24: Day 17/La Citadelle De Québec

Date: 11/7/10
Town: Québec city, Québec
Time: 4.31pm
Timezone: GMT -04.00

Hello chums. You'll be pleased to hear that it's four o'clock and due to the highly convenient time zone I'm watching the soccer final. And I don't have to stay up late like all the rest of you. I'm only watching it because I am from Holland and therefore have some sort of obligation to the Netherlands, so go us! Woooh!
Otherwise I'd just be sitting here blogging with the television off. Sorry, darlings.
Go me!
So this morning we woke up fairly early to travel to La Citadelle De Québec (the Québec citadel, if you didn't pick that up) to go see the ceremony of the changing of the guards.
The Québec Citadelle is one of the oldest forts in Canada. It's got a massive height advantage because it's at the top of Cap Diamant, the highest point in Québec, and cannons set up to defend both from the Saint-Laurence River and the Abraham Plains. The French were the ones who began to build it but, as usual, the British took it off them and finished it.
The Changing of the Guards is a traditional act of the guards from the last 24 hours who hand over the keys to the new guards. It probably wasn't such a massive tourist attraction back in the day but now they have marching bands and it's trés impressive. I liked it, because I'm a sucker for marching bands.
You should ask me about my Britannia song. It's funny. But I only sing it when I'm extremely insane.
Again with the live action blog, because it's a live tourist attraction. My computer hates the videos though so hopefully I can start going to see more non-moving things in the next few weeks.

DAMMIT the music didn't get picked up. That was the best part. Just listen to it while listening to this, okay?

But here's some pictures anyway. Mum took these ones because my camera kept on having a hissy because I was taking videos.




Also something else you should know - an important part of the ceremony is the Regimental Goat. Yes indeedy, they have a billy goat, they painted his horns gold and marched him around a bit.
And he was full goat down to the last testicle.


Good grief.
After that we meandered around most of Old Québec, and went shopping and bought things. You know, the usual.
I got a tourist shirt. I'm proud to say my first tourist shirt (because a hockey jersey isn't really a tourist shirt, it's more of a team-pride type thing. Even though Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup for something like 40 years.... gah.)
And this is the design of the shirt I got.


Heh-heh-heh. I found this particularly hilarious.
Now for some photos about town.






Yeah, my camera was not so good today. But this band was playing at the festival (because it's the summer festival at the moment in Québec, which was awesome timing on our part) and I didn't find out what the name of the band was, but they were more indie jazz farmyard core than our band is. Not joking. They had the basics - guitar, drummer, bassist, vocalist. What's your point? You may well ask.
I'll just list a few of the other instruments.
- Piano accordion
- Bongo drums and cowbells (they had a whole other percussion section...)
- Trumpet
- Maracas
- Tambourine

I mean, wow. They were impressive, incredible, so very farmyard-core. And French.
INTENSE.
But anyway. Here's a little part of the blog I like to call, 'Spot the Fail' and there's more than one in this picture.
Also note the guy in the yellow shirt talking on the phone. I swear to Jesus he was in about ten of my photos today. Just photo-bombing till the cows come home. God.
But here you go, submit your various fails. There is no right or wrong answer but there is one very obvious fail. Two, in my opinion.
Oh and please don't fail my mum or sister, who are in the right corner. I kinda like them.


I loved Québec and I'm going to go back there one day. It is just the most amazing city.
And to make up for my epic fail photography the past few days, here's another photo of Québec.... that my Mum took. Thanks Mum, you're a champ.
I edited it to make it look kinda older, but I'm not sure if it's convincing. Just pretend you don't see the bike.


I miss you all very much still. Sigh.
Au revior, Québec.
Next stop, Fredericton.