On parle français ici!
First thing you realise, when you arrive here: Everybody is speaking French. Or a kinda French: Quebecois
Trying to understanding Quebecois is a bit like Kad Merad in his first day in the north in “Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis”. My communication was sometimes a bit like the one of Philippe Abrams (Kat Merat) with Antoine Bailleul (Dany Boon; just great!) in the Film.
Of course there is the famous Château Frontenac, which is in fact a not a castle but a hotel (a bit more expensive than the Youth Hostel I stayed in) built in 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. If we speak of railway: The “Gare du Palais” has a really nice old main hall.
There are other “hotels” which are not really hotels. In the Hôtel du Parlement only the members of the provincial parliament tend to sleep. And if you’re in the Hôtel Dieu de Québec you hope not to get the big sleep because it’s a hospital (the oldest in America).
The Saint Lawrence River is the connection from the ocean to the great lakes. Therefore also big freighters and container ships travel by.
Some of you might ask themselves why in the pictures the Canadian flag is flown at half-mast? It because the 28. April 2016 was the “National Day of Mourning” which is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives on the job or due to a work-related tragedy. On this day the Canadian flag is flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on all federal government buildings.
North-east of the city the river Montmorency with it’s cascades is nice to visit on a sunny day. Seems that some people also want to test their chances for a swim in the cold water (the Ice-shelf didn’t collapse…today).
If you get along with the confusing bus routes, in the north of the city you’ll find the Wendake Reserve, which is an enclave within the former city of Loretteville. A place to learn something about the history of the Huron-Wendat community and their actual life and ongoing projects.
A good tip of the youth hostel staff was the “Bar les Angeles”. A nice little place with local jazz musicians on the weekends. This weekend the trio Côté/Boies/Côté were picking the strings (Alain Boies sax, Pierre Côté bass, Michel Côté drums).
Quebec je me souviens…