Quebec- Another country within a country
Trip Start
May 05, 2007
1
27
58
Trip End
Sep 02, 2007
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Friday, June 15, 2007
I had a fairly long drive from New York to Montreal and under the impression that they were in Quebec City I continued on through and hoped to find accommodation near the city. Every time I stopped at a campsite I got the same reaction, an overpriced campsite with basic supplies ($35+ for 15/20amps and just water, often very little English too!). So I continued on the road until I finally gave up in frustration and needed rest to rethink what to do.
In the morning and after a few phone calls I found out the people I wanted to catch up in were in Montreal (about 250kms away), however there were a few people I worked with from the bell desk in Banff here, so I decided to stay here in Quebec City for a few days and explore and then head to Montreal for the Saint-Jean Baptiste celebrations. Little did I know at the time very few people speak English here and there was very confusing directions, so after making a detour for Levis (a city close to Quebec City, but with better amenities for a reasonable price) I found myself trying to navigate the numerous traffic lanes and French language, making it quite difficult to find my way. With the inevitable happening, lost in a foreign country (not really just a different language) and having little idea where I was going. I asked a policeman who had set up a road block diverting traffic (just my luck too) after making my way by chance back from where I came from, only to find he did not speak English. All was very frustrating, however I made it out of there and from then on it became easier. I checked into the campground and spent the afternoon relaxing on a very hot Saturday.
Originally not wanting to spend too much time in an area where language as well as familiarity was a barrier I booked a guided tour of the city (in English!) which was very interesting to learn about the history of the region and why they speak predominantly in French. It was all to do with the battle with the French and English hundreds of years ago, and there still remains a lot of reminders there today (like a cannonball wedged in between a tree base in downtown old Quebec City!). The wall surrounding the city is also a timeless reminder of the era and has been listed as an UNESCO world heritage site, the wall separates old Quebec and the more newer region. Seeing as it was another Sunday I decided to have a look in a Church again and went into the Notre Dame. One thing that was quite quaint about the town was the cobblestone streets inside downtown old Quebec City, giving it a rustic feel (I took a picture of McDonald's to show that even that building looked a little quaint too!)
After the tour of the village I called and met up with old friends from Banff, which was really refreshing after being on my own for quite some time as well as having some familiarity in a very different town. That night I went out with Dom to a club and tried my luck the French ladies, some success but bloody difficult, I know I was the only guy in the club with a phrasebook (but that helped me too some loved that!!). In the end I gave up trying to speak the language and ended up just pointing at the book (like some stupid person or a real tourist out of his depth - which I felt like!!!) In most of the area outside the downtown region they only speak French and I found my verse of conversation quiet often went like this.....
"Bonjour, comment ça va? Parlez-vous l'anglais? Je ne parle pas français!"
"Hello, how are you? Do you speak English? I do not speak French!"
After the nightclub I was exhausted mentally and physically (getting home quite late/early) I sent most of the day in bed, which was good for a change. And for supper I had a BBQ at a friends place (more French interaction and conversation was difficult, although my language skills are improving!)
The following day was supposed to be hot and sunny and after not having seen a lot of it in previous weeks I was easily talked into going to the largest water park in Canada, Valcartier Vacation Village. The site features more than 23 different water slides, some of which are found only in Québec, with a huge wave pool and an ultra-modern campground with 700 sites right inside the park, which we stayed in. Despite my lack of swimming ability (which can be seen in the video) and the often cold periods in the afternoon I had fun, plus there was plenty to see too!
