Can you walk on top of the Citadel in Quebec City?
January 26, 2012 10:29 PM Subscribe
Is it possible to walk on top of the Citadel or Ramparts in Quebec City in winter?
Asking for a friend...She visited Quebec City in March in the early to mid 90s. She thinks she walked on top of the Citadel walls or maybe the walls of the city, although she seems more certain that it was the Citadel.
She recalls walking up a hill. Her memory here is a bit hazy, as she had already been to the Breakneck Stairs, the Chateau, a tour of the Citadel, etc. She doesn't know where she was, except that it was near the Plains of Abraham at some point, although she thinks maybe she started near a tobaggan run for the Chateau or something. Anyway, she went up the hill, then sort of a staircase (metal, possibly temporary). Some other people were taking this same path. There was a sign that said, in French, "Access forbidden" or something to that effect. Other people were ignoring it and just sort of stepping over a metal gate and continuing. Anyway, she also did this, although the other people moved a lot faster and were soon gone. After some time, she found herself fairly high up on top of the fortress, she thinks. At some point, she looked down and realized there was a hole in front of her that dropped down a long way to the ground - and that she was walking on ice and snow. She crawled back until she found what she felt was a wall and then crawled along to the end of the wall. She doesn't remember how she got off the end of the wall...perhaps another temporary stair case or a slope.
Anyway, at the end, she walked down a hill to a field, which she thinks was the Plains of Abraham. She stood there for a while, realized she had no idea what she was on - could be a pond for all she knew - and she set back up the hill, somewhat worried that she might end up lost in the snow, as it was a bit of an incline and, since the spring thaw was underway, she was worried about things sliding down toward her, as the hill was quite steep and she didn't grow up in a place with much snow.
She wants to know if it is possible that this was the Citadel or if there is some other building that would have put her in the same place. She is unsure if she was walking on the fortress or perhaps the walls of the city. She's a bit incredulous that she or anyone could have just walked up on top of the Citadel, let alone that she would have ignored the sign. But she insists that this really did happen and can provide a lot of other details about what was a memorable weekend on her own. She thinks she was dissociating a bit during the experience, which gives it some dreamlike qualities, but she's quite certain it all did happen. It's just that she can't believe she could just go up on the Citadel.
Thanks.
Asking for a friend...She visited Quebec City in March in the early to mid 90s. She thinks she walked on top of the Citadel walls or maybe the walls of the city, although she seems more certain that it was the Citadel.
She recalls walking up a hill. Her memory here is a bit hazy, as she had already been to the Breakneck Stairs, the Chateau, a tour of the Citadel, etc. She doesn't know where she was, except that it was near the Plains of Abraham at some point, although she thinks maybe she started near a tobaggan run for the Chateau or something. Anyway, she went up the hill, then sort of a staircase (metal, possibly temporary). Some other people were taking this same path. There was a sign that said, in French, "Access forbidden" or something to that effect. Other people were ignoring it and just sort of stepping over a metal gate and continuing. Anyway, she also did this, although the other people moved a lot faster and were soon gone. After some time, she found herself fairly high up on top of the fortress, she thinks. At some point, she looked down and realized there was a hole in front of her that dropped down a long way to the ground - and that she was walking on ice and snow. She crawled back until she found what she felt was a wall and then crawled along to the end of the wall. She doesn't remember how she got off the end of the wall...perhaps another temporary stair case or a slope.
Anyway, at the end, she walked down a hill to a field, which she thinks was the Plains of Abraham. She stood there for a while, realized she had no idea what she was on - could be a pond for all she knew - and she set back up the hill, somewhat worried that she might end up lost in the snow, as it was a bit of an incline and, since the spring thaw was underway, she was worried about things sliding down toward her, as the hill was quite steep and she didn't grow up in a place with much snow.
She wants to know if it is possible that this was the Citadel or if there is some other building that would have put her in the same place. She is unsure if she was walking on the fortress or perhaps the walls of the city. She's a bit incredulous that she or anyone could have just walked up on top of the Citadel, let alone that she would have ignored the sign. But she insists that this really did happen and can provide a lot of other details about what was a memorable weekend on her own. She thinks she was dissociating a bit during the experience, which gives it some dreamlike qualities, but she's quite certain it all did happen. It's just that she can't believe she could just go up on the Citadel.
Thanks.
Best answer: Your friend walked on the walls of the Citadel of Quebec, a public park in downtown Quebec City.
posted by birdwatcher at 11:40 AM on January 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by birdwatcher at 11:40 AM on January 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks! I think she was wondering more about whether you are actually allowed to do that in the winter . (We can tell from looking at pictures that it should be fine in warmer weather.)
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 10:34 PM on January 28, 2012
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 10:34 PM on January 28, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kag at 5:28 AM on January 27, 2012 [1 favorite]