LA BELLE PROVINCE Du QUEBEC  or THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC in CANADA is the place where  I was born and raised. It will always be  my first home, even though I now live in Ontario. One foot in each province!

I chose Quebec as my  WORDPRESS WEEKLY CHALLENGE  ‘HOME’  theme because it is HOME to many wonderful historic sites.

MONTMORENCY FALLS

HOME TO: THE MONTMORENCY FALLS.  At  275 feet,the falls are the highest in the province of Quebec and 30 feet higher than Niagara Falls.The name Montmorency was given to the falls by Samuel de Champlain in 1613.

Today, tourists can take a stairway from top to bottom or a cable car. A walking bridge goes over the top of the falls for viewing.

BASILICA, ST ANNE DE BEAUPRE

HOME TO: The Basilica of St Anne de Beaupre.  Named to honor St Anne, the site is a catholic sanctuary that boasts many miracles of healing. A half million pilgrims visit each year.  The land was donated in 1658 to build a church, and this was the ultimate result.

CHATEAU FRONTENAC, UPPER CITY, QUEBEC

HOME TO:  The Chateau Frontenac. This CPR (Canadian Pacifac Railway), hotel was started in 1893, and continued into the early 20th century. The goal was luxury tourism. The site is now a National Historic Site and one of its claims to fame was that the hotel was used as the action center for discussions during the Quebec Conferences in 1943.  This is where Churchill, Roosevelt and Mackenzie King discussed strategies for WW11.

HISTORIC DISTRICT, LOWER CITY, QUEBEC

HOME TO: The old or lower City of Quebec.  Today, this area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain had the Chateau St Louis built and so began the lower town continuing into the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Today, you enter the lower town by passing through the St Louis Gate. The lower town housed the merchants and craftsmen and upper town housed the military personnel and clergy. Old World charm abounds in every direction.

LE BONHOMME, MASCOT TO THE QUEBEC WINTER CARNIVAL

HOME TO: The Quebec Winter Carnival..  Originally, the habitants of New France had a rowdy tradition of getting together just before LENT.  In 1894, this tradition became officially the winter carnival.  The winter affair was stopped only by the depression and the two world wars.  In 1954, businessmen got together and pushed for the return of the carnival. LE BONHOMME, the mascot was born and in 1955 the old tradition returned to Quebec City and has continued ever since.

The Quebec Winter Carnival is the largest winter carnival in the world and it is third behind Rio and New Orleans.

HOME is where the heart is. Mine happens to be split into two worlds not unlike so many millions of other people. I hope you enjoyed my little tour today…

Have you been to this wonderful Province and what are your memories?