We had an outstanding day on Friday. We went to see a church called St. Ann de Beaupre, and then to a waterfall. (See pics and commentary below.) Then, we had a pique nique, where families brought food and we all sat outside together for a last visit. A wonderful finale to a wonderful week!

Homestay family for Eli, John and Madame C.

Here is the homestay family of Sarah and Claire posing for this pic at the pique nique. 

Mrs. Crisafio playing a game at the pique nique with one of the children from her homestay. 

Here is the homestay family of Emily and April at the piqe nique on Friday evening. 

Another view of the grandeur of the gorge! 

If you have really good eyes you might spot Mrs. Crisafio and April on the bridge. This bridge is suspended over the waterfall on inch thick cables. If you don’t like heights this might make you a bit dizzy! 

Here is Levi and Mike’s homestay family!

Here they are, at the Montmorency waterfall! 

Mrs. Quinn, Claire and the back of Betsy in the Funiculaire.

Here is the church St. Ann De Beaupre. Many miracles are recorded here, and pilgrims still visit. We had a guided tour of the whole church, which is very reminiscent of French cathedrals.

Just as we begin to immerse and really improve our French, it is time to get ready to go. After French class this morning we will have one more outing to see a waterfall. We`ll post those pics on Sunday. Tonight our French families will have a potluck pique nique for us. Tomorrow, we plan to depart at 9 a.m. and be back in the Delaware Valley at 9 p.m., and Pittsburgh for dinner on Sunday! It`s been a wonderful adventure!

A group shot before we enter the exhibit at le museé!

This is part of a mural, on one of the walls, with Madame Crisafio`s hat in front!

Here is a living statue, who occasionally sings for his souper!

Mademoiselle Sarah sur le bateau.

Another leisurely drink where we get to practice ordering in French!

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the museum, but we saw an exhibit on Dragons, and another on the history of Quebec.

We are having a wonderful time! The homestay experience has been good for everyone, and it has forced us to engage in conversation using what French we do know. Class, also is good, feels almost like brick and mortar, to sit for three hours with a teacher who speaks only French. Also, the culture here is very special….the Quebecoise are very warm and welcoming and want us to learn. Today, we will take a ferry across the St. Laurent River. We`ll send those pics tomorrow.

Last evening we enjoyed a typical Quebec musical evening!

Madame Crisafio is making music with spoons!

In the afternoon we went to the amusement park, located in the mall.

Que-est-ce cèst? Il est poutine!!!!

Abby with correct deportment.

Levi enjoying the sunshine!

I`ll pull your little beard, you pull mine…and the first one who laughs gets a tap on the face….but we sing this in French….very silly…very fun!

Betsy, after dinner on Wednesday.

Levi having a thumb war with Madame Plamendon.

Mrs. Quinn`s homestay family.

April and Betsy`s homestay family!

Okay, the first realization is that Quebec is awesome! No need to go to France to learn French. The second realization is the food is outstanding. As we regroup in the morning we talk about what our families cooked for us the night before. We ask if it is good….unanimously the students say, YES! The French always did know how to dine.

Madame Crisafio is teaching French class on Wednesday morning.

Here is a typical bedroom at the Chateau Frontenac. There are more than 100 rooms in this hotel; Winston Churchill, Mackenzie, (the Canadian Prime Minister at the time), and Franklin D. Roosevelt came here to discuss D day plans for WWII. More than 2000 reservations were cancelled for this occasion.

 Here is our hotel guide, in period costume, holding a 3-D model of the hotel in 1823. We learned that copper oxidizes and turns greenish….hence the English word `verdegris` and the color of the historic rooftops.

Meet Tina, our guide. Each aftenoon Tina takes us to see different sights in Quebec city. On Tuesday afternoon we saw the interior of the Chateau Frontenac.

After the tour, we relaxed at a cafe….Here is Levi with Madame Crisafio.

 …And Abigail, Avril, John, and Mike….yes, life is good.

 …and Tina with Eli and Betsy.

 Sarah is enjoying cappuccino,

and Emily limonade…..Chateau Frontenac in the background.

Here is Claire and Sarah,

 Mrs. Quinn and Emily.

 Around the corner from the cafe there was an alley with many artists who hoped we would stop and buy some scenes of the city.

 Emma is three, and a child in one of the home stay families. She was adopted from China when she was 13 months. Her French is impeccable! Tonight we are going to be at a folkloric fiesta with our homestay families, so you will get more pictures of the home stay families in tomorrow`s blog.

 Hot off the press…but looks just like yesterday, Tuesday, at 10:30 in the morning.

 Inside the hotel, our guide explained that the hotel burned down in 1922.

 In French she told us not to ask her how much a room costs here, her husband pays the bills, but last she heard it was $3 per night, but no bathrooms in any of the rooms….you need to go outside. Later we learned that

Here we are as we get ready for our 12 hour journey. We passed through Lake George and stopped for lunch. The Adirondacks were just beginning to bud and bloom…about 2 weeks behind us on the Spring schedule!

Here are some of us as we began our first day of French class. We learned that it is typical in Quebec to say “bonjour“ for hello and “bonjour“ for goodbye! The food here is wonderful: the French are known for this.

In the afternoon we visited the “Observatoire de la Capitale,“ the highest point in the city of Quebec. You can see the St. Charles river in this photo, stunning panarama, and in back the Laurentides mountains…not pictured. Thanks for the good weather!

Here are two Canadian boats in the harbor of the St. Charles. (Cèst jolie).

Now this is a boardwalk! We walked for a mile along the river after French class. The building pictured is the Hotel Frontenac, one of the most picturesque hotels in the world and maybe the priciest!

This is the old historic neighborhood in Quebec. It is very touristy, and many diners are sitting outside just relaxing and enjoying life.

We visited the Parc de LÀrtillerie and had a guided tour in French. This was the site of an artillery factory, which made munitions in the 1800`s. We learned that the French women who worked in the factory were given fewer privelages than the British women.

We got to sit in the kitchen, just as the British did 400 years ago. The walls in this room are 4 feet thick. No cannon balls here!

Welcome to the official blog of our very first French Class trip to Quebec, Canada.

We haven’t left yet, but those of us in the Western half of the state will be leaving Saturday, May 19th, for Philadelphia. From there, the whole group will be departing on Sunday, May 20th for our destination!

Please check back often, as we will be updating as soon as we get a chance. We’re all eager to get the trip started!