A trip to French-speaking Quebec
Bonjour Quebec: 2010 Trip to Canada By Maryam Ahmad
Quebec City is a vibrant, bustling city with a hint of historical charm, and it was our destination for the 2010 Quebec trip. We had an amazing experience there, and it is one trip I'll never forget.
February 11, 2010: We're finally here! After a plane ride to Detroit and then one to Canada, everybody is super excited about being here in Canada. We get introduced to our tour guide, Julie, and our bus driver, Michel. After a 3 hour drive to Quebec, we stop at the Sugar Shack, a local eatery and maple syrup factory. We get to taste some local Canadian cuisine, and everybody tries a hand at square dancing. Some volunteers also get up and play music with the fiddle player. It was so much fun! After dinner, we head over next door where the maple syrup is processed. First, we get a chance to try making "maple taffy", or "sugar on snow" as it is known in the U.S. The guide pours a bit of maple syrup on the snow, and after letting it cool, we twirl a popsicle stick in mixture of syrup and snow. After hardening, it makes this delectable maple syrup popsicle. Mmmm... that was good. We then head inside to get a quick demonstration on how maple syrup is tapped from the trees, and get a chance to look around the store. What a great activity to start off our trip to Quebec!
February 12, 2010: The next day, everybody is bright and energetic after a good night's sleep. First, we drive downtown, and meet our local tour guide, Etienne. He is dressed in the traditional clothing of a fur trapper from the 1600s. Etienne takes us on a tour throughout old Quebec, and explains to us the history of Canada and Quebec City. It just amazes me how the early pioneers had the will and determination to survive through those first few freezing winters. And I would know how cold it is in winter in Canada, I was there!
After a couple of hours walking through the city and looking at places of historical significance, we stop for lunch at a local Canadian fast food restaurant which is far superior to McDonald's. One of their specialties that we tried is a dish called poutine. It is basically gravy and cheese over french fries. It may sound gross, but it tastes delicious! Then, we get to look at some local shops. There are lots of cool souvenirs to buy, and some of us get mementos of our trip to bring back home.
After making a round of all the shops, we head over to the Chateau Frontenac. The Chateau Frontenac is this grand, beautiful hotel that was built in the late 1800s for the Canadian Railroad Company. On the trains' stops, people would stay at this hotel. The hotel still has many of its original wings, but many more have been added on. It has won a Guinness Book World Record for being the most photographed hotel. We take a tour of it, and even get to look around in one of its rooms. Its splendor captivates all of our minds.
Next on our itinerary is a stop at the third largest winter festival in the world, Carnaval de Quebec. There were so many different activities: dog sledding, ice rafting, zip lining, and many more. Our whole group got in a big raft and slid down a hill. It was so much fun! Another traditional activity they do at the Carnaval is the annual canoe race on the frozen St. Lawrence River. It takes lots of stamina and strength to complete the 2 mile race. We also got to walk around in the huge ice castle they build each year for the Carnaval. It was amazing. While we were at the festival, we also got to see Bonhomme, a cheerful snowman wearing a red cap and a ceinture fleeche ("arrow belt", a traditional sash tied around the waist to keep warm), and who also is the ambassador of the festivities.
The Improv Game Show is where we head next. Basically, it is this game show where you make stuff up you go along. We had a wonderful time watching our classmates reenacting hilarious scenes. This was a great end to a busy day!
February 13, 2010: The first thing we do today is head over to the frozen Montmorency Falls, which is 100 feet higher than the Niagara Falls. The Falls are simply stunning when they are like this, and I even see some people climbing down and walking on the frozen river on the bottom. After having an epic snowball fight near the waterfall, we go over to the Albert Gilles Copper Museum. There, we see all kinds of amazing copper creations, and also a series of copper sheets depicting the life of Jesus, which took 15 years and were made by the creator of the museum himself, Albert Gilles.
Next, we head over to Ile de Orleans (Orleans Island), which is a small island on the St. Lawrence River. After taking some photos of Quebec City there, we go back to the city and head over to the L'Observatoire de la Capitale. It is the tallest building in Quebec and has a great 360 view of the city. We have a quick photo op and then walk around in the city. Some of us went ice skating, and some of us had... problems with that. Then, we got to go tobogganing. On the way down, our group had some um, technical difficulties, and got stuck! The operator said we were the only people to get stopped in the middle. I can just imagine him telling the following groups the story.
Since we happened to be in Quebec the last day of the Carnaval, we also got to see the closing ceremony: the parade. It was amazing. There were all sorts companies and schools that had submitted floats, and there were even little kids that were walking and dancing in the parade. It was a great way to end the trip of a lifetime.
