Chapter 1: Bonjour, Quebec City!
With Gray in Quebec City!
Today was Day 1, or in French, la premiere jour. We packed up the van, set up the 2015 Kia Sedona van’s built-in GPS to lead us to the L’Arche Quebec City L’Arche House at which we were to stay, then took off in 2 vehicles: a rental Mazda small mini-minivan, and our Kia Sedona, to Quebec City. On the way we stopped in Woodstock where all these years I thought the farm at which I first picked up Molly was, but I got a text correcting me that it was in Centreville. But we stopped and picnicked with the whole group. We later took off and stopped in a Tim Horton’s close to the NB\Quebec Border. Once we crossed the Border we stopped in a Quebec tourist centre for some info on Quebec City. We drove some more, watching Hairspray on Maren’s computer. Within a couple hours we arrived in Quebec City and turned the GPS voice-over on, which guided us to the house we were staying at. After settling, we watched a video the house’s leader produced. Then Gray and I walked to a nearby pizza restaurant, ordered pizza, and left, stopping at a Jean Coutu for San Pellegrino and other drinks. Then we had supper together at our house and watched Kristina’s copy of Mamma Mia on the house’s LG flatscreen. Then we went to bed.
Chapter 2: Bus tour, tour d’autobus
Today we woke up, had toast and got in our van, setting up the GPS, which guided us to an underground parking garage near the Chateau Frontenac. We were to split into 2 groups and one would go on a bus tour and the other would browse and explore the area. On the way we drove down the street with the McDonald’s where I had the hotcakes and sausages with Dad before meeting Molly but the Archambault where I listened to the listening posts had apparently went out of business a long time ago. We had a picnic with sandwiches, chips, cheesies, juice, and, of course, our water bottles. We walked, browsed at a few stores, and paid for and awaited our bus tour. We boarded the bus, which was a double decker, and sat in the upper level, awaiting the tour. We drove through Old Quebec as the narrator gave us information on each historical building, landmark, and monument. After the bus tour Gray and I went into the Frontenac’s lobby and took a picture of me in front of the elevators which Dad and I used to go to our room that October 1999 time, and then we walked to the car...and found a water fountain at which people were walking and running through hoses spraying water, most in bathing suits, and we had a lot of fun! Tonight we had supper...and watched Stephane’s copy of Mrs. Doubtfire on the flatscreen...and went to bed.
Chapter 3: Frontenac area revisited
We left...and split into 2 groups again and this time my group was browsing and the other would go on the bus tour. We picnicked again...and went back to the Frontenac area. While the other group prepared for the bus tour, we toured the Basilique Notre-Dame de Quebec at which we heard an organ tuning in progress and had Stephane pray for his church friends and family, went to a gift shop where I bought a Quebec City book with photos and information, browsed at some stores, including a department store called Simon’s, walked down the streets in search of a gelato\ice cream store...and found a store at which our group, including Maren who needed a taste of Canadian Maple Taffy before she headed back to Germany, and all had a sample. We walked further...and I found a Source by Circuit City...and bought a green mist fan, one thing on my wish list. Then we walked back to the Frontenac area...and stopped at a bakery so all of us could have a Quebec croissant, including Maren. Then we walked down the street...and found a gelato place and I had the Gateau De Fromage gelato for the first time, which I enjoyed. Then we went to the underground parking garage...and went home. That is, our Home Away From Home, which is what I call L’Arche houses in other places where I stay on Vacation or Exchange. Then after supper I watched Babe on the flat screen, and with the Hi Def, Fly and Rex and the Puppies’ moves were so real it was like reliving the day Molly and I first met on that Centreville horse farm. Rena, if you see this Blog, I would like you to know a few things: That in 2006 I lost her at 6 years to a tumor, that I still think of her, that I hope her 3 other sisters from the litter live nice long lives, and that I still look at the photos of her at all stages of her life. Then we went to bed.
Chapter 4: Ou Est HMV, Ou Est Archambault?
Today was Shopping Day! After breakfast we got in both vehicles, set the GPS systems, and followed the GPS to the mall. This mall was like Quebec’s version of Edmonton’s West Edmonton Mall and Minneapolis’ Mall of America, as this not only had cool shops and services, but this also had a roller coaster, an ice rink where people could skate/play hockey, an arcade, an amusement park, and a huge IMAX movie theatre with all showings in French, except for Minions or in French, Les Minions, starring the yellow gibberish-speaking characters from Despicable Me. We gathered, went up an escalator from which we could see the hockey\skating rink (Kristina took the elevator as she was in a wheelchair and did little stairs and no escalators) and within minutes, found HMV. Here I bought Annie, Mrs. Doubtfire, Pitch Perfect, and Jurassic Park on DVD and Now Party Anthems on CD. Others made great purchases too. Then we went down another escalator, while Kristina took an elevator, to a store called Forever 21, specializing in fashion and jewelry, and during that whole time, I tried looking for a sac a dos or backpack, but there was none in sight, and Gray had to take Kristina back to our Home Away From Home while the rest of us did more browsing...and ate at the food court with a view of the amusement park, the skating/hockey rink, and the arcade. Then we went home. Then I watched my copy of Pitch Perfect on the flatscreen, enjoying the songs again, and awaiting supper. Back when I was with family on Stay-cation, we watched that movie with Erin, Christopher, and Jen and Brian on their Samsung flatscreen, with Danny by my side for most of the time. But I still wanted to do 2 more things: get a gift for Debbie for her birthday which was the next day, and see Archambault and listen and make a purchase, so later after supper Gray and I left the house, following the GPS back to the Galeries De La Capitale, also known as the Mega Parc. We went into the mall’s Simon’s which was apparently a chain in Quebec, as earlier we were in one down the road and around the corner from the Basilique Notre Dame de Quebec, and this one was in a mall in a different location. Here we got a scarf for Debbie which she wanted when we were in the other Simon’s and played with ideas of gifts to give the house we were staying in as a merci for letting us stay in the maison. Then we looked for a sweet shop and found one on the end of the rink and got Debbie and Jocelyn each a treat bag. Then we went through Simon’s, got in the car...and drove to the Archambault, which I found in no time! There they had computerized and 3-disc listening posts so I had to ecoute. This not only had DVDs, CDs, and books, but there was also an instrument department with pianos, guitars, other instruments, instruction DVDs and music books. Here I bought Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3, thinking it was 2 and 3 because of the look of the case. We also bought Debbie a DVD as a gift. Then we went into a home décor store next door as Gray wanted things for her new apartment and we played with ideas for the house. Tonight, once we went home, we watched my new DVD, which showed a CGI Chloe the Chihuahua playing classical music on a hotel’s piano twice, once slowly, and once up-tempo.
