Quebec guide with the pink umbrella

Our walking tour of Quebec was led by a guide who used a pink umbrella with a bunch of artificial flowers on the top, which she opened when she stopped to talk. This style or as some might say "affectation" was slightly distracting. She also wore a matching pair of pink trainer boots, which would be the envy of any New Yorker. As with many of the eastern ports we had visited, Quebec has had its skirmishes with the enemy... the British. Today there is a faction which seeks independence from the rest of Canada, although whenever there is a referendum, the vote is usually just in favour of staying Canadian. Interesting highlights of our tour, were the in the peaceful courtyard of a monastery, and the excessively steep corner and street, which ices over in winter and is the venue for a skating race. The competitors in that must be near to suicidal I thought. There was also the white "rubix cube" which was a gift from Paris. More than one of our guides bemoaned the fact that Paris gifted New York the Statue of Liberty and Quebec got a "rubix cube". Quebec is Quirky and over the top in some ways. I was particularly impressed by a mural, beautifully painted, which depicted the city's history and there was the largest and most flamboyant display of pumpkins in a town square I have ever seen.