One of the best ways to explore Quebec City is by wandering around on foot.
Or by bike like these people did:
We clocked so many steps that whenever I’d put my phone away after taking photos, I’d inadvertently take photos of my feet while walking. HA!
I had every intention of walking the walls of this fortified city; but it wasn’t like I expected. I’ve walked atop the walls of St. Malo, France and York, England, which wasn’t possible in Quebec. However you could walk the perimeter of the walls.
Remember this is a hilly city, so be prepared to be climbing lots of hills and steps!
There was a lot of graffiti on one section of this historic wall. Sad.
And I swear this photo of Rob pointing to a creature was pre-PokemonGo!
{Or at least before we knew about it.}
It’s worth a stroll to Basse-Ville (lower town) to the Rue du Petit Champlain. It’s not a place where we’d stop, but did walk through. It was very busy and touristy. So much that it took away the charm you should get from these old, narrow, cobblestoned streets. But we were also there on the national Canada Day holiday, that fell on the weekend as well. More tourists, perhaps?
And although city hall is flying the Canadian flag proudly there on July 1st, we came to learn that the day more celebrated in Quebec is June 24th – Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. We missed out on that, but we did not miss out on Moving Day! June 30th was once the date that all leases in Quebec were to end, by law. Today, it is common that many leases are still in place that way and tradition to move out on July 1st. We can’t tell you how many vehicles we saw packed with belongings and how many unwanted items and garbage lined the curb the day after!
Still, we admired the architecture and many old buildings while we traversed the city.
We explored the Musée de la Civilisation, which was one of the most sparsely visited museums I’ve ever been to. It’s where I felt ignorant learning that U.S. Independence wasn’t recognized until 1783. I thought it was a typo. But after seeing it more than once, I had to look it up. I felt silly learning something about my own country in another. And also silly that I saw one of the best Aboriginal Australian art exhibits in Canada, not Australia!
But not far from the museum was this work of art – the coolest art I’ve ever experienced:
“What is it?” you ask? Well, I think the sign explained it best:
Yes, you could smell the maple syrup as that brush of cool air hit your face while walking through that little park area. Art for all the senses!
Then we went outside the walls of this once-fortified city…
Where it’s just as lovely…
We happened upon the narrowest of staircases outside of a building on a side street.
But take a closer look at that sign:
“For cats only!”
And it wouldn’t be exploring if we didn’t take a little trip to the grocery store for Rob to find some chips us to discover some local delicacies. I’m always curious by what foods are common in foreign grocery stores and where items are placed. Like here… all the kinds of pâté you could desire located just above your packaged hot dogs and Kraft Singles.
I like how wine, even from Australia and California, is packaged and marketed in both English and French:
Even their very own LaBlatt’s Blue labels are a bit different!
Bleue – the feminine word from “blue” in French as well as the Fleur de Lys instead of a maple leaf. We get the gist, Quebec. You are proud of your heritage. And we love you for it!
What do you like to seek out when you visit a foreign city?
How do you explore?
Cheers~
Carrie
Other posts on our trip to Quebec City:
Season It Already! 