Château Frontenac, Québec City, Québec

My mom and dad honeymooned in Québec City in 1957 and we returned 67 years later so that my mother could re-experience it after burying my father on what had been their wedding day. They married on a Saturday and made their way to the Château Frontenac on a Sunday and so did we. The hotel opened its doors in 1893 and is situated in Old Québec, within the historic district's Upper Town, on the southern side of Place d'Armes. The Château Frontenac was designed by Bruce Price, and was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company as one of their grand railway hotels. The Châteauesque architectural style used throughout the hotel would later serve as a template for other Canadian grand railway hotels erected in the late-19th to early-20th century. The central fortress-like tower design is derived from medieval châteaux found throughout France's Loire Valley. These elements include the hotel's asymmetrical profile, with steeply pitched roofs, massive circular and polygonal towers and turrets, ornate gables and dormers, and tall chimneys. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981. The Château Frontenac is on a hill and it borders the Saint Lawrence River. We opted not to dine in the upscale restaurant, but rather in the bistro, and the views of both the river and the walkway alongside it were beautiful. It was not the first large building on the site. The first one was built during the 1780s, and was known as the Château Haldimand, named after the Governor of Quebec who ordered its construction. It was demolished in 1892 to make way for the present hotel. My parents paid $15 a night for their accomodations in 1957 and we paid $14/hour for parking today. My mother didn't remember much about her time here, but then notes that maybe that is because it was her honeymoon.