Harperman it’s time for you to go!!!!!

Tags

Canada., Constitution, Democracy, Dictatorship, East Germany, Election, Freedom, Lutheran Church, October 19, Parliament, Protest

The Canadian Federal Election will not come soon enough. In the meantime I am publishing here a song that has gone viral thanks to Harperman himself. The idiot Prime Minister of Canada decided to make a martyr of the lead singer of this song. It went on YouTube from 548 views to viral overnight! Yes Harper ordered the suspension of the fellow because he is a Public Servant. You will not criticized the Fuhrer Harper! The USA had Richard Nixon we have Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon combined in the person of Stephen Harper. Can you believe that the people in this video are seen by Harper and his cronies as dangerous activists. This is beyond ridiculous, if you are not worth a laugh you are not worth much as the old saying goes.

So enjoy this Church Group protest song. We should remember that it was the Lutheran Church protest songs and demonstrations in East Germany who was instrumental in toppling the Communist Dictatorship in 1989, maybe we can topple the Harper Dictator on October 19. #StopHarper #Election2015

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Is there Lobster on the menu?

Tags

Charlottetown, cuisine, Food, PEI, Restaurants

We spent a week on the Island and discovered many very good restaurants. Again a pleasant surprised, here on the mainland where restaurant food is dominated by formula type big chain restaurants you forget how good food can be when it is not trucked in from a factory owned by a big chain. What we also did not see is a lot of fast food outlets, they appear to be few of them and none in the centre of towns. The fact that the population is low at 140,000 total for the Island may very well be a blessing. Restaurants also appear to stay away from cuisine interpretation of famous TV Chefs or New York style cuisine which is not to most people’s liking unless you are a shopping mall Food Court addict or worse yet Fusion cuisine which to my mind is totally meaningless.

We first went to a small place next to where we lived in Charlottetown on Water Street, the name of the street makes it clear we were on the water of the old harbour, now a pleasure boat marina and park dedicated to the history of the city.

Local 343 is located in a saltbox type house dated to 1831 at 98 Water street, the name of the restaurant refers to the telephone number which was originally Local 343 in 1914. The Chef is Emily Wells and her partner is Scott Campbell. The restaurant has its kitchen on the main floor and a bar and dining area on the top floor, there is also a leafy patio at the back, the food is wonderful and the service very friendly and attentive. People are friendly in PEI and its typical island culture to be nice and welcoming. We tried their Crab cakes which is all crab and no filler, usually you find lots of potato in the mix, not here. They are also made fresh daily, I saw them do it and simply served hot with a beautiful mix green side salad.

We also had several times their Seafood chowder it is an improvement on Clam chowder which is again usually a few clams and lots of potatoes. The Seafood chowder was rich and delicious, full of seafood in a nice creamy tomato basil broth, no potatoes.

I also had the rice noodle and lobster salad, an asian salad just a little spicy and very nice on a hot day. The lobster was generously served in big chunks. They also offer non fish or seafood items, one day I had for lunch their Vegetable quiche, made by the mother of the owner and her blueberry bread pudding, both were excellent.

LOCAL 343
98 Water Street, Charlottetown, PE
(902) 569-9343

Claddagh Oyster House, 131 Sydney Street, Charlottetown, PE.

The name is Irish many immigrated to PEI at the end of the 18th century when things in Ireland were not very good. The Dolan Family owns the pub & restaurant, their chef is Mitchell Jackson who use to work at Whalesbone Restaurant in Ottawa.

http://www.claddaghoysterhouse.com

We made dinner reservations for this Irish pub restaurant, the decor is dramatic, all stone and a mirrored wall of water, very nice atmosphere and great ambiance. You can sit at the bar to have fresh oysters or you can enjoy dinner in their restaurant. The service again was excellent, very nice waiter who knew the menu. The specialty is oysters, they have several varieties, all of it from the Island. This is what is nice about seafood and oyster in PEI all of it is very fresh. We had a very good meal, oysters Rockefeller and a wonderful fish dish. We also were introduced to PEI Wineries, very nice wines. The restaurant also has steaks on their menu, beef from PEI is excellent I had a steak and it was like butter.

