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Of course. Just try to find this architecture in the US ! I guess the only place there that still has a good quantity of French architecture in the US is Sainte-Geneviève in Missouri.(Place Royale)However unlike Sainte-Geneviève, you can actually hear people going about their everyday life in French. They are ordering food in French at the restaurant, they are watching TV in French, studying in French, they are doing politics at the nearby Parliament in French, and speak French in press conferences.There still are 17th century buildings like this one from 1639, during the reign of Louis XIII.(A bar that is often mistaken for the maison des Cent-Associés)You still have French fortifications. Here is the Redoute Dauphine. The city kept all its military infrastructures.(Redoute Dauphine)You can visit the ruins of the Château Saint-Louis, the siege of the government of New France. The governor and intendant lived there. Until 1834, when it burned, all the lords of the country would come there periodically to perform their feudal hommage to the King, represented by the French intendant or later the British governor.They would kneel a knee, remove their hat, remove their sword, and give one symbolic écu per fiefdom they got from the King, and state their loyalty to the King. This remained unchanged under the British.(Ruins of the Château Saint-Louis)Outside the Old City, Saint-Roch is like Québec's SoHo. It was the neighborhood of the artists, although now it gentrified so they are escaping to Limoilou or Saint-Sauveur. In 2003, Saint-Roch had 150 artists workshops.(Saint-Roch)(Saint-Sauveur)Les artistes migrent de Saint-Roch vers Saint-SauveurEn 2003, on dénombrait quelque 150 ateliers d'artiste dans le quartier Saint-Roch. Comme New York, Québec avait son SoHo, son secteur in où la créativité est en pleine ébullition. L'énergie est toujours là, à preuve, on parle d'y regrouper les conservatoires de musique et d'art dramatique, ainsi que la faculté de musique de l'Université Laval. Mais beaucoup d'artistes, tranquillement, migrent vers les quartiers périphériques. À la veille du sommet Actions Saint-Roch 2010, Le Soleil a sondé les artistes pour comprendre le phénomène.https://www.lesoleil.com/actualite/la-capitale/les-artistes-migrent-de-saint-roch-vers-saint-sauveur-4a0227aa7e85c0d5f664550f45e2c2d8In Québec City, you can dine in restaurants where the products were grown at the île d'Orléans next-door (restos du terroir). It grows all sort of fruits and vegetables, garlic as well, and it makes cider and wine and beer… there is also a local cheese obviously, and there is even a métis guy that is producing a foie gras without force-feeding. When it's the right season you would be able to eat lobster that was fished at Matane or Gaspé. They have an Aliment du Québec label on their pincer with a code you can put online to see the name of the fisherman, the name of the boat, and where the lobster lived.Les 10 Meilleurs Restaurants Du Terroir Quebec | RestoQuebecTrouver des Les 10 Meilleurs Restaurants Du Terroir Quebec - Menus mis à jour, Avis vérifiés, Photos de Les 10 Meilleurs Restaurants Du Terroir Quebec - endroits où manger, comme Ô6 SENS-Le plaisir de la table dans le noir, Le Saint-Amour, La Bûche, Chez Boulay - Bistro boréal, Restaurant Tanière³...https://www.restoquebec.ca/s/?restaurants=meilleurs-10-quebec-terroir&c=103&sort=best&lang=fr(The layout of this restaurant could surprise you… until you realize it's just imitating the cabanes à sucre)Speaking of cabanes à sucre, they often come in town during normal years to let tourists taste their products without having to go in the woods. Let us remind the French learned to integrate maple sap to their cuisine from the Wendat and Micmac indigenous, and some lords wanted to be paid in maple sugar back then. This year of course the temps des sucres is rather dead obviously so instead they are making sort of DIY cabane à sucre boxes for your home. It's an initiative called Ma cabane à la maison and the chief of the Bloc québécois in Ottawa gave the example by ordering one.Québec City is also a student city where people study in French. There is the Université Laval, named after the first bishop (that became a saint in 2014).So yes the Old City has a French vibe, but the rest too. It's a city actually living in French, so it's also the living culture and the contemporary activities that manifest a French understanding of the world. The immigrants in Quebec City often come from other francophone countries : Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, France, Haiti, and you have other who don't, like the Colombians. Colombians often don't start learning French in Québec but right at home in Colombia. It's even taught in some elementary schools there.

