October, 2023: Malheureusement je ne parle pas français!
Quebec City is the oldest French city in North America, dating back to 1608 and one of the earliest cities in North America; only St. Augustine is older (1565). It has fiercely retained its French heritage and French is its official language. Quebec City is the capital of the province of Quebec and its 2nd largest city (population of 550,000), with only Montreal being larger.
French explorer, Samuel Champlain, established the settlement on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in 1608, naming it “Quebec”, an Algonquin Indian name meaning “where the river narrows”, which aerial photography easily confirms.
Visiting Quebec City has been on my bucket list for years. We even had plans to go there in 2021 but we all know what happened then. This year we finally made it. Given my interest to learn as much as I can about the places I visit I signed us up to go on a 6 day Road Scholar trip called “Signature City: Quebec” (https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/19748/Signature-City-Quebec). These signature city programs focus only on the history and attractions in/near a city. Earlier in 2023 we attended a similar one in San Antonio, Texas. We really like Road Scholar trips (this was our 12th) because the program includes lectures along with field trips to provide the attendees with a lot more information and insight into the history and culture of the area visited. My brother, Gerry, and wife, Sue, also joined us on this latest adventure.