We also went to Dave’s for a Lobster roll, you cannot come to PEI and not have lobster. Dave is located in the Founders Hall which is an old brick warehouse on the wharf, now turned into a museum and park area. Dave has a simple menu, either a lobster roll, which is a bun stuffed with wonderful lobster meat or a grilled cheese sandwich made from the great PEI Cheddar cheese. Either way it is very good.  http://www.daveslobster.com

A friend of ours in Charlottetown who has a duplex apartment in a stately old building, I thought we were on Pall Mall in London, suggested we go to Water Prince Corner Store and Lobster Pound for dinner. It is located at 141 Water Street, Shane Campbell is the owner and they specialize in seafood, they also ship within Canada.

http://www.waterprincelobster.ca

It is a very simple place with about 12 tables inside and 3 outside. Menu is all seafood and very good. We had Fish and chips, Seafood Chowder, Oysters and Scallops dinners. Something funny happened while having dinner, we had made reservations which is a must, we had ordered wine and we waited maybe 5 minutes, suddenly our waitress comes to us and says, Oh I forgot about your wine, it’s on the house because you had to wait. We were so surprised I did not think that waiting 5 or more minutes was a long time. We got talking with the waitress at the end of the evening around 09:30pm and again friendly people with a sunny disposition.

Terre Rouge Bistro, 72 Queen St, Charlottetown, PE
Téléphone :(902) 892-4032

http://terrerougepei.com

The symbol of this restaurant is a Red Beet and Terre Rouge refers to the red earth of PEI and its famous red sandstone.

It is in my opinion one of the best restaurants in PEI. The menu features PEI beef, charcuterie, PEI Cheeses, Fish and Seafood, pastries and gelatos. They bake their own bread, all their suppliers are locals in PEI including the vegetables, it is a very good restaurant and the service is great. You will need reservation and you should try to have one meal there while in Charlottetown.

John and Dave are the two chefs at Terre Rouge. Read their philosophy about the restaurant and I would say from experience that they live up to it.

Terre Rouge is all about our small local producers.
Not because it is trendy, but just because it’s right on every level. …We know exactly what we are getting and how it’s been treated. It’s straight from the producer to the table, often in just a few hours.

Equally important, we are supporting the actual people who provide us with this great product. There are no middle men or supply-chain logistics, which means less carbon footprint. But all this aside – as chefs, what really gets the ‘twig and berries’ jumping is that all this super fresh product is really delicious!

When we set out to open Terre Rouge, there were a few basic philosophies we agreed would never change…
#1 A Farm to Table focus.
#2 ‘No’ does not exist in our service vocabulary.
#3 Make everything from local product.
#4 Terre Rouge has to be fun, hip and never stuffy.

and #5………….The food has to kick-ass.

Finally for breakfast in the morning open only from 7 am to 2 pm

Linda’s Coffee shop at the corner of Queen and Water Streets.

Great food and good coffee. The breakfast menu is great, lovely Western Omelet sandwich, nice staff what else can you ask for.

We visited the following towns

Tags

Anne of Green Gables, Avonlea, Blooming Point, Canada., Cavendish, Charlottetown, PEI, The Dunes, Victoria-by-the-Sea

The Island of Prince Edward has 3 parts, the Capital Charlottetown is in the middle facing the mainland New Brunswick across from the straight of Northumberland. There is a bridge connecting the Island to the mainland of Canada, The Confederation Bridge is 13 Km long and it takes 10 minutes to cross it, the toll fee is $45. per car. It is closed in bad weather or if  there’s a high wind. We did not take it as we flew into Charlottetown airport.

On the first day we drove 40 minutes to Victoria by the Sea to visit with friends who live there and have a business. The Trans-Canada highway takes you there, on the way back we took the more scenic Provincial road 19.

This old house in Victoria B.T.S. has in front the largest tree on the Island.