Chapter 5: Poissons et Oursoms de Polar a L’Aquarium
At the Aquarium
Today we were to go to the Aquarium and there were amphitheatres like in Free Willy where Jesse is assigned to clean off graffiti after being caught by cops for vandalism and stealing restaurant food and a caterer’s cake with his friends and makes friends with the whale of the title. Then and there I wondered if the whale tank draining scene was just CGI like the Jaws shark and the Jurassic Park dinosaurs and that amphitheatre is the same one in Free Willy. Here we saw all kinds of sea life, 2 polar bears, some seals, and a walrus. Here we picnicked, got a tour...and went home to get changed as while we were outside it poured rain, cleared up, poured rain, cleared up, and poured rain some more. Kristina sat this outing out and it occurred to us she may not have been feeling well, which worried me. Tonight we went back downtown or uptown (Monctonians call downtown “downtown”, and some Saint Johners like me call downtown “uptown”) and got some gelato (I got Gateau de Fromage) and we searched the downtown area for a restaurant, stopping in Notre Dame churches for a tour during which Stephane prayed to himself for his church friends. After a short walk we found a pizza place called Pizz. I got the Hawaiian Pizza with a San Pellegrino Limonata as did someone else. I ordered in French as I had been practicing my French skills for this entire trip. Then we found the car...and went to our H.A.F.H. (Home Away From Home)
Chapter 6: Bienvenue, Andreanne, et Bonne Fete, Debbie!
Today was Debbie’s Birthday and she wanted a pancake breakfast for her birthday. And Andreanne visited us from Montreal. BTW, Andreanne was an Assistant in 2011/2012 and was with us on Vacation, McKin-Mas, said goodbye to me when I went to Atlanta with John O’Donnell, Jocelyn, and Don Dickson, and went with me and a few people to hockey games. She joined us at our table. After breakfast we sang Happy Birthday to Debbie, gave her a cake to blow out the candle...and gave her the birthday gifts which we had bought 2 nights ago. Then we relaxed...and went downtown just one more time. Here we parked by the Terminale de Croisiere, and went to a few shops. Today some of us went to a few shops, had a few of us, including Maren, but except for me, try a Beaver Tail, which was like a giant donut sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, another Canadian delicacy, and went to the Farmer’s Market, where Krista, who now had a sore hip, had a Diet Pepsi, and Gray had a San Pellegrino Aranciata, and looked around for oven mitts for the house as a merci gift without luck. Then we took the Funiculaire, which was the train-like elevator that leads from way below the Frontenac to the area, which was so much fun. Then we went to the gelato shop in the Frontenac AGAIN and I, once again, had the Gateau de Fromage in a waffle cone and others had the same thing. Then Gray, Stephane, and I, all went to the Basilique Notre-Dame de Quebec for a Mass in French, which was on Stephane’s wish list and I shared this wish, as finding an all-English mass in Quebec City was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But I enjoyed this too with the music from the organ, and I donated $2 to the church. After this we went to the first Simon’s, which was my idea, and looked for oven mitts and other kitchen accessories, as their current ones were not very good. We bought some with pictures of lobsters to remind them that we were from New Brunswick, home of Shediac, dubbed “The Lobster Capital of the World”. Then we took the Funiculaire again for the way back...and drove home...while at home Debbie and the others were thinking of places to eat for her Birthday. She wanted nachos like she gets when she goes to a local Saint John restaurant called Thandi’s, so we walked, while some drove, from the house...to a Mexican Restaurant. Here we were celebrating 2 things: of course Debbie’s Birthday, and our last day of a successful, all-dream-filled vacation in Quebec City. I had chicken nachos minus the onions with a Pina Colasa minus the alcohol. Others had Mexican favorites. Then the waiters, holding a cake, sang Happy Birthday and some of us added harmonies. Then we went home...and straight to bed after our meds were taken, as it was a little after 10:00pm and next morning we had to pack up, clean the house, and head home!
Chapter 7: Au Revoir, Quebec City!
Enjoying the drive
We indeed had breakfast packed up, cleaned the house, made sure we had everything...and headed home, saying good-bye to Quebec. On the way we stopped at Subway for lunch for all different subs. As a note, the Subway chain was Krista’s favorite place as she always says this was healthy with lots of veggies to choose from, compared to McDonald’s and burger places. Then we drove some more, watching one of Kristina’s new DVDs, the 2014 update of Annie which we watched at the theatre the previous Winter after my New York Christmas, and I recognized the places shot in the movie from being there, and I was amazed at the size of the building where Annie stays with her adopted family. Once we crossed the border we stopped at Tim Horton’s and we had snacks and I ordered in French. Then we went home a little after 10:00, unpacking our things and sending the rental car back to Enterprise.