Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Wednesday 29 august 2018
Quebec City's enticing tableau beyond the wall

By CALVIN WOODWARD ers on the Plains of Abra-
QUEBEC CITY (AP) — It's ham. On the plains, free
what's inside the historic and ticketed concerts
wall of Quebec City that roll through the summer,
makes people want to including an 11-day fes-
visit. It's what's outside that tival in July that is one of
makes people want to stay. Canada's largest outdoor
To visit without venturing music events. It's a neigh-
outside the 17th century borhood distinguished by
fortification is to miss the galleries, bookstores, urban
outdoor concerts, vistas terraces for pub-crawling
and history of the hilltop and streetlamps decorat-
Plains of Abraham, the ed with reproduced works
up-and-coming Limoilou from the art museum.
neighborhood where Getting there: A 20-minute
young chefs ply their trade walk from Chateau Fron-
and acrobats learn their tenac, the towering land-
craft, or the buzz of Saint- mark of the walled city.
Roch district just outside Old When: Year-round, with the
Quebec. On the outskirts, concert season geared to
higher-than-Niagara Mont- summer.
morency Falls roar from a ___
cliff where zip liners screech OLD PORT and the PROM-
across the canyon. ENADE SAMUEL-DE-CHAM-
It's a diverse tableau of In this June 28, 2018 photo, Lily Henry-Austin, 15, of Silver Spring, Md., soars across the expanse in PLAIN
communities, architec- front of Montmorency Falls on the outskirts of Quebec City. The promenade is a river-
ture, public markets, muse- Associated Press front section of a bicycle
ums and nature, much of and walking path that ex-
it accessible by foot from as a world heritage site , If You Can." climbers scale cliffs fram- tends nearly 30 miles or
Old Quebec and all of it hailed by the United Na- There's plenty to absorb ing the waterfall. Getting 50 km from the Quebec
stitched together by the tions organization as "a in Old Quebec but there there: A bicycle ride of just city Bridges on the west to
city's extensive network remarkable example of a are also inviting places be- over 8 miles or 13 km, al- Montmorency Falls. It takes
of bicycle trails or a quick fortified colonial town, and yond. "If you're staying for most all on dedicated bike in stunning views of the
drive. unique north of Mexico." three days, basically you paths; 20 minutes by car; or waterfront and cliffs, the
Bargains in accommoda- The heritage site encom- would have gone through by bus. When: Park is ac- sprawling Old Port farm-
tions are another draw: On passes the walled Upper Old Quebec and its next cessible year-round. Cable ers market, and grain silos
a visit at the height of the Town, overlooked by the neighborhoods, like Lower car is year-round except that are transformed at
summer tourism season, I commanding Fairmont Le Town and the Old Port," Jan. 7-25 and March 9-April night into light sculptures
stayed at Hotel Royal Wil- Chateau Frontenac Hotel, says Paule Bergeron, an ex- 14. The zip line for this sea- with colors of the aurora
liam, an old, comfortable and Lower Town, where ecutive with Quebec City son ends Oct. 8, reopens in borealis. How to get there:
hotel in the Saint-Roch dis- the explorer Samuel de and region tourism. "Then spring. Right outside Lower Town.
trict, for barely $75 USD. Champlain put ashore with you have the chance to go ___ When: Year-round, bicy-
Royal William and the more a few dozen men in 1608. visit other neighborhoods." THE MONTCALM ARTS DIS- cling as deep into winter
upscale Hotel Pur nearby Today, the Place Royale A sampling: TRICT as you can stand the cold.
are an engaging 15-minute district in Lower Town re- MONTMORENCY FALLS Quebec and international The Old Port market is open
walk to Old Quebec along mains so French in charac- This beehive of outdoor ac- art are the draw at Musée each day year-round but
shops, cobblestoned alleys ter and appearance that tivity gets the adrenaline national des beaux-arts expected to close in the
and restaurants. its courtyard and 17th cen- going one way or another. du Québec in this high- spring to make way for a
The capital of New France tury church, Notre-Dame- Try the zigzag staircase with elevation neighborhood, new market in the Limoilou
until its conquest by the des-Victoires, stood in for 487 steps up the cliff, or named for the French gen- district. A smaller farmers
British in 1759, Old Quebec France in Steven Spiel- take the cable car. At 83 eral whose forces were market will take its place
is recognized by UNESCO berg's 2002 film, "Catch Me meters — 30 meters higher overcome by British invad- near Place Royale.q
(though far narrower) than
Niagara Falls — Montmo-
rency offers a suspension
footbridge over the falls,
via feratta climbing and a
dual zip line that is riveting
to watch and another level
of excitement to do. The
zip line comes with a bo-
nus: Download a free app
on the site and you'll come
away with a panoramic
and close-up video mash-
up of you sweeping in front
of the crest of the falls, very,
very far up.
In this June 23, 2018 photo, performers entertain a crowd in an In winter, frozen spray forms In this June 7, 2016 photo, motorists pass by street art under el-
open-air concert on the Plains of Abraham during Quebec's na- Sugar Loaf, a huge cone of evated road in Quebec City, part of a neighborhood transfor-
tional holiday weekend. mation meant to beautify utilitarian stretch of the city.
Associated Press ice at the foot of the falls, Associated Press
all illuminated at night. Ice