On another day we went to Kensington and Indian River. Kensington can be reached by using Highway 2, the town has a railway museum, the island had a well established rail  system and in fact the rail question was an important factor in PEI joining the union known as Confederation in 1873. Strangely they instigated the talks back in 1864 but then in 1867 when Canada was united into one country PEI refused to join until 1873 when the newly created Federal government promised them money to finish paying for the island rail system. The rail system was not such a good idea, the soil of the island is very soft and constant maintenance was required to ensure the rail would not sink into the soil or be washed away in the Spring. The other problem was the gage, on the island the gage was narrowed than what was the norm in the rest of Canada. It was finally abandoned. Indian River which is on Malpeque Bay is where the Indian River Festival is held from June to September at the Church of St-Mary.

We then travelled to Cavendish where the fictional town of Avonlea is located, the site of the story of Anne of Green Gables. We visited the home where the story of Anne is set to have taken place, it is in fact the actual home of a relative of Lucy Maud Montgomery the author. It is beautifully done and very respectful in all detail of the story. It is surrounded by a beautiful vegetable and flower garden, all the plants and flowers are of the period. The barn and other farm buildings can be visited. There is also the forest and path featured in the story, all quite nice and it comes under the administration of Parks Canada, the Federal government department responsible for all national parks. There is no crass commercialism to distract from the story of Anne.

We also went to the Provincial Park of Brackley-Dalvay with its forest of sea pines and red sand beaches. You have kilometres of natural beaches, it is very quiet and peaceful. Cavendish and Brackley-Dalvay face the Gulf of St-Lawrence and the Atlantic, there is a fee to pay to enter the park and under the Harper Regime the fees have become quite steep, I would say almost unaffordable for the average family, a park is suppose to be open to all but under the nasty Harper Regime that is not the way of thinking.

At Dalvay in the Park there is this giant Victorian mansion built by an eccentric fellow Alexander Macdonald as a little cottage for him and his family back in 1896, it is a 26 room hotel nowadays from to June to October. Very nicely preserved and in the style of the time again no modern additions.

We went also to visit a shop, restaurant and garden called The Dunes which has a fantastic botanical garden with ponds and heritage flowers, banks of them everywhere, meaning lots of butterflies and bees pollinating.

http://www.dunesgallery.com

The owner Peter from Toronto and his partner Nash who is from Java in Asia have dotted the gardens with Asian deities and Buddhas, all quite lovely if a little incongruous.  We briefly looked into Blooming Point said to be a nudist beach on PEI. Because of the low density of population on PEI, there are lots of camp grounds, National Parks on the Seashore and much protected historical sites. What I noted was how clean it all was and devoid of cars or noise or large groups of people. The beaches are just that a place to relax. A friend told us that she likes to just go walking for miles on end, a relaxing therapy.

During our stay we did not visit the North Cape area nor the East point of the island. We basically stayed in the middle part between Malpeque Bay and Hillsborough River.

Arts in PEI

Tags

Arts, Canada., Charlottetown, cultures, Festival, Indian River, Music, PEI, St-Mary's

In this continuing series on Prince Edward Island again given its small population and the number of fishing and farming communities you would not think that there are lots of art, theatre, music, culture or Festivals during the year on the Island.

What I noticed on arrival is the number of art galleries in Charlottetown but also elsewhere in smaller communities. Painting appears to be an important activities and no it is not just seagulls. The other big activity are concerts by different professional ensemble who fly in from all over. Professional theatre is also present. Horse racing, dressage and other Equine competitions are very big on the Island. Races take place everyday in Charlottetown and the Gold Cup Week in August is a big event. The horses we saw were impressive. I was expecting more the small community amateur stuff here and there, quaint and often led by social clubs, this is not the case. The number of excellent restaurants everywhere on the Island is a pleasure, quality, good chefs, local ingredients, innovative cuisine is the hallmark. The Islanders obviously have a business vision of what they have and how to best present it.

