Today we went to Quebec City! We made a stop at an information center (why aren't there more of these in California...??!) and the kids played for a few minutes. I think Anna is a little too big for this, what do you think?
Another bungee type climbing structure. And they all loved it.
We then went the rest of the way to Quebec, heading first to see Montmorency Falls. It was beautiful (other than crazy amounts of pollen that the kids called snow). On the short walk to the falls the kids saw this "waterfall". Not very impressive.
But this sure is! And yes, they have the option (we didn't do it) to zip line from one side to the other. No way!
We had some lunch and then walked across the falls on the bridge. I didn't think all the kids would do it but they did with no complaints!
This is from the bridge looking down the falls!
Crazy people!
I will be honest, no we didn't walk up those stairs. My dad, Mason, Olivier and I just walked down them. They have a nice way to go around the falls.
Once we were across the kids were throwing leaves and sticks into the water to see how fast the water was going.
Love the view!
Making our way down.
Who's thumb is that? :-)
We then headed to our hotel which was in Old Quebec (in the walled city) and walked around a bit. It was another very humid afternoon! I took photos of basically any building that looked cool to me, or if it looked old. So basically, I took a lot of photos!
The tallest building is part of Chateau Frontenac.
Piece of public art by the Chateau (they say it is worth $3.6 million...!)
Views down below the walled city. They have a funicular.
Another photo of the Chateau with a glass structure that looks down into the remains of the original (and only real) Chateau that we will visit tomorrow.
The kids love canons!
We walked along the outside of the walled city on a boardwalk with amazing views. Oh, and by the way, did I mention it was humid? Like really humid?
The wall of the citadelle.
The view from a well needed water break!
They were setting up a very large stage and stands for an event. Never did find out what event but it was going to be big!
Some good information (I need to come back and turn these photos!)
We tried to visit Parliament but we were too late today. The kids wanted to make sure I took a photo of the ceiling in the entry we used. They are doing a lot of renovations to the front of the building so we didn't get any good ones of the outside.
Anna being silly!
This is the best photo of Parliament that I was able to get. Yup, that is a giant crane they are using during construction.
The kids are loving all the fountains.
A view back where we came from. Can you see the Chateau?
And do you see the entrance to the walled city that we are going to use?
There it is!
We had a good dinner at an Italian restaurant (yes, in Quebec, we wanted to make sure the kids ate well and pizza always works). We headed back to the hotel to get some rest and plan for tomorrows adventures!
Today was a beautiful day to spend at the beach of Lac Magog. The water was colder but that didn't stop the kids.
Matt on Father's day with his ducklings! The cold water did keep Matt from staying in too long!
The beautiful view of the beach area.
A little bit about the monster of the lake.
They have a small tower (about three stories up) that has this amazing view!
The monster enjoys a ride on this boat!
After lunch and an errand for water shoes (the beach is rather rocky) we stumbled upon this local splash pad. The kids wanted to check it out, so we did!
Today we visited with family near Lac Brome. It was a very humid day! The kids enjoyed playing with a soccer ball.
(Family chatting)
And playing frisbee!
We then went for a walk to the lake. The kids were thrilled when we told them they could go in the water in their clothes (we should have brought swimsuits but didn't know and they were dry by the time we headed home). The water was cold but warmer than the Pacific Ocean they like to swim in back at home.
Matt went in too, but only to his knees. :-)
The view is amazing!
On the walk back to the family gathering the kids found a caterpillar and wanted to make it a bed. :-)
And Mason is working on teaching us how to play chess. We all have a lot to learn!
Thankfully we didn't get eaten alive...! Lots of bugs but we managed to keep most of them away!
Today was a cool and rainy day so we made the best of it and headed to Sherbrooke (about 20 minutes away from where we are staying). We eventually found a good postcard for Anna to mail to her her best friend. It was hard to find one that wasn't hockey related! :-)
Then we went to lunch. While we were eating one of the employees asked where we were from and we said California. She laughed and said "that is why your English is so good!" She then asked if we knew any celebrities. Sorry! We don't!
We went to a mall and got the kids a small toy. Olivier tried to get lost but thankfully he didn't. Always on our toes, especially in another country where the kids don't speak the language! :-)
Today we visited Fort Chambly. It had a great history for the kids to follow (kind of a cartoon), and even in English!
They were disappointed they couldn't go in the cannon like they did in Alabama.
They had wooden guns to show the kids how big they were.
We then went to see the locks near by. Unfortunately they weren't in use at the time and it was going to be a long wait for a boat to come through (the boat was at lock 8 farther up the river, were were at 1, 2, and 3). I think the kids got the general idea of how the system works.
After eating lunch by the locks we went to see my dad's school before he came to California. It is now a book store and small theater. Bummer is I didn't take any photos inside. :-(
Back of the building.
This is the house my dad grew up in. Still looks like it did during my first visit to Canada 30 years ago and it didn't change from when my dad lived it many years before that.
His grandparents house was up on the hill. The trees filled in but there is a house up there!
We went to visit family. We saw my dad's uncle Claude, cousin Dennis.
And his aunt Juliet!
And the kids enjoyed the park across the street. I wish we had more parks like this. It was basically fitness equipment made into park equipment so that everyone could use it! Very cool! And very fun!
Then we headed to my dad's cousins for dinner with family and cousins. The kids were thrilled there was a pool. They swam for about three hours. Yes, three hours! They loved it! Matt took these cool slow mo videos that they love!
The boys ate together. Olivier and Charles (at the end of the table) look surprisingly similar!
And the girls ate together!
The girls had a blast with the hammock. The shrieks of delight were heard from far away! :-)
And I finally got to meet one of my cousins (the daughter of one of my dad's cousins). We have been in contact with each other since we were in high school, she would practice her English and I would practice my French. It was so wonderful to finally meet and our kids really enjoyed playing together. So thankful we were able to meet!