It really did happen. In the days before professional armies and good communications, military leaders had much less fine-grained control over the flow of a battle. The moral effect of "heroic" leadership was, however, much more important-- being seen in the battle, exposing yourself to the same dangers as your men and "inspiring" them with your example were pretty critical forms of motivation.Even kings who didn't deign to fight on the battlefield themselves found it important to be seen by their troops: At Salamis, for example, Xerxes set up a large golden throne on a hillside overlooking the naval battle (it was clearly designed to be seen: this was not general's bunker). As the fight progressed he had scribes by his side taking down the names of commanders he intended to reward after the fight.Participating directly in the battle was dangerous, but maybe less than it seems. Most premodern armies kept their best troops in elite formations that were assigned personally by the highest ranking commander on the spot -- the large number of regiments with titles like "guards" or "household" in modern armies reflect that heritage. This afforded a certain level of protection to important figures -- but it also meant that the crisis of a battle often involved the leadership directly as the leaders -- or as the targets -- of critical attacks.Just to pull a random example from the innumerable options, consider the career of Edward, the Black Prince of England . At Crécy in 1356, he and his father King Edward III defeated a French army led personally by Philip VI, who was wounded during the battle. In the same battle John, the blind king of Bohemia fought despite his disability and was killed on the field:...for all that he was nigh blind, when he understood the order of the battle, he said to them about him: 'Where is the lord Charles my son?' His men said: 'Sir, we cannot tell; we think he be fighting.' Then he said: 'Sirs, ye are my men, my companions and friends in this journey: I require you bring me so far forward, that I may strike one stroke with my sword.' They said they would do his commandment, and to the intent that they should not lose him in the press, they tied all their reins of their bridles each to other and set the king before to accomplish his desire, and so they went on their enemies. The lord Charles of Bohemia his son, who wrote himself king of Almaine and bare the arms, he came in good order to the battle; but when he saw that the matter went awry on their party, he departed, I cannot tell you which way. The king his father was so far forward that he strake a stroke with his sword, yea and more than four, and fought valiantly and so did his company; and they adventured themselves so forward, that they were there all slain, and the next day they were found in the place about the king, and all their horses tied each to other.According to legend the personal arms of the Prince of Wales take their motto ("Ich Dien,"-"I serve" in German) from John of Bohemia's own.​And.. a decade later at Poitiers in 1356, the Black Prince again command the English forces which captured John II of France and his son, the future Philip the Bold on the battlefield (the immediate heir, the future Charles V was ordered off the field by his father, avoiding a complete capture of the French royal house).​Probably not accurate, but this depicts the black prince (in red) fighting personally with the Dauphin Charles (in blue) at Poitier. Note the crowns on their helmets.One thing that Hollywood does get wrong is the timing. The commitment of a guards unit or the personal intervention of the king was usually not the opening of a battle: kings might fight but they would rarely be the out in front of the first line on approach. Besides the obvious dangers, it would be impossible to exercise any control over the battle at all from the middle of the melee. The commitment of the household troops was usually reserved for a finishing blow -- an effort to exploit a weakness or to push a weakening enemy into a rout. So it would typically be held back until a critical moment in the battle rather than unleashed right at the outset.There were, of course, exceptions: for example, Alexander the Great led an early infantry attack on foot at Issus but then rejoined his Companion cavalry and lead the final assault against Emperor Darius on horseback. Alexander, however, was famously heedless of his own safety on the field.Another battle of kings: Alexander the Great (the left-most face) charges emperor Darius at the battle of the Issus.

