Montreal and Quebec
Pavilion Jean XXIII is nice. Fr Corso rang at 9 and
apologised and we arranged to meet at 8 a.m. Woke early and had breakfast of
croissants. Fr Charles very nice indeed – he is from Chicago. He gave us a tour
and 2 blessings and I think he liked us. The Beckerath organ is huge and it is
a thrill to play. The Bedard and Moore went really well and the Willan and
Wyton were fine. Some of the generals seemed not to work but I managed well. We
did hear the Casavant briefly before Mass in the crypt. Fr Charles could not
have been nicer! Got the car back in time despite heavy rain – we have been so
lucky with the weather so far. Taxi to the ship and we were aboard and in our
stateroom by midday. Had lunch downstairs and met couples from Chicago (earlier
we had met another organist from there as we were leaving St Joseph!) The room
is good and this time we are higher in the ship so we have the promenade deck
outside our window. Mass at 5 was packed – ended up perched on a mobility
vehicle! I had forgotten the short sharp American approach to responses. Enjoyed
the violin and piano duo called Adagio in the lounge after eating at the Lido –
French buffet. Also made videos of all the photos so far. The show was an introductory one and there are
2 good tenors in the cast.
Quebec. Docked and it was overcast but not raining. Had
breakfast in our room and were held up leaving the ship (mobility vehicle again
– there are many elderlies aboard). Result we missed our coach tour by 2
minutes. However we were transferred to the Best of Quebec coach (which cost
more) with Joanne who was excellent. We visited the old town and the square in
front of the Hotel Fontenant. I went into the cathedral during Mass. The plains
of Abraham were unimpressive. I was surprised at how new much of it looked. A
lot of 19th century buildings. We were very impressed by the Montmorency
falls and the Bridal Veil fall. St Anne is magnificent and we caught the end of
Mass. Wonderful stained glass and mosaics. Interesting that it is all based on
legends. At the copper artist studio (he designed the door of the church) we
bought a small St Anne. The Life of Christ panels were very detailed and
interesting to see one of the carrying of the body of Jesus. I rather think the
Upper room did not have Roman pillars! Still it was all very impressive work.
An excellent lunch of salmon on the Ile de Orleans at a converted mill and then
to a sugar shack to taste maple syrup and see how it is made. One last photo stop
at the Falls and back to the ship and we left in glorious sunshine. Light
dinner and a good show about 4 male singers and a dancer in an advertising
agency. Adagio while Liz walked round the deck.
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