Quintessential Québec City: A Historic Postcard Street

Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of various elements of culture that gives it its very own distinct identity.

It is not unusual to hear first time visitors say that being in the city is like being in Europe, but after at least half a day, they’d realize that they are very much still in North America. It happened to me.

The first time I set foot in Québec City on a cruise many years back, I felt transported to another continent as our ship docked at the Saint-Lawrence River and I got a glimpse of the old stone houses in the distance. It was nothing like Vancouver or Toronto…and even its sister city, Montréal.

The architecture, the language, the vibe, the air of antiquity, particularly in the Old Town, all scream, “I am ancient and I have a long, colourful story to tell…” Yet, after my encounter with the locals, I knew I was still home. This is still Canada…but the wonderfully whimsical part of Canada. And I never get tired of exploring it every time I go back.

Our 2017 visit to Québec City was the longest one, out of our other trips. That time, we stayed for five days to watch the parade and enjoy the festivities of Les Fêtes de la Nouvelle-France (The New France Festival). We spent a lot of time wandering around and getting to know its neighbourhoods a little better.

In 2018, we went back to accompany our son when he participated in a national chess tournament. We stayed for four days. In between matches and after the last match of each day, we’d go for walks and sightseeing.

This series will be about the neighbourhoods that we explored.

Québec City: Rue Saint-Louis

One of the streets I consider most memorable is Rue Saint-Louis. It was the street that I traversed at least twice a day when we were in Québec City in 2018.

The chess tournament was held at the Delta Hotel on Boulevard René-Lévesque but because we registered late, there were no more rooms available. We booked a room instead at the nearby Hôtel Château Laurier along Place George V, which turned out to be a better choice. It was quieter and provided us with the space away from the huge chess crowd at the other hotel. We also had the bonus of having the Plains of Abraham in our backyard, and Grande Allée close by. 

 There were two matches each day – at 10 o’clock in the morning, and at two o’clock in the afternoon. Each match lasted an average of two hours.  After each game, my husband and our son would spend time in our hotel room to go over the score sheet and review the record of moves leading to the final result while they eat sandwiches. Then they would play a few games as a practice for the next match.

I would spend this time venturing out to the Old Town by foot and my daily route included the 30-minute walk along Grande Allée which eventually becomes Rue Saint-Louis upon entering the city gates of Porte Saint-Louis. 

Rue Saint-Louis is one of Old Québec’s most emblematic streets, a winding corridor of stone, history, and Francophone charm that leads visitors straight into the heart of the fortified city. I just called it “postcard street” because it is so pretty.

Its origin dates back to the 17^th-century, and thus, it is characterized by centuries-old buildings that capture the essence of Québec’s European spirit. Once you cross the gates, you’d feel like you’ve stepped into a living postcard. Every angle is picture-perfect with stone townhouses characterized by sloping roofs, high chimneys, carved wooden doors, dormer windows, and wrought iron balconies with wooden boxes spilling over with flowers.

The street stretches from Porte Saint-Louis and its ramparts to Terrasse Dufferin near Château Frontenac. The walk is like a journey through history and quite a relaxing one as well. I had become very familiar with the shops and restaurants along the way, as well as the small side streets and alleys branching out from this main street.

Porte Saint-Louis, one of three still-standing gates of the Old Town, was originally built in 1693 overlooking the Plains of Abraham. In 1745, it was replaced by another gate located a little farther west. This gate, in turn, was demolished and rebuilt in its present form in 1878.

Tourists can climb the stairs on this gate to admire this fortification and cross the central tunnel over the street to take pictures. There are also two pedestrian tunnels below on both sides of the street. Down below, if you turn right on Côté de la Citadelle, you will eventually reach the Citadel and even complete the 4.6 km walking tour of the city’s fortified ramparts that surround the city.

Right by the Old Town entrance, you will find Le Monument aux Conférences de Québec, constructed in honour of the Québec Conferences of 1943 and 1944. These were top-secret, high-level military talks between the British and the Americans at the height of World War II. The monument includes the bust of Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, a soft-pedaled reminder that it was the English-speaking nations that rid France of the Nazis.

On Parc Esplanade, I once stopped for a fun infantry drill performed by some costumed staff from Parks Canada. One of the soldiers even asked me if I wanted to volunteer to fire the musket, but I told them that I was happy to remain part of the audience and we let a teenaged boy do it instead.

It was a joy walking along this street. Every single corner has a story to tell, and almost every building has an curious tale.

At the corner of Rue d’Auteuil stands the Hôtel Manoir d’Eplanade housed in a very old building. On the side that faces Rue Saint-Louis, you will notice that many of the windows are blocked by stone. In those days, when houses were taxed according to the number of windows, the frugal homeowners who once lived there found a way to get around the law, even it that meant losing some of their street views.

