Q is for the Province of Quebec

sinfully delicious

Montreal.Quebec CityI have been to Quebec twice in my life, in 1991 and 1992. Both times I took the train with Z from Albany to Montreal.

I loved Montreal, especially in the old city. One of these decades, I need to scan photos we took of the Notre-Dame Basilica. They were, in my mind’s eye, gorgeous. In fact, looking for those old photos sent me on a wholly metaphysical trip back through time…

What do I remember? Walking up to Mont-Royal and its splendid view of the city. There was a wide variety of activities that took place, and the weather was astonishingly beautiful in the early fall.

Poutine – what IS that? “A dish that includes french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It originated in the Canadian province of Quebec and emerged in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec area. It has long been associated with Quebec cuisine.” I don’t recall LOVING it, but I ate it. I don’t believe I’ve had it since.

Crepes. We had them at least twice. The first time was an OMG moment. They were sinfully delicious.

Smoking. I recall a LOT of it, even in the halls of the inn we stayed in one time. I understand the laws are far more restrictive now, which, for me, is a good thing.

One Sunday. There was a nearby Lutheran church that had two services, one in German and one in English. We opted to attend the latter. After the service, the congregants were very friendly. One asked if I’d like to sing in the choir. I indicated that the commute would be too long.

My daughter went on a one-day trip to Montreal in 2019. She loved it, but between the transportation and the necessarily very long day – leave at 5:30 a.m., return at midnight – it was difficult for me to get meaningful details from her.

Obviously, I need to go back to Montreal, and maybe visit Quebec City for the first time as well.

QC Quebec, a province in Canada, abbreviated Que or Qc. Also P.Q. is unofficially used, short for Province du Québec. Oddly, New York State and New York City use QB to identify Québec Vehicle Licence Plates. Capital: Quebec City. Largest city: Montreal, the second-largest city in Canada.

Cue for ABC Wednesday

Dominion Day, plus 145

I need some Canadian music.


I was vaguely aware, back in 1967, that Canada was celebrating the centennial of…something or other. As it turns out, it was Dominion Day, the anniversary the British North America Act granted some autonomy to Canada. Montreal was holding Expo ’67, which, unfortunately, we did not attend.

Finally, I did get to visit Montreal in both 1991 and 1992, though not since. I was quite taken by the place, especially the old city. I have some beautiful pictures of the Notre-Dame Basilica that I should get digitized someday.

I went to a Montreal Expos baseball game in 1992, I believe. Must say that the stadium was one of the least pleasant places to watch the sport. It was foreboding and worse, nearly bereft of fans. Little wonder the team moved to Washington, DC after the 2004 season and became the Nationals.

Here’s a list of Famous Canadian actors on both the big and small screen. It is WOEFULLY incomplete.

I need some Canadian music.

King Harvest (Has Surely Come) – The Band (OK, only 4/5s Canadian – close enough)
Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell
Harvest Moon – Neil Young
Constant Craving – k.d. lang
Do You Miss Me Darlin’ – The Guess Who
A Case of You – Diana Krall

Re: above photo- This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

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