QUEBEC CITY -- Two young lovers stroll along a deserted cobblestone street.

It is after midnight and the teeming crowds that a few hours earlier had filled the outdoor cafes and colorful sidewalk boutiques are now gone. A lovely moon-lit river flows silently in the background.

French flags flap lazily in the light breeze Blue, red and yellow tables and chairs filled with merrymakers only hours earlier now sit empty.

The couple walks along slowly, quietly, arm-in-arm, then they pause and kiss.

Ahhhhh...Paree, mai oui?

Ah, non, non _ this is North America, more specifically Quebec City.

There is a saying that if you can't afford to go to Paris, France, then go to Quebec City, where with a little imagination one can easily picture themselves in the famous City of Lights. This is the cradle of French civilization in North America.

Quebec City, the capital of the province of Quebec, is Canada's City of Celebrations. And, a city of fun.

Quebecois, like their Parisian counterparts, joie de vivre _ they love to enjoy life.

And, they have plenty of ways to find a multitude of plaisir.

This is an enchanting city with a unique ambience. From its spectacular panoramic views and charming winding streets to its romantic hideaways and historic walls, Quebec City is a city unlike any other in North America. There is an unmistakable European flavor to everything, from its stone-dominated architecture to its beautiful old churches and ornamated governmental buildings. This is a postcard city come to life.

Samuel de Champlain, the famous French explorer and founder of Quebec City, said in 1608 upon first landing at the site: "Gift of God, I will make thee worthy." The city has certainly made that forecast come true.

Hardly a month goes by without some kind of major celebration in Quebec City. Fireworks, jazz, massed bands, food, movies, skiing, boating, art . . . they all have their special days in the sun in this beautiful piece of landscape hard on the broad St. Lawrence River.

In August, more than 500 military band members from across Canada and several foreign countries merged in Quebec City for the annual Military Bands Music Festival. A week of concerts and public park appearances concluded with a massed band concert and a parade which drew more than 100,000 spectators.

Quebec City is a true four-season locale and each season is celebrated in style.

The city is now preparing for its annual fall dress of orange, brown, green and gold as autumn performs its annual magic on the city's hundreds of thousands of trees, presenting a cacaphony of colors. The arboral views are also spectacular along the city's St. Lawrence River shoreline and the nearby Isle d'Orleans.

With the inevitable arrival of 135 inches of snow, Quebec City in late January takes on a new vitality and spirit _ it is time for the Winter Carnival, billed as the world's largest winter celebration.

This is like a frosty version of the Rio Carnival. For 17 days (Jan. 26-Feb. 11) winter is celebrated in a myriad of ways _ everything from a 20-nation ice sculpture competition and dogsledding demonstrations to night parades and canoe races through, over and around ice floes. This year, the city will have a fully-operational ice hotel, made entirely of ice and complete with room service. Work on the 8-bedroom facility will begin in December, and, alas, will melt away in the spring. Only one other country, Sweden, has an operational ice hotel.

Summer brings the return of the very popular 10-day Summer Festival, with the city's streets filled with more than 600 musicians, mimes, acrobats, singers, etc. Performers come from about 25 countries and provide more than 250 outdoor and indoor shows during the first two weeks of July. Summers also offer plenty of fireworks with the annual international pyrotechnic and pyromusical competition at the spectacular Montmorency Falls, which at 272 feet is reported to be about one-and-a-half times higher than Niagara Falls (172 feet). A cable car takes visitors to the top of the falls.

Quebec City is proud of its history and showcases its heritage in early August with its New France Celebrations. Historical figures from the city's birth years of 1608 through 1760 are recreated in period costume and stroll through the streets of Vieux (Old) Quebec, reenacting events for the pleasure of visitors.

Other special events and celebrations include a 400-mile sailboat race (August), agricultural fair (August), film festival (September), international culinary Cup of the Nations culinary competition (November), international theater festival (May), fall foliage festival (September-October), arts-crafts festival (August), sacred musical festival (October), World Cup mountain biking (September 2001), flower festival (April) and a wine-beer-gastronomy show (November).

Quebec City is not a huge metropolitan area (city population about 170,000, area population about half a million) and most major areas of interest are within easy walking distance. The crime rate is very low and nighttime strollers can feel very secure walking along such colorful areas as Break your Neck Stairs, Below the Fort and Sailor's Leap.

