This summer (August 14 to August 30, 2002) I've had the opportunity to visit Québec (Canada), the cradle of French American civilization: centuries of international history wrapped up in a forthnight! So, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to start this page with a summary of the history of Québec and its' inhabitants.

In 1535, Jacques Cartier, slowly moved up the Saint Lawrence river and was the first to visit the site that will go down in history as Québec. However, Cartier didn't call this place Québec, he called it Stadaconné. The name Québec comes from the Algonquin word Kebec, meaning "where the river narrows" (and indeed, it does). Cartier immediately noticed the high bluff rising above the Saint Lawrence. Yet, he mistook the mica he had found in this formation for diamonds and called the cliff Cap Diamant.

It wasn't until 1608, when Samuel de Champlain recognized the strategic advantage of Québecs' natural citadel, this city's history really came up to speed. Samuel de Champlain founded a fur trading post here, initiating one of the most tumultuous periods of French and British history. This post would soon become a true French colonial town, the "habitation", and priority was given to set up a defence system.

Yet, France wasn't the only one interested in Québec. Already in 1629, the British, under command of the Kirke brothers, took possession of the city, but only until 1632. The next attack dates back to 1690, just a few days after the first city wall was completed. It was Admiral Phipps who tried to conquer Québec this time. Yet, he faces the fearless Frontenac. Phipps' messenger, sent out to persuade the French to surrender, brings back to his superior Frontenac's famous words: You'll have my answer from the mouths of my canons. Indeed, a bold thing to say, taking into account he only had 2 canons at the time...

1759 - And then came Wolfe! After a failed attempt to climb the cliff near the Montmorency falls, General Wolfe decides to move upstream. He attacks Québec from behind the city, at Abraham's plains. The French, under the command of general Montcalm, expecting an attack near the falls once more, quickly march towards the plains. The battle would only last about 10 to 20 minutes. The British all lined up, wait patiently as the French move closer. And then, all of a sudden, they fire! The French retreat. Both Wolfe and Montcalm are killed in this battle. Wolfe dies on the plains; Montcalm dies due to his enjuries the next morning, somewhere within the city walls. But Québec is now under British command.

For the British, the main treath comes from the Americans. And in 1775, they indeed try to take over the city of Québec. Yet, they failed. However, this led to a major defence system to be built by the British: the citadel, the impressive city walls, the martello towers (at the Plains of Abraham). However, these structures would never be tested: the Americans never tried a second attack!

So, now the fun stuff! There's loads to see in Québec, so I kind of made groups around a certain theme. There's a page on a city walk within the walls, a walk in the lower part of the town (Place Royale and surroundings, including the old port) and a walk on Parliament Hill. These walks are all outlined in the city walking guide. You can get your copy at the "Centre infotouristique" at Place d'Armes, just across the "Musée du Fort". I also went on a whale watching excursion, I visited the Montmorency falls, and took part in a tour in the surrounding countryside (including stops at the falls and in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré). And on top of all of that, there are some URL's of some great Canada related websites on my links page. So, just go and have a look!