Winterlude 2011... snow, snow and more snow

Dictionary.com defines "snow" as "a precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air." That may be a scientific definition, but it certainly does not address its beauty or playfulness. However, the Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park does an excellent job with both of those attributes.

The shuttle bus stop was just a few blocks from our hotel and the quick walk warmed us up! Snow-covered benches lined the area by the shuttle stop. Not surprisingly, they were empty!

We left the big city behind as soon as we walked through the gates into the Snowflake Kingdom. It was an overcast, gray day but  occasionally the sun peaked through and made the snow glisten and sparkle.The Capital Region had a blanket of eight or nine inches of snow but at the Snowflake Kingdom the snow had been plowed into big piles with some being used for snow sculptures or giant snow slides.

These kids were enjoying a good old-fashioned snowball fight- we hurried by!

Everywhere we looked we saw snow sculptures. They were huge- about twenty feet high- and looked like polished marble. We were surprised at the detail the snow sculptors were able to obtain.

Elegant beauty!

Professional and amateur performers performed on this stage all weekend. We didn't stop to watch but we  heard the percussion group that was performing as we walked by and saw people dancing around the stage. 

The sculpted snow in the background was magnificent! It gave a feeling of movement and sound enhancing the action on the stage without distracting the audience.

Kids of all ages love slides and the slipperier the better! Snowflake Kingdom had several slides made of packed snow that became slicker as people slid down, polishing it to a glassy finish. Some slides had single lanes for younger riders while the "group lanes" were for either young kids with a parent or groups of friends that wanted to "race." The giggling and laughing echoed off the sides of the slide.

What a fun place to play! If we had snow pants we would have definitely gone for a ride... or two!

In some places the snow was piled up higher than us... it was like walking around a walled city! And it truly gave the appearance of a "Snowflake Kingdom!"

The Men of the North

As we walked back to our hotel, we passed this man showing his kids how to decorate a tree. Although he spoke French, we could get the gist of his instructions as we stopped to admire his snow art.

Very delicate "frosted" ornaments!