Very ordinary - lots of walking
I can't help but stop and take pictures of flowers...sometimes they're prettier than the sights.
We just walked through the city (or rather, we hiked – it’s quite hilly), admiring the historic houses and churches, the view of the river, and the Fresco de Lévis: a huge mural depicting the history of the town. We also visited the town’s military museum since the one in Québec City was damaged by fire a few months ago and isn’t open. One thing I learned from the tour? They may speak French, but they don’t fight like the French (meaning, they actually fight). ;-) They have a lot to be proud of when it comes to their military history, especially their involvement in World War II. Le Régiment de la Chaudière was the only francophone unit to participate in Operation Overlord (D-Day). If you’re interested, you can check out some of the history of the Juno Beach landing at http://www.members.shaw.ca/junobeach/juno-4-3.htm.
Oh yeah, lookin' good in the uniforms...
As we continued our tour of the Lévis, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet it was. The pace of life there seemed to be much slower than in Québec City. That’s actually saying a lot, because in general, the Québecois don’t lead a hurried lifestyle. I suppose I could describe Lévis as being both cozy and airy, sleepy and animated. Those are strange combinations, I know, but it was a unique town.
Yes, very unique. The Chateau Frontenac may be the most photographed building in the world, but I bet there aren't many people who have a shot like this. ;)
We stopped in a little bakery/café/gourmet grocery so that some of the students could buy lunch for our picnic, and I have to say it was one of the most charming grocery stores I’ve ever visited. I’ve never seen a grocery store with such a mix of products, or one with live music. The combination of piano and upright bass created the perfect atmosphere. I wish we could have stayed there and eaten outside on the sidewalk, but there were too many of us to do that. Our picnic in the park overlooking the river was lovely, though. I got the chance to practice conversing in French with some new people, which is always helpful. If you speak with the same students all the time, it is really easy to guess what the other person is trying to say because you’ve become familiar with their body language and usual subjects and styles of communication. It’s interesting, this process of learning another language.
We continued our outing with a stop at Chocolats Favoris – without a doubt the best ice cream shop I’ve ever visited. I’m completely serious. I have never eaten ice cream that luscious in my life. And it was so simple, too: they just filled a cone with creamy vanilla ice cream and dipped it in dark chocolate. It wasn’t just any ice cream or any chocolate, though. Both were so creamy, and so rich. The layer of chocolate was probably 1/8” thick, and it didn’t harden completely; it stayed semi-soft. Oh my gosh…every bite just melted into ambrosial bliss. This is me, savoring my 15 minutes of heaven:
It’s a good thing we don’t have this in Arkansas. :P
We finished our afternoon with a visit to the Desjardins House, which dates back to the turn of the 20th century. Alphonse Desjardins was the founder of the extremely successful bank/credit union, Desjardins, so his house was located near the church, along with the homes of the other rich townsfolk (doctors, lawyers, etc). Both he and his wife were quite intelligent, and obviously successful, because it’s Canada's largest financial cooperative group, with over 5.8 million members. You hardly see any other banks here in Québec. I found the tour quite interesting and also encouraging, because I was able to understand a lot of what the tour guide said. Of course, he was speaking more slowly for us, but still – my ears are becoming much more sensitive. It feels good to be able to pick up more of the details in the spoken French, because it’s rather disconcerting when you only comprehend the general idea.
The house
Anyway, we took the ferry back across the river to Québec City, where everyone split up and went their separate ways. Since it was only 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I decided that I had enough time to do some exploring of my own in the Basse-Ville before heading back for supper. I started at the bottom of the Funiculaire, a giant elevator-type apparatus that takes people from the Haute-Ville to the Basse-Ville if they don’t want to take L’escalier Casse-Cou (the break-neck stairs). It’s not a gentle incline, by any means; rather, the Haute-Ville sits on the edge of a cliff. You can see it more clearly from the river:
Anyway, from the base of the Funiculaire, I wandered down le Rue Petit-Champlain, which is a good place to go shopping if you have more money than I have. There were so many boutiques and stores with beautiful clothing and artwork:
After that, I found La Maison Chevalier, a house that was originally built in 1752 for ship owner Jean-Baptiste Chevalier. Throughout the 19th century it was used as an inn, and the Québec government restored the house and converted it into a museum in 1965. It’s filled with exhibits about daily life in the city throughout the years. The exhibit that I found the most fascinating was about the Tour de la Misère. I can’t find a lot about it online through Google, which is strange, so I’m going to have to go completely from memory. Because unwed mothers were ridiculed and renounced by society, the nuns provided a haven of mercy for them: a secret doorway connected to one of the convents allowed the women to leave their newborn babies in the hands of the nuns without exposing themselves. The exhibit displayed several letters that accompanied the children who were left there. The one I remember the most clearly was written by a mother who requested that her son be named Cyrille Hughes, because someday, she would return for him. I wonder how many of those young mothers were reunited with their children. Something tells me it isn’t likely. :(
The area where le Maison Chevalier was situated
I wish I could have spent more time in that museum, but they closed just a few minutes after I arrived. It was actually one of the few times that I passed myself off as a francophone; none of the museum staff tried to speak with me in English. I guess I was somehow able to avoid “the look.” Amy and I decided that “the look” is what gives us away, because it’s a natural response when someone starts speaking to us in French. Without realizing it, we get this look of intense concentration on our faces. I suppose it’s better than the look of overwhelmed confusion we had during the first week. Lol
Let’s see, where did I go after the Maison Chevalier…? Oh, le Place-Royale – the spot where Samuel de Champlain landed in 1608 and founded the first French settlement in North America (according to Wikipedia). It’s a pretty public square now, with an iron statue of Louis XIV given to Québec by France. On one side is the Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, a church established in 1723 and recently renovated. Its name refers to the sinking of a British fleet, which is ironic, because it was destroyed by the British bombardment in 1759. :P The building was restored in 1816, and it’s still used as a place of worship (as are most of the historic churches here). I haven’t seen the interior, but I’m guessing it’s nice. Probably not as ornate as the Notre Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral, but Québec does a good job of restoring historic sites. Actually, everything is probably a little nicer right now because they’re in the middle of their 400th anniversary celebration.
Overall, it was a lovely afternoon. For some reason, I couldn’t help but smile and greet everyone I passed with a ‘bonjour’. What’s really nice is that they return the sentiment here. People don’t seem to be quite as self-absorbed as the people I’m accustomed to seeing in the U.S. Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s just this area. Anyway, I think these pictures will do a better job of detailing the rest of my afternoon:
Anyway, I think this is long enough, so I'm going to get some sleep. Bonsoir!
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