Quebec City's 400th birthday stays under radar

by ricknight | December 27, 2007 at 09:29 am
1755 views | 15 Recommendations | 10 comments

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Explore Quebec City with Alan Solomon

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Explore Quebec City with Alan Solomon

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Porte St-Jean (gate)

Porte St-Jean (gate)

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Quebec City was a cobblestone key to establishing a European settlement in North America, but its 400th birthday is approaching with the stealth of Gen. James Wolfe's infantry scaling the city's cliffs some 250 years ago.

The city is arguably the birthplace of Canada, but Quebec's history of English and French conflict and nationalist politics, along with a dose of organizational misstep, are conspiring to keep a lid on the year-long bash.

The old girl will be 400 in 2008, but the kids can't stop fighting about the party arrangements. Do we invite the Queen? Do we invite the Pope? Do we redo the Plains of Abraham, best 2 out of 3, with regulation hockey sticks?

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Barry Artiste
Barry Artiste
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:41 on December 27th, 2007

ricknight, excellent analogy Rick, My Hometown of Quebec City is unlike any other city and province, a place to experience to know the true meaning of a beautiful city, party people and province.  Quebec, once a fun, friendly atmosphere where English and French lived in relative non political harmony was pretty  politicized during the FLQ, followed by Chain Smoking Rene Levesque, culminating with Pierre Trudeau and his inability to see that Quebecois don't like to be told what to do or say, like Alberta or British Columbia.  I will be in La Belle Province to visit my family and friends to celebrate our heritage and 400 year old anniversary with Anglais Bells on.

My family hit the Quebec Shores from Ireland in the early 1750's, fleeing Ireland during the British purge of all things Catholic and Britain instituting Protestant ascendency taking all from the Irish.  Catholic France on the other hand always an ally of Ireland through religion alloted many Irish immigrants large tracts of lush, rich farmland near the Huron Village (In which many of our family coexisted peacefully and intermarried with the Huron First Nations) in exchange for a new life and to join French Military forces in defending Quebec City and outlying villages from all comers. This life saving gesture from France versus the British in the 1800's allotting all Irish Immigrants farmland, consisting of rocky outcrops and swamps throughout the Ottawa valley in Ontario for Irish immigrants who wish to help build Defensive Forts and later to build the Rideau Canal in which umpteen thousands of Irish, Scots, French perished of famine, Indian attacks,  dysentry and malaria.

Yeah, I can see why British Royalty and certain Politicians are not invited to this Gala French Event, though she will always be considered my Queen, she had nothing to do historically with past events and would distance herself if she could from her ethnic cleansing Royal ancestors.        

Jordan Yerman
Jordan Yerman
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 11:25 on December 27th, 2007

Stealthy indeed- I had no idea that this was approaching.

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illya Kouriyahkine

On a cloudy december day, I went in the old restored Place Royale where the Frenchs began their establishment in Nouvelle-France ( new-France ); many tourists from everywhere were strolling in this very old place.

illya Kouriyahkine has contributed a photo to this story.

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screenname043.7

A beautiful view of baie-St-Paul on the way to La Malbaie, Quebec.

screenname043.7 has contributed a photo to this story.

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suliann7

I created this landscape thinking of Quebec's cold Winters.

suliann7 has contributed a photo to this story.

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denseatoms

I love Quebec (city and Province), but must always boast that the first Francophonie in North America was Jean Ribaut's colony of Charlesfort on the sourthern coast of what is now South Carolina -- just a few miles from where I live. It was established in 1562 by Huguenots.

By the way, this is GOOD STUFF -- for some reason I couldn't find the flagging tool just now.

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denseatoms

(Accidental duplicate of above comment.)

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ricknight

Many thanks for the comments and all the great photos.

Let's hope that our shared love of Quebec City will prevail in the celebrations 

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marielaura

Saint-Joseph du Lac, Quebec

marielaura has contributed a photo to this story.

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suliann7


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Barry Artiste
First Flagged at 10:41 AM, Dec 27, 2007 by Barry Artiste
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