Joni decided that we should visit Quebec city for our first anniversary. Joni has an uncle who lives half way between Ithaca and Quebec, so we divided the ten hours of driving into two segments and spent the night with uncle Bob.
After being stuck in traffic we entered Quebec by way of the Pont de Quebec, a large suspension bridge. We drove past the city walls and entered the old city of Quebec where we went in circles for 30 minutes, looking for a place to park. Cars and people filled the town to capacity. Since it was the height of tourist season, we felt lucky to get a budget hotel room in the center of old Quebec for only US$38 a night (breakfast included). Cheap hotel rooms have their disadvantages, as we noticed when we reached the alarmingly steep third flight of stairs. A woman with more luggage than us muttered "mon Dieu" upon seeing the stairs. Our cramped attic room with a slanted ceiling didn't have much space. It didn't have a phone or bathroom either. But it did have a bed and that sufficed.
After getting settled in our hotel room we went out to get a feeling for the city, which seemed much smaller on foot than it had in the car. It was a five minute walk to the walls and a two minute walk to the cliffs that marked the edge of the upper town. Our first meal was at Aux Anciens Canadiens, a restaurant specializing in authentic Quebecoise cuisine. We sat in a corner among rifle lined walls and ate a meat pie, duck in maple glaze, and a maple pie.
After dinner we watched a street performance of a traditional Quebecois art form: break dancing. We ventured beyond the walls to an outdoor craft exhibition called Plein Art featuring the works of local artists. The most unusual local art form was codfish bone pictures made by arranging small pieces of fish bone behind glass to produce figures of people. Another artist made paint by number kits with a twist: you're supposed to cut all the pieces out of the wood, paint them, and then glue them on. For the less motivated he also sold the completed pictures. One booth sold scent diffusers, porous ceramic sculptures which weren't entirely glazed---the scent diffuses through the unglazed surface. I particularly liked the apple and passion fruit scents. Joni looked at a beautiful blue robe that was made from a very silky polyester, but she found the US$113 price tag discouraging. We also saw ceramic armadillos and hummingbird jewelry.
Quebec seemed to be infested with small tourist shops selling duck carvings, native American carvings, and wooden boxes with designs made by piecing together different woods. One oddity was the frequent appearance of hummingbirds. Almost every store displayed Inuit carvings of animals. An enigmatic type of carving cropped up everywhere: a pile of stones vaguely resembling a human. We did go into one specialty fur shop where we saw fur coats and bobcat tails. They had fox hats with the fox head nestled at the front, the tail hanging down, and in one case, the front legs still attached. We felt the difference between natural beaver fur, which is quite coarse, and sheared beaver fur where the outer layer has been removed exposing the luxurious, soft, inner layer.
Saturday morning was clear and sunny. Our hotel supplied breakfast by providing vouchers that we could use at a mediocre restaurant a block away. We thought that the tourist information center might help us decide what to do in the city, but the guy there said that everything was great. He wouldn't tell us that anything stood out. To learn about the city we got a CD guided tour of the old city with a package deal of admission to four attractions. The CD tour was a great idea. We walked around the city and listened to the CD at designated sites. At our whim we could stop the tour and explore the area, or visit a museum. (Having only one CD player with two headsets and very long cords was a minor disadvantage.)
The tour began at a statue of Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec (Kebec) and chose the name, which means "where the river narrows" in the Algonquin language. The site is good because it is defensible and fresh water is available. We continued on to the Terrasse Dufferin, a board walk which was built over the remains of an old house that burned down. From there we could look out over the St. Lawrence river or down the cliffs onto the lower town.
We continued past the Chateau Frontenac to the Parc des Gouverneurs, a little bit of greenery in the city with a mysterious obelisk in the center. The tour guide suggested that we could follow a nearby road to its end and discover a little known park. This little park was shaded by trees and surrounded by outward pointing cannons. Its location on high ground made it strategically important despite its small size and its distance from the city walls.
