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Saved: September 15th 2021
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Royal Guards from the Royal 22e Regiment
These are Canadian soldiers, in these uniforms because the Governor-General is in residence here at La Citadelle, and as the queen's representative, she gets a royal guard.
[Note]: I had it rather rudely pointed out to me that this regiment does not have an English name, so I was wrong to call it the Royal 22nd Regiment. Contrary to what my accuser said, I never intended any disrespect to the regiment or the population of Québec City. The message I received was so confrontational I was tempted not to correct anything, but like I said, no disrespect was ever intended. Last night I dreamed about a single red maple tree surrounded by green ones. I don't even know where to begin deciphering what that might mean.
This morning I went down the hill to have a look at the high cross I saw there the other day. It surprised me at first, to see a Celtic Cross in this French-Canadian city, but according to my guide book, it was a gift from a parish in Ireland to commemorate the compassion shown to Irish immigrants arriving here as they fled the Famine. I learned about the famine in school (sort of, but our Commonwealth education system conveniently left some parts out), but when I was in
Ireland last year, it really became real to me. It was comforting to know that those lucky enough to walk off the coffin ships found hospitality here.
I was walking along the walls of the city toward la Citadelle this morning, when I heard a band. I turned around to find the source of the music, and it was some kind of military parade. I have no idea what the parade was for, but they stopped below the walls, and the band played part
Guarding the Governor General's residence
I love the pile of cannon balls behind the cannons... The residence is only guarded like this if the Governor General is here. of "Oh Canada." I felt the familiar surge of pride I feel every time I hear my national anthem--the surge that overwhelms me and brings tears to my eyes. I wanted to announce to the other tourists who had stopped that I was Canadian, but instead I did what we Canadians are really good at--hovering quietly in the background.
When I reached La Citadelle, I was offered a tour of the citadel, or the governor general's residence. I laughed, and said I'd been to the residence yesterday. I went to buy my ticket for the citadel tour, and although I was fairly confident I knew how to ask for a ticket for the next english tour in french, I still found myself speaking English. As I was sitting just inside the walls of the citadelle waiting for my tour to start, the governor general and her husband drove by in a sleek black car. The tour was quite good, and the views from the walls were amazing.
The highlight of today though, was my lunch at Aux Anciens Canadiens. This restaurant, which is known for its traditional Québécois cuisine is in a house (Maison Jacquet) that was built
Aux Anciens Canadièns
Stepping into this restaurant, located in the 300+ year old Maison Jacquet, is like stepping back in time. And the food here is amazing... in the mid-1670's. It's the oldest house in the city that still looks like a house. I was seated in a corner facing a window that had rows of coloured glass dishes displayed in it. It was the right time of day for the sun to shine right in the window, lighting up the glass. There are several options on the lunch menu, but I chose the most 'traditional' looking one I could find. My mom used to make tourtière for Christmas Eve, but the tourtière I had today was from the Lac Saint_Jean region, and it had wild game in it (I believe it was elk and venison in addition to the beef and pork). So rich, and so filling, and so delicious. Then I finished it off with a piece of maple sugar pie. I've had maple sugar pie once before--my eighth grade french teacher brought some in for our class when we did the unit on Québec City. I've been looking forward to the next time I could have this dessert for sixteen years, and I was not disappointed. It was served with cream, and it was a perfect end to an amazing meal.
By the
A celtic cross in Quebec...
This cross is to commemorate the compassion shown to the Irish who arrived in Québec as they fled the potato famine on their own soil. time I left Maison Jacquet and returned to the 21st century, the sun was beginning to hide behind clouds. It looked like it was going to rain, so I decided to spend the afternoon shopping. I always find it a bit surreal to go to tourist shops, wherever I am, but it was even more so to do it in my own country. Many of the things I saw are things I can buy at home. It made me laugh, but in the end I found a few things to take back to Alberta with me--most of them edible.
The rain did come, so the shopping was the end of my adventures for today.
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