Vive le Quebec!

I love a parade. Ever since my childhood in the days when the local floats and firetrucks would throw candy to the children (before we worried that the candy might be tainted), I have loved watching bands, cheerleaders, and random assemblies of uniformed individuals march past. So you may naturally be surprised that in my four years in Quebec, I have never gone to the parade for St. Jean Baptiste... until today.

But first, a little history... The festival for St. Jean Baptiste is also known as the Fete Nationale du Quebec. Even those of you not fluent in French may be wondering... the National Holiday of Quebec? I thought Quebec was only a province, not a nation? Well, according to our fair Prime Minister Stephen Harper among others, Quebec is a great nation within a united Canada. As far as I'm concerned, if this language makes the separatists feel better, so be it.

Even though I'm not a big flag waver, I am a big fan of this province where I live, so I dressed MGP for the occassion.


Papa looks on as Mitch kicks around wearing his "Fait au Quebec" (made in Quebec) bib.

Then off we went to watch the festivities. We saw large effigies of some of Quebec's best known leaders.

That's a 30-foot effigy of Rene Levesque on the right - and probably the only time he's been seen without a cigarette.

But then Mitch got a bit overheated, so we needed to head into the shade and take in some cool breezes:

"Mama, I'm hot. And I don't just mean good looking..."

And finally, after gazing at such a handsome baby all afternoon, I saw Quebec nationalism looking for a place on the "don't wear this" section of the style page:

Quebec pride meets Cat in the Hat.