Québec Ville
Heading off to Canada
27 August 2007
It had been our intention to go to Edmonton, Canada in October for our friend Vern Thiessen's new play about the Canadian battle for Vimy Ridge in 1917. This became impossible when Jean-Jacques managed to get himself onto a training scheme which started in September.
As he has always wanted to see Niagara Falls and had earned enough money over the summer to pay his own way we decided that we would go anyway, at the end of August.
We looked at flights and taking advice from Vern to go to Québec rather than Montréal we booked our flights with Air Canada, who were not only the cheapest option but also the quickest for what we wanted to do: 5 nights in Québec and six in Toronto.
About five weeks out from D-Day JJ started to cut down on his cigarettes in an effort to allow for a fifteen hour journey inside a non smoking environment. He has done pretty well, to the point that I don't understand why he still insists on smoking two or a three day.
The big morning arrived and we set out for Arras and our 50 minute TGV ride down to Charles de Gaulle Airport where we found them in the middle of a security alert. It looked as though we were going to be held up in getting to the check in desks but we managed to resolve the situation by walking across the road, down the other row of terminal buildings and crossing back to our own side.
The afternoon passed by quickly enough and we were soon in our allotted seats and all ready for an eight hour flight. The meal was reasonable; the red wine drinkable and the videos were ok.
Canada
Arriving in Montréal we had to collect our luggage and pass through Douanes as this is Francophone Canada. That was simple enough and we walked down to our connecting flight to Québec. A far cry from the Boeing 767 which we had arrived on, this was a small propeller driven DH1 with about thirty of us on board.
Every house - a swimming pool
One of the things that was immediately noticeable during our 45 minute flight at a low altitude was that there is a serious amount of forest and in this particular area every house had its own swimming pool. You don't get much space to play football in the garden as most of them seemed to be taken up with inflatable piscines.
JJ was surprised that we had not been able to fly directly into Québec but there doesn't seem to be the call for it. The airport itself is tiny - smaller than Beauvais - and only reachable by taxi as there aren't enough passengers coming and going to justify a bus service.
Our first problem arrived at this point. Our only suitcase had been damaged during the last flight and was somewhat buckled and not shutting properly. I reported the matter and ended up with a chit allowing me to spend up to 150 Canadian on a new one.
A short taxi ride later and we were at the Hotel Manoir Victoria right up in the centre of the old town. One of the oldest hotels in Québec it was well appointed and very comfortable.
Allowing for the six hours time difference the pair of us were not feeling too bright about going out anywhere so we decided to eat in the hotel's bar: the Saint-James. The waitress came across to our table, said hello and immediately picked me out as being a local whilst she had no idea where JJ was from. He was gutted that his rich French accent was unrecognisable to a Québécoise !
Our first encounter with the local beers was highly positive and the coffee was drinkable - it might be North America but they have obviously hung on to some European ideals.
See also