Quebec City…another squirrel to chase

We left Massachusetts and headed further north.  This time we stopped at the Great Pond Outdoor Recreation Center northeast of Bangor, Maine.  This is a Navy-sponsored camp on the edge of a beautiful lake called Great Pond (go figure).  It has 18 RV sites, several tent sites, 6 yurts and around 10 cabins for rent.  It’s definitely off the beaten path but worth the drive.

Great Pond Maine

Wildflower patch

We arrived, spent one night, then put the rig into overflow and jumped into the car to chase our latest “squirrel”.  Our destination: Quebec City, Canada and the last 2012 North American performance of “The Wall” by Roger Waters.  As long as we were heading up, we decided to make it a long weekend and stayed Thursday through Monday morning.

Quebec is a study in language immersion.  It’s a very, very French province - in fact, the official governmental language of the province is French.  We were definitely at a disadvantage since neither of us speaks the language.  However, between learning a few vital words, sil vous plait, merci beaucoup, pardon moi, toilette and seeking out those with some English, we managed pretty well. 

We arrived in Quebec City after a pleasant drive through some beautiful farm country and checked into the ALT Hotel.  Friday morning we were up and on the move in our usual brisk fashion - we wandered out around nine.   At the last minute we had decided to carry along the bicycles - we hopped on them and headed down the road toward Vieux Quebec, aka, Old Town.  This is the original part of the city and looks and feels like an old European town.   

Before we got that far we had to ride by the Plaines d’Abraham, site of the concert.  Les Plaines d’Abraham was the battlefield where the future of Canada was decided and France lost control to the British.  In 1906 it was dedicated as one of the largest urban parks in North America. 

Les Plaines d'Abraham

We joined quite a few other people in watching the crews setting up for the concert.  According to what Heinz had been reading, the tour travels with around 180 permanent crewmembers and hires an additional 150 locals at each concert site.  Watching everyone scurry around like ants, it was easy to believe.  Heinz also scoped out all the possible seating areas to determine what would be our best place to be on Saturday night.

Prepping the stage

Building the wall

Now what in the world is that?

After choosing just the right spot, along with a back-up plan if the first area filled up too fast, we were back on the bikes and heading for Old Town.  There we checked out the Terrasse Dufferin.  This is a boardwalk that runs along the edge of the Citadel and is well equipped with benches, kiosks, street-performers, and shady spots to cool off.  It offers unbelievable views of the St. Lawrence River, the Laurentian Mountains, and Ile d'Orleans.  According to the guidebooks, the municipal authorities install an ice slide for toboggans on the terrace during the winter for public use.  

St. Lawrence River from the Terrasse Dufferin

Biking the Terrasse Dufferin

After a great pasta lunch (packing in those carbs for the ride back to the hotel), we were off along the bicycle path that runs along the riverbank for miles.  The next morning we were up early, packed a lunch/dinner and were in line for the concert by 11:30.  Since the gates didn't open until 6:00 we had a few hours to kill.  We managed the time by taking turns walking around the district, listening to music, reading, chatting with a few people around us who spoke English, and even napping for a few minutes here and there.  By the time the gates opened there were 75,000 waiting to enter the concert area.

The crowds begin to gather...12:00

and gather...2:00

and gather...5:00

How do I describe the concert? Amazing seems like such a lame word but it was truly AMAZING.  Here is an excerpt from a review of the concert:  "A white-brick wall, which is both an ideal video screen in concert and the central metaphor of the rock opera Roger Waters wrote for the 1979 album by Pink Floyd (with additional music by the band’s guitarist, David Gilmour), spanned the stadium (800 feet long at the Quebec show) and towered 40 feet high."  In order to get a quick feel of what the concert was like check out this link.  If you are a true Pink Floyd fan you can check these two links to see some fan's recording on you-tube of the entire Quebec concert, Part I and Part II.  As Heinz says, it was so fantastic that he could have walked right in and watched it again the next day.

After the concert we ended up walking back the four miles to our hotel as the buses weren't running along the Grand Allee due to the crowds.  We did actually see two buses, but as we were less than a mile from our warm bed by that time it just didn't seem worth the effort to speed up and get to the bus stop in time.  

We obviously slept in the next morning as we didn't get to bed until after 0300.  But once we got up, Heinz took me out for a proper Quebec breakfast: eggs, bangers (mild sausage), bacon, maple crepes, toast, fruit, and cretons.  And what, you are probably asking, what in the world is cretons?  That's ok, we asked too and our waitress didn't have a clue what it was made of.  So I looked it up.  According to Wikipedia (which we all know is a stellar source), it is pork butt mixed with onions and spices and simmered gently over low heat, stirred often to prevent scorching until all the liquid is cooked off and the mixture is thick. It is then allowed to cool, stirred again to incorporate all the rendered fat, and transferred to a large clean container or individual containers, covered tightly and refrigerated for several hours or overnight until firm. Pig marrow is also often added in order to form a gelatin that allows it to congeal.  It is then used as a spread on toast for breakfast.  DOESN'T THAT JUST SOUND GREAT?  Actually, it wasn't all that bad, just pretty un-flavorful.

Ah, we just don't bounce back the next morning like we did at 18, or 32, or 45, or 50!

After breakfast we headed out for more exploration of the town.  We were pretty tired and didn't stay out long.  But, what a place.  We would love to come back and explore some more.

Old Town side street

Unisex public toilets took some getting used to - yes, both sexes use it simultaneously.

Mural on Old Town building

Hotel Frontenac

Cite Plaza

We tried to catch the changing of the guards at the Citadele, but thunderstorms canceled it.

We have heard quite a few horror stories now of searches at the international border, but the most we've had going into Canada is: "any tobacco, alcohol, or firearms? No, then have a wonderful stay." and on the way back into the U.S.: "Buy anything in Canada? No, welcome home."  Took all of 5 minutes...

Border station, returning to the U.S.

Well, my battery is about out of juice, so more on our return to Maine and our journey back into Canada, this time we're exploring New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.  So hang in there.

Our friends of the day hung out and enjoyed the concert with us.