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Published: January 29th 2011
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We flew into Montreal and took the train to Quebec City. It was a few days prior to Christmas and the area was blanketed with snow. We had planned on spending Christmas and New Years with family members, both from Quebec and the states, so we rented a large two bedroom apartment off of Rue Ste-Jean. Temperatures dropped and climbed, however they hovered at several degrees below zero Celsius and sometimes made it to the zero mark and above. Quebec City is a cold place in winter.
At the end of December, family members left for the states so we moved to another smaller apartment with one bedroom. We watched as the weather played havoc with airline schedules in the northeast part of the U.S. It even snowed in parts of the southeast where it doesn't normally snow. West of Quebec, Alberta receive some devastating snowstorms as did Europe. However, the weather remained somewhat mild in the province considering that January is suppose to be the coldest month of the year. We frequently walked to the nearest IGA or Metro supermarket in order to replenish our food supplies. Since the old section of Quebec is what I term "a walking
city", we did a lot of walking from place to place. I was surprised to encounter a number of panhandlers who consisted mainly of young men. Others, who had beards, seemed older although it is often difficult to tell someone's age who has a beard. One even had a dog with him in order to prey on the sympathies of those passing by. In fact, we would vary our walking routes so that we wouldn't encounter the same panhandlers all of the time. There's nothing better than running across a fresh bunch of bums. A few of them alternated by washing windshields at a busy corner. And, as luck would have it, we encountered our first female panhandler. (Equal Opportunity).
At home, we usually drive from where we live to the malls, shopping centers, and supermarkets. Therefore, the only panhandlers we encounter are those standing on the medians by a stoplight with signs stating that they will "work for food." A couple once did better than the one in Quebec City who used his dog in order to gain sympathy and, perhaps, some money. This couple even had their two children with them in order to enhance their ability
to garner money from those passing by. While visiting San Francisco, another walking city, we have encountered numerous panhandlers especially in the areas where tourists abound. Some are even sleeping on the sidewalks and make no attempt to panhandle or, maybe, they're just resting between gigs. The French Quarter in New Orleans is another panhandler's paradise.
One of the most imposing structures in Quebec is the Centre hospitalier Robert Gifford and it's located in the section of Quebec called Gifford. Prior to this it was called St. Michael Archangel and, before that, the Quebec Lunatic Asylum. Robert Gifford was the first surgeon and apothecary in Canada. In trying to be politically correct, we have designated new names in place of those previously used. Instead of using the word lunatic or nutcase, we use the term "mentally ill" or some other sugary term as if that will change the nature of the illness or malady. (The same applies to other terms such as rainforest in lieu of jungle, wetland in lieu of swamp, and pre-owned car in lieu of used car). Anyway, this is a very impressive building and makes one want to be somewhat off in order to be
committed there for awhile. It certainly looks more inviting than being out on the street panhandling for change. One would think that these street people would welcome a warm place in which to sleep such as this hospital. I've seen nuthouses in the states and none are near as impressive as this place. This actually looks like a building where laws are made. I think the only difference between this place and the Parliament building is that those in the latter building get paid for passing insane laws whereas those in the former structure are just insane and don't get paid. One could also apply this reasoning to Washington D.C. and other governments around the world.
In our apartment, we watched television as the news depicted riots and violence in the north African country of Tunisia. The president of that country even left for asylum in Saudia Arabia. A few minutes walk from where we were staying is the Palais Montcalm and, in front of it, is located an outdoor skating rink. One afternoon, as we were waking to the supermarket, we noticed a crowd gathered on the corner. The crowd had signs and a person with a loudspeaker was talking. It turned out to be a rally in support of the people in Tunisia and many of the locals were showing their solidarity with the populace of that country.
Friends came by and we drove over to the Ice Hotel which is an annual event here in Quebec. I might mention that other countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Finland also have this type of hotel. This one was the first hotel of this type that I've ever seen and it was quite impressive. It had over thirty rooms of different types and sizes and even featured a bar. One can book a room, which will cost from $250 and higher per night depending on the type of room. However, I think that there are more people who visit the hotel than spend the night. Most, like us, pay the admission fee and tour the place out of curiosity. I wouldn't spend a night in the hotel because it is so cold. It is really, really cold and I was somewhat uncomfortable while there. I will add that the ice sculptures inside are quite impressive. There were sculptures of animals such as tigers, sheep, and birds and all had intricate designs on them. The people who do this are to be commended as they are certainly artists. The hotel is open from January 7 to March 27 so visitors have over a two and a half month window of opportunity in which to visit.
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