[/caption]After the pace and size of Montreal, Quebec City is a welcome break. Although if I complained about the use of French in Montreal at all, it was nothing to what I'm facing here. The people of Quebec consider themselves Quebecers first and Canadian second. They are extremely proud of their heritage and somewhat concerned about it being forgotten. I'd been told about this a few times ahead of my arrival in Quebec, and also warned that my use of English might not be appreciated. I didn't actually have an issue - I simply apologised and said (in English) that I didn't speak French and from there everyone conversation continued in English. Friends and strangers alike are also greeting with a kiss on each cheek - very European.
Quebec is a significantly smaller city than Montreal and conveniently most of its attractions are gathered in the part of the city known as Old Quebec. I'm staying about five minutes walk from this section, although my immediate surrounding area is also very quaint. I'm about a block up from Rue Sainte
Jean (I'll use the French to avoid any mistranslations on my part). It's the main street in the Upper Town - quite literally, the part of the city above the rest of it, separated from the Lower Town by stairs and an elevator. Rue Sainte Jean is lined with cafes, restaurants, record stores, book shops, boutiques, bakeries etc and continues into the Old Quebec. I spend the morning walking along here into the Old Town and simply following the people. It was a Saturday so rather busy, especially on Rue du Petit-Champlain, a narrow street closer to the wharf. One set of stairs to get here is called the Breakneck Staircase. There are little silhouette figures dangling in the air down the middle of the street - very cute.
I popped into the tourism information centre to pick up a map. The girl at the desk was extremely helpful (down to giving me bus stop locations, times and directions for various attractions) and recommended the self-guided walking tours in one of the city tourist guides. After lunch I chose one that remained inside the fortified walls that surround the old city and was estimated at about three hours.
The walk took me along some parts I'd already walked, but at each stop there
was a small explanation in the book so this time I had some idea what I was looking at. The walk took me to the Parliament building, churches, museums - including a maple museum - monuments, cute buildings, parks, great view points and the narrowest house in North America (pictured). It really is a lovely area.The excerpt on a former prison described it as "Quebec's best kept secret". The building, which has no identification on the outside, now houses a small library. I crept in, unsure if it was open or if I was allowed in. It was and I was. The library was beautiful and everything was in English - a rarity in Quebec. On a shelf by the small reading area was a copy of Nicholas Shakespear's In Tasmania. I flicked through a few pages. It's a small world when I'm standing in some off-the-map library in Quebec reading about North Motton.
I finished the walk at a viewpoint overlooking the old town, boardwalk, St Lawrence River and the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac - the imposing hotel I keep walking by thinking "if only...."
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