Québécois
Stage 2 of Spy and Q’s vacation had us presenting passports and crossing into Canada…
where Spy and Q were forced to learn a touch of French. Arrete was the first word to be assimilated. Followed by: Bonjour, Merci, and Mouche.
Spy delighted in pointing out: Every. Single. Mouche.
And much to the amazement of Spy and Q (and the amusement of the residents of Montreal and Quebec), Spymom and Spydad exercised their dusty high school French. We expertly managed signs, menus, greetings and questions about the time (Freshman French). But from there, it was downhill.
Spy and Q were frustrated by the hotel televisions. Darn it, only the “baby” shows (think PBS) were in English. Did that deter them? Not at all. Which begs the question of the value of cartoons… (Er, Spy and Q have now found their favorite cartoons at home converted to Spanish. I have it on good authority that this will promote language fluency…. *cue the evil laugh*)
In Montreal, we visited the Montreal Science Centre and their debut of the Indiana Jones exhibit. Awesome exhibit. Catch it if you get the chance. They even had a digital ‘find-the-missing-pieces-of-your-artifact’ game that kept Spy and Q engaged, interested and busy.
We ran the Labyrinth or Labyrinthe du Hangar 16. Very cool. Being impatient people, we opted to go with the first group available.
In French.
Oops.
So we started the maze not knowing anything and not being able to communicate well (if at all) with our fellow lab rats.
In the dark, we made our way through shredded tarps, bungee cords and bars. Up ladders and down tube slides. From up high, water guns were turned on us…
Spy was worried, tho’ eventually, 45 minutes later, we reached the end.
We also rode the Saute Moutons, a ride on a jet boat to play in the rapids of the St. Lawrence River. The website photos and video well-represent my experience. Water. Lots and lots of water crashing over us. Again and again and again.
Almost everyone enjoyed the trip.
Spy hates water in his face and so we helped him strap on goggles that we’d dragged along on our trip specifically for this part of the vacation (much to the amusement of the family in front of us). After the first splash, Spy’s enthusiasm for this boat ride took a dive and, when a wave removed said goggles, he screamed to the captain, “Go back NOW!”
Alas, his screams were to no avail. Spy quickly learned to keep his mouth shut and clutch the bar tightly. Nothing was dry by the time we returned to shore.
Spy now considers that he has bragging rights. “We almost drowned on that awful boat ride!”
The next day we headed to Quebec City where we put Q in jail. But when the guide turned off the light, he bolted.
Solitary confinement for 30 days was a frequent punishment (followed by the pillory and a branding). It was also here that they held serial murderers. However, for children under the age of 14, no matter the crime, there was no jail time. Just punishment. For example, ages 7-14 could spend time in the pillory for crimes.
The rest of our time was spent wandering and touring Upper Quebec, Vieux Quebec, and Lower Quebec. Spy grumbled loudly and continuously every time he was forced to climb yet another hill. Overall, ’twas the battlements that most impressed Spy and Q.
Well, no. That would be a lie. What most impressed Spy and Q was the hotel pool. That and the fact that in Canada, you only had to be 7 to go in the hot tub.
