A TOAST TO OLD QUEBEC
Quebec City is set to put on its dancing shoes to celebrate its 400th birthday and everyone’s invited.
The events kick off on New Year’s Eve with fireworks and multimedia performances at the Place d’Youville. Art lovers will enjoy an exhibit of treasures from the Louvre June 5-Oct 26, sports fans can attend the Snowboard World Cup in March or IIHF World Hockey Championship May 1-18, and Cirque du Soleil plans a grand finale Oct 19. In all, the Canadian government will spend $110 million on the 10-month party because, as Heritage Minister Bev Oda says, “the founding of Quebec City in 1608 helped establish us as a country.”
The excitement was palpable when I attended Quebec City’s Summer Festival in July, from airport expansion to cleaning up the Charles River. Each hotel, restaurant, and historic site was putting on its best face for the expected flood of visitors and international media. Even France wants to join the party and has earmarked at least $12 million for a Centre de la Francophonie des Ameriques (Museum of Francophony of the Americas).
Quebec City is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it’s hard to imagine a more spectacular venue for opera, art, music, and theater on a grand scale. A sure winner are fireworks displays over the majestic St. Lawrence River. Americans who have yet to discover this fortified city might consider that it has the oldest inn, newspaper, hospital, and business district in North America. As the seat of New France, it is truly a taste of Paris without the Gallic hauteur. And these days, it’s much cheaper than a flight to the City of Lights.
Though 95 percent of Quebec City’s 638,000 residents speak French, everyone I spoke with immediately switched to English when they realized I was American. In fact, my mediocre French was complimented as if residents genuinely appreciated my effort to speak their native tongue. Twenty years ago, “French only” was the separatists’ cry; today Quebec City’s international red carpet is glowing.
Why does Quebec City feel like Old World Europe? Because its historic center is carefully preserved, and its spacious urban plan allows for expansive parks and public buildings. Yet the “new” Quebec City boasts ultramodern hotels, convention centers, and shopping malls. Secondly, it is a city made for walking or biking—like European cities—and for leisurely meals. Quebec City’s award-winning chefs are trained in the world’s most competitive, upscale restaurants. Dining options range from Daniel Véniza’s gourmet menu at Laurie Raphaël to crepes at a sidewalk café.
For information on the celebrations for Quebec City’s 400th Birthday see: http://www.monquebec2008.com/MonQuebec2008/?lang=en-ca