My love affair with Quebec began in 1946 when I went to Montreal and the Laurentians on my honeymoon. I was fascinated by the sense of a rich and different cultrue than the one I had known in my English-speaking world.

Following this trip, we made many more visits over the years since then, always with great pleasure. I especially remember travelling up the St. Lawrence River on the north shore and stopping for a picnic in a little park along the river next to a beautiful gray stone convent. Our meal was accompanied by the beautiful singing of the nuns as they conducted their noon worship.

Another fond memory is touring Montreal with one of the city planning department, and understanding some of the triumphs of preservation - and some of the compromises with the needs of the modern city.

My Canada is forever enriched with the presence of this culture as part of it.