We attended a concert at the Indian River Festival which is about 40 minutes outside of Charlottetown. The concerts are held in an old Church set in a field surrounded by cows and a beach. The Church St-Mary’s was a Roman Catholic parish church, built in 1902 by W.C. Harris in French Gothic Style, it is large and incongruous, you expect more a simple little country church, this building is better suited for a large town. Acoustically it was wonderful, beautiful wood everywhere inside. The church is preserve as it was when it is a functioning church. Given that it was built for the farming community in the surrounding countryside and no village is attached directly to it, we learned that 26 families provided all the necessary support to see it built. The Indian River Festival is in its 20th year and has an army of volunteers and supporters who recently built a beautiful new reception hall next to the Church.

St-Mary’s is a big building, look simply at the Apostles in the tower, the statues are live size. For some reason this church’s architecture reminded me of similar buildings in Southern Germany.

In Charlottetown and in many other communities you also have Festivals, either Jazz, contemporary, classical etc. Music is a very big part of the Island life and so are Choirs, there is music and musicians everywhere, not all of them in a concert setting. Many on street corners simply performing for the pleasure of it.

Charlottetown also has the Confederation Centre for the Arts opened in 1964 and the Art Gallery, both are located next to Province House surrounded by massive stone and brick building of banks and other companies who once graced the main arteries of the City. The architecture of Charlottetown tells you of the wealth of the city, once a shipbuilding centre for North America until 1880 when steam and coal powered ships replaced the great sail ships.

Strange to think that the powers that be in London UK, had all manners of colonial ideas for PEI. Before the island changed its name from St-Jean to PEI an enterprising governor thought of calling the Island New Ireland to attract Irish migrants in the same way Scotts had been attracted to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. It was all part of a cheap labour movement and to settle the troublesome Irish away from the Emerald Isle. London was quick to remind this governor that naming territories was none of his business.

Anne (with an e) of Green Gables with friend.

One other tradition in PEI is something I thought so very civilized. You will notice on chosen streets a wood and glass box, inside are books. You are invited to open the box  and take a book to read or leave a book you read. The book box are usually located near a park where you can sit to read and enjoy the day, how very nice and so PEI.

Charlottetown, PEI

Tags

Acadia, Canada., Charlottetown, Confederation, Maritimes, PEI

We arrived in Charlottetown on the 20th, a direct flight from Ottawa, about 80 minutes    considering the distance 1000 Km. We could have driven it over 2.5 days but frankly I found that just a bit too long for me, since I am the single driver.

Arriving at Charlottetown airport, we went to the car rental agency and they gave us a Jeep Patriot, I had never driven one of those but I liked it right away. The drive from the airport to the centre of town is about 12 minutes, not exactly far and the speed limit is 40Km per hour not fast either. This is the first thing you notice, life is much slower here and people have time, there is no stress and no rushing about or multi-tasking. Charlottetown has a population of 34,000 people, the city celebrates its 250th Birthday this year. For such a small town, it is full of important historical significance in the history of Canada under the French and then after 1763 the English Regime.

Entrance to the Port of Charlottetown seen from Fanningbank (Government House). On the right in the distance is Port La Joy, later Fort Amherst, today a National Historic Site and the Haché-Gallant Farm. Beyond is the Northumberland Straight and the Coast of New Brunswick.

Known as Port La Joy by the French and then by the English as Fort Amherst until 1768 went it became Charlottetown. The story of PEI is that of European Imperialism and the various wars between France, England, Austria and Spain between Sovereigns who were all trying to assert world domination.

The original map of PEI made some 250 years ago by a British Officer Samuel Holland. This photo was taken from the balcony of the Art Centre in Charlottetown. It is very detailed and very large, on loan from the British Archives for the first time ever.

In making this accurate map and surveying the land for the first time, Holland divided the Island in 62 concessions and named over 100 places on the island. In 1768 the British government decided to sell the concessions to wealthy members of the British Aristocracy who were absentee landlords, none ever visited the island and in turn installed a system of tenured Farmers (feudalism). This turn of events would drive the Islanders to form a Union in 1864 with the other Provinces of Canada to escape from this servitude. To this day Laws in PEI strictly controls the amount of land a Foreigner or Non-Resident can buy on the Island. Non-Residents also pay two times more taxes than residents.

