16.07.2012 – 16.07.2012  33 °C

Early start this morning because I wanted to get up to the citadel by 10am to see the changing of the guard. No real issues getting to the citadel (although the walk up the hill at quick pace was a bit much for M) but we were disappointed to find we had to pay to see the changing of the guard. After paying we went in and were just in time to see most of the ceremony.

I find the whole point of the changing of the guard interesting… The guard here is an actual regiment in the Canadian army. The Vingt Deuxiéme (Royal 22^nd Regiment) are stationed here in the citadel and are the only French speaking regiment in the Canadian military. They are quite a revered and important part of the military and are therefore honoured with the upkeep and safety of the citadel. The citadel itself was built by the British in 1820 on the remains of the old French fort. It is the only walled fort that is still in military use today.

Back to the guard, the guard are dressed similarly to all other military regiments throughout the world that are primarily a tourist attraction. The Canadian guard are dressed in red jackets, black pants, black beaver hats and semi automatic guns tipped with bayonet… (I’ve often wondered about the bayonets, how useful are they really in these days when semi automatic machine guns don’t require lengthy reloading?) The changing ceremony was lots of parade marching and officer inspection-ing, saluting with their guns etc. The one thing that sets this changing of the guard a part from others I have seen, is the regimental goat! Yup, a goat (who’s name is Baptiste)! This regiment has a descendant of a goat that was given to this citadel way back by Queen Victoria in recognition of some great feat that this regiment did for the English govt. It is pretty funny to see a goat on the parade ground being walked around in time with the soldiers.. It is funnier when you realise that the goat really doesn’t like parade marching and spends all of its time pulling against its halter! Especially funny, is when it starts bleating right in the middle of the ceremony. Anyway, it is the mascot of this regiment and so it is paraded out every day at the changing of the guard ceremony! I guess it spends the rest of its day locked in its pen eating hay?

After the changing of the guard ceremony was finished our entry ticket allowed us to go on a couple of tours of the citadel. The first one, being a tour of the Governor General’s residence here in Quebec City. The GG’s residence here in Quebec City is the secondary residence for the GG (I guess similar to having our GG having a house in Sydney). The reason behind having two residences is the same reason as why we have two… Quebec City used to be the capital of Canada. As Toronto grew, questions were raised about keeping Quebec City as the capital (particularly as it was French), so like Australia, no one could decide so a separate capital was built, Ottawa!

The house of the Governor is a bit smaller than I would have expected (although in saying that much larger than an average house). It has been the GG’s residence since the 18^th C but was destroyed by fire in the 80s. Today’s residence is a combination of old 18^th C exterior and modern 20^th C interior. The interior is really beautiful. A large sky light runs the whole length of the upstairs area making the rooms feel very light and airy. The sky light is supposed to represent the ice fields up north, the carpet the sea and the art works are from all around Canada. The interior has been very tastefully done and does real credit to the Canadian peoples. The crowning glory of the residence is the outside terrace that overlooks the old city and the St Lawrence seaway. The views from the terrace are just gorgeous.

After our wander thru the apartments we headed back out for a tour of the citadel itself. As I said earlier, the citadel is a working military base, so much of the buildings and exterior parade areas are off limits, but we still got to see most of the older sites of the citadel. The citadel is built on the remains of the old French Fort and it is this fort that was not heavily fortified and was over run by the English. Once this fort was over run the whole of Quebec City was in English hands, effectively meaning that all of the supply lines for the remaining French troops were cut, signalling the downfall of the French colony. From what our guide said today, the French govt had already given up on the colony of Canada so I’m sure at some stage the French troops probably would have left the area anyhow! Not long after the English occupation the French Revolution broke out, meaning that the French would never have a chance to reclaim their territories in Canada. Another interesting fact about the citadel is its motto “Je Me Souviens” (I will remember). The motto makes sense for the regiment (similar to our Lest We Forget) but what is interesting is that the motto is now used throughout Quebec to symbolise that the French Speakers won’t forget their language, culture etc!

After wandering around the grounds of the citadel (and taking some photos J) we headed into town to show M the chateau. From the chateau we took the funicular down to the lower town for some shopping and a bite to eat. We found lunch in this cute little deli (Panini) before we headed out to do some shopping in the quaintest area you’ve ever seen! The old town of Quebec City really does rival many European towns for cuteness. The lower old town is cute twisty streets.. cobblestoned of course and the buildings are all semi detached three storied houses (shops underneath). Really cute!! Our shopping took us to the Fudgerie (the orange, pistachio chocky was pretty alright!), a handbag shop (new back pack for M) and into a couple of little art stores. The rain started up so we knew it was time to head back home for the evening.

We did miss out on doing a wander thru the Plains of Abraham, which is the site where the British forces defeated the very overwhelmed French forces. Basically what happened, is that the French knew that at some stage the British would attack the colony. To prevent being attacked, the French commanders sensibly sent the majority of their army northwards to cover what they believed would be the most likely British invasion route. The British were forewarned and cunningly decided to out flank the French forces and attack Quebec City from the landward southern side. This they did, quickly over running the French forces and capturing the city of Quebec. The battles continued for many more months but with very little supplies coming to the French forces (and no new recruits coming from France) eventually the French forces had to surrender and the colony of Canada was now in British control.

Our day ended with a drink in the Chateau (we couldn’t really not go in and look at Quebec City’s pseudo castle) before we headed back to our hotel for some dinner and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we are leaving Canada and heading back into the USA to the Maine sea shore.

Song of the Day– Tom Petty, I won’t back down