Quintessential Québec City: Old Port

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.

Old Port

The Old Port (Vieux-Port) is the perfect place to stroll and enjoy the fresh air and panoramic water scenery. On one side, you have historic houses with enchanting décor that were once homes to grain merchants and wholesale grocers, and on one side, the river and the quay.

Long used only for business, the port has become a popular site for tourists now and is peppered with attractions. The customs house and old cross dock were restored, the wharves at Pointe-à-Carcy were redone, and a marina came to Bassin Louise. The Old Port was also given its own interpretation centre, which has since become Espace 400^e, a versatile exhibition venue, and a boardwalk by the water just for pedestrians. The makeover also includes green spaces, a modern new agora, and a public market, Marché du Vieux-Port, right by the water’s edge. In the summer, you will see locals and tourists alike walking their dogs, riding their bikes, having a picnic, or lugging their grocery bags from the market.

In the 1990s, Québec began to position itself on the international cruise scene as a destination and a port of embarkation. At the same time, port authorities also sought to diversify its activities. In 2002, an old hangar was converted into a new high-capacity terminal to welcome the growing numbers of travelers starting or ending their cruises in Québec City, or hopping off ship to visit for a few hours. I remember being one of those passengers in 2006. It was my first time in Québec City back then during our Canada to New England honeymoon cruise. Today, this is also the starting point of short boat tours to Montmorency Falls and Pont de Québec, as well as Grosse Île.

When we were there for Les Fêtes de la Nouvelle-France (New France Festival), we were in time for the August fireworks. The port provided the perfect front-row seating to watch the spectacle, but at the last minute, my husband decided to walk farther, beyond the parking lots, all the way to Boulevard Champlain away from the tourist area, when our five-year-old son said he didn’t want to hear the noise.

We found a good spot by a picnic table away from the crowds. In fact, we were standing there with the locals who came out of their houses from the neighbourhood across the street. We had a good view of the fireworks and the full moon that night, but while we didn’t hear the blasting noises, we also missed the music.

I was able to take good pictures, though and on our walk back, we also stopped to take pictures with the horse sculptures lined along the river and at Place des Canotieres, a wonderful urban park at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence River, the port and the city. The park has spacious lawns, walkways, fountains, and a splash pad. This is the park where earlier in the day, there was a set-up of an an 18^th-century military camp depicting characters from La Garde du Lys et des Compagnons de la Nouvelle-France (the Lys Guards and Companions of New France). The actors recreated the life of infantry soldiers.  Famous adventurer, Billy Rioux, was also there and did a demonstration on the making of bark canoes used by the settlers in the olden days.

And as we made our way back to the Old Town, we admired the illuminated silos by the water. During the day, the Bunge grain silos look ordinarily industrial, but at nightfall, are transformed into the backdrop to Aurora Borealis, an impressive installation that shines light onto the silos with the colours of the Northern Lights. I must give it to the Québec people for being able to convert an otherwise boring section of the city into something of a spectacle that could rival any fireworks.

At the crossroads of Rue Saint-Pierre, Rue Sault-au-Matelot, and Rue Saint-Paul, there is a beautiful public square, the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), built to commemorate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in the city.

In the centre is an interesting bronze sculpture known as La Vivrière. Reminiscent of the carved decorations used to adorn the prows of ships that depicted goddesses meant to protect sailors against storms and shipwrecks, La Vivrière is a woman carrying food from all continents, a figurehead designed to express the warding off of hunger. The bricks that make up the streets and sidewalks here are arranged in a wave pattern that bring to mind the period before infill shifted the river edge along this key sector of the port of Québec.