The Most Romantic Victorian Hotel in Quebec City

A GATHERING NOT TO BE MISSED

Twice a year, hundreds of thousands of snow geese alight alongside the St. Lawrence River. An unbelievable feast for the eyes and ears, the immense flocks transform the river into a rippling sea of white as the air fills with deafening cries. And when these valiant vagabonds suddenly take wing, the sight of their breathtaking aerial ballet is the stuff of legend.

Spring migration

Wintering on the Atlantic Coast, the Snow geese complete their yearly migration of some 8 000 km (5,000 miles) by leaving the Atlantic Cost in late March. Other bird species, including Canada geese, ducks and birds of prey, join them during their Québec stopover, their favorite spot being Baie-du-Febvre, on the South shore of Lac Saint-Pierre (near Trois-Rivières) where the most important populations can be observed in mid-April.

Although to a lesser extent, the geese also favor Cap Tourmente, East of Québec City, where perigrine falcons and ruby-throated hummingbirds join them later. In addition to themed exhibits, the Interpretation Centre offers lookouts, trails, as well as an observation corridor, to the visitors.

The New France Route (Route de la Nouvelle-France), some 50 km (30 mi.) in length, is an absolute jewel. Imagine it: ancestral homes all along this historic roadway lend it a unique cachet. As a backdrop: the Laurentian mountain chain and its imposing Mont Sainte-Anne; wide open views of the St. Lawrence and ÃŽle d’Orléans, known for its bucolic charm and pretty villages; nearby is Québec City, seated majestically atop Cap Diamant.

Exhibition – From April 22nd to April 4th 2010

The theme of death in Ancient Egypt is treated in a particular manner through the discovery of mummies and funeral tombs, funerary rituals, mommification and the recent archeological search…

This exceptional and magnificent exhibition unveils much information about the Ancient Egyptians’s belief in the afterlife, the process of mummification and the eternal resting place, the tomb.  This exceptional and magnificent exhibition unveils much information about the Ancient Egyptians’s belief in the afterlife, the process of mummification and the eternal resting place, the tomb.

Some 225 fabulous artefacts are presented as well as an authentic reproduction of Sennedjem’s funerary chamber.  The exhibition is also the opportunity to show one of the most treasured actefact from one of the Musée de la civilisation’s collections – the Séminaire de Québec Foundation –  the 3 500 years old Nen-Oun-Ef’s mummy which was scanned for the purpose of the exhibition and the results are displayed.

February 9 to April 18, 2010

Taking off in the 1960s, Barbie became a model of refinement for millions of girls around the globe. Elegant suits inspired by Balanciaga, splendid Balmain-style sheath dresses, sumptuous evening gowns à la Dior. Between 1959 and 1966, the famous doll dazzled the world with her chic, wide-ranging wardrobe.
The exhibition is arranged around seven themes sure to bring back happy childhood memories: Barbie’s Closet, Shopping, Suits, Cocktail Dresses, The Photo Shoot, Ball Gowns and Evening Dresses, and The Collector.
Always a trend-setter, this iconic figure has influenced fashion for more than 50 years. Barbie and Fashion. 1959-1966 features some of her most memorable looks in a playful complement to the exhibition The Golden Age of Couture. Paris and London 1947-1957.

QUICK FACT: SINCE 1959, 105 MILLION YARDS OF FABRIC HAVE GONE INTO MAKING BARBIE AND FRIENDS’ FASHIONS, MAKING MATTEL ONE THE LARGEST APPAREL MANUFACTURERS IN THE WORLD!

Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec

Parc des Champs-de-Batailles, Québec

418 643-2150

1 866 220-2150

Until April 25 2010

Golden Age of Couture : Paris and London, 1947-1957

This winter, Dior, Balenciaga, Fath and a number of other designers have a date with the Musée! Splendid gowns, period footwear, and all manner of accessories await you at this exhibition dedicated to haute couture. Come admire more than 250 original creations and marvel at the finesse of the work of these icons in the history of fashion. An exhibition produced in collaboration with the world’s greatest museum of art and design, the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, England. Don’t miss this spectacular opportunity!

