Canadian Charms: A Tale of Two Cities

Canadian Charms: Quebec City 

In Quebec City, one of Canada’s provincial capitals, history abounds. A walk here will reveal magnificent churches, museums, forts, and, of course, meandering cobblestone streets where there’s always a café for enjoying a cup of fragrant coffee and a buttery pastry.

More than four hundred years ago, the first settlers colonized the riverbank of the St. Lawrence. When the English attacked, the settlement of Quebec was moved to the cliff tops. The ramparts still encircle ancient streets and are the perfect point from which to view the sweep of the river and the ramble of old houses and shops behind. Left: The mansard roofs are a French inheritance. Right: The St. Jean gate is one of three gates to Quebec City.

The rolling countryside provides contrast to the city center, with its market gardens and apple trees, the fruit ripening this time of year. The woods offer a colorful background to the play of rich greens in the fields. Ile d’Orléans, just fifteen minutes from Quebec City, is a pastoral idyll of small towns linked by narrow roads. Visitors are charmed by historic houses, farm stands, artisans’ workshops, and roadside shrines here and there. Set in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, the borough is a perfect place to see the flame of autumn trees.

Text Catherine Calvert
Photography Kate Sears