Montmorency Falls – Old Quebec

The full name is Parc de la Chute-Montmorency. There are many legends connected to this beautiful natural wonder. One such legend is the la Dame blanche, or the Lady in White. The legend tells the story of Rose, who was engaged to be married to a soldier during the infamous Seven Years’ War. In 1759 there was a pivotal battle between the French and the English at the base of Montmorency. The humidity of the falls caused the English army’s gunpowder to cake, rendering it useless. They retreated, and the French won the battle. Amongst the casualties, however, lay Rose’s fiancé. Heartbroken, Rose went into mourning and spent her days roaming the falls, calling out her fallen soldier’s name in vain. One night, in a state of shock, she put on her wedding dress and plunged herself into the falls, never to be found again. The story lives on to this day; some say that if you listen closely you can still hear her calling for her lost love against the roar of the falls. There is something so humbling about natural beauty.

And believe it or not, the falls freezes in the winter and is quite the sight.

Here is my dear Mr. Ken, standing on the walkway that goes across the top of the falls.

I didn’t think that heights would bother me, but I quickly found out that they did! As I was walking across the walkway, I really didn’t want to look at the falls since they seemed so close. I happened to look down between the boards and could clearly see the falls rushing. Oh dear. So, I kind of closed my eyes and shuffled across the walkway. Mr. Ken wanted to take my picture, but I said, “Um, not today.”

This is the view looking down from the walkway. It was a very cool and grey day, so the picture doesn’t do the scene justice. Off to the left at the bottom are the steps you can climb to get to the top of the falls. There are 487 steps!

This lookout where Ken took my picture was a bit more comfortable, we were down from the top of the falls, so it wasn’t as scary. I did happen to see that this is where they offer ziplines across the falls. I can’t think of anything scarier than that!

There is also a Manor House located close to the falls. Governor Haldimand acquired the land on the West bank of the Montmorency River and built his country home there (the first Manor). The house was most likely the first villa built in Canada and the first major building in the English architectural style.

Ken and I met an interesting man and his daughter while walking around the Manor House. The man was from Poland. It is a small world, since that is where my mother is from. They graciously offered to take our picture in front of the pretty fountain.

This whole day was quite the adventure. It is so much fun to meet interesting people on our travels. We even had a little adventure getting to the Falls. We took public bus to get there and it took about 30 minutes. The bus stopped at practically every street corner from downtown Quebec to Beauport/Boischatel, where the falls are located. So we got to see a lot of the city which we wouldn’t normally have seen.

What natural wonders have you seen or do you want to see?