Better With Age By Sarah Lolley Jan 1, 2008

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One of the doormen helpfully explains that this is where the shoreline reached in centuries past.

Stepping inside Auberge Saint-Antoine yields more treats. The modern boutique hotel—recipient of varied accolades from travel media in the past few years—doubles as an archaeological museum. Historic finds unearthed during the hotel’s construction, like colourful 19^th-Century glassware, are tastefully displayed throughout the building.

It is gorgeous out—crisp and cold, but sunny—and the meandering cobblestone streets charm me into following them. Swearing I am in a wintry Tuscany, or a Parisian arrondissement after a rare snowfall, I walk along Saint-Pierre Street to the 17^th-Century stone buildings lining Place Royale, then bravely ascend the “ Casse-Cou” (break-neck) staircase.

Soon I am in the upper part of Old Quebec on Dufferin Terrace, at the base of the ornate Château Frontenac, high above the rooftops of la Basse-Ville. Looking out over the St. Lawrence River, I feel for a second the pull of the stunning peninsula that enchanted Samuel de Champlain on that historic early July day in 1608—the inspiration that led the French commander and eventual “Father of New France” to found what is today the nation’s oldest permanent settlement.

“ Magnifique!” I declare, breathlessly, as I linger in the winter sun.

I amble down Saint-Louis Street to see yet another surprise from a city that is already seducing me at every turn: a cannonball unceremoniously imbedded in the base of a tree. As I stroll on, my thoughts turn (as they often do) to coffee and pastries. “Maybe a little shopping to build up an appetite,” I think, ducking into Simons department store. Mannequins are ready for the runway and the clerks swagger in the latest styles, but again, history is on display.

“Are those confessional booths?” I ask, gesturing to the change rooms in the men’s department. “ Mais oui,” a clerk replies.

Just around the corner from Simons, down the quiet Couillard Street, I find my steaming bowl of café au lait at Chez Temporel, filled with locals warming up over various hot liquids, after which I walk down through the winding streets to rue des Remparts.

Espace 400^e is clearly visible; a development project that is turning a relatively unused waterfront space into a public area with piers, walkways, an outdoor pavilion and an attractive glass-clad interpretive centre. Perhaps the most striking element will be the transformation of the Bunge grain elevators into a giant projection screen in June; a larger-than-life canvas for artist Robert Lepage’s multimedia show titled The Image Mill.

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