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Title: Q - Quick Questions About Quebec
Tags: travel, French, Canada
Blog Entry: This may be a surprising topic, and I promise it won't be of a political nature. By the way, it's not easy to think of a topic that starts with ‘q’, as I endeavor to work my way through this A to Z Blog Challenge. Here come the questions… What is a Quebecer? A bi-lingual person living in Quebec, the largest province in Canada, Is it true that they only speak French in Quebec? No; French is their official language, but it is bilingual. Do I speak French? No; when I was in school, we were not required to study/learn French. I know less than a dozen words! Is Quebec near where I live? No; we are at the opposite end of Canada. Have I ever been in Quebec? Yes; we took a road trip across Canada some years ago, and visited the cities of Montreal and Quebec City, and enjoyed beautiful rural areas on our way to the Maritimes. What did you do in Montreal? Rather than find our way around, at the risk of getting lost, we took a city bus tour. Highlights of the tour were visits to the Olympic Dome, the Uunderground Shopping Plaza, and the very entertaining bus driver who spoke English through the whole tour, for us “Westerners”! Did we have any problem because we couldn't speak French? Only one instance that I can recall when we thought we may have a problem, was at a gas station, when the Gas Attendant greeted us in French, which we didn't understand. When my husband responded in English, the Attendant smiled and said (in English), “Welcome to Quebec! Shall I fill ‘’er up?” What did you do in Quebec City? We walked the cobblestone streets of the Old City, and had lunch at Chateau Frontenac. We watched ships on the St. Lawrence River from the Plains of Abraham, and learned a lot about the history of Canada. Did we enjoy any particular food in Quebec? Montreal Smoked Beef and local Maple syrup. Would you ever go back for another visit? In a heartbeat, especially Quebec City. We would also like to see more of the rural areas, now that we know that most Quebecers can speak English.