K-Fry's Follies: I came, I saw, I Quebeced...and walked up a hell of a lot of stairs

Day 4: Quebec 5 miles (Walking)

Quebec is one of the oldest European cities in North America, and was first established in 1585 by French explorer Jacques Cartier but was soon abandoned for all of the normal reasons: a really cold winter, food shortages due to interest in getting fur but not storing it, Iroquois hostility. Unlike Roanoke, this is the first English colony in the U.S. founded by Sir Walter Raleigh in the same year, the French chose to leave, and did not return until 1608 (about the same time as the British established Jamestown in Virginia - Quebec was a much better choice - much less malaria!) when Champlain reestablished the city of Quebec.

Due to the outstanding location on the St. Lawrence River, Quebec grew quickly as a major port for the fur trade. Unfortunately the hot/cold war between the British and the French carried over into the New World as the British settled the East Coast of the United States and in Canada, surrounding the French possessions. When the first global war aka the Seven Year's War aka the French and Indian War broke out the British attacked Quebec and in 1763 gained possession of the province, much to the consternation of the francophone population.

Over the next sixty years the Americans would attempt to conquer Canada which didn't really turn out so well for the Americans, but led the British to construct major fortifications around the city to protect the valuable trade port. After the War of 1812 the Americans finally realized that they had enough problems with the land that they already had, and that the Spanish were a lot weaker than the French and focused on making trade not war. Quebec City remains the only walled city in North America at this time.

The Quebecoise still identify as French and a strong separatist movement remains active today, though it is unlikely to happen.

Quebec is built on a hill and as a result is split into an upper and lower town, and there are a lot of stains and an elevator to move people from place to place. I first came to the city when I was 13 on a cruise with my family, but I looked forward to exploring as an adult.

It really looks like it could be somewhere in Europe

The entire is surrounded by these thick walls, in fact they are a UNESCO site

I would so not be those two!

Quebec: hills...

And stairs! Lots and lots of stairs!

Hotel de ville : City Hall

The Basillica

The Ursuline Convent and College

It was lovely inside

The Chateau, the Fairmont Hotel

It was the site of two WWII conference with FDR, Churchill and the Canada Prime Minister

This is an old time mail chute in the hotel - just like the Fairmont in SF

The view of the St. Lawrence from the Chateau

The obligatory "Yes I was actually here" photo

The Walls of the Citadel

I love the signage!!!

No I am not in England! The Citadel is still a functioning military base, and is the home of the 22nd regiment - the only francophone unit in the Canadian military.