The tour took us onto the walls of the citadel, a defensive structure which was built into the highest hill in the area. We didn't want to wait 40 minutes for the next tour so we continued on to the Parc de l'Esplanade. A guide there showed us a topographic model of the region and explained the history of the fortifications. First a wooden palisade was constructed to repel Admiral Phipps. When Phipps arrived in 1690, Comte de Frotenac replied to his demand for surrender by saying "Tell your lord that I will reply with the mouth of my cannons."
Phipps was defeated, but the wooden palisade was deemed inadequate so an earthen rampart was constructed. The rampart didn't include all of the Ursuline area--it went right through the middle of their garden. Furthermore, the hill where the Citadel was later built was outside the rampart so the enemy could occupy it and then shoot over the fortification. Finally stone walls were built farther out including the hill. These efforts weren't enough. The French surrendered the city to the English after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Once the English took over they built the Citadel into the hill and they also strengthened the walls.
These walls were a nuisance. The gates were tiny and you had to navigate a small maze to get into the city. The populace disassembled the walls gradually. They were almost destroyed in the late 1800's but Lord Dufferin decided that they were an important part of the city's heritage so he saved them and built larger gates that didn't impede traffic.
After getting this explanation of the region's history, we entered the powder house. Powder houses were built without any iron: no iron tools, no iron buttons on clothing, no iron nails. Bronze tools were used and wooden pegs replaced nails. Workers had to have special clothing for use in the powder house. This was all to reduce the chance of sparks. The powder was stored in barrels that had to be rotated regularly. When they were to be moved, the floor would be lined with animal skins so that they would never come into contact with the floor. Le Parc de l'Esplanade turned out to be an interesting place to visit; we wouldn't have known about it if admission hadn't been included in the package deal with our CD tour.
We walked along the main street (Rue St. Louis) where we was a tree with a cannon ball growing in its base. Until the CD tour guide pointed it out, we didn't notice that the roofs of the buildings had little fences on them. This is because the residents were responsible for any damage caused by falling snow or ice from their building. On Donnaconna street, the CD guide suggested that we look for house number 6, which it claimed had the smallest frontage in the world. We couldn't find it.
The Anglican cathedral is a simple structure with a green cross-topped tower. A guide said that the white ceiling was constructed entirely of wood to preserve the acoustics. Dovetails and wooden pegs were used instead of nails. As was common in those days, people purchased boxes in the church to sit in. The guide showed one box that had a lock attached to it. The Catholic Basilica was much more ornately decorated with gold statues. Artists (or their agents) lined Rue du Tresor with etchings and paintings to sell. The majority of these works were images of Quebec, generally featuring the Chateau Frontenac prominently.
We passed a statue of Jacque Cartier and descended into the lower town where the first permanent French settlement was built in 1608. It was packed with people watching an event associated with Les Fetes de la Nouvelle France. Throughout the city we saw people wearing period costumes, but the events were actually happening in the lower town. We encountered washer women in the street, washing sheets and getting the bystanders wet. Occasionally in the lower town, a small parade of a dozen people would march through the streets to the beat of drums.
It was past time for lunch, so we stopped at Le Lapin Saute. Our waitress assured us that the "Pic-nic a deux" was not enough food for two people; we ordered it to share. It included rillette de lapin, two large pieces of foccacia with grilled vegetables, a small green salad, candied carrots, candied onions, bread topped with salmon tartar sauce, bread topped with tapenade, bread topped with camembert, a head of roasted garlic, and a basket of bread. The food was very good and it barely left room for dessert. We finished with a maple creme brulee. While we dined, we could hear musicians nearby playing music, sometimes using a hurdy gurdy.
Our lunch took place in the middle of Quartier Petit Champlain which is billed as the oldest shopping district in North America. The most interesting shop was Verrerie La Mailloche where we watched the master glass blower at work. He started with a ball of molten glass. He blew into it and then opened the end up. Would the result be a goblet, perhaps? He thrust it back into the fire and spun it until the open end had spread out to a 10 inch diameter and then somehow he stopped the rotation so that it developed ruffles. The final result was a fancy bowl with ruffled edges.