Before the front wheels drive (FWD) cars became mainstream, the standard layout was to place the engine longitudinally at the front, followed in line by the clutch and the gearbox with its lever being directly within reach of the driver. A driveshaft with a universal joint at each end transmit the power to the rear axle, which includes the bevel gear providing the final reduction and the required 90° transfer to the wheels shafts, as well as the differential.This architecture (RWD) provides a good directional stability because the engine weight loads the front axle and places the mass center of the vehicle ahead of its center of crosswind thrust. It also avoids the need for articulated joints on the wheels shafts, but it doesn’t put much weight on the driving wheels when the vehicle is empty or almost empty. Another disadvantage is the need for that long driveshaft between the powertrain and the rear axle, and an equally long exhaust line running underneath the car. Still, this solution remains of general use on trucks (except that they have a vertical or lateral exhaust); the BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Lexus, Alfa Romeo Giulia, a few other large cars and many sport ones have such a layout as well, but with independent rear wheels, their differential being suspended.Tatra 77, 1934With the above exceptions and that of buses, racing cars and many sport cars, a front engine with front wheels drive (FWD) has become the common solution. But it has not always been the case. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, the most diffused cars in Europe had their engine in rear overhang. That trend was pioneered by Mercedes-Benz in the 1930s (thanks to Donald Ferguson for mentioning it in his comment), by Hans Ledwinka with the air-cooled Tatra 77 in 1934 and by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, particularly with the famous Volkswagen Beetle produced at more than 21,500,000 units between 1938 and 2003.VW BeetleRenault followed with the 4 CV, propelled by a small water-cooled 4-cylinder in-line engine in rear overhang. It was built at 1,100,000 units in 5 countries from 1947 to 1961 and followed from 1956 by the slightly bigger Dauphine which used the same basic mechanical components.Renault 4 CV2,150,000 Dauphine (ten times less than the VW Beetle, but still an impressive number!) were made or assembled in France, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, Spain and USA. The 4 CV / Dauphine layout was retained and updated for the Renault R8 and derivatives (R8 Gordini and R10) produced between 1962 and 1976.Renault DauphineThe Fiat 600 commercialized between 1955 and 1969 had a layout similar as that of the Renault 4 CV. It was also built under the name Seat 600 in Spain, Zastava 750 (later 850) in Yugoslavia, Fiat 600/770 Neckar Jagst in West Germany, as well as in Australia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay and Malaysia. Here again, the Fiat 600 basic conception was used in a whole series of Fiat small cars, amongst them the even smaller Fiat 500 propelled by a 2-cylinder air-cooled engine.Fiat Abarth 1000 TC, a sport-racing car based on the Fiat 600Similar cars were also mass produced in France (Simca 1000 and derivatives), Czechoslovakia (Skoda 1000 and derivatives), Japan (Hino Contessa) and England (Hillman Imp). Air cooled ones were made in Germany (NSU Prinz / 1000 TT and BMW 600/700) and in Soviet Ukraine (ZAZ Zaporozhets).Tatra T700In higher segments, various air-cooled Tatra models were manufactured in Czechoslovakia between 1934 and 1999. VW produced also 2,500,000 medium size Type 3 between 1961 and 1973, followed by the Type 4 (411 / 412 models) from 1968 until 1974, both types based on upgraded Beetle mechanical layout. In USA, Chevrolet mass-produced different versions of the Corvair between 1960 and 1969 ; it was also assembled in Belgium, Switzerland, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela and South Africa.Volkswagen 1500 Type 3Several attempts to built large rear-engined 4-doors cars were done in USA (see Big Rear-Engined Four-Door Cars – Part 1: American Attempts) and Europe (see Big Rear-Engined Four-Door Cars – Part 2: European Efforts) during the 1930s - 1940s, but with the exceptions of the various Tatra and later the Chevrolet Corvair as well as the mid-segment VW Types 3 /4, none of the prototypes ever reached mass-production.Apparently, the engineers struggled with unsatisfactory directional stability and water-cooled engines overheating. If these shortcomings could be more or less addressed or deemed acceptable with small, low power and relatively low-speed cars, the were exacerbated on more powerful, faster cars. It could have been solved, in particular with front mounted radiators, a better rear suspension like that of the Hillman Imp or 1965 Corvair, wider rear-tires and a suitable aerodynamic design. But most such concepts were not mastered enough at the time and low profile large tires didn’t even exist.1965 Corvair rear suspensionIt would be an easy task to work out the said shortcomings today, as very successfully demonstrated by Porsche - and even more so with the now ubiquitous electronic stability program (ESP). Furthermore, a weight distribution with most of it on the rear axle doesn’t necessarily cause directional instability and oversteer, especially if the rear tires are wider than the front ones. That’s shown by the fact that 2-axles trucks are commonly loaded (in Europe) at 11.5 t (metric tons) on the rear axle for a total weight of 18 t, which leaves 6.5 t only on the front axle, thus a weight distribution of 36% front, 64% rear. But since these vehicles have 2 front tires and 4 rear tires, their directional stability is fine and