I continued my walk to the ‘Parc des Champs-de-Bataille’, better known as the ‘Plains of Abraham’ where on the 13th September – so almost to the day – in 1759, British soldiers under the command of General James Wolfe scaled the cliffs and won a dramatic victory over the French onthis cliff top field that is today a grassy recreation ground and public park.
On the way I had passed the ‘Assemblée Nationale’ where the provincial parliament of Québec meets in a ‘Second Empire’ building completed in 1886. Niches in the striking façade display 20 or so bronze figures depicting individuals who have played a significant role in Québec’s history. Since the building is undergoing renovation and heavily concealed byscaffolding I have no photos.
Dominating the cliffs above the St Lawrence is the famous Citadelle. My DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to Canada tells me that both the French and the British armies contributed to the building of this magnificent fort. The French commenced construction in 1750 and was completed by the British in 1831. The fort was built to protect the city of Québec by attack from America but no attack ever took place. Today the Citadelle is an operational army base and home to the famous French Canadian regiment the Royal 22e – the Van Doos – whose uniform is of British design with Bear Skins, scarlet tunics and blue trousers!!
For the last part of my exploration I followed the fortifications of the Citadelle high above the St Lawrence along the Governor’s Walk. It was a beautiful late summer’s afternoon, the trees were just on the turn, some red breasted birds, that Ireally never got to see close up, were twittering in the trees and the St Lawrence River glittered in the sunshine below. Then came the steps! What seemed endless flights of 60 steps at a time that took me back to the Terrasse Dufferin that sweeps along the top of the Cap Diamant - named after the shiny stones that the explorer Jacques Cartier discovered on the cliff and mistook for diamonds - from the edge of the Citadelle to the Château Frontenac.
The views from the Terrasse over the St Lawrence and the Laurentian Mountains with the Balmoral moored below were spectacular. For the amusement of the locals an ice slide for toboggans has been built on the Terrasse known as the Les Glissades de la Terrasse. To me this slope looked fiercely steep and more like a ski jump and I imagine on a good day you could get a good speed up on this slide and para-tobboggan off the Cap Diamant over the St Lawrence River – well that’s providing you didn’t impale yourself on the substantial railings guarding the edge of the Terrasse!!
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