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Woody Woodburn
400 Roosevelt Court
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Time Melts in the rain in Quebec City
Gentle showers fell, and we were not dressed for them, and it was wonderful.
My wife and I were strolling through Quebec City on the eve of autumn, but it might as well have been Paris in the rain in the springtime. Cobblestone streets, narrow as alleyways and lined with cafes, and everyone but tourists speaking French all enhanced this impression.
Indeed, replace black umbrellas with colorful ones and turn the pedestrians’ formal attire to casual, and the famous 1877 painting “Paris Street; Rainy Day” by Gustave Caillebotte comes to mind.
We had planned to visit Canyon Aainte-Anne, a steep-sided gorge with a spectacular waterfall and three suspension footbridges 200 feet above the river. But, as John Steinbeck wrote, “People don’t take trips, trips take people.”
Salvador Dali’s “Danse du Temps I”
The rain, promising to erase the breathtaking views, caused our trip to take us in a different direction.
Instead, we walked from Lower Old Town to Upper Old Town where, soaked as duck-hunting dogs, we ducked into the lobby of the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Built in 1893, this 18-story fairytale-like castle of a building is said to be the most photographed hotel in the world. I added to the record tally.
Inside the lobby, which is open to the public and seems as crowded as Disneyland, the luxury is stunning. Perhaps the over-the-top opulence is best illustrated by describing one of the handful of gift shops, rather, boutiques.
Actually, it was not a boutique so much as an art museum. On display were a full dozen bronze sculptures by Salvador Dali and nearly as many original cubism paintings by Pablo Picasso.
The sculptures were especially striking and included a series featuring melting clock faces, a surrealist image Dali returned to – no pun intended – time and time again. Explained the artist: “The mechanical object was to be my worst enemy, and as for watches, they would have to be soft, or not be at all!”
One such bronze, titled “Profil of Time,” portrayed a melted clock hanging across the branches of a barren tree.
One of numerous Picasso paintings in the chateau’s high-end gift shop.
Additionally, “Dance of Time II” and “Dance of Time III” in the boutique/museum were smaller versions of the original seven-foot-tall “Danse du Temps I” on display outside the hotel. Crafted by Dali in 1984, the green-faced melting clock with gold hands and numerals is valued at nearly $1 million.
Yet perhaps my favorite sculpture was “Horse Saddled With Time.” As the name suggests, it is of a horse with a melted clock serving as the saddle.
Dali noted: “… it is time which controls all of man’s passage. Man believes he is in control of the voyage, but it is always ‘time’ who is the ultimate rider.”
Rushed for time on our way back to the cruise ship to resume our voyage, we managed to step out of the rain once more and into a café. As they say, “When in Rome . . .”
And when in Quebec – that’s “kee-BEK” not “kwe-BEK” according to the locals – one must try the signature dish “poutine.” Basically, it is a messy pile of French fries, gravy and cheese curds.
My review: I prefer my fries with ketchup and thus had only one bite. My wife, however, gave it two thumbs up – until later that evening when she fell seasick on calm waters. She blamed the poutine and felt saddled with slow-passing time for a while.
“ ‘Sail on!’ it says, ‘sail on, ye stately ships!’ ” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in his poem “The Lighthouse.” Sail on we did for our next port and a tour of some historic beacons.
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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.
Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …
- Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com
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