Last Cruise Port, Quebec City, Canada

A day at sea was perfectly timed as we sailed toward Quebec on Thrusday, September 9.  Arriving the next morning, we were greeted by some beckoning views of the city from the deck of our Caribbean Princess.  We could see Montmorency Falls, which are 272-feet high - taller than Niagara, but much narrower.  And we could tell it was going to be a busy day in Quebec with all the cruise ships surrounding the city.

The ship really was a nice vantage point from which to get a quick orientation and preview of what we would see.  The Chateau Frontenac is a hotel which dominates the city like a 19th century castle.  To the left is the Citadel, Parliament Hill and the expansive Battlefield Park including The Plains of Abraham.  Vieux-Quebec (a UNESCO World Heritage site), or old town lies behind the Frontenac.  To the right the Old Post Office Building can be seen with it's dome and clocks, as well as the large Seminary Building Complex.

Quebec is kind of a two layered city, with an upper town and a lower town.  A funicular is one way of getting from one layer to the other, but we found walking up (and down) the stairs and streets to be much more revealing of the city's character.  The first photos show the area to which most people walked after getting off the ship.  You can see the crowd difference from first thing in the morning to just before dark. In hindsight, since we would remain in dock overnight, I might have started out later in the day and enjoyed the evening in the city with fewer crowds.  Where possible, I am showing photos taken later in the day for this reason.

We walked through an antique and arts shopping area on our way to old town.  There was some kind of a bicycle race going on in the city, and crowds of people lined the streets everywhere to watch and cheer.  The race was a little annoying however, as we had to maneuver through crowds and barricades most of the day.  We arrived at a fun square with optical illusion gates and a huge beautiful mural painted on the side of a building. 

A few more steps along the cobblestone streets and we were in Place Royale - the small picturesque plaza considered the birthplace of French civilization in North America, and the first permanent settlement in "New France".
  

Notre Dame des Victoires in this plaza is the oldest stone church still standing in North America.

Now I really was beginning to feel like I was in France.  Just beyond the plaza we caught our first look at the funicular.  We were in the middle of a prime tourist shopping district and enjoyed searching for treasures in all the fun stores.  We watched some wood carvers at work and eventually returned to buy a great souvenir for Bob. We saw the funicular from a different viewpoint next to a cafe with another amazing mural painted on it.

It was time to begin our ascent to the upper level of the city.  We climbed up some stairs and onto the road leading to the Post Building.  Beyond the bridge and up more stairs we reached the upper level and the massive Chateau Frontenac and the surrounding plaza. Even with some renovation work being done on the Chateau, it was an impressive site.

With a walking map in hand, Bob steered us around the city.  It was all very grand and we just tried to take it all in.  The little artisan alley was so reminiscent of Paris.  We could see portions of the large Seminary complex, and stopped to peak inside the Basilica Notre Dame de Quebec.  The big gold crown over the altar was impressive.

Bob and I stopped for lunch at a French Cafe before climbing onto the old city wall.  The ramparts surrounding Old Quebec are the only fortified city walls remaining in the Americas north of Mexico.  They seemed like an Asian feature which was out of place in this French-Canadian city.  And yet, I loved it!  As we walked along the top of the wall and through a couple of it's gates toward the National Assembly Building, we recorded some nice views of the city.

The National Assembly Building was impressive and the grounds were covered in beautiful flowers. 

This was another pretty area of the city, and the architecture was diverse and attractive.

As soon as we saw a British Martello Tower, we knew we had arrived at Battlefield Park.  It was such a beautiful sunny day and we enjoyed just sitting in the park and taking in the lovely views of the Saint Lawrence River.  We marveled at what a well-planned city Quebec was with it's Old Town, Uptown, Parks and Plains.

After resting a bit, we continued our walk across the "Plains of Abraham" toward the Citadel.  We did not visit the site, but could see the walls surrounding the fortress which is not only a national historic monument, but is also an official residence of the Governor General.
  

Bob and I descended to a lower level of town via stairs which provided a picturesque view of our ship in harbor. We were once again at the Chateau Frontenac from which we retraced our steps down to the lowest level of the city and back to the boat. 

What an amazing day we had in Quebec City!  If the weather was what we enjoyed here all year long, I'd love to live in this beautiful place.  It was the perfect port to end our cruise with.  The next morning we would make our way to the bus station and ride for two hours to Montreal from which we had booked a flight back to Houston.

In addition to these wonderful pictorial cruise memories with Bob, I had successfully searched for a charm from each port to take home with me.  The puffin doesn't make a whole lot of sense, since we didn't actually see any, but it is representative of Prince Edward Island.  And if I should someday find a charm of Chateau Frontenac, consider it mine.