At the corner of Rue Sainte-Ursule, you will find House No. 85 with a plate that identifies it as the residence of Adolphe-Basile Routhier, novelist, judge, and author of the lyrics of the Canadian national anthem. Another heritage building stands around there, said to be the site of the first permanent city hall of Québec City from 1840-1896. House No. 47, on the other hand, known as Maison du Général (House of the General), was where Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, Lieutenant General of the Armies of New France, died. Although the original residence was demolished and rebuilt in 1870, a commemorative plaque still hangs outside the building.

At the corner of Rue du Corps-de-Garde, there is an interesting tree known as the Arbre au Boulet. This old elm tree has a cannonball lodged in its gnarly roots supposedly since 1759. For years, it has puzzled everyone as they try to figure out how the cannonball could have gotten trapped there. It was said that the cannonball landed here during the battle of Québec and became firmly embraced by the tree. But another theory is that it was placed here on purpose by the owner of the nearby stone house to keep the wheels of the horse-drawn carriages from bumping into the tree when they were turning.

And guess what? This so-called cannonball is actually a bomb, if we are going to be strict with the definitions. Lead cannonballs are actually much smaller than this. This one is a hollow projectile loaded with incendiary material ignited by a wick. There is nothing to worry about though, as this centuries-old bomb is no longer dangerous.

Also in the vicinity is the oldest building in Québec City. Standing in the corner of Rue Desjardins is Maison Jacquet, a quaint white house with a bright red roof built between 1675 and 1676. It was granted to François Jacquet by the Ursuline nuns and during its heyday, was considered one of the largest houses in the Upper Town.

Since 1966 has been home to the restaurant, Aux Anciens Canadiens, where inside, one can enjoy authentic Québec cuisine featuring regional produce served by wait staff in traditional garb, while at the same time admiring the antique pieces and collector’s items displayed in its five dining rooms. The name was inspired by one of the several prominent figures who have resided here, Philip-Aubert Gaspé, who was the author of the novel, Les Anciens Canadiens.

I checked the menu with my husband and while we were both interested to dine here, circumstances had led us elsewhere each time. But I would very much like to go back and try their specialties – wild game rillettes, giant shrimps and scallops au gratin, garlic escargot au gratin, duck confit, Québec meat pie, pea soup, meatball ragout, bison bourguignon, caribou/deer/beef potpie, red deer osso buco, red deer/bison/wapiti tenderloins, bison tenderloin with blueberry sauce, ratatouille, maple syrup crème brûlée, maple caramel bread pudding, and the like.

For culinary adventurous diners like me, there would be so many new things to try. My husband enjoys game meat so he would have plenty of choices there as well. Prices are not cheap, but reasonable for the quality that you would get, and they do have a menu du jour offered daily from noon to six o’clock in the evening, where for $20, you would get three courses (appetizer, main, dessert) that includes a glass of house wine or beer on tap, plus coffee or tea. You can’t go wrong with that!

Across the street are a couple of art galleries I never fail to visit. Galerie D’Art Les Trois always has a whimsical collection of contemporary Canadian art, while Galerie Brosseau Art Inuit, as the name suggests, features a wide choice of original Inuit art.

Aside from historical buildings and art galleries, Rue Saint-Louis is peppered with cute boutiques and fine restaurants. My favourite is this shop called Le Trois Colombes housed in a two-storey stone building with a bright red doorway and matching bright red windows and gables. They sell handmade items, including native and Inuit carvings, furs, ceramics, clothing made from handwoven fabric, stylish hats, silk scarves, and apparel from small, local designers. I got some fine scarves that I gave to my aunt, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law for their birthdays. Apparently, the term, trois colombes (three doves), refers to three Liberal Québec politicians who were also editors of Cité Libre, a Québec-based publication popular in the 1950s. I just wonder what their connection is with fashionable clothes and accessories.

I also discovered this small convenience store tucked in-between two old buildings on Rue Desjardins, close to the tiny square (a triangle, actually) with an interesting hand sculpture at the intersection with Rue Donnacona. I was taking a picture of the sculpture when I noticed the store sign in the background, which was timely, because I was hoping to find a regular grocery store that sells regular grocery products with non-tourist prices. While I knew I wouldn’t find a Loblaw’s in the Old Town, it was still challenging to find a convenience store even outside the gates.

Epicerie Richard is something like Ontario’s Quickie or Québec’s Couche Tard, but taken up a notch. After all, it is housed in a centuries-old building and aside from the usual grocery products, it sells items not found in your typical convenience store. They have freshly baked bread, local cheeses, cold cuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, local beer and wine, pâtés and rillettes, cold sandwiches, and snacks. I bought some fresh bread, cheese, a few slices of salami, and a can of duck pâté for my snack and breakfast the following day.

On this recent trip, I found myself wandering around the city by myself quite a bit and it was convenient for me to just take some quick snacks along and eat them while taking a break, seated on a bench at some square while watching people go by, then continue my gallivanting.

Family sit down meals were reserved for dinner with my boys inside our hotel room with take-out food or leftovers from our take-along stash, or at a nearby restaurant after the chess events for the day were done.