Weekend

Weekend

I must say, my weekend has been extremely enjoyable. I kicked it off by attending the Festival d’Été with some new acquaintances, because Veronica was so kind as to let me borrow her pass. (I wanted to add the Festival to my collection of new experiences, but I didn’t want to spend the $30 for a pass if I was only going for one night.) The Festival is a huge event that last for two weeks every summer and hosts tons of musical artists in several different venues around the city. Imposs, Akon, and Wyclef Jean were performing at the main outdoor venue on the Plains of Abraham Friday night, and interestingly enough, I saw a variety of people from a variety of age groups in the crowd (a HUGE crowd). Another thing I noticed: the alcohol. Honestly, I have never seen that much beer in one place in my entire life. They love beer. I just knew I was going to smell like it by the time everything was over, too, because everyone was carrying one or two cups full. There was even a woman walking around with a bottle of Jack Daniels over her head, selling shots. They definitely take advantage of the fact that the legal drinking age is 18. :P Smoking seems to be a little more popular here, too. Even though I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life, by the time I wrestled my way out of the crowd, I felt like I had. Anyway, the entire thing was a new experience for me – definitely one I won’t forget. It was fun.

Some random person behind me who wanted to be in the picture - and eeeeeeveryone else.

Akon on stage

Amy - Me

Woohoo, 400 years!

Even though I didn't get back extremely late Friday night, I was still really tired Saturday after the events of the week, and my feet were sore from all the walking, so I decided not to go to on the group hiking excursion I’d signed up for. It was a free excursion, so I didn’t mind skipping out. I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast instead, showered, and headed off to Vieux-Québec to do some exploring. The first thing I found when I hopped off the bus on the Rue St-Jean was a libraire, or bookstore. In this case, it was a used bookstore. I browsed in there for a little while, serenaded by piano sonatas playing in the background – the perfect start to an afternoon. I found a volume of poetry by Jacques Prévert that interested me. I didn’t buy it, but I might go back for it later. For the rest of the afternoon, I wandered in and out of boutiques, gift shops, and street vendor booths, doing a bit of shopping and enjoying the artistic talent of the Québecois. I browsed through one store filled with collections of hand-painted glass décor, and oh my gosh, if I were rich, I would have bought half of the store. Anyway, towards the end of the afternoon, I happened across some street entertainers putting on a breakdancing show. They were quite entertaining, as you can see: