Fabulous Murals in Quebec City

Here are a couple of murals that are painted on the entire facades of buildings in old Quebec.  The detail and perspective are exquisite.  Only when you move to the side of the building can you see that the painting is flat.  They are like the many trompe d'oeil paintings that you see on Church ceilings in Europe.  The colors here aren't as vivid as they are on the real thing, but believe me they are the kind of paintings you could lose yourself in for hours.  You almost want to walk through the archway and up the street.

This one covers the entire side wall of a fairly large  building.  I wish I had recorded the explanatory poster that was next to it, but alas I have only my memory which tells me that they originated in France and are now in several metropolitan areas around the world.

You can see the edges of the building on the upper right.

And here is the same mural from the side...

Another one by the same group of artists.  So much talent in the world...

A return to Quebec City

I think I mentioned before that we had been to Canada many years ago.  Though much of that trip is a blur, I do remember Quebec City and its gorgeous Chateau Frontenac majestically perched on top of a hill overseeing like a fortress the city of Quebec.  The Chateau is an example of chateau-styled hotels built (surprisingly) by Canada's railway companies during the latter part of the 19th century.  While borrowing the romanticist style of 14th and 15th century Loire Valley chateaux, it also incorporates an eclecticism which was the hallmark of its American born architect, Bruce Price. We actually stayed there at the time, which I can't imagine given that that was the poverty stricken period of our life--but then again maybe that's why I remember it so well.  



Going there today conjured up the memories of those years before--the large bustling square surrounding the chateau filled with mimes, musicians and clowns, the view of the city and the harbor below, the funicular which blessedly allows you to descend and then re-ascend without scaling a thousand steps (for a fee)--it all seemed familiar and not that much different. 

Lovely mimes...

Quaint and charming winding streets...

Relaxing, shaded squares filled with mellow folks mesmerized with atmosphere...

And of course tourists...tourists everywhere...

I mean EVERYWHERE...

Quebec City

Getting settled yesterday afternoon on the cruise was surprisingly hassle free, and last night we sat with some lovely people at dinner--stimulating conversation and fascinating stories.  But before we leave Montreal, here are a few final observations and pictures.  

Below is the lovely little boutique hotel where we stayed, sweetly called Le Petit Hotel.  The staff was so kind and helpful, the room was big and filled with personality (though a bit noisy with street revelers until the wee hours), the bed heavenly, and the neighborhood was walkable not only to Vieux Montreal, but to the edge of downtown as well. Although Montreal isn't the prettiest city we've seen, we give five star kudos to the food.  Each of the three lunches and two dinners we had was not only outstanding, but reasonable.  When does this ever happen? The bowl of onion soup you see below was right out of the streets of Paris and cost about $6.00 US.  It was more than enough for lunch before we left to board the Seabourn.  The night before, we tried to reserve in a tapas place a couple of blocks away, but it was full, so we decided to take our chances and go find someplace to eat without a reservation. Risky for a Friday night.  When we reached that very place, we popped in and asked if there was a wait and were seated immediately!  There had been a cancellation.  Stone walls, a chopping block table in the center with cured hams, an antique meat slicer and a huge bowl of garlic; raffia wrapped peppers (piquillos, a sweet red pepper from Spain) hanging from the ceiling; and an ancient wood carved fireplace lit with twenty or thirty dripping candles of all sizes, it reeked with romance and atmosphere.  I had Acadian Pearl Oysters from New Brunswick, among the best I've ever had, Tom had a Mixte Frites (fried smelts) that were as good as anything that can be sampled on the Riviera--tiny and crispy and NOT fishy-- and then we shared a simple pasta dish with linguini, pecorino, black pepper and truffles, that was on a par with one we had had several times in Italy when we were renting the villa in Tuscany with Mary and Neil.  I still dream and salivate over that Spaghetti Vongole from ten years ago, and now this Pecorino Linguini will share the spotlight in my dreams.  

Le Petit Hotel

The world's best soupe l'oignon

The view from our stateroom leaving Montreal

Our Second Day in Montreal

Today we took a Hop On Hop Off bus tour of the city.  We started doing this in Dubai about ten years ago and found it a perfect way to get an overview and a feel for a place.  Then if we want to go back to an area we can, or we can "hop off" and see it right then and there as we did with the St. Joseph's Oratory.

A five million dollar Chihuly right in the middle of downtown Montreal.   Soon it will be dismantled for the winter because it wouldn't survive the brutal weather;  then it will be re-assembled in the spring.  The city has been doing this since it picked up the option to buy after the glasswork came on exhibit in 2013. Seems like a gargantuan task, but they are very proud of it. 

This is the St. Joseph Oratory--oratory yet another building designation of the Catholic Church.  In this case it is also a basilica and the third largest dome of its kind in the world after one in Cote d'Ivoire and St. Peter's in Rome.  The inside, while not as beautiful as Notre Dame Basilica, is austerely majestic.  The main Church holds 1,000 people.  Brother Andre Bessette founded the Oratory in 1904 but it didn't achieve its present grandeur until the 1950's.  Frere Andre achieved sainthood in 2010 due to thousands of miracles healing the blind, sick and infirm which were authenticated by Pope John Paul II.  Andre attributed the miracles to the intercession of St.  Joseph, thus the oratory's name. There is an entire wall covered with crutches and other memorabilia left by the cured; and a reliquary holds St. Andre's heart which he requested as a protection for his basilica.

