Day 18: Battlegrounds, Crêpes, Stairs & More

This was our first time ascending the ramparts, the 2.9 mile city wall that surrounds the western end of Old Québec's Upper Town (a block from our apartment).

The ramparts were first built in 1690. In 1745, the walls were rebuilt further west. The ramparts withstood several sieges during the mid-18th century, with British forces holding out in the walled city during the French siege of Quebec in 1760, and the American siege of Quebec in 1775. From the 1820s to 1830s, the British expanded and improved the ramparts and the rest of the city's defensive network.



Artillery Park tells more of the defense story. Interesting.
Our path took us right past La Commode, my favorite friperie. "Second-hand shoes, dishes, bedding and clothing find happy owners every day at our thrift store. Our goal is to meet basic clothing needs for everyone and to provide some household supplies." I scored this adorable top for 3$CAD. It looks cuter on, by the way.
Our goal is to get to all the historic staircases before we leave. How about the 
Escalier du Faubourg (99 steps). 
This gorgeous set of stairs was built out of wood some time before 1858 and rebuilt in iron in 1889. The current version dates back to 1931. In the opinion of historian Yves Beauregard, this three-level staircase is the city's “most graceful and soaring.”


I love little touches like this address tile.
Rue St. Jean's Saturday street market introduced us to some nice police officers and gave us the opportunity to be amongst the community.

Lunch was at the delightful Café Krieghoff for delicious ham and cheese crêpes. I can't believe we've been here this long and this is only our second crêpe. It may not be our last.
Here is another interesting fountain, like Wallace's in Paris, that has some history. In 1878, the federal government enacted a law authorizing municipalities to forbid or restrict the sale and consumption of alcohol on their territory. While this legislation proved unpopular in the province of Quebec, it did inspire a few special measures. One example is this water fountain. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union had it installed in 1901 to give men a place to quench their thirst far from the temptation of the city’s taverns. I wonder if it worked.
Our wanderings brought us to Martello #4. In the final hours of 1775 British troops narrowly succeeded in repulsing the American revolutionary army that was on the verge of capturing Québec. Afterwards city officials erected the Martello Towers in order to better defend the capital city of Lower Canada.  From 1812 to 1871 this fortified tower, along with three others, formed part of an advanced defense system. The tower could shelter a dozen troops for up to a month, providing them with the ammunition, food, and water they needed.

The chief engineer, Ralph Henry de Bruyères, chose the tower, a defensive design that had been increasingly used throughout the British Empire ever since the Royal Navy had bombarded a similar tower at Cape Mortella in Corsica to no avail. British engineers copied the Mortella design and changed the name to Martello.

Martello Tower 1 is located on a hillside overlooking the St. Lawrence within the Plains of Abraham.

We ended our history lesson at the Memories of War, a WWI Memorial Site on the Plains of Abraham behind the Armory.
This Memorial Site, where seven German guns captured by the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the war are on display, was dedicated in 2019. The guns were taken during the great victories at Vimy Ridge in 1917 and Amiens, Arras and Cambrai in 1918. They bear witness to the efforts and sacrifices of all those who joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War.
We'd like to believe that Steve and I are travelers, based on Thomas H. Cook's quote, “A traveler enters the world into which he travels, but a tourist brings his own world with him and never sees the one he's in.”

posted under |

1 comments:

Four Points Bulletin said...

I can't believe all that you are doing in ONE day! It is a month's worth of activities. Love those old staircases. So much history in one place!

September 4, 2023 at 6:40 AM

Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Get new Blog Posts to your inbox. Just enter name and email below.

 

We respect your email privacy

Blog Archive


Recent Comments