Winter activities

The Carnaval de Quebec started yesterday. I went to the old city on Thursday and work was almost complete for the festivities.

I plan on taking in some of the sights and sounds and smells and tastes. There are no end of places to go. Not sure this will be in my top ten, though.

Some of the bars are getting into the spirit with their own ice sculptures.

Some places are still lit up from the Christmas holidays. These two buildings are near the entrance to the old city. There is a small outdoor ice rink in front of the Palace Montcalm.

Wandering around I have to remind myself to do a 360 every so often, otherwise I might miss something worth seeing. I will have to visit here sometime.

And here.

One thing I've told myself is to try the local fare. I can cook at home, but it is good to see what else is out there. One thing about the people here - they love their food. This is a portion of the cheese selection at a small grocery store.

One of the things that is common here is crepes. I read about two different restaurants and decided to try them out. The Billig is a few blocks away from the old city proper.

Their menu was very eclectic. The night I was there the specials included boudin noir (blood sausage), cassoulet, and canard (duck).

I chose the Crepes Cancalaise (sautéed scallops, butter fried leeks, swiss cheese and lemon butter sauce). Their savory crepes are made with buckwheat flour. The cheese is layered in the middle and the crepe is folded into a tri-fold. The leeks and scallops on placed on top. Wonderful choice!

For dessert I had the salted caramel crepe. I wish I had taken a picture it was so good. By the time I walked home I was so full all I could do was veg on the sofa and watched a French cooking show.

Another night I went to the Casse-Crepe Breton right in the old city.

I had a simple ham, swiss cheese and mushroom crepe. Much simpler fare than the Billig, but tasty none-the-less.

The bakery down the street that was closed for holidays opened up this weekend as well. I told the young woman at the till that I missed them. I bought a few treats for the week.

I'm not sure I would tackle making these things in this kitchen.

And the things you thought you knew... I have always known tourtiere as a meat pie with ground pork and beef baked in a pie plate. I saw a show on the tourtieres made in the Saguenay/Lac-St-Jean region on Quebec. They are HUGE. Traditionally they are cooked in a large turkey roaster for 6-7 hours. (And, no, I didn't cook this - I found a picture on the internet.)

They are made from a combination of different meats (beef, pork, chicken, wild game, veal...) and slow cooked with onions and potatoes in pastry. I will have to track one down - or at least a portion of one.

Classes are going very well. They have a map at the school and over the years have put a dot where students have come from.

I asked for a dot for me, too!

I am amazed at how much I have learned in a month. Of all the skills (reading, speaking, listening, writing, spelling...) I would say my reading is the strongest and comprehending what is being said the weakest. In class the instructors speak slow enough and in simple sentences so that I can pick up what they are saying. Conversations at regular speed are still a blur for me -- although I did catch more of the homily today at Mass. I practice writing sentences and little stories, so my vocabulary is improving. Whenever I answer a question, I try to add another sentence or phrase to practice formulating responses on the fly. It is so much fun!

Today after Mass I met Sister Josee who works for the Archdiocese. She invited me to come and visit the office some time. I will take her up on that!