Cycling Old Quebec: Sans Car, Avec Beaucoup d’Adventure

A Quebec Cycling Trilogy: Part One
By Rick Millikan

(This is the first installment of a three-part series on bike tours through Quebec, Canada by our resident independent bike tour expert, Rick Milliakan)

Quebec City feels like France to us – but without the jet lag. From our charming boutique hotel, we immerse in ooh la la French culture amid her belle architecture, stylish accoutrements and a joie de vivre lifestyle.

Our first Gallic frolic involves mounting rental bikes and joining the multitudes of local cyclists. We soon cross the Charles River on a paved bikeway and slice neatly through city rail yards. Nearby lies Domaine De Maizerets, a historic park.  We amble through its natural wilderness, sniff around its large botanical gardens and proceed cycling northeast on Corridor du Littoral along the St. Lawrence River. Cool breezes caress our efforts as we merrily meander between long swaths of lush grass curving into tunnels under busy roadways. Silvery church spires soar above distant green hills. Spandex clad racers pass us, whizzing off to Baie de Beauport, most likely to take a dip off its sandy beach.

Soon sweet-scented purple lilacs welcome us into historic Beauport near our prime destination, a local natural attraction. Chirpy redwing blackbirds herald our arrival as we bridge a large marsh on the last phase of our journey. Just eleven pleasant kilometers from Quebec City, we’re gazing across a fresh water lagoon at Montmorency Falls, touted as over 30 meters higher than Niagara Falls. While snapping photos of its spectacular plunge, we notice fellow visitors riding a cable car up the cliffs to walk across a bridge suspended high above the falls. They’re enjoying close up views of the foaming fury; we’re content to snack and head back.

Next morning, we pedal through historic Lower Town and board the ferry to Levis. This short ride across the St. Lawrence offers stupendous views of Quebec City’s granite block walls surrounding the renowned chateau-style Hotel Frontenac, silvery domed Laval University and soaring Gothic cathedrals. We were told that for over a century, only the elite French lived in Upper Town.

A passing tall-ship surprises us with its surreal choir of yellow, red and blue suited sailors, who roost on five long spars branching from its main masts. Wondering if climbing the rigging for songfests is a Quebecois tradition, we listen as their exuberant rollicking sea shanties float over the river.

Levis and the Royal Trail Along the St. Lawrence

Disembarking in Levis, we discover that ‘La Chemin du Roy,’ or Royal Trail, heads 288 kilometers westward along the St. Lawrence to Montreal. Our riverside spin offers a taste of this scenic route.

Having nothing to do with denim pants, historic Levis was named after a famed General. After Wolfe defeated Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec City’s walls, Monsieur Levis (pronounced Le-vee) became commander of the remaining French Canadian forces. Although winning a subsequent battle against the English, General Levis capitulated when British reinforcements arrived the following spring.

Ferrying back to Quebec City offers the opportunity to practice our fundamental French. Pursing our lips into ooo’s and tripping rrr’s off our tongues, we chat with some cycling couples met earlier. And before getting into too much trouble, locals on the sidelines rescue us – in English.

Ashore, an avant-garde white block sculpture stands out from surrounding historic buildings. I query a local, who quips, “The French gave the U.S. the statue of liberty and we got her packing crates!”

Locking bikes outside the Museum of Civilization, we increase our understanding of French Canada through a revealing series of artifacts and the dramatized voices of its most important historic figures.  Among these notables, explorer Jacque Cartier recaps his discovery of diamonds and gold. Returning to France, he’s told these were merely quartz and pyrite. Marie Forestier de St-Bonaventure tells us how she and two other nuns founded North America’s first hospital in Quebec City. And Bishop Laval explains how his early seminary developed into one of Canada’s most prestigious universities.

Outside, we cycle into the heart of Lower Town where Samuel de Champlain established Quebec’s first settlement in 1608. In the center of Place-Royale, a bust of Louis the XIV once greeted French immigrants and now welcomes tourists. A simple stone church rests on foundations of l’Abitation, Champlain’s original trading post.  Centuries-old two-story homes surround Place Royal. Designed to deal with fire and ice, ladders still lay across their high peaked roofs. Originally needed to contrast with the white stucco covering the thick, stony walls, their heavy shutters and tin roofs are painted in rainbow colors. Two of these homes have merged into Centre d’Interpretation where local artifacts, pictures and documented tales retell the history of this early marketplace.

Around the corner a large mural depicts prominent Quebecers including Champlain and Frontenac looking out upper windows and others like Jacques Cartier appearing in an archway below. A few blocks north another mural pictures families of Irish immigrants involved in shipbuilding.

On the third day a taxi shuttles us with bikes to a modern Huron village. There, awesome Kabir Kouba Falls cascade to the bottom of a 42-metre canyon.  The interpretation centre displays its large fossil collection of plants and animals thriving here before the ice age.

Riding back through a forest and into rural countryside, we arrive in Quebec City’s outlying burbs. Turning off this trail, we revisit Domaine De Maizerets, this time exploring its old chapel and chateau. For almost two centuries, Laval’s Quebec Seminary operated this large farm estate as part of many enterprises. Painting the beauty of its timeworn buildings and colorful gardens, artists sell the results of their inspiration under white canvas stalls.

This Canadian destination exudes extraordinary beauty, history and old world charm; there’s so much to enjoy during our sunny days there.  As next year Quebec City turns 400-years-old, we’ve celebrated early: cycling into la belle countryside, exploring this venerable city of Canadian firsts, savoring an array of delectable French cuisine and continually toasting this amazing World Heritage Site.