatience waiting for the throngs of tourists to have their trip up and back down on the Funiculaire, combined with an early dinner reservation had me climbing the stairs on two occasions in one day. As it turned out, it proved to get me in shape for the huge dinner I had at aux Anciens Canadiens. As one might guess, history is everywhere you turn in Quebec City, and the history of aux Anciens Canadiens Restaurant is of an ancestral home that is a lovely little French cottage originally built in 1675-1676. From the exterior, one would not guess there were five quaint dining rooms with wainscoting, recessed cupboards and blue checkered table cloths that take up the two buildings, except for the kitchen. I could not resist peeking at all of them.
 The rich aromas wafting from the kitchen were as inviting as being welcomed into someone’s house where a home cooked meal was warming on the hearth. The aux Anciens Canadiens Restaurant offers traditional early New France fair; I decided on the creamy Lobster bisque as a starter and was not disappointed. I decided to try one of the famous Quebec specialties and ordered the ‘Bouilli Quebecois de boeuf, lard, sale’ et legumes’, translated, ‘Traditional Quebec stew: beef, salt pork and vegetables’. It arrived at the table, in a large iron frying pan; piled high with green beans tied with course string, large hunks of potato, carrots and onion, simmering in broth with huge pieces of beef. It could have fed a family of four! Suffice it to say I had to take a pass on the array of delectable desserts available, many including maple syrup, such as their famous Maple syrup pie with fresh cream.
An evening stroll back to the Chateau Frontenac was a delight; the city is bustling day and night with packed restaurants, patios and pubs. Brightly lit 400(s) hung across cobblestone streets in celebration. The coveted seats were in the open front windows of the pubs and restaurants along the popular rue Saint-Louis.
 A special tour of the archaeological digs of the Saint-Louis Forts and Chateaux under the Dufferin boardwalk, next to the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, unearthed precious artifacts of former castles and forts that was once the home of Samuel de Champlain and eventually housed most of the English and French governors from 1620-1834. Walking carefully throughout the dig one is able to trace the evolution of the former social and political headquarters along with the historical figures that lived and worked there over a two hundred year period. Thick stonewalls, crude tools, fireplaces, a former kitchen, a bakery, a staircase, a butler’s pantry, latrines, lookouts and canon platforms were on display as we walked through the historic ruins with our guides dressed in period costumes of the era. On January 23, 1834 Chateaux Saint Louis went up in flames, it was so cold that night that water froze in the fire hoses. Damage was so extensive the building was raised in 1838.
 An afternoon trip to Espace 400 featured several unique exhibitions. For me, the Passengers exhibition was the most fascinating of all. Designed and prepared by Patrice Sauve, this multimedia exhibition on human migration, specific to the five million people who passed through Quebec City over the past 400 years was an interactive step into the lives and personal stories of their arrival. After picking up my suitcase, I proceeded to check in by setting the suitcase into a computerized holder where I typed my name, my suitcase was then in the system and I proceeded to the train. A row of train seats sat in a large darkened gallery, once you put your suitcase into another holder, put on your headphones and looked to the wall on your right, a hologram of a moving train appeared with faces of actual relatives looking out the window narrating their own relative’s personal stories of arriving in Quebec City. This truly incredible experience should be a permanent installation.
The Espace Ephemeral Gardens were designed with eleven original landscapes with a ‘meetings and encounters’ theme using natural, plant and mineral material created an unusual and enticing experience for visitors of all ages. One space had large colorful balls for children to play with while walking on chips of cacao that released the rich scent of chocolate when stepping on them. A fence of native designs made out of sticks and painted to depict a variety of scenes in another garden, a stand of thin birch trees with a path of stones for people to walk through this small forest installation, were just a few of the creative offerings at this site.
Robert Lepage’s Image Mill staged an outdoor extravaganza of grand proportions when he mounted the world’s largest architectural three-dimensional animated show using the Bunge grain silo (over 600 meters wide and 30 meters tall) as a projection screen. The show focused on four major eras of life in Quebec City; the age of rivers and exploration, dirt roads and settlements, railways and resource development and ended with the age of air travel and communications.
 I decided to stroll back to the Fairmont le Chateau Frontenac and take in a few art galleries along the way. Just up from the waterfront on Cote de la Montagne is La Galerie Perrault a large corner gallery featuring glorious paintings of fall trees blazing red at the height of the season, surging waterfalls and blue skies, brought to brilliant life by renowned Quebec artists in a cheerful and inspiring atmosphere.
I continued making my way uphill passing through the Hope Gate, part of the Fortification wall, until I was once again at the upper level of Quebec City overlooking the waterfront and Espace. Rows of canons lined the wall toward the St. Lawrence below as tourists and kids took pictures and clambered on them. Sturdy stone buildings with colorful window frames lined the streets along with cafes and numerous statues of historic figures. Art is everywhere you look; there are open-air galleries that fill entire streets. Quebec City embraces and encourages creativity and it is in evidence everywhere.
 One of my favorite places to hang out in Quebec City is Quartier Petit Champlain, or ‘Old Quebec City’, where narrow cobblestone streets lead to quaint boutiques, restaurants and galleries. Place-Royale, a small square where Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, the oldest stone church in North America, is still in operation for weddings, christenings and funerals and free to the visitor. Distinctive, one-of-a-kind paintings, sculptures, jewelry, pottery and local crafts are full of whimsy and are hard to resist. This is the oldest shopping district in North America. Scenes from the Tom Hanks, Leo Di Caprio movie ‘Catch Me If You Can’ were filmed here.
