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| Contents: Canada/BC: Student's Country: Language 101: Photo Page!
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Old City Quebec This summer, I traveled to eastern Canada with one of my friends and visited several places, such as Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec, plus New York across the border. It took twelve days to look around and it was a really good experience for me. Of these cities, my most favorite city was Quebec. Therefore, I would like to write about Quebec and my experience there.
Quebec is the capital of the Province of Quebec and the oldest city in Canada. “Quebec” means “the place where the river becomes narrow” in the native people’s language. It was founded in 1608 on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. Quebec City was under French rule between 1608 and 1759. For that reason, 95% of people in Quebec are French-Canadian. Most of them speak French and their lifestyle is French. Before I visited there, I had been worried that I might not communicate with people in Quebec because I cannot speak French at all, but, to my surprise, a lot of people speak English, too. I suppose that they have to learn English because there are so many tourists in Quebec. Quebec City is a small city, so we could go around on foot. Quebec City can be divided into three areas, Old Quebec, Lower Town, and Upper Town.
OLD QUEBEC
LOWER TOWN
UPPER TOWN We also visited an observatory in Upper Town. The view from there was amazing. We could look down and see all the city of Quebec. Then I reconsidered my impression that Quebec City is small. B&B We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast during our trip to Quebec. Staying in the B&B was the first time for me. It was so great. The owner was kind and nice, and we could talk with other visitors from other places. We could have some Quebec dishes as breakfast. While there, I could really feel the Quebec culture.
The trip to Quebec was wonderful. Quebec is old and nice city. I am sure that it is the most impressive city I have ever been to. Through this visit, I could learn more about Canada. That was a really good experience for me. I hope that I can go there again someday and I hope that you also could experience staying in Quebec.
Reference: by Misako, from Japan |
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Old Quebec was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. This area is enclosed by the old stone fortifications. There are a lot of good places to see, such as Rue du Tresor, Basilique-Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Quebec, Citadelle, and more. The most famous building in this area is Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. This is one of the most prestigious hotels, and Quebec’s greatest symbol. We could walk into the hotel even though we didn’t stay there. It was a really beautiful building. Especially at night, Château Frontenac was lighted up and it was profiled against the darkness. 
Lower town is located outside the stone fortifications beside the St. Lawrence River. My favorite place in this area was Du Petit-Champlain Street. It is said that Du Petit-Champlain Street is the oldest downtown in North America. There were a lot of fashionable shops on this street. The name of this street came from the French explorer Samuel de Champlain. He built his first dwelling at the foot of Cape Diamant, in a neighborhood known today as Place-Royal. The Place-Royal Interpretation Center presents the history of this site, considered the cradle of French civilization in the Americas.
Upper Town is located outside the stone fortifications. It is the modern city and downtown for people who live in Quebec. The most famous place in this area is Hotel du Parlerment (Parliament Building). It was built between 1877 and 1886. The outside was so beautiful. It was like a palace. Though we visited there, unfortunately, we could not go inside. It was closed that day. I think, however, the inside must be great as well. 
