Sorry for the delay in posting to my blog but since Fanny arrived on August 22nd we've been busy having fun in such places as Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. Before we left for our trip Monday August 25th we had an appointment at Medway High School which will be Fanny's school for the next 2.5 months. We met with the head of the guidance department who helped Fanny select her courses. Fanny will be taking a 1) TV broadcasting course 2) Science (which she'll take with Brooke) 3) Canadian History and finally 4) Drama. All great courses and certainly ones that will allow her to improve on her already exceptional English skills as well as interact with her fellow students.
After Brooke gave Fanny a tour of her new school we were on the road for our 6 hour drive to our Nations Capital, Ottawa.
Ottawa:
We arrived to our hotel at around 6pm, checked in and headed directly to By Ward Market, only about 2 blocks away. We found a restaurant that we had visited before and had a great table overlooking the market. During dinner Fanny learned a new phrase that made her laugh, " right on". That phrase was heard more than a few occasions during the week. After dinner we headed for the Canadian Parliament buildings to watch Mosaika which was billed as a sound and light show on Canada's history all projected on the parliament buildings.
After the 30 minute show we walked back past the Rideau Canal and it's locks, past the historic Chateau Laurier hotel and back to the By Ward Market so that Fanny could try her first Beaver Tail. A Beaver Tail is a pastry stretched by hand to resemble the tail of a beaver. They are then float cooked in oil and served hot and topped with such things as sugar,cinnamon and fruit.
The next morning we woke to beautiful sunshine. Little did we know it would be 35 Celsius with the humidity. We walked several blocks down Sussex drive past the U.S. embassy and to the Royal Canadian Mint. There we took a 45 minute tour and learned all about the process of making specialized limited edition coins as well as the 2010 Olympic medals. The Canadian currency we learned is processed in Winnipeg and that Ottawa produces all the specialized gold and silver coins. We saw a roll of gold worth between $18 - $20 million dollars and Brooke and Fanny at the end of the tour were able to hold onto a 12.7 kg gold bar valued at $540,000.
We finished in Ottawa with a quick walk down by the Rideau Canal and the girls took a water taxi over to Gatineau Quebec. One final picture in front of the Canadian Parliament buildings and we were back in the car for our next adventure to Montreal, Quebec.
Montreal:
Knowing that we were now only a short 2 hour drive away from Montreal was nice. We were just in Montreal last year when Brooke and her ball team were at the Canadian Championships where they won silver so going back to this great city was awesome! Let me say that driving in Montreal can be a bit of a challenge and it was for us also with construction taking place on what seemed like every street. After passing our hotel once we circled around and checked in for our two night stay. The hotel was right beside China town and only a short 3 blocks away from old Montreal. We headed right for China town which consisted of 2 or 3 blocks of Asian restaurants and shops where all* tried Dragon Bearded candy. It's sugar spun floss-like coating covering coconut and peanuts. We all laughed as I tried it first followed by Fanny, Lydia and Brooke. *All represents Lydia, Fanny and myself and Brooke too if you include her touching it with her tongue.
After our adventure in China Town we walked over to old Montreal. It's the oldest area in the city with some of the buildings dating to the 17th century. A beautiful part of the city that help to make it such a Canadian treasure. Brooke quickly found what she was looking for, Montreal Poutine. Fanny and Brooke ordered poutine (french fries, gravy and cheese curds) while Lydia and I had a Montreal smoked meat sandwich. I must give Fanny credit, up to this point she has not been afraid to try any food and so far has loved it all.
After some more walking in old Montreal we went back to the hotel to rest up for our busy day that Lydia had planned for us. Wednesday was another beautiful day, we awoke to sunshine which was perfect for our walk to McGill University. McGill was founded in 1821 and it's main campus is set at the foot of Mount Royal in downtown Montreal. On our walk to the campus we came across a piano on the sidewalk our first of many we would come across while in Montreal. Fanny was in heaven and proceeded to sit down and play a short song as people went about their day walking past. I shot a short video and will attempt later to post it here when time allows. Our tour of McGill was exciting for the girls especially when they learned that our tour guide who was about to begin her forth year was from Paris, France. Both Brooke and Fanny were excited about the possibility of going to an english speaking school but being in a french speaking city like Montreal. For the girls it would be the best of both worlds.
After the photo with our French tour guide we proceeded to walk up the 480 stairs to the top of Mount Royal for incredible view overlooking Montreal. There we found another piano and were entertained yet again by Fanny. Going down the stairs was certainly quicker than going up and although it was a hot and humid day the girls still had the energy to do some shopping. Brooke purchased 2 t-shirts and Fanny some pants.
We told the girls that since they had their fun we wanted some fun and proceeded to find a nice cafe to enjoy a cold beer. That night we headed back to old Montreal for a steak dinner at Vieux-Port Steakhouse. The dinner was superb!! Brooke and Fanny went off exploring old Montreal on their own and we told them we would meet back at the hotel a short time later. To our surprise the girls were back in the hotel room by the time we got back. Rest up girls, tomorrow we drive to Quebec City.
Quebec City:
After our 3 hour drive we arrived at Montmorency Falls just before noon. The falls we learned are 30 metres higher than Niagara Falls. Me being afraid of heights I quickly handed the camera to Brooke and then I proceeded to almost run across the suspension bridge.
Quebec City is the capital of the province of Quebec and has a population of almost 600,000. The name Quebec or Kebec is an Algonquin Indian word meaning "where the river narrow" and in this case the narrowing of the Saint Lawrence River. Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, Quebec City is one of the oldest cities in North America. The walls surrounding Old Quebec are the only fortified city walls north of Mexico. We checked into our hotel and we all had a short 30 minute break before walking to Old Quebec. Similar to Old Montreal but a much larger area, Old Quebec city was everything I thought it would be. Old buildings, cobble stone streets and all lined with small cafes and shops.
We went out for our last dinner at a great Italian restaurant down the road from our hotel after learning that Fanny loved pasta. Seeing as it was too cold to sit out on the patio we went inside and were quickly asked if we wanted to be downstairs close to the live band or upstairs where it was nice and quiet. Brooke without hesitation or without consulting with the rest of us chose the band option and we were seated so close we could almost touch them. Dinner was excellent and the band just added to the evening. We left full and ready for bed.
Thursday morning we awoke, Lydia and I picked up McDonald's breakfast for the girls and shortly after we were in the car for our 11 hour journey home. Throughout our 4 days away Brooke and Fanny really began to form a bond as did Lydia and I with Fanny. The drive home the girls slept, sang to whichever song was on the radio (Sam Smith - Stay With Me), watched movies or Fanny helped Brooke with her French.