French is the obvious language of choice in Quebec City, but practically everyone (particularly at businesses) also speaks English (a mandatory second language class for all schoolchildren).

Old Quebec sits on a hillside overlooking the sky-blue St. Lawrence River and offers the most charming venues (though several quaint restaurant-shop areas can be found in the upper city, such as Cartier Street).

One of the more charming areas of the old city is the Petit Champlain Street area, a five-block section of cobblestone streets, colorful boutiques and shops, dozens of sidewalk cafes, and a Painter's Alley (where you can buy existing art or have your portrait done in less than an hour). A cablecar, called the funicular, is available to transport people from the Petit Champlain area to the Frontenac area should they choose not to walk the Break Your Neck steps.

The Cap Diamant square with its huge fountain memoralizing Samuel de Champlain offers spectacular views of the old city and river. Many horse carriage rides begin here.

Naturally, French quisine dominates, but you can find plenty of American dishes, too.

The city has many hotels, with dozens of charming smaller facilities dotted throughout the old city. More than 11,000 hotel rooms are available in and around the city.

But the grandfather of all the hotels in Quebec City is the mammoth 607-room green-roofed Chateau Frontenac Hotel, rising from Cap Diamant and overlooking the old city like a gigantic stone sentinel. The hotel is ancient (built in 1893) but offers four-star restaurants and accomodations. The hotel rates as one of the top 500 in the world, according to the Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. One of the more recent upgrades has also brought the Manoir Victoria Hotel, located near the heart of the old city, to prominence. There are also many inns and bed and breakfast facilities available. Hotel rooms average about $133 per night (Canadian dollars; deduct about 40 per cent because the American dollar has higher value). High season is May to October.

Quebec City has many parks, but the biggest by far is The Plains of Abraham (or, Battlefields) Park. This 250-acre mostly-flat region is the site of one of the most decisive French-English battles, the 1759 conflict that won the strategic high ground for the English. England decided the site was so important it built a huge wall around the city, more than 20 feet high and six feet thick in many places, as fortification. But the city never again saw a major battle and now only about 1.4 miles of the original 4.6 miles of the wall now exists in spots here and there. But the park is still the site of The Citadel, an active military post whose stone walls and giant cannon remain in place. The Citadel is available to tourists, many of whom especially enjoy the colorful and elaborate daily changing of the guard ceremonies. The park is also used as a popular cross-country skiing locale in winter.

As in many European cities, Quebec City is replete with statutes, churches and museums. The city's Ursulines Convent, founded in 1639, is the oldest educational institution for women in North America. Notre Dame des Victoires Church has dozens of beautiful stained glass windows.

The countryside around Quebec City offers many nearby charming villages, especially along the Beaupre Coast of the St. Lawrence River and the countryside of Portneuf and the Jacques-Cartier Valley. Ski faciities also abound in the nearby Laurentian Mountains.

And, if your taste runs to the more modern, Montreal lies about 150 miles away, offering a bustling city of some three million and venues such as the popular Biodome (a sort of indoor zoo/aquarium featuring plants and animals in a natural setting, including a rain forest), the Jardin Botanique (a vast botanical garden area), the Insectarium (a bug lovers delight) and a huge planetarium. Plus, of course, professional baseball, hockey and football and thousands of restaurants. Montreal is also a huge college city with more than 220,000 college students (about 70,000 at the University of Montreal).

If you go: Transportation: Both Montreal and Quebec City have major airline service. Both also are served by Canada Rail and major bus lines. Montreal has an extensive Metro subway, but Quebec City relies on surface transportation.

Climate: Both cities are four-season locales, with temperatures predominately in the 70s-80s in the summer, 10-40 in the winter, 40-60 spring and fall. Both get more than 100 inches of snowfall per year.

Accomodations: Both have thousands of hotel, inn and B&B; rooms, ranging from under $100 to $800 per night.

Currency: The American dollar, at this time, is worth about 40 per cent more than the Canadian dollar.

Credentials: You will need a passport or proof of birth (if you fly) and you will be taxed on purchases beyond customs limits ($450 U. S.).

Information websites: www.quebecregion.com or www.bonjourquebec.com

This story was published on 15 May 2002.