The Plains of Abraham

Then and now

In 1759, the British army laid siege to the fortified city of Québec in New France. Three months later, a battle ensued on The Plains of Abraham, just outside the city walls. The French lost both the battle and eventually the war, ceding all of New France to the British.

Today, The Plains of Abraham is a beautiful urban park, easily rivaling Central Park in Manhattan or Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. We took a bike ride through the park yesterday, although we have no pictures of the park itself to prove it.

Tidbit

You will notice ladders and small fences on the roofs of almost every building in Quebec City. The ladders are needed so that people can more easily climb the length of the roof to clear the winter snow, and the small fences are needed to catch the people if they slip. The ladders and fences are now mandatory on all new or renovated buildings because too many people have died clearing the snow.