Friday, July 6

Well this is one French word we understand.

There is a large church in Montreal, a cathedral called Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal. It is very beautiful on the outside and supposedly on the inside.  However, the line was long, it would have been quite expensive or all of us so we decided to punt this.  And, of course the evening light illumination show would be quite impressive for us to come back and see.  (Remember I mentioned that JB and I would love to come back to this area again?)  We left the hustle and bustle of Montreal, the largest French-speaking city on the continent for an older city with just as much bustle and where 95% of the population is Francophone, or French-speaking, Quebec City.  Quebec City was absolutely beautiful in my book.  I loved this place.  It has so much "Old World" charm to use a cliche.  If I were to go to Europe, this is what I would expect it to look like:  very old; lots of stone; houses of all shapes and sizes; people spilling out onto the streets; rows and rows of eateries; bakeries; restaurants lining the streets with seating all over the sidewalks; flowers everywhere conceivable; and historic with an old city wall and a fort.  We had a 2 and a half hour drive to plan our time there.  We started with the fort.  Fortunately we got a guided tour almost immediately and this took us through a fast-paced history of Quebec as well as Canada's military history.  From the fort there was an impressive view of the St. Lawrence River and the Plains of Abraham, the grassy plain now 360 acres large where the British defeated the French in a 30 minute battle in 1759 for control of New France, everything in Canada that the British owned. We then found a parking space and walked around some more of the Upper Town area including going inside another beautiful cathedral called Basillica of Notre Dame.(Note: See "quote of the day" below.)  We walked over to the edge of the wall and decided to go down to the Lower Town area. 

The Olympic Stadium and Tower (called Stade Olympique or "The Stapler") built for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

 Car Games along the way

 Clutching her "babies"

 All French in Quebec City

Quebec City in the distance from the Fort, La Citadelle

Restaurants on the Sidewalks

Upper Town of Quebec City

Going back through the city gate.

There are 2 ways to get down the very very steep hill that descends to the St. Lawrence.  The old city is walled all around and is set up on top of this steep bluff designed to keep invaders out.  To descend the hill today to the lower town below the wall, the original settlement, you must take either the funicular or the "casse cous" (breakneck staircase).  We decided to take the casse cous (pronounced cah-say coo) down and the funicular back up.  This worked well since we had the baby in the backpack.  The backpack was beneficial at the fort too.  We could tell this was not a flat city by any means and we're glad we thought to bring it along.  (Side note:  If you are ever wondering whether or not to purchase one, do; add it to your baby shower wish list.  We bought ours at Galyan's in Kansas City 14 years ago and have used it with every baby since.)  The stairs were fairly easy (remember we were going down!) and the Old Town was beautiful.  At the old wall about 1/4 of the way down you could look out over the city and see the old town below.  It was the most quaint area I have seen in a long time, old stone houses now turned into shops and restaurants, people everywhere, the old settlement with an orginial church (Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, 1688, the oldest stone church in North America), flowers spilling out all over the place.  Atmosphere in every sense of the word. 

When we went back up, Scott and JB (with baby in tow) decided to take the stairs up and the rest of us ambled over to the funicular.  Sarah Kelly and Scott had been on one before with me in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but for the others, this was their first time.  They thought it was great, but too short.  What a wonderful view though, we had going up.  After this we went to Musee du Fort, a short 20 minute presentation of the history of Quebec using a diorama with working lights and sounds as well as a screen behind with pictures and overlays.  It's kind of hard to explain but it was perfect for the little ones.  JB and Sarah K stayed with the baby and wandered around a bit while the rest of us watched this.  Scott liked it since he's such a history buff and I thought it clarified a lot of questions I had on the history.  The little ones enjoyed the guns firing and the ships lighting up and the diorama of the town "coming to life" with the show.  And they all got in free as well! 

The diorama that "helped" tell Quebec City's history

Our last stop for the day before dinner and swimming (yes, the children got to swim tonight!) was to J.A. Moisan's Epicier (Grocery).  This sounds odd but I had read about this grocery founded in 1871, the oldest grocery store in America and one of the best.  It is a combination shop/museum/B & B that details the agri-history of Quebec's produce with antiques and 19th century photos.  It's also apparently filled with single French men (?)  JB thought I would enjoy running in for a bit so he dropped me at the street corner.  Little did I know this would keep me from ever going to France.  I was so intrigued by the whole store and of course I took pictures.  During the course of my 20 some minutes in there, I was approached by 3 men at different times, who, of course, all spoke French.  They were trying to "help" me I'm sure.  One helped me pick out a delicious drink from the ice box; (it was good) and another helped me with my bagels, and still another wanted to make small talk.  JB declared that he is never taking me to France lest I get swept off my feet by one of them!  I responded that he needn't worry, I've already been swept off my feet.  So maybe someday I'll get to go France after all.  I do really LOVE the way they talk though!
We will leave Quebec City in the morning very early to try and make high tide late tomorrow afternoon at the Bay of Fundy.  So we will have mostly a travel day to compare to today's mostly walking day.

