Quebec's 400th Birthday!

Today at 11 am….church bells pealed all over Canada (and especially in Quebec) to celebrate the originally founding of Quebec City on July 3rd 1608…when the ship landed on the banks of what became named the St. Lawrence River (at 11am). There are huge festivities all year in Quebec City…but this week apparently they are having quite a wing ding…with the big concert tonight being headlined , inexplicably, by Van Halen (yes…Van Halen says Quebec to me…does it to you?). We were in the apartment and celebrated the moment listening to the bells of the Basilica Notre Dame and watching a steady rain outside the window.

Rose early to drive up to the Marche Jean Talon (in the Italian district)…one of our favorite places in Montreal. We stocked up on strawberries and raspberries from Quebec…blueberries aren’t ready yet due to the late arriving summer weather. Quebec tomatoes and little cucumbers. Fresh basil. Radishes…fresh brown eggs. Pumpernickel bread. Had a cup of espresso and a chocolate coconut macaroon at Maison Torrefaction at the market. They call the macaroon…”hello dolly”…it was great…

Drove home in the rain and unloaded. Sighed to find the AC not yet repaired and happy to know someone was coming at 2pm to work on it. Around 11 in the pouring rain we walked to Maison Kam Fung in Chinatown for Dim Sum. Enjoyed it as always…it’s really our favorite Dim Sum place (here or in the States). Great service…fresh ingredients…reliably good.

Now we are resting and reading (and blogging) in the apartment…happy that the air conditioning is once again working (for the moment) and contemplating another walk…as it has stopped raining.

Bonne Fete! Quebec!