Sunday, January 28, 2007

Ah Yes, The Midget Snare Drummer



A trip to the great Catholic North just wouldn't be orthodox without a lil visit to the Pope, so in keeping with tradition we all put on our scapulae and made the annual pilgrimage to Le Pape George. But first, feeling rather peckish, I directed the intrepid band not to the Tabard Inn for sustenance and story-telling, but to Cafe Du Monde, where we simultaneously worked on our French (or at least our French accents) and sated ourselves with roasted marrow, fois gras, steak tartar, and frites (served with mayonaise of course). I know it sounds hokie, but meals like that, in such a place with good converstaion just makes me feel that, for a few hours at least, and in such a place, all is well with the world. Rejuvenation began immediately.

"Quebec...is a place." - Claude Lapine
A couple hours and a short walk later, brought us to the edge of the sublime: le Pape George. Unfortunately for last years pilgrims the Pope was
undergoing some repairs, so those guys didn't get to experience the place in full swing. This year, however, the Pope did not disappoint; we settled down for an
evening of song and conviviality unparalleled this side of Galway. Though the midget drummer remained ellusive, Claude Lepine, local chantuer and Pop Bredie look-alike, more than made up for the percussive absence by playing guitar and leading the place in song throughout the evening, and into the wee hours of the morning. I can't recall ever hearing so many covers of Leonard Cohen over the course of an evening. What a hoot! The following statement from Claude about sums up the night: "We are happy here. Quebec is a good place, but when you are here, it is even better place." (Must be said with a heavy Quebecois accent after several bottles of wine to get the full effect.)

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