I should have guessed I would love Quebec City. After all, the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I have had numerous friends over the years tell me how much they like Quebec City. Well, they are correct – It truly is a marvelous place so today Tom & I return to continue exploring. We parked in our same place, but this time did it without fear. YAY! We are now part of the Quebecoise (Ok not really, but we can always wish..)
Our first stop today was Chateau Frontenac – a famous tourist spot here. It is a National Historic site that is also actually a Fairmont Hotel (i.e., the polar opposite of camping at del la Joie RV park). Yes it is odd to have a hotel be such a famous tourist spot, but it does look like a castle.
Nearby and underneath the Chateau Frontenac are the ruins of Fort St. Louis, the governor’s residence in colonial times and the center of French power in North America for over 200 years.
Next, we had an absolutely fabulous brunch. Again, the best brunch I have ever had. I cannot emphasize enough how great the restaurants are in Quebec City.
Then we walked down Battlefield Park to La Citadelle of Quebec. It is an active military installation that was built after the war of 1812 to defend Canada from their enemy – the Americans. By the time it was completed the Canadians and the Americans were friends so a shot was never fired here. If they had built it 75 years earlier Quebec might not have been taken over by the English and we would likely be speaking French too!
La Citadelle is currently home to the Royal 22nd Regiment, created in 1914. Prior to the creation of this regiment some people considered the men of Quebec to be cowards as they did not volunteer to fight in WWI. The 22nd Regiment is a French speaking Regiment (even today all orders are in French) so after it was created many Quebec men volunteered to fight in WWI. The 22nd Regiment succeeded in capturing Vimy Ridge in France during the war. Multiple times English forces had tried to capture that ridge, but none were successful until the 22nd Regiment was sent in. France was so grateful that they placed a monument on Vimy Ridge and declared it Canadian soil forever, so you can actually go to France and visit Canada. You can also see the Vimy Ridge Memorial on the Canadian $20 bill.
As you can imagine, La Citadelle is on the highest hill in Quebec City, so the view is amazing.
Here is an example of one of the buildings in La Citadelle. It proudly displays the seal of the Regiment.
There are many cannons at the Regiment and the Regiment has a long tradition of naming the cannons. The biggest one on display was named Rachel.
What a great place to visit. Wish we had lots more time here, but more of Quebec beckons us to explore it.
North Atlantic Canada 2019 
Wow. That looks like an amazing city.
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