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Come to Quebec City
Quebec City's Place Royale. Courtesy of Mendel Tours.
Established as a fur trading post in 1608, Quebec City emerged as the capital of French holdings that stretched west beyond the Great Lakes and south to the Gulf of Mexico. The city's position—atop a high cliff overlooking a narrow point in the Saint Lawrence Seaway—gave it strategic importance in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today its fortified walls, winding streets, and historic French and English architecture give it a character unlike any other city in North America. Against this backdrop, the Manuscript Society will gather for our 2012 annual meeting.
Luxury Accommodations
Our home base for the annual meeting is the renowned Château Frontenac in the heart of Quebec City's historic district. Inspired by the grand estates of France's Loire valley, the Château Frontenac has dominated the skyline of the Old City since 1893 with its towers, turrets, and conical roofs.
Historic Attractions
Following an opening-night reception at the Château Frontenac, we will launch our exploration with a Thursday-morning talk by David Mendel, head of Mendel Tours and author of Quebec: World Heritage City.
Because the Château Frontenac is so centrally located, most of the sites we will visit are within a few blocks. Thursday morning's agenda will take us to the Ursuline Convent and Archives, the oldest educational institution for women in North America. After lunch at the National Assembly, we will tour its Parliamentary Library and Archives. From there we'll go to the Plains of Abraham—National Battlefields Park—once the site of clashes between the French and British Empires, now Quebec City's answer to New York's Central Park.
We'll start Friday morning with a short walk to the Reference Centre of French North America. There we will view the archives of the Seminary of Quebec. We will return to the hotel for lunch and the society's annual business meeting then board the bus for the National Archives of Quebec, billed as the largest public library in the French-speaking world.
Scenic Excursion
Saturday will begin with a walking tour of the Lower Town. Mid-morning, a bus will bring us to the Island of Orleans. From art galleries and historic monuments to cheese, chocolate, and cider factories, this picturesque island promises us a delightful excursion. We'll lunch at the Moulin de Saint-Laurent. From there we'll go to the Montmorency Falls, higher even than Niagara. On returning to Quebec City, we'll visit the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. In this venerable setting, we'll be treated to a special viewing of communion silver given by King George III and a private concert on a rare English chamber organ made in London in 1790. To cap off the annual meeting, we'll gather at the Garrison Club for a farewell cocktail reception and dinner presentation by Napoleonic specialist Peter Friedman. Packing note: The club requires gentlemen to wear a jacket and tie.
