Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Sketchbook Wandering in Québec City


Away from my to-do lists & routines
 my senses always open up in Québec.
Sketching & note-taking, my tool for observing & reflecting.
A beautiful place to enjoy being in the moment!
 My travel journal was a 4 X 6 book.
 After many trips there, I walk & wander, 
& I still discover new sights, like the Fontaine de Tourny.
Happy tourists play to the sound of 47 jets of water. 
(installed in front of the Parliament Building in 2007, 
but created in France in 1854.)

More new discoveries. This statue guy was a historian. 
Poets, artists, soldiers, women, politicians are also honored 
through statues around the city. 
 A visit to Musée de la civilisation always educates through sight, sound, movement & language. 
(French language!!)
On the left, part of a small model, une maquette, 
for the outdoor statue, Tribute to Women in Politics.
Surprise: The Quebec City Symphony filled the Main Lobby
with Beethoven's joyous 2nd Symphony.
Seeing them so close reminded me of the Sempé illustration,
which made me laugh!




 The exhibition C'est notre histoire, Premières Nations
et Inuit du XXI ième Siècle (First Nations) 
filled a huge hall with soft lighting, a sacred atmosphere. 
Artifacts & crafts displayed everywhere, 
including suspended from the ceiling,
stories & interviews on monitors, contemporary art...
The oral history touched me deeply...

Le Temps des Québecois was a fascinating historic exhibit,
again via artifacts, narratives, videos. Again, people's history.
Sunday morning sketch walk. Because of the weathervane
(la girouette) in the museum I started noticing them in the city.
The sketch on the right took quick minutes 
as my hands were cold & my feet were sore (wrong shoes).
I did it simply to observe the facade of a pretty café.

 I took some photos before my camera glitched out on me.
 The old city was being refreshed & renovated. 
Lots of construction workers, painters, scaffolding & cranes 
in the old city.
 But churches & monasteries were peaceful & quiet,
dressed in springtime light.
 This photo is for La Table de Nana. 
Lines were too long for me to eat 
at one of our favorite bakeries/cafés, Paillard. 
But these folks were enjoying it.
The public library that is housed by the 19th century church:
A place we return to for quiet, peaceful reading (in French!!)

Already planning my next trip...

3 comments:

  1. Great stuff as usual Rita. I also loved the Sempe' drawing. Fun trip.

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  2. Oh Rita, I may love this post more than any you've ever done, and that's saying something. But it's Quebec City! I fell in love with it last year and you've captured it so beautifully, both with your sketchbook and your photos. I will certainly return as I can see you will! I loved the music illustration -- the three guys playing. That's something I love about big cities and Quebecois music is one of my favorites. But what may impress me most is that you can write in French -- seemingly fluently!(I say seemingly because I wouldn't know one way or the other) but it looks very impressive and just perfect for a Quebec journal.

    Thanks for popping over to my Lazy Days post! Nice words make me smile! And if you haven't weighed in on about what you love (or don't) about where you live, check out that post. The comments are more interesting than my post! (It should be on the top till later today or tomorrow)

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  3. ♥I wish I could fill my travel journals like you do..borrow your hand and talent:)
    Jeanie..Rita writes beautifully in French....and draws and paints beautifully in French we all agree:):)
    I hate wrong shoes..I hate..they can make or break a day.I am so in tune to what works for me for tris..walk all day..neeed a shoe that is comfy..and then again..sometimes we can err!.
    I am so glad you enjoyed..it's positively brisk here at 50F..we had gorgeous weather that turned 3 days ago..
    Thank you for my pic of Paillard..since that place is you for me:)
    I dodn't think we saw the fountain..it looks like a mini Aix:)

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