No visit to Quebec City would be complete without a shopping trip to La Maison Simons Department store. This family owned fashion retailer began as ‘Simons House’ in 1840; family members have run the store since its inception and continue to this day. Snappy fashions, reasonable prices with a friendly staff make shopping Simons an absolute must when in Quebec City.
After a busy day touring and shopping, I was delighted to be invited to dinner at one of Quebec City’s most prominent restaurants whose specialty was Foie Gras and a well stocked 12,000-bottle wine cellar. Say no more. My companions and I were eager to try their ‘six ways to enjoy Foie Gras’ Goulu farm duck foie gras terrine with Armagnac brioche bread, Sauternes jelly and blackcurrant reduction, being just one of the choices.
The exquisite dining room of Le Saint-Amour was bright under the natural light of a large skylight in the middle of the room; as night began to fall, the soft lighting combined with candlelight created a romantic and intimate enclave. Large framed mirrors lined the walls, trees and hanging plants added to the ambience. Le Saint-Amour inspires one to linger in conversation over good wine (it has one of the 10 best wine lists in Canada) good food and fabulous desserts and wish for the night to never end.
An early morning tour of the Plains of Abraham, where in 1759-1760 the British and French fought one of the most important historical battles outside of the walls of Quebec City. The Battle of the Plains of Abraham decided the last of the French and Indian Wars, part of the Seven Years’ War, and was one of the most important factors in the fate of the New France and ultimately influenced the creation of Canada leading to British supremacy in Canada.
Today the Plains of Abraham set on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, is a beautiful park that offers cross-country skiing in the winter and hosts huge music concerts and festivals such as Quebec City Summer Festival and Quebec Winter Carnival. It is a place for family picnics, biking, relaxing or strolling about to enjoy the scenery with over 4 million visitors each year.
An afternoon lunch cruise aboard the M/V Louis-Jolliet offered stunning views of Quebec City while enjoying a delicious buffet luncheon as we cruised the waters of the St. Lawrence. In 1972, the Hamel family took over ownership and now operates seven cruise excursion companies in eight ports throughout the Quebec Province under the Croisieres AML banner. The M/V Louis Jolliet features three large decks, comfortable dinning rooms with floor to ceiling windows and a private deck for smaller events. It is also the best place to get the perfect photographs of Quebec City’s most famous attraction, the Fairmont le Chateau Frontenac.
A visit to the Musee de la Civilisation offered several points of particular interest, especially the ‘Gold in the America’s’ exhibition. There were over four hundred fifty objects from Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ireland, The United States and Canada. The stunning collection star attraction was a giant gold coin…the world’s largest. Made up of one hundred kilograms (3,215 ounces) that is 99.999 per cent pure, valued at one million dollars. It is a remarkable sight.
Urbanopolis offered a unique glimpse of the nature of cities, how they move, how they are planned, how they work and interact within their unique communities. The exhibition combined fantasy with reality to demonstrate the universal themes of movement, nature, and heritage and how they link to the various urban landscapes we live in today. Three themes were presented in an interactive design that featured ‘Cities in Motion’, ‘Cities Reinventing Themselves’ and finally, ‘Cities in the Future’.
The Visionaries Garden on the Museum rooftop begins with a large boatman, symbolizing the boatman from the large rowboat that is on display in the Museum lobby unearthed from the building’s foundations. The boatman announces to visitors “Water from the heavens, water from the river, this precious liquid flows through my fingers and returns to the sea.” In the garden where fruit trees, vegetables, herbs and flowers are growing together in tiers layered on the rooftop.
The ‘Talking Well’ was an inspired and creative exhibition that featured children talking about their lives, their fears and hopes inside a swirling well rich with color. Faces, scenic images of cities and clouds with trees as we watched day turn to night and summer into fall, winter and spring swirled inside the depths of the talking well.
The end of a wonderful day, my last evening in Quebec City was made even more memorable with a delicious dinner at the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac’s Le Champlain award-winning dinning room, under the tutelage of renowned chef Jean Soulard.
The ambience was inviting and elegant, lobster bisque was only the beginning of my gastronomic delight, followed by a seafood dinner of shrimp and scallops seared to perfection. Although I was feeling very full from too much of a good thing, when our waiter came around to make a tableside dessert of flaming Crepe Suzettes’ it was impossible to resist. I not only ate mine, I also consumed one of my companion’s Suzette’s before I made my way back to my room. I opened the windows just as an early summer storm began and dropped into deep and most satisfying sleep under the cozy duvet with a desire to never leave this city, this hotel, and the rich and exciting experiences that Quebec City has to offer every day of the year.
Sidebar info:
Fairmont le Frontenac Chateau: http://www.fairmont.com/frontenac
Quebec City Tourism: http://www.quebecregion.com/e/
Aux Anciens Canadiens Restaurant: http://www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca
The Image Mill 2009: http://www.quebecregion.com/e/moulin-images.asp
Musee de la Civilisation: http://www.mcq.org/index_en.html
Croisieres AML Cruises: http://www.croisieresaml.com/en/index.php
Le Saint-Amour Restaurant: http://www.saint-amour.com/index.php?lang=en
Note: Photos courtesy of Kris King Photography
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