Québec Day 3 (20 July 2018)
We knew we needed to take an earlier ferry this morning to be able to see the changing of the guard at La Citadelle at 10 a.m. we arrived and bought our tickets, but missed the earlier ferry by one minute. ONE minute, people. 😶
After the ceremony, some of us took the guided tour, while others went to take pictures with the royal goat. 😊
The tour took about an hour, and brought us to various parts of the Citadelle. It’s in the shape of a star, to help make it easily defendable. There are a few inner buildings to ensure there is additional protection, in case they were ever under attack. The Royal 22e Regiment, or Van Doos in English, are a French speaking division of their military, and occupy the fort.
You can feel the history seeping out of the stones, waiting for you to learn all about this place. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the largest walled city in North America (and only one north of Mexico).
‘Je me souviens’ is the motto for all of Québec, which means, ‘I remember.’ In general, it’s talking about ‘I remember my history, or my heritage.’ In the military sense, it’s more about remembering fallen comrades. Pretty powerful. It’s on the license plate too!
When we got to the main area in front of the chateau, we were able to spend a few minutes in a really small shipping container, that they have fabricated to resemble the ice hotel. It was a nice respite from the sun!
We were also able to try the maple taffy! It was delicious. It tasted kind of like caramel from caramel popcorn. They pour hot maple syrup onto ice and serve it with a stick. Super fun, and I’m not normally a maple flavor fan!
I saw that there were some waterfalls not very far from the RV Park, so we drove over to the Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière. It was free to visit, and they have a cool suspension bridge. We spent a little time hiking down to the bridge, but mostly the stairs were the hardest part.
Sone of my nephews wanted to hike down the stairs to the water. I told them I’d go...dumb stairs. Once we got to the bottom, it was SUPER warm. I had rivulets of sweat dripping from my body. Hurray. But it was really pretty all the same. It was like hiking on loose shale. I’m pretty sure we all were overheated by the time we got back to the car, so much so that all of us relaxed for an hour after we got back to the RV. I even took a nap!
Let’s talk for a minute about ‘STOP’ signs here. First, they all say,’ ARRÊT,’ which means ‘STOP’ in French. In France, they use ‘STOP,’ as it is pretty universal. However, other than having ‘4 way’ underneath the stop sign to designate it’s a four way stop, this is what it looks like:
Québec City has really surprised me and exceeded my expectations. It is a darling town with rich culture, nice people, and good food. Every person I talk to seems surprised that I speak French, but they’re all happy to share interesting information about the area and history. This place really has been a delight! I’m excited to see what tomorrow will bring! 💕
So, we sat down to enjoy the view from the ferry terminal, until the 9 a.m. ferry departed. However, we were able to take a few fun pictures on the ferry over!
We decided to take the funicular both up and down to Upper/Lower town today to save our legs for walking up the stairs to the Citadelle.
We then walked along the long boardwalk, and started up the stairs, to what we thought was the entrance to La Citadelle.
Where we actually walked is called ‘Promenade des Gouverneurs.’ So. This town has a place called ‘L’Escalier du Casse-Cou,’ which means ‘Breakneck Stairs.’ In my opinion, they SERIOUSLY mislabeled the stairs we climbed up today. I counted all 309 steps. Plus, we were in a hurry to make the changing of the guard ceremony. We walked past the Plains of Abraham after reaching the top of the Promenade, but didn’t have time to stop, to get to the Citadelle.
We walked in right at 10 a.m. to see it! You have to buy tickets to go in to watch the ceremony. The tickets also include a guided tour of the active military base. So, we were able to see the whole ceremony, accompanied with the royal goat, Batisse.
After the ceremony, some of us took the guided tour, while others went to take pictures with the royal goat. 😊
The tour took about an hour, and brought us to various parts of the Citadelle. It’s in the shape of a star, to help make it easily defendable. There are a few inner buildings to ensure there is additional protection, in case they were ever under attack. The Royal 22e Regiment, or Van Doos in English, are a French speaking division of their military, and occupy the fort.
You can feel the history seeping out of the stones, waiting for you to learn all about this place. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the largest walled city in North America (and only one north of Mexico).
‘Je me souviens’ is the motto for all of Québec, which means, ‘I remember.’ In general, it’s talking about ‘I remember my history, or my heritage.’ In the military sense, it’s more about remembering fallen comrades. Pretty powerful. It’s on the license plate too!
On the way down, we decided to just walk down the hill and forego the stairs. Pretty sure we would’ve skipped the stairs all together to go up the gradually sloping hillside. 😐. But it was beautiful, so no complaints here!
When we got to the main area in front of the chateau, we were able to spend a few minutes in a really small shipping container, that they have fabricated to resemble the ice hotel. It was a nice respite from the sun!
We were also able to try the maple taffy! It was delicious. It tasted kind of like caramel from caramel popcorn. They pour hot maple syrup onto ice and serve it with a stick. Super fun, and I’m not normally a maple flavor fan!
A few of us bought tickets to explore the old ruins of the castle that was previously built on the site. It was really impressive to see and imagine what it was like before the grandeur it is today.
We stopped at Tim Horton’s for donughts, after a suggestion from a former student. They were delicious!
I saw that there were some waterfalls not very far from the RV Park, so we drove over to the Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière. It was free to visit, and they have a cool suspension bridge. We spent a little time hiking down to the bridge, but mostly the stairs were the hardest part.
Sone of my nephews wanted to hike down the stairs to the water. I told them I’d go...dumb stairs. Once we got to the bottom, it was SUPER warm. I had rivulets of sweat dripping from my body. Hurray. But it was really pretty all the same. It was like hiking on loose shale. I’m pretty sure we all were overheated by the time we got back to the car, so much so that all of us relaxed for an hour after we got back to the RV. I even took a nap!
Let’s talk for a minute about ‘STOP’ signs here. First, they all say,’ ARRÊT,’ which means ‘STOP’ in French. In France, they use ‘STOP,’ as it is pretty universal. However, other than having ‘4 way’ underneath the stop sign to designate it’s a four way stop, this is what it looks like:
Québec City has really surprised me and exceeded my expectations. It is a darling town with rich culture, nice people, and good food. Every person I talk to seems surprised that I speak French, but they’re all happy to share interesting information about the area and history. This place really has been a delight! I’m excited to see what tomorrow will bring! 💕
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