“I remember” is the official motto of Québec.  In 1895 Thomas Chapais, historian, politician and member of the Québécois legislative council said this:

“The province of Québec has a motto of which she is proud and which she likes enough to carve it on her monuments and palaces.  This motto has only three words: “Je me souviens”; but these three words, in their simple economy of expression, are worth more than the most eloquent speeches.  Yes, we remember.  We remember the past and its lessons, the past and its misfortunes, the past and its glories.”

I will remember, as well.  I will remember Québec’s beautiful blue flags with the white cross and the fleur-de-lis proudly flying.  I will remember her living history of First Nations, France and Britain.  I will remember she is the only Canadian province to have French as its sole official language.  I will remember the cobblestone streets, the majestic St. Lawrence River, cheery flowers bursting from every front, and the sense of stepping back in time.  At the end of every trip I always take a picture of my souvenirs.  Second to Alaska, I found the most wolves here.  I got a darling Christmas ornament that has Santa petting a wolf which reads “Québec” and I could not resist the plush Royal Canadian Mounted Police husky or the Canadian Grenadier Guard beaver.  Whenever I look at them now in my office or on the tree at Christmas I remember:  “Je me souviens.”

I had never seen or even heard of a funicular until I went to France.  They have one at Monmartre, the highest point in Paris.  So I was thrilled to discover one here as well.  For anyone (like me) who did not know, it is a tram-like railway with cars on a cliff attached by cable which move them up and down the steep slope.  The freaky part is the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.  Sometimes I think ignorance really is bliss.  Its name is derived from the Latin “funiculus” meaning “rope”.  We got to the bottom and discovered a whole area full of art galleries, restaurants and shops.  I loved seeing Native American things and spray painted on a wall in blue we read “Québec libre” (free Québec).  They still remain part of the British Empire but they are so French personally the American in me would like to see their ties with England cut.  In the next breath I will tell you the Episcopalian in me was thrilled to discover the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the first Anglican cathedral built outside the British Isles.  It is the mother church of the Diocese of Québec nestled in the heart of the Old City (Vieux-Québec) and was modeled after London’s Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.  It proudly houses eight change-ringing bells which date from 1830; the oldest in Canada.  They were made by the same foundry that cast London’s Big Ben and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.  We loved the little church and a large stained glass panel depicting the Annunciation of Mary, which was quite beautiful, is among the pictures I took that day.

And Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”  And the angel departed from her. ~ Luke 1:38

Today’s adventures would include touring the world famous Château Frontenac, visiting a working military instillation, and walking the old walls of the city.  Château Frontenac is quite dramatic, in my opinion, particularly as it is perched high atop enormous cliffs rising above the swirling St. Lawrence River.  First, I learned the château was never really a château; rather it was built in 1893 as a grand hotel with more than 600 rooms on 18 floors.  During a tour we learned it was where Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King discussed their strategy for World War II.  I also found out it is where my grandmother-in-law’s parents spent their honeymoon in 1925.  I’ll bet it was grand!  Afterward Burk wanted to see the Citadel.  It is the oldest military building in Canada located on Cap Diamant.  I thought it was really neat for them to allow civilians access and also liked seeing both men and women in uniform.  We wandered our way around the ramparts and saw, among other things, a large boardwalk running between the cliffs and the Château Frontenac, old cannons, and the St. Louis Gate.  Just outside in the “newer” part of the city rock music was playing in the square, Québec flags were flying and they had big “400” numbers that lit up the night.

“We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore.  What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls ride over the river, we know not.  Ah, well! we may conjecture many things.” ~ John Wesley Powell, U.S. soldier and explorer of the American West

We made the drive up to Québec City and it was great seeing only French signs everywhere.  It had everything I loved:  Native Peoples (many tribes who are also in the U.S.), wildlife, history, French, and beautiful countryside.  We stopped to get gas and by the side of the station stood a goat as if it were a dog waiting on its master.  This was certainly not the steel and glass city we’d left behind.  With our ascent it got colder and started to rain.  We crossed the Loup River and I tried to get poor Burk to stop driving on a highway just so I could get a picture.  After only a couple of hours we entered into the capital.  Québec’s Old Town (Vieux-Québec) is the only North American fortified city whose ramparts still exist.  Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, we were lucky enough to be visiting on the city’s 400th anniversary.  It was founded in the early 17th century by French explorer Samuel de Champlain and was home to a pivotal battle between the French and English in 1759 that shaped the future of North America.  After checking into our boutique hotel we headed out for one of our favorite vacation activities: “schlock shopping”.  I was thrilled because they had lots of wolf things and Burk liked the toy soldiers.  Ironically, I got an “I ❤️ Québec” t-shirt when I did not even get one in New York.  The chilly, damp grayness of the day did nothing to diminish the Old Town’s charm.  I got sunburned in New York and was pleasantly surprised to find myself needing a sweater here in June.  The old streets were lined with rows of little shops and cafés all bursting with colorful blooms dripping gracefully from flower boxes and hanging baskets.  It was all beyond enchanting with people out walking the winding cobblestone streets, seeing ancient pitched roofs, and hearing tiny bells tinkling whenever one entered a store.  I felt this must have been what Paris would have been like if one could have stepped back several centuries in time.  It was our actual wedding anniversary and we had made dinner reservations at Le Ciel (the sky), a revolving restaurant in downtown within walking distance of Old Québec.  Burk proposed to me in Dallas at the now-gone Antares, the revolving restaurant on top of Reunion Tower, so it was a lovely remembrance of such a special time in our lives.  We went to the top just before sunset and were treated to a sweeping view of the St. Lawrence River and the majestic Chateau Frontenac.  My favorite memory of the meal was the butter shaped like fleur-de-lis.  I loved them so much; they reminded me of the days when there were big ash trays in front of elevators at swanky hotels and someone would come along and stamp the sand with a logo after they were cleaned.  It may be a weird association but that’s where my mind went.

“Nearly all our originality comes from the stamp that time impresses upon our sensibility.” ~ French poet Charles Baudelaire

Our time in old Québec City had already impressed itself indelibly upon mine.