edwards block

I am now in Quebec City, having arrived here by train this evening. Although I’ve heard many good things about it, I wasn’t particularly in the mood for Montreal, I found. Except perhaps for better art, I’m not sure that it was all that different from downtown any-where-else-in-Canada. I suppose if I had a knowledgeable companion to point out the features, perhaps I would have discovered more. I find this in many of the places I go to in these days of exported American culture – everywhere is starting to seem like everywhere else. If you’re looking for McDonald’s-ified plasticised dullness, look no further than… anywhere. If this is the acme of capitalism, the valley of communism was perhaps worth a closer look. But I doubt it (human nature being the common flaw).

I never did make it to the Musee de Beaux Artes this morning, having instead hiked up Mount Royal. Here’s the view from up there – the St. Lawrence River is in the background, the buildings of McGill University in the foreground:

I am feeling more enthusiastic about Quebec City. It looks a lot like Salzburg to me, except a lot hillier. I’m not sure what I mean by that, though. The upper town (‘Haute Ville’) is very pleasing architecturally, though it has obviously succumbed to tourist-trapism. Anything a stone’s throw from the Chateau Frontenac is bound to be designed primarily to extract cash from the pockets of non-discriminating tourists, such as I during dinner this evening. However, with a little constructive denial I can probably enjoy hanging out within the city walls. The area does not have the nouveau-riche air of hedonistic mediocrity that permeates so many city centres these days, which is realy all I need to enjoy it.

It seems a shame to be this close to New Brunswick and not be able to jump on a bike and head east, but I have no time for that, having committed myself to school starting September 6th. I am taking three courses this autumn – Survey of English Literature, Creative Writing – Fiction, and General Biology. The textbooks alone may require that I take a part-time job, but I am looking forward to it.

I also have a new home in Vancouver. I haved moved out to a house in East Vancouver, near 27th & Fraser. I am renting a room from the two women who own the house – Ellen and Pat, and their cat Thomas. So far, we are getting along quite well, I think, and I am optimistic that it will not only be a good place to live, but that we will become friends as well. It will be good for me to have roommates – it may make me a little more human. Already, I am getting into the habit of eating my evening meals at a decent hour, and I feel much less distracted in general – not the result that I had in the past anticipated from giving up my solitude.

Anyway, back to travel. I am staying at the hostel in Quebec. I find hostels amusing, in a way. I meet lots of people in hostels, which is good, but they are usually quite young. Tonight I met two young lads from Germany, who were very friendly and said nice things like “You’re 42? You only look about 27!”. Bless their little Prussian hearts! Needless to say, I declined their offer to go nightclubbing this evening. I can’t stay up that late any more.

The cross at the top of Mount Royal. It is illuminated at night (no iron Jesus stuck to its side):