Quebec snapshots in review

Laura has sent me a few more snapshots (Thanks Texas!) and I am now able to compile more of a "show and tell". The photo in the last post of the three of us was taken at Montemorency Falls, 1/2 hr drive outside of Quebec. We went for a day trip out there on Saturday and stomped around the area, including a walk directly over the falls and several landing areas where we could take photos. The massive St Lawrence river runs through the region, partly frozen, with massive plates of ice drifting on it. All of the ferries in the region are reinforced for travel through ice.

The weather was terrific- clear without much of a windchill until we tried to leave. Our group was led by Stefan, a German guy working at the hostel who has a working knowledge of both English and French. Despite his maturity and serious height he is only 19 yrs and he and I have become good mates since Laura and Nic have left. This is mostly based on my ability to predict when he needs food in the evening (every 1- 3 hours- more frequent when beer is involved) and to make sure we are somewhere that sells poutine (which he is addicted to).

Poor Stefan. At the end of a terrific walk we discovered that two of our party were missing and it was getting late in the afternoon, "Lisa- how do you say that I haff lost my sheep?" The two missing persons met us back at the bus stop which was all ok. While we were waiting for the bus Laura and I went for some maple ice cream and congratulated each other on being so hard-core when everyone else went straight for the mocha.

One of the new photos is an example of the Bonhomme souveniers that are available here. Like I have mentioned previously- Snowman worship. Enough said.

The shot taken from the water is of the Fairmont hotel- aka Le Chateau Frontenac, the most photographed hotel in the world. http://www.fairmont.com/frontenac/

Prices are high but from almost every point in the town, this magnificent building looms. Apparently when Disney wanted to make The Beauty and the Beast animated feature, the designs for the castle were based on Frontenac. On Sunday, Nik, Laura, myself and Greg the Frenchman went for a ferry ride across the frozen St Lawrence river to take photos of the town from the water. It was an amazing ride to see us going in one direction, the water displacement another and the plates of broken ice moving slower still.

The next photo shows "Leonardo's Place" aka Place Royale. Laura's camera is much better than mine for capturing twilight, when the lights came out mid-afternoon and the blue-grey sunlight lingered into the evening. Nic is in this shot in the red coat, which happily stood out of the crowd. This is one of the major squares in Quebec and the most historical in interest.

Feel free to google anything that grabs your attention that I don't have time to describe.

Ah, next shot- the snow party on Friday night. Ragers included (back L->R) yours truly, Nik (Dublin) Claire (UK), (front L->R) Sarah (Aust), Maud (Paris) and Valerie (doing her best John Travolta impersonation or maybe she just wanted to stick cold fingers on me- Paris).

Last shot- Nic and I at the waterfalls- St Lawrence River in the background. I have been wearing my blingbling sunglasses that I bought in Hawaii when my "neat intellectual" ones broke on the first day of my time in Waikiki. Freezing my hands off whilst going some fruit for arvo tea.

The little white figurine that appears on my coat is Bonhomme- they are the plastic passes for the festival and are engraved on the other side with the year you attended, making a good souvenier or Christmas tree ornament in future :-)