ORGANIZED BY THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON, ENGLAND

Evening dress (robe grand soir), Cristóbal Balenciaga. About 1955. Given by Miss Caroline oombe, V&A

Evening dress, Pierre Balmain. About 1950. Silk organza with ostrich feathers, sequins and rhinestones, lined with silk, silk tulle and a stiff nylon petticoat. Worn by the Hon. Mrs Pleydell-Bouverie and given by Miss Karslake, V&A

Shoe. Late 1950s. Satin embroidered with beads and silk and metal thread. Given by Roger Vivier, V&A

Evening dress and stole, Charles Frederick Worth, Late 1950s. V&A

Winter left us one month early, this year.  Gone the snow, the cold weather, hats and mits!  Bears come out of their dens, Quebecers take down winter carports and scour their BBQ.  No doubt, Spring has arrived to warm up bodies and souls.  After long Winter months, Quebecers, with renewed energy, are out to enjoy the warmth of the sun.  Getting ready for seasonal chores to come, they frantically run to garden centres, hardware stores, boutiques, but also take a ‘springbreak’ by visiting a Museum and sometimes the day ends in a good restaurant!  There is always a good reason to celebrate in Québec, and Spring is one of them!

This Spring in Québec, it is…

The joys of sugar time…

As soon as thawing begins, maple sap starts to rise and it is time to meet at the sugar shack to taste maple syrup and old-time food in a rustic and warm de crisse’, maple taffy on the snow and maple syrup desserts, delicious…

The history of maple syrup in Quebec

One thousand seven hundred (1700): It was the method used by our ancestors.  They carved the inside of a half log to fabricate a container.  With a branch of cedar tree, they builded a tube to recuperate the water (spout).  The water was poured in the wood container, at the bottom of the tree.  When the log was full, they poured the water in a cauldron of cast-iron.  They boiled outside, in the wood. To avoid wind and rain, they built a little camp.

One thousand eight hundred fifty (1850): The sugar shack arrived as we know it today.  We improved the method in recuperating the maple water.  We builded wood pail (bucket) and little spout.  We poured the water in large barrel that the horses or the bulls carried to the sugar shack.  At this time, the maple sugar was the only available sugar, so we call it the “country sugar�.

One thousand nine hundred fifteen (1915):  The metal was introduced.  At this time, we began to build metalic pails, spouts and evaporator.  This method is still used today for those who own one thousand maples or less. It is a party in spring, all the family take part to make the maple syrup. For those who own a lot of trees, the method used is the tubulure (pipe).  Every tree is notched and connected at a pipe to the main pipe which carry the water directly to the boiler.

The maple tree is knotched when it reaches twenty-five years old.  It will produce one liter of maple syrup during the spring time.  The maple tree could live up to two hundred fifty years.. At the end of the season, we take out the spout.  The tree healed by himself and the next year we drill a new hole to start the process again.

The products made with the maple water are:

• The maple syrup, delicious on pancakes.
• The maple taffy on the snow, it is hot maple syrup that we pour on the snow and with a little stick we do a candy.
• The maple butter, it is maple syrup whipp untill it’s become creamy.
• The soft sugar, we make candy out of it.
• The hard sugar.
• The granulated sugar.

The maple sugar still good for five years and more.  When it is open, put it in the refrigerator and it still good for two years.

For us, quebecers, it is a tradition to go to the sugar shack on spring time, drink “caribou� and eat a good meal.  The caribou is an animal but it is also a mix of wine and alcohol who put you in the ambiance in a short time.  The meal, also called “Sugar time feast�  is compose of the pea soup, ham, omelet, pork beans, the “oreilles de crisse� (salted back bacon), meat pie, very good with the fruit ketchup, and potatoes.  For desert, the pancakes served with maple syrup.  It is served family style, they bring big plates on the table and we served ourselves as we wish.