If I ever go back

I would like to go inside and see the Cyclorama of Jerusalem.

More of the Basilica

Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

Last time I was in Canada I can remember seeing the spires of the Basilica of St-Anne-de-Beaupré so after our hike and climb in the park near Stoneham-Tewkesbury we decided to give Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré a visit.


On a day like the day we visited it's not hard to imagine why it draws so many people to visit it. It's like a dazzling beacon in the sunlight. As the oldest pelgrimage site in North America it draws nearly a million and a half visitors each year. It's history dates back to 1658 when the first church and shrine was built on the site. And it's first reported miracle at the site happened during the shrine’s construction. A man named Louis Guimond was hired to help build the shrine even though he suffered from rheumatism. After placing three stones upon the shrine’s foundation, Guimond was cured of all his ailments. This was followed by other testimonies of healed people and shrine soon grew in popularity.

After being destroyed by fires and having been demolished to make more room for the worshippers that visited, the present basilica dates from 1923. I have only two photos to show of the inside, all the other pics I have binned as they were all a blur. This first one is also blurry but it was something that caught my eye as I was leaving. Attached to the pilars are the walking canes and crutches of people who have left the basilica healed of their ailments. Despite the blurriness of the image I felt it was worth showing.

This second image is of the ceilings inside. They are awe inspiring. As someone who is a non believer (an atheist to be precise), the details and love put into these ceilings are truly remarkable.


More info on the basilica can be found here and more info on who Saint Anne, the patron saint of Quebec, was can be found here

Summit view

Dappled red and yellow amongst the green of fir trees I can't help but wonder if somewhere down there are the homes of Claudine and Maryse and which ones they are. The view is wonderful up here, perfect for a picnic!

Natures finest

Autumn approaches and before your eyes green turns to gold turns to red.

Life and death are part of the same cycle. The death of a tree brings life to the other plants and trees that survive.

Stoneham-Tewkesbury

After a wonderful day in Québec and a quiet evening with Jean and Claudine we spent the next day visiting the surrounding countryside and our first stop was at a provincial park not far from Stoneham-Tewkesbury. I forget the name of the park, maybe Jean knows? We spent the morning climbing the mountain and following the trail to the top. Along the way we passed many great big rocks and boulders that were named. Sorry I can't find the little map that has all the names on them but we did get to see the start of autumn and the trees being set afire in that blaze of glory that happens each year before winter approaches.

Le Fontaine Quebecoise

Browsing the net I still haven't found out the name of this fountain. For now I'll just call it Le Fontaine Quebecoise. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I do find it a strange structure in a sense. It looks like it belongs on top of a church spire. The flying butresses, buttress pier and the pinnacle's surrounding the central structure give it a Gothic appearance as do the decorative crockets above the arches. And on top a religious figure holding a cross. There are definitely references being made to church architecture on every level. The regal lions spouting water, the essence of life, a reference to the kingdom of heaven, the bounty to be found there and life never ending?

Loving the ornateness

I love the roofs of the buildings in Canada in general but especially the ornateness of the metal casting on this roof and the patina of the copper. I have no idea what building it is but it can be seen from the ramparts of the previous post.

City walls

Here's something thats still on my list of things to see in Québec City. I'd love to see more of the defensive walls, the Citadelle and the Plains of Abraham. We got a hint of them standing on the ramparts. I'd also love to see the changing of the guards. I've read they don't do it when it rains. Which I think is kind of funny.

Looking at the pics Carmen took

I came across some really nice ones of Québec (she gave me a copy of all her pics for my birthday) and she took some great pics I'd like to share. While I was focussed on the beauty on top of the cannons she got a great pic of them lined up ready to defend the city.

And I think this is such a great shot of the Château Frontenac, the lighting is just amazing! It's golden.

Not the end...