they do not oversteer - in any case not more than a front wheel drive car.And yes, front wheels drive cars do oversteer when driven to the absolute limit at high speed! It’s a myth forged by journalists who never drive them to the limit at high speed that FWD cars systematically understeer. They tend to do so only in small radius corners but they oversteer slightly at high speed - and sometimes even strongly, especially if the road is wet or slippery. Conversely, rear-engine cars can be made to understeer.So, why is a front engine more common than a rear engine? My answer is because the rear engine cars mass diffused in the 1940's to 60's were built as cheap as possible and at the expenses of optimal handling. In order to save two universal joints (one per side), those cars had a rear swing axle, a simplistic solution which cause considerable camber variation along the suspension travel. Thus, front engine cars had a better directional stability and handled better, so the customers preferred them. In response, the automotive industry shifted to FWD after engineer Alec Issigonis showed with the Austin/Morris Mini that it was possible to install a 4-in line engine transversally and thus replace the axle expensive bevel gear by a spur one which is easier to manufacture and has a better efficiency.Goliath GP700 (above) and Saab 92 (below) powertrains (sorry, no better pictures available!)A simpler FWD setup is generally credited to Fiat engineer Dante Giacosa who, in 1964, installed the transverse 4-cylinder engine of the Autobianchi Primula asymmetrically on the right side of the car with its transmission in line on the left side, saving on transfer gears and reducing friction losses in the transmission. But a same layout had been applied on the 2-cylinder 2-stroke Saab 92 in 1949, Goliath GP700 in 1952 and the Est-German Trabant in 1957. Giacosa showed that it could be used with 4-cylinder engines too; it has then become the mainstream powertrain and car architecture.Central-rear engineRace cars and sport cars often have the engine in front of the rear axle. This architecture gives an even weight distribution between the two axles and the centering of the heavy components near the vehicle’s center of mass reduces its moment of inertia around said center. The yaw moment is thus lessened, so that the vehicle can change course very easily and quickly. This feature is favorable for a race car, but less so for a commonly used road vehicle because it reduces its directional stability and the pitch oscillations are larger, affecting comfort.The engine can be placed flat under the front or rear seats of a 4 or 5 seater car, but the heat released inevitably spreads to the seats, especially at high ambient temperature, and secondly engine access for maintenance is harder.Volkswagen EA 266Nevertheless, to replace the venerable "Beetle", VW and Porsche had developed between 1966 and 1971 the type EA 266, of which 50 prototypes were built. The rear passengers were sitting on the engine and the dipstick was 1.02 meters long. Hundreds of millions of DM had been invested in this project and it was very advanced when the new director of VW, Rudolph Leiding suddenly canceled it... and ordered the destruction of the prototypes! The FWD Golf was favored and its success set the trend.The Corvair caseIt is quite possible that the attack against the US manufacturers and among others against the Chevrolet Corvair by the lawyer Ralph Nader in his bestseller published in 1965 "Unsafe at Any Speed" struck a decisive blow against the rear overhanging engine layout.Corvair Handling and Stability, excerpts:Due to Nader’s wild charges about the Corvair and the national concerns for automobile safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was authorized to run a series of comparative tests during the Spring and Summer of 1971 to demonstrate the handling of the 1963 Corvair against four contemporary competitive automobiles. Involved in the tests were The Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiant, Volkswagen Beetle, Renault Dauphine, the 1963 Corvair, and a 1967 Corvair for reference.The Corvair Is ExoneratedAt the conclusion of these tests, the NHTSA released its 134 page report. It exonerated the Corvair from Nader’s charges, and said things such as: "The 1960-63 Corvair compares favorably with contemporary vehicles used in the tests," and, "The handling and stability performance of the 1960-63 Corvair does not result in an abnormal potential for loss of control or rollover, and it is at least as good as the performance of some contemporary vehicles both foreign and domestic." The complete report, PB 211-015, can be obtained from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS)*.An Independent Panel AgreesBecause the NHTSA wanted to be as sure as possible of their approach, tests and conclusions, they then contracted with a three man advisory panel of independent professional engineers to review the scope and competency of the NHTSA tests. This review panel then issued their own 24 page report (PB 211-014, also available from the NTIS*).In their report, the Panel drew even stronger conclusions in support of the Corvair than the NHTSA. They said, "It is the opinion of the panel that the Corvair quantitatively meets or exceeds the standards set by contemporary cars in stability tests, cornering tests, and rollover tests," and, "for this reason the panel concluded that the 1960-63 Corvair does not have a safety defect, and is not more unstable or more likely to roll over than contemporary cars."Nader is Proven WrongWow, go back and read that again. No safety or handling defects in the Corvair! But does anybody know this? The news media all but ignored these conclusions. They