by Jason C.
Day 1
We got to school at 6:45, packed out bags, said bye to our parents and friends, and left Reading. The bus ride up was very calm and relaxed, probably the most relaxed part of the trip. Even our visit to customs was relaxed (an extremely easy check), until the time for lunch. On the way up, there was singing, counting train cars (109 was the believed number of cars on one train), eating, and talking.
As we started to come to more populous areas near Quebec, everyone woke up from the early start and got excited. Our first French language-only experience was at none other than Burger King. We drove our bus over one bridge to the city of Levis, opposite of Quebec on the Saint-Lawrence River. We met our tour guide Dominic at the ferry that would take us across. On the
ferry, the whole upper-city was painted across the sky., including our hotel-castle, The Chateau-Frontenac, and many other old Canadian buildings.
A walking tour up from the lower to upper city from the ferry gave us our first glimpse into the mostly pedestrian city. We unpacked at the Chateau and set out for dinner of chicken or pasta. Then, we went to the Martello Tower Two, where we learned about the British military during their control of Quebec. We went back to our rooms and slept well.
Day 2
With our first-day-craziness subsiding, we started with a French breakfast of croissants and chocolat au pain, or a croissant with chocolate, and hot chocolate. The next event was a scavenger hunt. It was fun, walking through Quebec in groups with friends. Lunch was on our own in groups in the Latin Quarter where McDonalds and Ashton’s were the main restaurants of choice. Ashton’s sold la poutine, or french fries with gravy and cheese curds. The cheese curds weren’t very appealing to anyone, but the rest of the meal was enjoyed.
After some shopping, we went to Saint-Anne-de-Beaupre cathedral.The whole cathedral was in amazing detail, and was very modern too. Many sick people come to pray, get healthy, and leave their crutches behind them where Saint Anne cured them. One person lost their wallet before coming on the bus, went in to the cathedral, and found it back on the bus. In the basement, there was a painting where the eyes of the painted figure would follow you wherever you walked. We then went to the Montmorency Falls where you could walk across a bridge and look down at the amazing waterfall.
We traveled again through rural Canada to the sugar shack. We learned how to make maple syrup, then enjoyed an all-you-can-eat dinner. Pancakes were the dessert, and after we got to have hot maple syrup poured in snow, then wrapped around a popsicle stick. At the sugar shack, there was a lot of fun and dancing. Everyone loved it. We then went back to our castle on the hill.
Day 3
Breakfast was a traditional Canadian breakfast. French toast and scrambled eggs with potatoes was the meal at a fancy restaurant along the Rue Tresor, or the artist’s street. We went to the Musee du Fort where all the battles involving Quebec were portrayed on a scaled city model and with powerpoint. Afterwards, we walked around the lower town to eat and shop in groups. About ten of us decided to buy plastic blowhorns. Many of us are in the band, so we could play them so loud that anyone in the lower city could hear us. The bus ride back was much more calm that we left. I think that everyone would deem this their favorite trip ever.
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