Wish I caould find another one of these Raspberry Lemonades I got at the Epicier (grocery) above.

All tuckered out from Quebec City.  We are up and ready for breakfast, but she's still asleep.

Quote of the Day: While inside the beautiful church in Quebec City as we were walking up the hushed aisles to the front, admiring the beautiful architecture, Sarah Kelly whispers, "How does anybody pay attention to the sermon?"

Montreal, Canada

Last year I said I would write about the good, the bad, and the ugly.  So here it is.
Arriving into Montreal in the evening, late evening at that, we encountered a host of problems.  First we are now in a mostly French-speaking area.  Although a lot of people speak English, some don't.  We don't speak or read French and while I can figure out a lot of words because of knowing Spanish vowels (they are similar if not the same), it is almost impossible for JB.  We ran into a host of construction delays with no good detour signs, and very often confusing directions that put us in the wrong direction.  In addition, we are pushing here, and I mean pushing, to get here, do the things we want to do, get to Nova Scotia by Sunday and we are all just plain worn out, not just from the traveling but from our schedule these past few weeks, okay, honestly, maybe this past year!  Vacations are *supposed* to be relaxing, right?  It's hard to think of coming all this way and not doing all you want to do, okay, even half of what you want to do because you are running out of time.  We would have left 3 days earlier had JB not had to make a last minute run to Connecticut the day before we did leave, but because he has a job and takes care of us so well, we ARE going on this trip in the first place.  So, now we're all in our quandries and tired, hungry, and weary.  Do you see where I'm going with all this?
So we Finally make it to the hotel and find that the pool (all they have been asking for is a swim!) is closing right NOW, this minute.  And, to make matters worse, we are starving and are so unsure of where we are since we barely found the hotel we don't know if we want to venture out again, plus it is bedtime, okay, past bedtime.  I am dead on my feet and so is my husband.  The children are running around screaming and playing in a play area outside of our hotel door in a courtyard, my husband is concerned about the noise, I am content to let them run off some steam.  I mean, it may be after 9 pm, but it's as bright as 5 pm outside.  Can people really sleep in this sunshine and call it night?
I have decided that all these little ones need baths after 2 days of not having one so I go up to to the front desk to gather some more towels (we had 2 in a room that would normally have 6) and get nice friendly responses in English no less.   We decide that JB and Scott will venture out after some food, the others will take baths, they can eat in the room, and go to bed.
Nothing is ever that simple.  I should know better.
So, while I bathe, dress, and feed the baby and help the others get their showers, etc... they leave.  They don't come back.  So, we find something benign on TV to watch because they are waiting on food so I can't put them to bed.  Amazingly, turning on the TV keeps everyone from saying, "I'm hungry" over and over.  All of my snacks, fruits, and veggies are in the car or in the cooler in the car which is with the supper gatherers.  I do have a few things to feed the baby which we do; she takes some baby food (surprisingly) but then there's not much else to feed her so I nurse her.  Then she has a dirty diaper and I realize that while I have a diaper, a bag that has all of her essentials is in the car.  I cannot change her without anything to wipe her with.  I have been trying to work on my blog this whole time because while I have no food, wipes, money, cell phone, or anything else, I do have the laptop!  But, my blog will not work; I cannot post pictures, the internet coverage goes in and out and I finally give up more frustrated than I usually would be because it's all starting to get to me. 
All of the sudden I realize that these guys have been gone an hour.  Then in another 15 minutes I am starting to wonder exactly where they are.  I am thinking they are lost until an hour and a half goes by.  I replay in my head the last thing JB said to me which was:  "I am going to a Taco Bell, it is 5 minutes down the road, I'll be back in about a half an hour."  Okay, so now I'm officially worried. 
I finally decide that this baby who gets her skin irritated so so easily has to be changed.  I put her in the tub and shower her down, the only thing I can think of.  They are still not back.  I am doing okay until I remember again that I have NO:  money, passport, purse, wallet, i.e. ID,  phone, nor anything else that might be useful right about now.  It's all in the car.  And, I have no car.  So, I leave everyone with Sarah Kelly (not something I really want to do but my brain is not functioning too well right now) with instructions to turn the extra lock and use the door chain while I go outside into the parking lot and look around.  No car, no guys and I don't expect to see them. 
I go back to the room.  10 more minutes goes by and I decide I have to go to the front desk.  Remember that I went to get towels and they spoke English?  Well, now they don't.  Maybe they can tell by the look on my face but they speak to me in French when I ask how far away the Taco Bell is and explain that they have not come back and do they have a message for me in Room___etc.etc...?  Blank stares and all French.  I try again.  They shrug their shoulders.  At this point, I think I am really going to become unglued.  So, I try one more idea.  Okay, they speak French and English but right now, only French.  Maybe they speak another language?  I say, in Spanish, "No hablo francais pero hablo espanol y hablo ingles."  Then she says to me (in French) and I can only write this in English, "I speak French and English but no Spanish."  Then she smiles and begins to ask me IN ENGLISH if I would like to use her desk phone to call my husband.  Yes, thank you I smile back at her.  Really!  I guess now I am not some dumb American who is only cocky enough to learn my native language.  Yes, now I'm actually a smarter American who has put forth an effort to learn another language, oh never mind it is not French but it's a romance language, so close enough. 
Problem all solved?  No, there is no answer on his phone, not even after 3 tries.  I am thinking, my children are alone, he is not answering his phone (probably due to the fact that he has no coverage or is in roaming which is why we are not using phones due to the prohibitive cost, especially to answer an unknown Montreal number).  I am now begining to think that maybe it would not be so hard for the police to find a Mercedes Sprinter with SC tags in Montreal?  Then she has another idea; I think this gal could read my mind.  She gives me her own personal cell phone to try.  I have prayed all I can by this point and have just decided that I am done.  JB answers his phone and immediately begins to tell me that they have been stuck in detours, traffic, construction, and every route they try they have to turn around.  Funny thing, he was just getting ready to call me in the hotel room, thinking I might be worried.  I am so happy to hear his voice and know that he is only minutes away and I'm all better except that I've kept it together so long that now I can't.  I profusely thank the clerk and turn to go back to the room.  I run all the way and cry all the way there.  I really really want to go to bed. and it's not even my bedtime in the states yet and we haven't even changed time zones.  They come back and eventually after everyone wolfs down their food and crashes into bed, I finally stop shaking.  Sarah Kelly does her nighttime Bible reading before going to bed so I ask her to read aloud tonight.  She complies and it helps calm us all down so we can rest. 

