As Close as it Gets

Over the years we have heard our children  begging for us to take them outside of the United States. A couple of years ago, when we traveled to Niagara Falls, we temporarily satisfied them by riding on the Maid of the Mist boat tour around the base of the falls. We pointed out that as the boat turned around, it briefly swept into Canada's territory. They were content for a period of time until one of them started questioning whether they could really count that as travel abroad. Last weekend we put to rest any doubts regarding the legitimacy of their foreign travel.

I had been eyeing the New France Festival in Quebec City for quite some time, so when the right weekend rolled around, we packed our bags, slipped in our passports and birth certificates and headed North. Our first stop was Montmorency Falls, a 27 story drop into the Saint Laurence River with a thin suspension bridge dangling just above the drop off. With this excursion recommended for children, we just had to stop.    

We then continued into Quebec City  and spent the evening roaming around Old Quebec. Quebec was the first city in North America to be founded by the French. The French arrived in 1535 but Quebec City wasn't founded until 1608. This French presence still thrives throughout the province of Quebec through language and customs, but is most evident in the old city of Quebec. Simply walking through the towering ramparts of the city transports you across the Atlantic placing you in the centuries old villages of the French countryside. 

It was fun to roam through the cobblestone streets with my children who were in awe of the French language drifting from the cafes, the architecture from centuries past towering above them and crepe and French pastry shops placed on each corner simply for their enjoyment. 

We ended the night in the shadow of the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City's most celebrated landmark. This grand structure was originally the home of the governor of New France but is now a luxurious hotel. The kids discussed with excitement the advantages of living in such a palace. Imagine a game of hide and go seek, they exclaimed, which room would be their bedroom they dreamed, but then were brought back to reality by wondering how many of our houses would fit into this massive residence. 

As the sun went down, we watched the street performers and then headed to our hotel. 

The next morning we woke up early, grabbed French pastries and made our way to see the changing of the guards at La Citadelle, which is the largest fortified base in North America still occupied by troops. It serves as a base for the Royal 22e Regiment. In 1759 the British took over Quebec. Clearly England's culture can also still be found in this charming city. 

As soon as the guards were in order, we climbed down the winding streets and staircases to the lower town for the Fetes de la Nouvelle France (New France Festival). Since all of the activities were in French, we simply wandered through the streets and soaked in the culture. Steve and I commented that the Quebecois seemed to revel in festive atmosphere, with many festival goers dressing up for the occasion. They were loud and celebratory, clearly loving life. They seemed quite different than their New England neighbors to the south, who are much more reserved. At our festivals we appear in golf shirts and Red Sox baseball caps, sipping drinks and clustering in small groups. 

We took a boat ride on the Saint Laurence River which provided stunning views of the city.

 

In the afternoon we took the funiculaire, an elevator that lifted us up the rock cliffs back to the upper town for more street performers and lunch at a small cafe. Steve and I indulged ouselves on crepes stuffed with ham, asapargus, mushrooms and swiss followed by dessert crepes filled with berries, ice cream, chocolate and creme which we shared with the children who had opted for egg and bacon crepes as a main course. 

Our time in Quebec was far too short, but our next leg of our weekend journey made our departure bearable. We drove down to Montreal and arrived at our hotel in time for nothing more than showers and bedtime stories. The next morning we awoke and spent the morning at church, which we hoped would be in French but was not, and then headed over to Vieux-Montreal. This Old City had cobblestone streets, flower basket windows, and at least one great crepe restaurant at which we lunched. 

We then wandered through a street fair, complete with a French mime.

 

With little time left, it was off to the Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montreal. This awe inspiring cathedral was listed first under main attractions in this area of Canada. One of my favorite moments during the weekend was entering the cavernous nave of the cathedral with Emilie and Jonathan. The imposing size and splendor of this room took Emilie and Jonathan by surprise. Upon entering, they both literally gasped at it's beauty. I am sure if we had been in Europe touring one cathedral after another, this building would be commonplace, but as this was thier first experiece in a cathedral, I truly enjoyed experiencing its magnificence with them. 

As we exited the basillica, raindrops began to fall from the clouds that had been threateining us all weekend. We knew it was time to go home. We made our journey from New France back to New England. Finally our children had officially been on foreign soil. Being unprepared in everyway to pack up our six children and cross the Atlantic, or any other ocean, for us, Canada is as close as it gets. How lucky we are for our Northern neighbor!