apparently thought that Nader’s charges were of greater news value than the fact that his charges were all proven wrong. Even today, of those who know of Nader’s charges against the Corvair, few if any know that his charges were false and were proven wrong. No, the fact that the Corvair was exonerated of all of Nader’s charges was hardly publicized. It received little or no attention from the media.It is ironic that these false charges concerning the Corvair’s handling and stability are all anyone remembers, and are the only story ever told in the Press, even though they have been fully refuted by actual tests. Nader, of course, built his career on these false charges.However, the 1960 to 63 Corvair had a swing rear axle of the same simplistic concept adopted on most other rear engined cars, which involved a very high roll center and strong camber variations, as already mentioned.Corvair rear suspension evolutionIn 1964, the Corvair handling was further improved with a front anti-roll bar in conjunction with what they called a “camber compensator”. Actually, it was a rear transverse single leaf compensation spring of the same type used on the Porsche 356 Super 90. It tends to equalize the weight on the rear wheels, acting on the contrary of an anti-roll bar, being namely a “pro-roll bar”. It works in association with softer rear main suspension springs and a strong front anti-roll bar, increasing the roll resistance of the front axle while decreasing that of the rear axle. The results in a more neutral cornering behavior and even better drive wheels traction.In 1959 Mercedes had added a compression coil spring over the center of their single joint swing axle (above picture) on the 220 W111 in order to obtain the same effect. The result is well shown below with this 300 SEL 6.8 AMG:See also Racecar Engineering March 2018, page 52In 1965 the Corvair received the totally new rear suspension (shown previously), similar to that of the Corvette. It further improved its handling, allowing it to reach a lateral acceleration of 0.7 g - a remarkable value with the tires of that time. This fact establishes that a rear overhanging engine is perfectly compatible with excellent dynamic qualities, as the Porsche 911 has also amply demonstrated.VW 412There is a lot of room in the overhang behind the rear axle and this space is usually partly lost. By placing the peripherals of a water-cooled flat engine on the sides into the fenders, its height can be further reduced - especially with side exhaust manifolds and possibly with dry sump lubrication. A dual-disc or multi-disc clutch would have a smaller diameter and the entire powertrain would be little higher than a spare wheel.The spare wheel can be placed under the front trunk, between two radiators - since the engine must be water-cooled. Air cooled engines are too noisy and they need a powerful fan which takes up to 15% of the crankshaft power.The engine can be of the opposed cylinders type or conventionally in-line, longitudinal eccentric or else transversal with the crankshaft ahead and the cylinder head in the back. An in-line engine is a little simpler to produce industrially because it requires only one cylinder head, a single exhaust manifold and a single overhead camshaft (or a single pair of camshafts). Since the rear wheels do not steer, there is more width available for the engine than between the front fenders. It is also less necessary to provide a deformation zone at the rear, so that the available space in length is also higher. The fuel tank can be located under the front seats or else under the rear seats, as usual.The car would then have two trunks, one at the rear over the engine and a front one too. The rear tires should be wider than the front ones, for example 205/55R16 front and 225/50R16 rear. Both having exactly the same rolling circumference, the spare 205/55R16 could be temporarily used at the rear. With a front anti-roll bar and if necessary a compensation spring at the rear, the car will handle perfectly, better than any front wheels drive.Renault Twingo III: its engine is not really flat, but still there’s a lot of cargo space above it.A whole series of advantages result in cascade:As already mentioned, the car can have a boot in the front in addition to the rear trunk.The load on the drive wheels is important and it increases further uphill and in acceleration.The turning diameter can be reduced and the stresses on the half-shafts joints are minimized.Due to reduced front axle load and its smaller tires, the power steering may be unnecessary.A preponderant mass distribution on the rear provides a better load balance in braking, which shortens the stopping distances. 4 unventilated disks may suffice.The heat released by the powertrain is evacuated to the rear and it heats less the cabin. Air conditioning, which consumes considerable power and adds a dozen kg, is less necessary.The hot exhaust does not pass under the car, which shortens and lighten it while allowing to lower the vehicle.The tunnel and the center console, which makes the passage from one side to another scabrous or even impossible and forces to spread out the front seats, have no longer any reason to exist. Their removal is eased by an electronic control of the transmission and an electric parking-brake, allowing either a reduction of the frontal area or 3 front seats side by side.The NSU Prinz 1000 had a transverse air-cooled 4-cylinderA Porsche 911 powered by a 427 CI (7 liters) V8 Chevrolet LS7 (LSX Magazine)Francois Dovat's answer to Would you buy a rear-engine car like the VW 412 or Chevy Corvair if there was a modern affordable one in production?Rear-engine design - WikipediaThe Story of the Rear Engined Passenger car (thanks to Steve Dudley)