JB and I work best as a team (a novel idea!) and as we end our day sharing together looking over our precious sleeping children around us, we realize that both of us need a little better communication to make this work.  I need to do a better job looking ahead at what's coming and helping him make decisions about what we're going to do; he looks to me for guidance in the tourist area as well as navigation, although Scott is taking over naviagation and doing quite well with it.  I need him to communicate a little more in terms of:  I've left my wife and children in a foreign city, rather a foreign country with no resources and I need to contact them if I've been gone 3 times as long as I said I would be.  I know that part of this is my issue.  Ever since we lost our babies, Peter and Jonathan I have been a little extra cautious with my children.  Part of me will always battle with being a little extra concerned for my family and no matter how much trust and faith I have developed, I will always have a small dose of paranoia that will be with me the rest of my life. 
Morning has come and as the Bible says, Weeping may endure for a night (or for 10 minutes in my case) but JOY comes in the morning.  I am prepared and ready for the day ahead, we know what we are doing for breakfast (yes, the hotel we were in had no breakfast this time)  and as we are on our way to Fairmount Bagel Bakery at the foot of Mont Royal, I think about the strong faithful woman in Mrs. Dorothy d'Albenas, (husband of Donald d'Albenas who passed away exactly one year ago on the 7th of July) who is buried on the Mont.  She was so faithful and strong in her family and I was influenced by her sweet and graceful manner and drawn to her and her smile as a young girl, teenager, and young adult.  I have always wanted to be like her as a grown woman and now this morning I will buy some fresh flowers from a street vendor and find her grave here in bustling Montreal where the sun is shining, the air is clear and fresh, and my husband has prayed over our family and we will have a peaceful day. And I know that God will bless us this day because I have the faith that He will but I can say for certain because I am writing this several days later and HE DID!

Guess who loves bagels?  Scott says she is a "bald-headed bagel baby".