Quebec City Day 2

Today we had a picnic lunch, then walked around the citadel and the Plains of Abraham. After that we went to the Quebec Aquarium, where Mama took this cool picture of a bug.
The aquarium was full of friendly animals...

I touched a starfish.
The highlight was the seal show.
This guy reminded me of Bella asking for food.

Quebec City

Quebec City is absolutely lovely. We had a nice time today walking around town. This is the view from the old city walls.
Lunch. The weather was so beautiful that my folks wanted to find a restaurant with an open window they could sit next to. We found one!

The Chateau Frontenac. Pretty fancy - I think I'd like to stay here next time I'm in town.
Thomas wouldn't be afraid to climb up on these ladders.

Trois Rivières

Tonight was our second-to-last concert! It was extra special for me because my parents were there. They drove for 2 days to get here.
After the concert we came to Quebec City and we'll stay here for a few days. It will be nice to do a little sightseeing.

La Tuque

Today Fred was on tv promoting tomorrow's concert in Trois Rivières.
We drove about 2 hours north for our concert tonight. We got to town early and had a short rehearsal in the church for some new music we'll be playing this weekend.

There was just enough seating for 100 people in the church, and we had 101! There were people everywhere, including behind us in the chorus section.

I'm excited because my parents are coming to visit tomorrow. We will spend a couple of days in Quebec City together, then meet up for our last concert on Sunday.

Cap Rouge

Today we played at St. Felix du Cap Rouge, in Quebec City. This church was tucked away in a cute little neighborhood. We had our smallest audience so far, but they were very enthusiastic and friendly.



This painting was on the wall directly between the two violinists, right at eye level. I couldn't stop looking at it, even when we were playing.
Because the lion had feet like a person.

Drummondville

Our church tonight was huge. We had a good crowd too, 240 people. They just completed renovations on the church and our concert was part of a big thank-you party for all the donors. After the concert we were invited to a reception. Someone made a speech that I didn't understand at all, and there were some very nice hors d'oeuvres.

Les Bergeronnes

We arrived in Les Bergeronnes yesterday to this fancy sign outside the church.
We got a very warm welcome from the people in this small town. We stayed with host families last night who fixed us dinner and breakfast. This is Mezzo.
On the way south to Trois Rivieres, the highway came to an end and all the cars loaded on to a big flat boat, which transported us across a fjord to where the road picked back up. I never heard of such a thing. People were out kayaking in the fjord.

Back for more...

Here I am back in Quebec for more string quartet concerts. It took 2 planes, 2 buses, 2 taxis, 1 ferry, and 1 tour van to get me here to Baie Comeau, on the north side if the St. Lawrence River. It's still pretty as ever up here, and I'm definitely enjoying the 30-degree drop in temperature from NC.

Ok, so it looks calm and flat here, but that ferry was rolling all over the place. Fred took this picture for me because I was too scared to go out next to the railing of the ship.
Happy to see solid ground!
Tonight's church was pretty and small, with unusual stained glass. Don't some of these animals seem out of place?

Percé

Yesterday we left Gaspé and drove around the eastern tip of the peninsula. The views were beautiful!
We stopped in Percé for lunch and a little walk around town. This enormous rock is the town's claim to fame. There is a hole through it, but you can't see it here.
Lunch at the beach
Percé was a charming little tourist town. There were lots of people there strolling around, shopping, and walking on the beach.
We finally got a good view of the rock on our drive out of town. We couldn't stop, so here's an action shot taken out the back window of the van.
After a concert in Maria, we spent the night at a bed-and-breakfast in Carleton, both on the southern coast. This morning we drove back across the middle of the peninsula and back up to the north coast. We have one last concert in Cap-Chat tonight before our break (and my trip home)! As soon as the concert is over, Fred and I will drive all night to the airport in Quebec City. Wish us luck catching our 6 am flights.

A Day in Gaspé

Another day off in Gaspé today. Line and I really wanted to go on a whale watching trip, but the guys ended up needing to take the car for their day-long hike. So today we've been wandering around town.

Breakfast at Tim Horton's, mmmmm.
Downtown Gaspé
Line and I had lunch at this cafe. It's a little hard to see, but that's water in the background - it was a really nice view.
These are absolutely the best cookies ever. They taste like maple syrup. Tonight is our last night in Gaspé. Tomorrow morning we'll drive to Maria, a little town on the southern side of the peninsula, and stay near there for the night.

Riviere au Renard

We usually eat dinner in the town where the concert is. This was last night's fine dining establishment.
Poutine - I tried some. It's french fries with gravy and some kind of curd cheese. It tasted pretty good.
Last night's crowd was wierd. They seemed a little less enthused about the concert than our audiences usually are. There was an enormous bingo tournament going on at the same time in the church basement - maybe they wished they were downstairs.

Arrrived in Gaspé

Hello all! Yesterday we left Rimouski and traveled about 4 hours to Madeleine, a very small village on the North coast. The drive was very pretty and hilly with views of the water around each bend. Our motel was right next to the church, so we were able to walk to the concert. The motel didn't have working lights, shower, or internet, and there was no phone in the room, but there was a tv and it was such a treat to flip it on and hear English. We spent our free time playing rummy outside at a picnic table overlooking the water. We'll be in Gaspé for the next three nights. We're staying in a college dorm and the town looks very pretty with lots of little shops and flowers everywhere. My cell phone works! There is also a computer in the common room that I can use, so consider me a happy camper.

Last Day in Rimouski

In my pre-trip "excitement" about leaving for Quebec, I packed 5 bags (all full to the brim) and my cello. There's no way all that stuff will fit in the tour van, so I pared things down today. I'm sending my biggest suitcase home, but this one is staying with me.Finally finished the triazzle. I'm leaving cell phone and internet range tomorrow. For the next several days we will be traveling up the St. Lawrence river and around the tip of the Gaspé peninsula. On Friday I fly home to Greensboro for a few days (can't wait!), then I come back to Quebec for 2 more weeks of concerts.

Berthier sur Mer

Today was one of our longest days; our concert was a few hours down the river in Berthier sur Mer. We tend to leave "early" for concerts. Tonight we got to town 4 1/2 hours before the concert, which meant we had time for a very leisurely dinner at this restaurant with amazing views of the water.
Tonight's church had a nautical theme, with a big boat hanging from the ceiling.
We took a few pictures of the quartet while we were warming up.

Disaster

Well, almost. Tonight two of us left our music in Rimouski. I was one of them, naturally. The boys had no choice but to drive an hour and a half round trip to fetch the parts, which were on a chair in my living room. So the concert started an hour late. It's the first time in 7-8 years that something like this happened on the tour and of course I was mortified to have played a part in it. But the audience was very cheerful about the whole thing, and with a shortened intermission and "lively" tempi, we finished the concert by 10:30.

I couldn't tell what the venue was going to be like beforehand. I've been struggling with my French and to me, Foyer Jesus-Marie de Trois Pistoles only means: Fireplace Jesus Mary of Three Pistols. It turned out to be a convent and retirement home. The ladies there were so kind. They prepared delicious cookies and punch for us and really made us feel welcome. The concert went well, and it was a nice evening in the end.

Fort Ingall de Cabano

Tonight's concert was in a reconstructed British fort in the countryside. It was a cool and rainy night, but our little wooden building was quite cozy. We didn't have time to tour the museum buildings, so I'm sorry to report I didn't quite learn what the British were doing there or why they made a fort. I'll have to brush up on my Canadian history and get back to you.

These little buidings were cute.Pretty view from the front of the building we played in