Today we covered a lot of ground looking at some possible day trips and extra excursions that would be important to include in a visit to Québec. On my list to check out:
1. Language school #1 - in the heart of Old Québec. Has interesting programs and it in a great location. Excursions are not organized by the school so this would have to be done separately. I have appointments to visite two more schools tomorrow.
1. Language school #1 - in the heart of Old Québec. Has interesting programs and it in a great location. Excursions are not organized by the school so this would have to be done separately. I have appointments to visite two more schools tomorrow.
2. Sainte Anne de Beaupré - this is a spectacular catholic basilica about 30 kms north of Québec City. It is a major site of pilgrimage and inside the church you can see crutches lining the walls testifying to the miraculous healings over the year. There was mass going on at the time of our visit, which was interesting, but I wasn't able to take many photos.
3. La chute de Montmorency - this picturesque waterfall is a favourite for tourists in all seasons. In the winter it freezes over and you can cross-country ski at its base. You can ascend by gondola or else walk up an insane amount of stairs. The price was steep for the gondola ($9 per person - and this was in addition to the $10 fee per car to park and look at the falls) and I passed on the stairs.
4. Ile d'Orléans - this island is accessible by one bridge and has one highway which circles it. It is a beautiful rural and lush island with expensive houses, cottages and restaurants. This was considered the "birthplace" of New France because Jacques Cartier first landed there and the first settlements brough the French seigneurial system to the island first. Historically the island is important because prior to the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, British General Wolfe set up camp here to plan his tactics. Québécois author Félix Leclerc is buried on Ile d'Orléans where he died in 1988.
5. Les forts de Lévis - Lévis is across the narrow part of the St. Lawrence from Québec City. It was built by the British in about 1860 to defend against possible land attacks by the Americans. Alas, guns were never fired since the Americans did not attack after the fort was built - as we know, they had other things going on at that time.
6. Shopping!!- a must on my list for this trip was the infamous Canadian icon Dollarama - Québec style. This is a typical dollar store (maybe a bit bigger than average), but it has stuff in French!! I loaded up on books, pencils, CDs, games etc. for the elementary kids in the service learning program and some other useful materials for the big kids at RWC. I also picked up some souvenir items to help promote the study abroad program. I'm glad I have a car this time!
7. In the evening we went down to the Vieux Port to watch a spectacular outdoor light show projected onto grain silos. It visually tells the story of Québec's history. Apparently, it is the largest outdoor screen show in the world (even made it into Guiness!) and was created for Québec's 400 anniversary in 2008. My camera's battery had died by this time (too many photos during the day), but here is a YouTube video made of the show - outstanding! If the link doesn't work, search: Moulin à Image
All in all, this was a very productive day and some of us were already asleep by the time we made it back to our lodgings.
A demain...
The video is very very cool. It sounds like a worthwhile visit for students. I think St. Anne's should be on the visiting list as well as the Trois Rivieres cathedral, if possible. so much of the literature from this area is deeply catholic. I'm impressed that you guys paid the fees for the waterfall! I have only driven past it and cursed the entry fee as too high. The kids might like it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about adding a small literature component to the study abroad program too. I would need to add this in separately as the language programs here do not have any lit component.
ReplyDelete