Of our time in Québec city, and I hope not my last visit to the city that's a cherished friend I would love to see more of and find out more about. Or the last time I go visit mes grandes soeurs Claudine & Maryse, mes grandes frères Vianney, Jean & Yves, maman Mariette et papa Leo, ma petite souer et frères Laurie, Cedric et François. It will take some time before we meet again but you are in my heart forever like Clément who brought us together and is no longer among us. I miss him. I know you do too.

And now I am going to post some pics of you ;). Don't worry, if anyone has any objections I will take them of the blog. These are pics Carmen and I took of you. I thought we took more but I ran out of batteries and Carmen ran out of film. But it is nice to have momentos like these!
Laurie, for some strange reason your father is in none of the pics I took of you all. Doesn't he like my camera?

By no means complete....

A brief history lesson on some of the figures in the fresque.

#1 Jacques Cartier (1491-1557), was a French navigator hoping to discover a western passage to the wealthy markets of Asia who first explored and described the Gulf of St-Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named Canada. He is not the first "European" to have discovered Canada. Although there has been little to no evidence found of earlier discoveries it has been visited by the Irish and the Vikings during earlier centuries.

#2 Samuel de Champlain (1570-1635) Fouded Quebec City in 1608. His first voyage was in 1603, when he went to Canada on a fur trading trip. He traveled down the St. Lawrence river and into the Hudson Bay. His second trip he went looking for settlement land. On his third trip he found settlement along the St. Lawrence River that eventually became Quebec.

#3 Comte de Frontenac (1622-1698) A French nobleman and soldier by trade, Louis de Buade, comte de Frontenac et de Palluau was twice appointed Governor-General of New France. During his second term he fought off an attack by British General Phips near Quebec City in 1696.
He is credited with having retorted to a demand of surrender by the British by saying: "Non, je n'ai point de réponse à faire à votre général que par la bouche de mes canons et de mes fusils." ("I have no reply to make to your general other than from the mouths of my cannons and muskets.").

#4 Jean Talon (1626-1694) arived in Quebec City in 1665; sent by Louis XIV as intendant, Under his governance, New France prospered. He is the first and most highly regarded Intendant of New France. He attempted to diversify the colony's economy by encouraging agriculture, fishing, lumbering, and industry as well as the traditional fur trade. He approved expedition plans to seek a western passage to China. In 1666, he conducted the first census in North America, counting 3,215 of its residents.

#5 Louis Jolliet (1645-1700), born in Quebec, discovered and mapped the Mississippi River. Famous as an explorer, he was also an organist, a merchant, a cartographer and a professor at the Collège des Jésuites. The city of Joliet, Illinois, in the United States is named after him.

#6 Lord Dufferin (1826-1902), Frederick Temple Blackwood Marquess of Dufferin and Ava. was appointed as the third Governor General of the Dominion of Canada from 1872 to 1878. Quebec City owes him a lot; he fought to preserve the fortified walls around the city citing they would become part of the heritage of the city. During his term several well-known Canadian institutions, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Royal Military College of Canada, and the Intercolonial Railway, were established. His final public appearance as Governor General was to lay the foundation stone for Dufferin Terrace, the walkway overlooking the St. Lawrence River built to his own design. After Canada, he was posted to Russia and India.

#7 Felix Leclerc (1914-1988) was a French-Canadian folk singer, poet, writer, actor and Québécois political activist and the father of Québécois song, reviving the Québec chanson tradition. He was also extremely popular in France. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1971, the National Order of Quebec in 1985 and became a Chevalier of the French Légion d'honneur in 1986. You can visit his house on the Île d'Orléans, the island in the St. Laurent river opposite Québec. It has become a monument to his chansons, life and work. There's a 9 minute video (in French) on YouTube you can watch here

Up close - Fresque des Quebecois

Fresque des Quebecois

Another great fresco depicting Québec city and its historic figures through the seasons and the centuries. You can see it from Dufferin Terrace as you look over the ramparts but up close it's an amazing piece of work! It's so big and quite hard to take a full picture of.

Another view of Château Frontenac

Continuing down the narrow cobblestoned streets towards the St. Laurent river to the ferry across it, looking back up the sight of the Château is once again spectacular!