Tag Archives: MS Maasdam

July 30, 2014 · 5:35 am

Québec Part 2 — A First Look at Upper Town

Upper Town Québec

After spending perhaps an hour in the Lower Town section of Québec, and knowing full well that we would be passing through Lower Town again on our way back to the ship, we made our way to Upper Town via the Old Québec Funicular. Reaching the top and stepping out of the funicular was a bit like being instantaneously transported to France:

Upper Town Québec

Indeed for a moment I thought we were in Paris:

Is This Paris?

Leave it to the Ministry of Finance to have such an expensive looking façade, and with a very photogenic clock tower:

Ministry of Finance

Even the old Québec Post Office, dating back to 1873, has that Old World flair:

Old Post Office Building

And then there is that explosion of color that awaits you when you stroll through the more commercial streets of Upper Town. Here is a view of the shops along Rue Sainte-Anne taken from the park across the street and next to the Ministry of Finance building:

Rue Sainte-Anne near the Château Frontenac and Ministry of Finance

On Fun Photo Friday I will present some of my favorite shots of both Lower and Upper Town Québec. Until then, click on any of the images below to begin your tour of Upper Town Québec:

Rue Sainte-Anne

Upper Town Québec

Another Church Steeple

Upper Town Québec

Church Towers Everywhere

Upper Town Québec

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel

Tagged as cruise, Holland America, Ministry of Finance, MS Maasdam, photography, Québec, Québec City, R. Doug Wicker, St. Lawrence River, travel, Upper Town

July 28, 2014 · 5:35 am

A Trek through Québec — Part 1

Our first sight of Québec from aboard Holland America‘s MS Maasdam:

Our First Sight of Québec City

Just down the St. Lawrence River from Montreal, a short 160-mile cruise or so, is a quaint little village called Québec City, also known as Ville de Québec. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It’s the capital of Québec Provence in Canada. As Québec is the letter “Q” in the NATO/ICAO phonetic alphabet I’ve spent most of my life actually knowing how to correctly pronounce it (one of the educational benefits of working in Air Traffic Control for 34 years): Kay-Beck rather than the Kwah-Beck so often heard here in the United States.

Basse-Ville Fountain and Statue

Over the next six normally scheduled blogs — including the next two Fun Photo Fridays — I will offer you a sense and even a taste of this wonderfully charming city at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River and the approach into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Lower Town Café

We will tour about the town and take a look at such wonderful sights as the stunningly beautiful Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, the charming square outside Notre-Dame-des-Victoires in the Lower Town section (Basse-Ville) of Québec, and even take a ride on the Old Québec Funicular (click here to read about funiculars) before we begin our tour of Upper Town (Haute-Ville).

The Old Québec Funicular saves you a climb

The grand Fairmont Le Château Frontenac sits atop the hill

Additionally I’ll be having two bonus blogs this coming weekend aimed (pun intended) at you lovers of Old West firearms as we look at the 19th Century version of an “assault” rifle — the famous Winchester lever-action rifle — the “Rifle that won the West.”

Meanwhile, click on any of the images below to begin your tour of Québec.