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travel / travel magazine / winter 2007
Notebook
Québec at 400
Utopians and certain practical idealists
we know, who dream of building a new community
in the wilderness, understand that
the first order of business is securing the
right location. Geography, our respected colleagues
at The Royal Canadian Geographical
Society will tell you, matters a great deal.
In early July 400 years ago, Samuel de
Champlain sailed up the St. Lawrence River
looking for a sweet spot to build a permanent
settlement that he hoped would become the
capital of New France. Where the river began
to narrow, he observed a high promontory
on the north bank that had once been home
to the Iroquoian village Stadacona. Jacques
Cartier had selected the same location in
1535 to build a short-lived settlement.
Like Cartier and the Iroquois before him,
Champlain was taken with the location,
which the Algonquin called kébec (“where the
river narrows”). He realized that from the
high bank, he could control traffic on the
river and his lookouts could deliver early
warnings of trouble coming.
Visit the city of Québec today, and you will
see what Champlain, Cartier, the Algonquin
and the Iroquois did all those centuries ago.
The city rises to a breeze-freshened overlook
and is surrounded by a verdant landscape.
Cobblestone streets wind through the
old town. Heritage buildings are flanked by
historic churches, fortified walls, museums,
art galleries and outdoor cafés. Cannons still
point downriver. A boardwalk promenade
beneath the peaked rooflines of the Château
Frontenac offers a stunning view of the river.
For those who have never been, 2008 is
the year to visit Québec. From the Carnaval
de Québec, which runs Feb. 1 to 17, to the
400th anniversary celebrations planned
for the summer, the city and region offer
something for everyone: family outings,
winter and summer sports, evening concerts,
fabulous food and a peek into history.
We sent Montréal writer Joel Yanofsky
and his family to the Carnaval, which bills
itself as the world’s largest winter festival,
to experience Québec’s fabled hospitality,
and Montréal food writer Maria Francesca
LoDico to indulge in the city’s many culinary
delights. Their stories are accompanied
by shorter pieces on the city’s history, arts
events, activities planned by aboriginal
groups, and winter-sport outings all including
calendars of 400th
anniversary events.
Also in this issue: David Leach embarks
on a spring
snowshoe excursion in the
mountains that lie just beyond the ski hills
of Whistler, B.C.; Lisa Gregoire finds peace
at a yoga
retreat in Nelson, B.C.; Moira Farr
embarks on a winter birding
excursion in eastern Ontario; and Patricia Pearson travels
to the Mexican
art colony of San Miguel de
Allende, where her grandmother once spent
many happy winters painting.
By Rick Boychuk
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