To get a better view of the city we took a ferry across the St. Lawrence river to Levis. From the ferry we could see the high cliffs that Quebec is built on. After our ferry ride we rejoined the crowded masses and made our way to a square filled with native American demonstrations. There we saw a snowshoe that had been freshly strung. It was still wet, slimy and flexible and light colored. Old ones that had dried out were hard and yellow.
Our CD guided tour told us about ladders on the roofs of houses which were supposed to aid in fighting fires (but it wasn't clear how). It also mentioned that one early act of the government was to use tax money to supply leather buckets that could be used to fight fires. Despite these measures, 2/3 of the city burned to the ground in a large fire.
Our final stop in the lower town was the Musee de la Civilisation. We went to an exhibit about the moon, an exhibit about Quebec's history called "Memories", and an exhibit about native Americans called "Encounter with the First Nations". Over all, we found the museum unpleasant. It was hard to stay awake because the rooms were so dark, and the exhibits were garish. "Encounter with the First Nations" was interesting, however. We saw a birch bark canoe and a video showing the process. Another video showed an Inuit building an igloo. Here we got our first clue about the carvings of stone piles that look human shaped: they are called Inukshuk and were used as landmarks and direction finders by the Inuit.
We decided to seek dinner in upper town, so we took the "funicular" (a mountain railway where cars are raised and lowered by cables). The view was poor, but it was faster than walking and (according to Joni) a part of the Quebec experience. We returned our CD player, recovered our US$170 deposit, and asked the tour sales guy for restaurant recommendations. He suggested an Italian restaurant called Portofino, but the wait there was 40-60 minutes, so we got in line at Casse Crepe Breton instead where we waited 30-40 minutes. I ordered a crepe with bacon, cheese, onions and green peppers and juice melange, a mixture of fresh squeezed orange, apple, and carrot juices. Joni had cider and a crepe with bacon, spinach and cheese. For dessert we had a raspberry crepe with chocolate sauce. My crepe would have been better if the vegetables had been grilled first, but the food was fairly good and inexpensive. The juice was okay. The place needed better organization, however. I had a hard time paying the bill because the cashier couldn't figure out what to charge us for. (I ended up overpaying slightly because it was easier than trying to get matters completely straightened out.)
We had planned to attend some musical performances happening at Les Fetes de la Nouvelle France, but by the time we finished eating it was nearly ten and the music was almost over. We also missed the fireworks that were happening that evening at a nearby park. We couldn't figure out why we should spend the time and the US$20 on admission and bus fare to see this show. Apparently they have fire works every Wednesday and Saturday for a few weeks of the summer, with each show sponsored by a different country.
On Sunday, Joni wouldn't let us return to the mediocre restaurant where we had breakfast, so we went to a small grocery store where I got maple yogurt and a maple tart for breakfast. It didn't cost much more than the tip we would have left at the restaurant. The maple tart was nice: creamy and maple flavored. The maple yogurt was a mistake.
Next on our agenda was the Inuit Museum. We found out why this wasn't in our guide books: it opened in May. The museum was divided into thematic rooms. The first room described the history of the Inuit. The Inuit were a late migration from Siberia who inhabited the Northern parts of the continent. They were taught to write by missionaries who introduced both a Roman writing system and a syllabary based on shorthand. The Inuit really got into carving when the Canadian government encouraged them to carve. The government has a system for authenticating sculptures as authentic Inuit work.
The second room had day to day Inuit stuff. Traditional parkas were on display. The women's outfit had an apron down the front and back, enabling people to determine a person's sex by the clothing. Different tribes had different styles so they could tell each other apart. Carvings of seals, caribou and musk oxen abounded, as did carvings of inukshuk. Here we were told that the prevailing view about inukshuk is inaccurate. Originally these structures were used as aids in the hunting of caribou. Human figures would be built on hills around a valley and the caribou would be channeled into the valley.