Province House Legislative Building of PEI, Georgian architecture. This is where the Conference on the Maritime Union and Confederation took place in 1864 before moving  to Quebec City for final ratification. The building is closed and currently under renovation for the next 5 years.

What is beautiful about Charlottetown is the urban design of the city. The British planners wanted a city like London full of parks and Squares with broad streets on a grid pattern. This is what you see today, magnificent Red Sandstone architecture, elaborate Victorian wood mansions, and many imposing stone Churches. Two famous names associated with the development of the City are the Harris brothers who worked in Charlottetown. The architect William Critchlow Harris (1854-1913) built many imposing buildings and houses which survive to this day. His brother the celebrated Canadian Painter Robert Harris (1849-1919) decorated with frescoes many buildings and churches, he was also a great portrait artist and he painted the 33 Fathers of the Canadian Confederation. Many of his paintings are in the National Gallery in Ottawa.

The Steeples of St-Dunstan dominate the Capital.Built in the French Gothic style by architect Francois-Xavier Berlinguet.

R.C. Bishops Palace and seat of the Administration of the University of PEI.

The oldest brick house in Charlottetown c.1831 on Water Street on the corner with Great George Street.

The type of dormers on the roof line was the fashion between 1862-68. So you know more or less when these buildings once private homes were built.

Another brick building once used for the Government of PEI built c.1840

St-Paul Anglican Church, in Red PEI Sandstone, the building is far larger than it appears here and not in this photo is the Bishops Palace at the back and Parish hall. All of it built at the same time. Many Fathers of Confederation attended this church during their lifetime.

City Hall of Charlottetown, one has to remember that all this was built at a time when the city had a few thousand souls. Today the Capital has 34,000 inhabitants. Very impressive architecture for such a small town and it speaks of its importance in Canadian History.

The home of a prominent family now a private residence for Elderly Ladies.

One of several paintings in the side Chapel of All Souls painted by Robert Harris.

Here Harris takes from the Divine Comedy of Dante in the Circle of Hell. The Chapel has these beautiful murals all around.

One of the many City Parks in Charlottetown.

Water Street with the brick Customs House and its steel shutters. During the Prohibition the Government confiscated all alcool and stored more alcool into this building. Since drinking alcool was prohibited the Government got involved in the sale and export of liquor. Yes people were paid to make the stuff and it would then be sold on the mainland. This way respectability and temperance or the facade of it could be maintained.

Another private home with a large lot all around

The homes are beautifully maintained, despite their size and being sea front properties  most are valued under $240,000. Strangely most people in Charlottetown believe those prices to be astronomical.

Beaconsfield, a museum today built c. 1860

One of the marinas, Charlottetown welcomes also large cruise ships like Holland American.

the view of the Harbor ”La Joy” of Charlottetown

Fanningbank the Residence of the Lieutenant Governor of PEI, C.1830, Georgian Style. The Fathers of Confederation met here many times and dinners and balls during the conference of 1864 took place here. It is set in a giant park facing the Harbor.

A very elegant town full of very nice people who live almost in an era long gone at a more civilized pace. Charlottetown made a big impression on me, we are going back to experience it again in the near future.

We went to a wonderful place

Tags

Canada., Confederation, PEI, Prince Edward, Victoria-by-the-Sea

We are back from our week long holiday in the Province of Prince Edward Island, the birthplace of Canadian Confederation (1864). The new banner header is a view from the small Harbor of Victoria-by-the-Sea, a small fishing village full of arts and culture and grand old homes, not to mention wonderful seafood restaurants, pop 1000. It is named after Queen Victoria who was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, Earl of Dublin and Prince of Hanover. He was the first member of the Royal family to live in Canada for more than a short visit (1791–1800) and, in 1794, the first Prince to enter the United States (travelling to Boston by foot from Lower Canada) after US independence.

