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by RLB2
Scarborough, England, United Kingdom
November 12, 2011
From journal A visit to Quebec City
by Re Carroll
Abbotsford, British Columbia
August 17, 2002
Our first visit was to rural Ile d’Orleans, about 15 minutes away. Once on the island, we could look across the St. Lawrence to the Laurentian Mountains, part of the Great Shield that covered the continent during the ice age. We drove through the small village of Sainte-Petronille and learned that many of the original settlers to Quebec came here to farm and raise their family. I was disappointed that the tour didn’t stop anywhere on Ile d’Orleans but it did provide lots of information on the early years of Quebec City.
Within minutes of crossing the bridge from Ile d’Orleans we were at Parc de la Chute Montmorency. This is Quebec’s answer to Niagara Falls although Montmorency is almost 100 feet higher. We stopped at the Visitors’ Centre just long enough to take a few pictures and then drove to the top of the falls. Nearby is Manoir de Montmorency, built in 1780 as the home of a former Quebec governor. It now houses a restaurant and conference area. A wooden boardwalk leads to a lookout point and further on, to a suspension bridge above the Falls. On the other side of the bridge are lots of walking trails through the woods.
From Montmorency, we drove along narrow, quiet country roads on the way to St. Anne de Beaupre. Some houses were so close to the road that the bus just narrowly avoided hitting a corner of the roof.
We stopped at Chez Marie, a small farm with a bakery and gift store that specializes in home baked bread and maple products including jelly, butter, mustard, chocolates and of course, maple syrup. Our guide mentioned that Quebec produces 80% of the world’s maple and people in Quebec consume almost 50% of it.
Our last stop was at St. Anne de Beaupre, about 40 miles from Quebec City. The main attraction here is the Shrine of Sainte Anne de Beaupre. It is the oldest shrine in North America and dedicated to St. Anne who was the mother of Mary. Many people make a pilgrimage to the Shrine in the hope of curing an ailment or disease. Inside, some of the pillars are covered with crutches and other items left by those who have been cured. As well as the main Basilica, there is a smaller Chapel downstairs decorated with blue and green mosaics and an exact replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta.
Near the Shrine is Cyclorama, a giant panorama of Jerusalem that took six people and four years to paint. None of my group were interested enough to pay the $6.00 admission fee although our guide did tell us that it was a magnificent work of art.
From St. Anne, we took the shorter route to Quebec City via the highway.
From journal Quebec City - Tres Magnificent!