Montmorency falls, or what they call it here as Chute Montmorency is only 20 minutes of ride from downtown Quebec city and its reachable by city buses. The fall is 84 meters high (275 feet) and 46 meters wide (150 feet). It is considered as the highest in the province, it is even higher than the famous Niagara falls.
There are few ways to get to the top of the fall; take an aerial tram to take your lazy ass comfortably from the base to the top of the fall, or if you feel that you have good stamina, there are staircases that allow us to view the falls from several angles. I was going to count how many steps there are in the name of research but I lost count at the 23rdstep, I also managed to lost my breathe, my stamina, my balance, and my reason to continue up… However, I managed to pushed my heavy butt all the way up the top to the suspension bridge atop of its crest, a popular destination for romantic marriage proposals and tacky selfies. Yes, I off course the last mentioned activity.
The view from the bridge is awesome. The falls flow into the St. Laurence River, and across the river, you can see the glimpses of the L’Île d’Orleans.
What I found most intriguing of this area is its spooky legend about the Lady in White (la legend de la Dame Blanche). I love spooky romantic folktales. It is a folktale about a girl who lost her fiancé in a battle against the French army (he was a soldier), she wears her white wedding dress and plunge herself from the top of the falls and never been found again. Some say that if you listen closely you can still hear her calling for her lost love against the roar of the falls. Tell me if you do hear it too because I didn’t, I was hungry and my belly rumbled louder than the falls, distracting my concentration. Remember this folktale when you are on the suspension bridge, you get to see what she saw before she hit the floor of the river. Just don’t plunge yourself tho. Please don’t. Seriously, just don’t. I hate you if you do.
If you are a dare devil and fond of taking a chance to accompany la Dame Blanche, I will suggest you to do rock climbing on the cliff of the waterfall. This an organized activity tho, ask for further info at the Manoir, on the other end of the bridge. It is surely safe and your chance to end up as la Dame Blanche’s friend are very low as long as you do it properly.
The scenic around this area is awesome tho. It has picnic park with kids playground at one end of the bridge (yes its up there). There are also paths with viewing points on both sides of the waterfall. Have I told you earlier that the view is magnificent?
As an acute height-hater, I can tell that I felt pretty safe walking across the bridge, climb up the stairs and visiting the viewing points on the cliff. Everything seemed well-maintained and sturdy. I didn’t get that fizziness in the legs that leads to awkward crotch tingling that I suffer from time to time when I am higher than I wanted to be. Speaking about fear of height, is it normal that I feel the fizziness in my legs and I feel like they suddenly out of my control and act like they have their own brain? Quickly they want to do their own thing like throw me off down to the ground, jump off the bridge or whatever platform I was form? I am not sure anymore if it’s the height that I fear of if it’s the fact that on certain height my legs turn against me…
At the other end of the bridge, there is the Montmorency manor. It was the summer residence of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the father of Queen Victoria (you know that guy?). it was constructed back in the 17thcentury. Nowadays it has become a restaurant with a lovely patio (great place to throw a wedding party), and an interpretive center.
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