Quebec City

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Quebec City was founded in1608 (by Champlain) and is the oldest city in Canada. Old Quebec is a national historic site and is quaint, colorful, & vibrant. There were plenty of outdoor patios with colorful umbrellas; old stone architecture; lots of flowers everywhere; & steep hills. The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac is the gigantic castle building at the top, visible all over town. Alfred Hitchcock featured this hotel in his 1953 film “I Confess.” Quebec City is strategic because it’s up on a hill with a good view of the St. Lawrence and not far from the mouth, so it controls access to the entire Great Lakes. Quebec history included the 1759 French-Indian War (aka “The War of Conquest” by Quebecians since they felt they were conquered by Britain.) The fortification walls surround the old town and the Citadel, a fort built in 1820 (but never needed since they weren’t attacked after that date.) There was loads of history from the British invasion era at the Citadel. The Citadel was also bolstered during the US Civil War era since Canada was a subject of Britain who sided with the South. We learned the German Nazis U-boats made it to the mouth of the St. Lawrence during WWII, sinking troop & supply ships leaving for Europe. The Citadel is also the site of the “Conference of Quebec” where FDR & Churchill agreed to invade at Normandy instead of Greece, and is considered the final turning point in the shift of power from England to US. In the city, there is also a large French influence of roads and churches (Notre-Dames) and obviously the language.What a fun city! Leaving Quebec City, we drove on the Chemin du Roy, the King’s road, which follows the St. Lawrence River and was built mid 1700 and is the longest carriage navigable road north of the Rio Grande.