It was my third visit to Quebec City, and as always it was a good weekend sweet escape destination from my metropolitan living. Every visit is always special and its European charm is undeniably irresistible. The city is historic, culturally rich and mostly importantly romantic. Quebec City is the second populated city after Montreal in the Province of Quebec. It is also the city capital of the province, which is located on the north shore of St. Lawrence of where it meets the Rivière Saint-Charles. With its location, the city’s name perfectly make sense, from what is believed to be probably derived from an Algonquian word “Kebec” meaning “narrowing of the river.”
Before the arrival of Europeans to the site, Quebec City was occupied first by the indigenous hunters and farmers. Then, came Jacques Cartier in 1535 to explore the place but it was only in 1608 that a French permanent settlement was established when Samuel de Champlain founded a trading post. Quebec City is an important testimony of European settlement in the Americas.
In terms of tourism, The Historic Old Quebec is declared to be in Unesco’s World Heritage List. Walking around Old Quebec, European influences are highly evident. Aside from French is widely spoken in the area, architecture here is screamingly European. Old Quebec is divided into Upper and Lower Town. Upper Town is set to be the religious and administrative center while Lower Town sits in the waterfront of the city made of labyrinth of narrow streets that sits the original French settlements. Located in the Upper Town, is the world’s most photographed stunning hotel, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Outside the hotel, you can wander around and walk along the board walk then enjoy the water view and Lower Town beauty from above.
On a side note and just outside Quebec City proper, stopping by at Montmorency Falls, one of Canada’s most beautiful waterfalls is always a must. A cable car is available to bring you to the top and enjoy the falls even more through a suspended bridge which allows you experience it even better.
A visit to Quebec City is a must, you can never go wrong with this city. Plus, Quebec is the birth place of Celine Dion, the scene where the first street performance of Cirque de Soleil happened, and where Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince lived for a short period of time. Is that not cool enough to experience Quebec City?
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Con mucho amor,
Imelda❤
