QUEBEC'S IMAGES

While the world went to the London Games, contrarion that I am I went in a distinctly different direction: Ville de Quebec. All signs of Quebec's claims to being a Distinct Society were vital, present, and free.

For those who don't know, Quebec City is Canada's Florence--a tiny jewel of Old World charm, beauty and culture. With its cobblestone streets, stone chateaux, ancient fortresses, horse-drawn caleches, and historic battlefields, the city is vibrant and alive.

On any given evening in summer you can take in a variety of street performances, an outdoor showing of Cirque du Soleil  beneath the girders of an underpass, and Robert Lepage's famed Le Moulin a images  ("Image Mill".) This spectacle of light and sound is an impressionistic portrayal of 400 years of the city's history projected across 81 grain silos down on the waterfront.

That's the equivalent of 25 IMAX theatres, if you're trying to visualize it. It's very grand. Very impressive. And free.

Catch it if you can.