Prince Edward Augustus, 1767-1820

Old Home Week in Charlottetown, PEI

Tags

Anne of Green Gables, Canada., Confederation, PEI, Province, Prussia

The annual Old Home Week festivities are hosted on the grounds of the Eastlink Centre & Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at Charlottetown Driving Park at 46 Kensington Road in Charlottetown, PEI. http://oldhomeweekpei.com/

Well tomorrow morning we fly to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in the Gulf of St-Lawrence. A 85 minute direct flight from Ottawa.

The Capital City is named after Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 1744-1818 (Prussia) Queen consort of the King George III of Britain, himself a German Prince of Hanover and nephew of Frederick II the Great of Prussia. Charlottetown was originally an unincorporated town that incorporated as a city in 1855. It was most famously the site of the Charlottetown Conference in 1864, the first gathering of Canadian and Maritime statesmen to debate the proposed Maritime Union and the more persuasive British North American Union, now known as Canadian Confederation. From this, the city adopted as its motto “Cunabula Foederis” – “Birthplace of Confederation”. Later in 1864 in Quebec City the same Statesmen would sign and formalize the Union of the Provinces of Canada into one country.

The population of Charlottetown in the 2011 census was 34,562. Not a big town more like a big village.

Prince Edward Island or île St-Jean (under the French Regime) is known as Canada’s playground, it is mostly farms and beaches and more farms and beaches. The island is named for Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767–1820), the fourth son of King George III and the father of Queen Victoria. Prince Edward has been called “Father of the Canadian Crown.” It’s beaches are of made of red sandstone, which has a dramatic effect.

Lobster is featured on all menus, as the Provincial dish, oysters and other seafood is also abundant. Of course there is also Anne of Green Gables, the fictional character in the famous novel of Lucy Maud-Montgomery (1874-1942) which brings bus loads of Japanese tourists who consider Anne a National treasure, never did understand the fascination but there you go.

I have never been to PEI, I travelled in 1983 to all parts of Canada with the exception of PEI, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The weather should be splendid and being Old Home Week http://oldhomeweekpei.com/, there are tons of activities and things going on. We will also visit friends and have quite a few nice meals. We also plan to drive around the Island and visit the other small towns.

What to bring to someone’s House as a gift

Tags

Friends, Gift, Millenials, people, rude, Sloppy, Wine, wine gift

You know the old way of doing things, you get an invitation to a dinner party or someone’s house and you think, I have to bring a gift, it is simple courtesy and the polite thing to do.

When I was a kid in the 20th Century, my Mom would bring flowers and my Dad a bottle of wine. Something he had chosen and by the label the Host and Hostess would see it was quality. My Mom always seem to know which flowers to chose for her bouquet usually something the hostess would like. It always had to be flowers who were not heavily scented, a light fragrance and soft colours. Never roses or white lilies being attuned to the meaning of what some flowers might represent in various cultures.

Usually today people bring wine, a bottle of wine. I never could understand people who  brought nothing at all, especially if it was the first time you visited someone’s home. That is thoughtless and rude and says you do not think much of the host who invited you.

If you bring a bottle of wine, a little research ahead of time is a good idea, does your host like Red or White Wine. Some people do not drink one or the other, they may have likes for one kind of wine and not for another. There is also the question of how much to spend, here in Ontario where wine prices are well known, you have to be careful, your host may notice that the wine you brought is supermarket quality. There is no need to go overboard in choosing a wine but just a little thought before hand can go a long way.

I feel sometimes that those little things in life are lost on people, either people don’t think or say ”it does not matter”, but it does. It is those little things in life that make the whole difference in inter-personal relationships. If you care about people, it will be noticed. Often it is the thought that counts most. It says I care and thank you for inviting me. If you do not want to give wine for various reasons, other gifts like a book, nice chocolates, flowers, a gourmet food item is also good.

The overly relaxed, informal approach to life we see today everywhere leads increasingly to careless attitudes and that is very unfortunate. Better to surround oneself with friends who are caring and cultivate them.