This is a good view of the city from the appropriately named Mount Royal (Montreal), the highest point in the city.  The St. Lawrence River is in the background.

I was beginning to think there were no skyscrapers in Montreal, but there are.

Me, looking blown and bedraggled from sitting on the top deck of the tour bus.  We didn't have lunch until 3:00, back in the charming French charcuterie we had discovered yesterday.  A small snack of onion soup, pate sandwich and ham and brie crepe staved off starvation until dinner.

Tomorrow we begin the cruise!

The Dallas Courthouse?

C'mon guys.  I would hate to think that Montreal copied our beautiful downtown courthouse....Okay...its not exactly the same...I'm just sayin'...

Our first day in Montreal

We got to Montreal last night at 11:30, made our way through customs, found the luggage, stood for thirty minutes in the taxi line, and finally stumbled into Le Petit Hotel around 1:15. Peter, the poor little guy working the late shift, dragged our back-breaking suitcases up the few steps into the foyer, wheeled them down the hall and into the elevator and to our room where there are six steps up from the door to the room.  I was afraid Peter was going to have a hernia or a heart attack but he graciously managed and we rolled into bed around 2:30 AM.

So today was a relaxed day, just as I had planned it.  We missed breakfast but I crept down for coffee and we were on the street at the crack of noon.  The beautiful Notre Dame Basilica is just a few blocks but we had lunch first at a charming little bistro nearby called Modavie (which I assume to be a French bastardization of Way of Life), recommended by cute Matthew at the front desk after Tom told him he was craving a steakfrites.  Just like Paris according to Beloved and I had salmon so we were both happy.  

The Basilica--NOT a cathedral as the cab driver had rather rudely informed us on our late night drive from the airport--is one of the most beautiful we have seen, perhaps second only to the Cathedral in Albi, France which dates to the 13th century and is literally covered in vibrant religious art on the inside, some of it restored but basically the original in spirit and design.  This Church is also richly decorated with intricately carved vaulting and statues, a ceiling painted in rich primary tones, and lighting which enhances all of it to breathtaking effect.  By the way, in case you're interested, a cathedral is the designated seat of a Catholic Diocese chosen by the bishop of a given metropolitan area, while a Basilica is a papal designation based on some architectural, religious or historical importance.  St. Peter's in Rome is a basilica, not a cathedral.  Basilicas are strictly Catholic, while a Cathedral can be any number of denominations.  Twelve years of Catholic school and I never learned that.

While we were visiting Notre Dame, busy but not overly crowded, an organ recital was in progress.  The soaring vaults boomed with the deep resonant tones of a virtuoso organist. In deference to the setting, no one clapped between pieces, but when the artist played his last note, the crowd burst into spontaneous applause. Truly a spiritual experience to awe the most jaded of sight-seers.

Approaching Notre Dame Basilica from the back.

This picture doesn't begin to capture the beauty of this magnificent church.  It's worth Googling.

A charming charcuterie in the Vieux Montreal neighborhood.  Such a mouth-watering array of fruits, veggies, meats and pastries of all kinds. 

The square in front of Notre Dame Basilica 

And sweet Tom on the streets of Old Town

We're back from dinner now at a superb little Greek restaurant recommended by Matthew, one of our several attentive desk clerks, and I'm so relieved that this actually posted after many moments of angst.  There is some partying going on in the street but the bed is so comfy that even I will sleep anyway.

Leaving for Montreal

Tom's Dad was the third McQuaid brother to emigrate from Prince Edward Island, Canada to Baltimore, MD in the 1920's.  The first two brothers came because Baltimore had one of the only dental schools in the US at the time and for a reason I'm not privy to they had chosen dentistry as a profession.  Following his older brothers a few years later, Tom's Dad went to law school instead, but in any case if it hadn't been for those young adventurous dental students, I would not have met and married Beloved and would not be traveling to Montreal next week with PEI on the itinerary.  

Funny how life turns out.  

We took a driving trip to Canada about 35-40 years ago and I don't remember much except driving for what seemed like days through wooded countryside with nothing but the CBC on the radio to keep us company.  It was the only radio station available.  All talk, no music.  I do remember fascinating Quebec City and charming Peggy's Cove, also on our itinerary this time, but not much else.  

This trip will be a tad grander (thankfully).  We will fly to Montreal next week, stay a couple of days and then board our third Seabourn cruise from there up the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City, past the Saguenay Fjord, To Gaspe, then Charlottetown (PEI), Halifax, and on to the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME and Boston.  Along the way in the ports we should be able to see the lovely change of seasons that New England is so famous for and do our first real leaf-peeping in many years.  When we disembark in Boston, we will stay for several days and finally get a good look at that venerable and historic city.  Sad but true, I've never been to Maine and my total experience in Boston involves about two or three hours passing through one time many years ago on our way to Cape Cod.  No sightseeing at all, just a brief visit with some friends who lived nearby and a quick trip to (of all places) Filine's Basement!  I'm very excited to finally visit Beantown properly.