We arrived in Quebec City where we staying in the old city in the very heart of Canadian History and French fun-ness. Loving it. Enough has happened here in two days that we feel like we have been here for a week. Including, but not limited to, horse and carriage ride, street performance of various kinds, coffee on sidewalks, lunch on sidewalks, visits with the Augustinian sister Nicole who happens to have her masters degree in museumology or something such like which doesn't translate so good, uh?
Dear Seour Nicole, whose English was almost perfect and accent was thick, took it upon herself to show us around the Augustinian "hotel de Dieu"...a hospital started by the nuns. A museum which is actually closed to the public right now, but she wanted us to see her special things. Her "special things" included statues, relics (the reliquary was an entire room of beautiful decorated smaller reliquaries, with hundreds of bones and other first class relics), artwork and furniture from the original 17th century building which is in the process of becoming an historic site of national importance.
She took us to the cellars where, during Communist hostility in the last century in France, the French government hid several hundred valuable works of art in Canada to protect them from being confiscated or ruined. She explained to us that the Ursulines came to teach in New France, and the Augustinians came to care for the sick and dying. Get this, they came on the same boat. In 1639. And the are still in operation, running a school for girls, the oldest educational institute for girls in North America.
Sister Nicole takes us to the forbidden places.
The skull of Priest and martyr, St. Jean de Brebeouf.
Back to what we did. Went on a historical walking tour of the city. Very cute tour guide. I think he liked me. This is the back of his head.
Visited Jesuit Missionaries, St. Patrick's church, the first Irish parish in Canada. The original prison, maple syrup museum. And here's a kicker. We got the see the last performance of the summer of the Cirque de Soleil outdoors, just outside of old Quebec on the waterfront, For Free.
So. We are pretty tired, good night.
Dear Seour Nicole, whose English was almost perfect and accent was thick, took it upon herself to show us around the Augustinian "hotel de Dieu"...a hospital started by the nuns. A museum which is actually closed to the public right now, but she wanted us to see her special things. Her "special things" included statues, relics (the reliquary was an entire room of beautiful decorated smaller reliquaries, with hundreds of bones and other first class relics), artwork and furniture from the original 17th century building which is in the process of becoming an historic site of national importance.
She took us to the cellars where, during Communist hostility in the last century in France, the French government hid several hundred valuable works of art in Canada to protect them from being confiscated or ruined. She explained to us that the Ursulines came to teach in New France, and the Augustinians came to care for the sick and dying. Get this, they came on the same boat. In 1639. And the are still in operation, running a school for girls, the oldest educational institute for girls in North America.
Visited Jesuit Missionaries, St. Patrick's church, the first Irish parish in Canada. The original prison, maple syrup museum. And here's a kicker. We got the see the last performance of the summer of the Cirque de Soleil outdoors, just outside of old Quebec on the waterfront, For Free.
So. We are pretty tired, good night.
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