Canadian Vacation

Québec was cold. Went to Old Québec (old), The Citadel (strong), National Battlefields Park at the Plains of Abraham (snow covered), Museum of Civilization (civilized).

It was Carnaval de Québec time in town. There were several venues set up in the downtown area within the walled portion of the city. This is a rink that was setup just outside the city wall.
One of the gates into the city.
Ooh, an action photo! They were holding races down a frozen street. This guy won his race.
I forget whose entry this was in the snow sculpture contest. There was a Canadian competition with entries from the provinces and an international competition. I do not know what this is. There are stars and two people either dancing or skating.
Hey, dog-sculpting guy! There's a large snow bear about to eat your head!
The St. Lawrence River, or since we're in Québec, the Fleuve Saint Laurent. I recall the river flowing from left to right. But the ocean is in the other direction. Wouldn't the river flow from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic? I'm so confused.
Toboggan races. This is a lot less fun in June.
The mascot for Carnaval de Québec is a snowman called Bonhomme. This is his castle made of blocks of ice.
It is the national game of Canada. Okay, actually lacrosse is, but let's just say that they really, really like ice hockey. There seemed to be a tournament going on in this little makeshift rink. I guess it was La Coupe Nordique. It's not actually ice hockey. These guys are playing in sneakers with a ball. They aren't on proper ice, just a courtyard covered with ice and snow in front of a church.
Le Château Frontenac. It's considerably more expensive than the Best Western where I stayed. (Although the Best Western was nice.) It is both a picturesque and historic building. Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and the other Allied leaders used to meet during WWII. I guess they could afford it.
Three photos of the canoe races on the St. Lawrence. These guys (and gals) would run a triangular course up river, across, then back. Of course with all the ice flows, much of the time is spent pushing the boat instead of rowing.


A large mural on the side of a building. It actually looks real in this photo.
A street in the old part of Québec.
To use a word I usually reserve for small British towns, this is a quaint street in Old Québec lined with shops.
It's a bird...it's a plane...it's...no, wait, it's a bird. One of the ice sculptures found throughout the city.
A game of human foosball, sponsored by Kraft. The Cheez Wiz team clobbered the Kraft Singles team 3-0.

Ruminations on Québec. It is a tough town if you don't know French. Sure the people speak English too, but they start out with French. You have to give a puzzled look before they start in with the English. It is a little like going to France without having to be in France. I had dinner one night at a place called Cafe aux Bonnets d'Ane, whatever that means. There was a skinny guy at a nearby table dressed in black smoking a little cigarette down to the very end and drinking coffee. Then there was a big burly dockworker-looking guy at the bar enjoying a delightful glass of red wine. It was like I was in a big French stereotype. The Olympics were just starting and I was getting to know the ladies that I would spend the week with, Diane, Georgina, Julie and Kelley. They rocked my world.