| Submitted by: David Stybr United States |
| Submission Date: 04 February 2005 |
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The past 8 years have taken me on a zillion business travels to Europe for engineering projects. Last year included 4 solid months in France and Germany. This may be my first year since 1987 to remain in North America. It is nice to stay close to home for a change but I still enjoy international travel. That makes 1995 a perfect year to visit Canada.
My French worked well last year in France, so we used it again this year to visit Québec. It's fun to aggravate people in their own language (ha ha). I found great differences in pronunciation and also in many phrases. An obvious example is the name "Montréal", a Québécois version of the French "Mont-Royal". Amusingly, friends in France say I speak with a Québécois accent, and those in Québec say I have a French accent. More amusingly, one day in Montréal I translated French into German for some tourists! (This was similar to last year in Germany when I translated for a French visitor. And I'm the foreigner!)
Our vacations in France in 1994 and Québec in 1995 have given us fascinating comparisons. Old colonial Québec is much like the North of France, especially Normandie and Brittany; much as colonial America resembles England. Also, Québec was ceded from France before the fall of King Louis XVI and is a hint of how France might have evolved had the monarchy survived. Generally, however, modern Québec is similar to the rest of Canada and much of the United States, but with a French accent and naturally everything is in French. Québec is a very North American society, but with a French heritage instead of British. Montréal is to Paris as Philadelphia is to London.
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In 1534 Jacques Cartier sailed from St.-Mâlo, France and landed in North America on the Gaspé Peninsula. Cartier later sailed up the Saint Lawrence River as far as the island of Montréal. In 1608 Samuel de Champlain founded the first French settlement in North America at a strategic site with high cliffs above the Saint Lawrence River. This became Québec, the oldest city in Canada. Québec was named from an Algonkian word that means "where the river narrows." Many early colonists came from Honfleur, France, so colonial buildings are reminiscent of Normandie. Trois-Rivières was established in 1634, the 2nd major French settlement. Montréal was founded in 1642 by Paul de Chomedey, le Sieur de Maissonneuve.
Québec, Trois-Rivières and Montréal were the 3 main centres of La Nouvelle France. By 1690 the colonial population reached 60,000. Fur traders, missionaries and explorers travelled up the Saint Lawrence River to the Great Lakes, and on to the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Explorers such as Robert Cavelier de La Salle, Louis Jolliet and Père Jacques Marquette left thousands of French place names throughout North America.
The walled city of Québec was a coveted prize in the struggle between France and the United Kingdom for North America. In 1759, British General James Wolfe defeated French General Louis de Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham. By the Treaty of Paris in 1763, France ceded Canada to the United Kingdom but kept its lucrative Caribbean sugar islands. American troops occupied Montréal in the Revolutionary War in 1776 but they were defeated at Québec.
Despite the separation from France, Québec culture remained firmly French. The province grew strong both economically and politically due to its location on the Saint Lawrence River, the gateway to the Great Lakes. Québec thus had enough power and influence to retain its French culture and language when the Dominion of Canada confederated in 1867. Québec is a bastion of French culture in a predominantly English North America, surrounded by the rest of Canada and the United States.
Québec's unique history and French heritage have repeatedly stirred debate and dissent. A referendum on secession from Canada was defeated by Québec voters in May 1980, but much separatist sentiment remains. The Meech Lake Accord, which would have shifted more power from the federal government to the provinces and given Québec recognition as a "distinct society within Canada", collapsed in 1990. This led to another referendum on secession in November 1995, which was very narrowly defeated by a vote of 50.5% to 49.5%.
Québec is a huge province of 1,667,926 square kilometres (643,968 square miles), and larger than either France or Texas. Most of Québec is barren Canadian Shield, forests and the Laurentian Uplands. However, most of the population of 6,850,300 live within 160 kilometres (100 miles) of the southern border or in the great Saint Lawrence River Valley. These areas are mostly farmland, hills, lakes and rivers. Québec is the capital of the province, and Montréal is the largest city. Trois-Rivières and Hull are other major cities.
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5 years ago on a VIA Rail tour of Ontario and Québec, my wife Denise & I visited the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Québec. This time we returned to Québec to explore the province in detail, and it was fantastique.