A third room had a display showing different materials they carved: soapstone, caribou antlers, bones and teeth, and basalt. The display showed the raw form adjacent to a carving made from it so we could see the influence of the material on the result. Antlers in particular imposed great restrictions on the shape of the carving. An enormous whale vertebra had a face carved in it. A common theme was a shaman turning into an animal of some sort.
Another room had the work of modern Inuit artists, showing the personal style of each individual. The final room had big pieces like a pair of antlers that had been carved and a huge horn with sea images flowing one after another down its length.
Adjacent to the Inuit Museum was a gallery filled with Inuit art for sale. Joni spent some time looking at earrings there. The smooth stylized hematite bears were cute, but they didn't resemble the Inuit art we had seen in the Museum or around the city. The other small items for sale were small white earrings: polar bears, inukshuk, and other animals. The sales woman warned us that many of these items were ivory and that importing them into the USA was illegal. Joni looked at some little whales carved from caribou antlers that were US$92, but she decided not to get them. Some of the ivory earrings were only US$65, but presumably we wouldn't seek a tax rebate on illegally imported items, so an additional US$10 in taxes would apply. It was tempting, but we decided to steer clear of the international smuggling business.
Joni wanted to get something for her parents' 30th anniversary, so we looked around in one of the numerous tourist traps. She eventually selected a pair of wooden mallard ducks which cost CDN$60. Sales tax in Quebec was 15%, but this tax could be recovered at the border by presenting receipts. However, each receipt had to indicate over CDN$50, and the total had to exceed CDN$200. Our hotel was CDN$110, which meant that if we could spend CDN$30 more then we'd be eligible to get back CDN$30. We eventually selected some jade inukshuk earrings to give to my sister for her birthday and some hummingbird earrings for Joni.
After the Inuit museum we went to the Ursuline convent where a school for girls was opened in the 17th century. We read about how they taught both European girls and native American girls. On display they had a copy of their charter, which was signed by the king and stored in a triple locked chest. The Ursulines became known for their gilding and embroidery. They covered up their unsightly alter with elaborate embroidered coverings made with gold and silver thread. The convent burned down repeatedly.
We finished our visit to Quebec with a tour of the Chateau Frontenac, the large hotel which dominates Quebec's skyline. The Frontenac is allegedly the world's most photographed hotel. Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez didn't show up, so we were able to get a spot on the 3 o'clock tour. The tour guide was dressed up like a chamber maid. She claimed to have been working there since the Chateau opened in 1893, at which time chamber maids lived on site and were given $2/month plus room, board, and clothes. The lift men were paid $6/month, but they didn't live on site.
The Frontenac was built in stages. Every room is unique. We got to see a room. It was certainly spacious compared to our budget room, but rooms at the Frontenac start at US$123 according to our AAA guide book. Our tour guide pointed out that one hallway curved. This was easiest to see by looking at the ceiling lights. The architect was directed to follow property lines, which he dutifully did even though they weren't straight. We looked out into a little garden where we could see a bust of Frontenac. The guide said that only the gardeners and the head chef (who grows herbs there) are allowed into this little enclosed region which didn't seem to have a door. Some of the window ledges were studded with wires to keep birds from landing there. The outside windows do not need it because of the high winds. The roof is greenish and yellowish in color because it is made of copper that has oxidized. A small section of recently constructed roof looked out of place with its shiny, new copper. In 1929, the oldest part of the building burned down in a fire started by a cigarette. It was -58 degrees Fahrenheit which made fighting the fire very difficult.
On our way out we stopped at the convenience store for some snacks for the drive. We ended up leaving the parking garage 5 minutes after our paid time had expired and were expected to pay $1.55 Canadian for the five minutes. Unfortunately, all we had was .40 Canadian. Happily they let us pay with American change. They decided that we owed $0.94 American, so we gave them a dollar. They were scrambling to find American change and finally handed us a Canadian dime. We thought that was funny since everyone in New York takes Canadian change anyway.
Overall we had a nice trip. We saw a lot of Quebec city in two days. The city did seem like a very tourist focused place---does anybody actually live there? Joni thought it was kind of like Disney world.