Ferragosto Weekend

Tags

corn, Ferragosto, Green Giant, Italy, Marche, Monteregie, Pesaro, Salaberry de valleyfield, St-Clet, St-Laurent

The word Ferragosto in Italian means Holiday in August. This holiday is the 15 August, Immaculate Conception, a religious holiday which extended for several weeks, usually starting around the 2 August and extending until 8 September. The Month of September was when the ”Season” started, this in Rome meant when the Pope returned to the City after spending the Summer at Castle Gandolfo about 30 minutes down the road outside the City. After 1870 the King of Italy and the Noble families of Rome and the Pope and the Noble Families at the Papal Court would have dinner parties etc. in their palaces.

Rome in August, can you hear the silence.

When we arrived in Rome on 1 August 2007 we found a ghost town, yes you had the tourists around the Forum but once you left that area the city fell into a strange silence. No traffic, closed shops and banks, no one anywhere, as if the city had been deserted. So in 2008 we did like everyone and decamped to Pesaro on the Adriatic, the birthplace of composer Rossini and found a delightful place devoted to an Opera Festival of his works, excellent seafood, wines and a beautiful city and region the Marche.

Pesaro, the piazza by the sea front

Food at the restaurant of Lorenzo Grazioli

This year, we were invited by my cousin Stephanie to her wedding to Kevin in Salaberry de Valleyfield which is located on Grande Ile, an island facing the Western tip of the Island of Montreal, on one side you have rapids and on the other the Seaway which since the 1950’s connects the St-Lawrence river to the great lakes and Toronto, allowing the large sea going ships to travel further into the heartland.

Salaberry de Valleyfield is an important National Historic site. During the war of 1812 the American Army was defeated by Colonel Charles-Michel d’Irumberry de Salaberry, a French Nobleman from Navarre who was at the service of the British Crown. The small city is quite lovely, with beautiful parks and a large marina. It has a very European feel. Many good restaurants, lovely things to see. Many famous Canadians come from this small town, Cardinal Paul-Emile Léger and his brother Jules Léger, Governor General of Canada. In 1860 the Pope Pius IX raised an army of Zouave, mostly zealous Catholic youths to fight in Italy against Garibaldi and his Italian troops to thwart their bid for independence from the Papal States and unify Italy as one country. There is a monument to that in the centre of town.

The monument as an homage to the Papacy of Pope Pius IX

the strange City Hall in a clearly Italian Fascist architectural style c.1930

View of the bay in front of our hotel

The rapids of the St-Charles river used by Kayak enthusiast to practice.

The wedding was held in an old historic Manor Grant surrounded by many ancient trees, the weather was perfect for the 15th August, sunny and hot. The wedding had been beautifully arranged and the ceremony took place in the garden of the Manor. It was a chance to see people I had not seen in many years. It was so nice to take this trip down.

On our return we decided to follow Road 201 North to Rigaud, going through small villages of less than 1000 people, like St-Clet (3rd Bishop of Rome), all villages with their big brick and stone Churches and numerous farms, all growing corn but also smaller crops of tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco and other vegetables. I remember as a child we would go to this area of the St-Lawrence river where Green Giant had a processing plant for corn niblets. This is the area on the Western tip of the Island of Montreal where the Outaouais River meets two large lakes, St-Louis and Deux Montagnes and the St-Lawrence, there are many islands in this area, rapids and farms. There was so much corn at the processing plant being delivered everyday that they sold a dozen ears of corn for .25 cents. It was always the best, sweet and rich buttery tasting.

Salaberry de Valleyfield is a quiet town of mix French-English culture, though many people only speak French. Many work in Montreal which is only 20 Km away and the suburban train serves the area on weekdays bringing people to Central Station in downtown Montreal.

View of Le Salon Carré, Le Louvre

Tags

Academic style, Alexandre Brun, Le Louvre, painter., Paris, Peintre

This new header is a painting by Alexandre Brun who painted this view of the West Wall with a door leading to the Grande Gallerie of Le Louvre. Le Salon Carré as the room is called was from 1848 to 1914 where the museum put all of its greatest masterpieces. The paintings are hung in the Academic School Style which was so fashionable then unlike today.

I love rooms like that in a Museum though you do not see that very often nowadays.