Saturday 8 July my wife Denise & I flew on Air Canada from Chicago to Montréal, and rented a car. That evening we went to le Casino de Montréal but it was closed due to a strike. That was a disappointment, but in retrospect it saved us tons of money (ha ha). We spent Sunday in le Vieux-Montréal (Old Montréal) near the Saint Lawrence River. The quaint little shops and the charming cafés were great fun. In le Vieux-Port (the Old Port) on the river was a great Marché aux Puces (Flea Market). Later we also visited l'Oratoire Saint-Joseph (Saint Joseph Oratory) atop Mont-Royal, one of the largest basilicas on Earth.
Monday we drove leisurely along the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River. En route we explored various cities, such as Drummondville and Victoriaville. Arthabaska was the home of Sir Wilfred Laurier (1841-1919), the first French Canadian to become Prime Minister of Canada (1896-1911). Laurier worked toward French-English political cooperation and sought unrestricted trade with the United States.
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Monday evening we arrived in la belle Québec City and remained until Friday. We explored le Vieux-Québec (Old Québec) above the Saint Lawrence River, as well as la Basse-Ville (Lower Town) beneath the cliffs. This is the most historic and scenic part of the city. Le Petit Champlain is filled with colonial buildings, quaint shops, lovely tourist traps and of course great restaurants and cafés. Le Château Frontenac atop the cliffs is the most famous hotel and landmark in the city.
In la Haute-Ville (Upper Town), just west of the walls around le Vieux-Québec, is L'Hôtel du Parlement (The House of Parliament) of Québec Province. The main street in la Haute-Ville is la Grande-Allée; it is analogous to the Champs-Élysées of Paris, France but more intimate. We dined in the magnifique outdoor cafés which featured délicieux French and local Québec cuisine. One evening we dined at L'Astral, a revolving restaurant atop our hotel Lowes Le Concorde with panoramic views 183 metres (600 feet) above Québec City.
The next few days we explored much of the area east and west of Québec City, on the north and south banks of the Saint Lawrence River, plus l'Ile d'Orleans in the river. We saw la Chute Montmorency, an impressive cliff waterfall; la Basilique Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, a Gothic-Romanesque basilica; and Lévis, a city with splendid views of the river and Québec City. We ended our week in Trois-Rivières on the north bank of the Saint Lawrence River, halfway between Québec City and Montréal. Saturday 15 July we returned on Air Canada from Chicago to Montréal.
The weather in Québec was almost perfect. Luckily we missed the record heat wave that hit Illinois in our absence. We were amazed at the news reports that Chicago reached 41°C (106°F)! This made us doubly happy to be in Québec City which was 25 - 30°C (77 - 86°F).
It was also good luck to visit France in 1994 and Québec in 1995 due to the exchange rates. In any case I was already in Europe last year on business but the exchange rates are a nice bonus. This year the United States dollar has plumetted against European currencies but it has increased toward the Canadian dollar. A feature article in the Montréal newspaper La Presse for 15 July read, "Les Québécois prennent la route des vacances, et ceux qui iront à Paris perdront leur chemise! (The Québécois take to the road on vacation, and those who go to Paris lose their shirt!)"
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Many Americans will not believe Québec is a francophone province. Absolutely everything is in French, with almost no English at all outside tourist areas. One might expect to find more English in Québec than in France, but actually the reverse is true. This is because the French-language laws in Québec have eradicated English in most areas, while in France these laws are flagrantly flouted. Thus one says "le week-end" in France but "la fin de semaine" in Québec. C'est incroyable!
It may not be absolutely necessary to speak French in Québec, but it sure helps. All one truly needs are a big smile and a pleasant attitude. But sometimes one must be patient because many locals speak only French; it is NOT TRUE that everyone speaks English but simply refuses. The only rudeness we saw on the part of the Québécois was with really obnoxious tourists, and to be honest they deserved what they got. We were treated very well by the Québécois wherever we went. It is true that I speak French, but they didn't know it until I spoke directly to them.
Anecdote: Québec cuisine is extraordinaire, but one day we tried McDonald's just for comparison, as we did last year in Paris. The French menu in Québec is different from France. Prices in Canada and the United States are similar, but France is twice as expensive. The film Pulp Fiction has a scene in which a character mentions that a Quarter Pounder has a different name in France because of the metric system. However it is called a Quarter Pounder in Québec, in French.
English: Quarter Pounder with Cheese.
Québec French: Quart Livre avec Fromage.
France French: Hamburger Royale Cheese.
(Odd. Cheese in France but Fromage in Québec. In Germany it's Hamburger Royale Käse.)
English: Chicken McNuggets.
Québec French: Poulet McCroquettes.
France French: Poulet McNuggets.
Everywhere on Earth: Big Mac = Big Mac.
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