You would think that eight (make it closer to ten) hours along the Tran-Canada highway between Toronto and Quebec City, henceforth referred to as highway signs and people alike refer to it: Quebec, does not make for much of a first step on our trip, or that, beyond reciting the first twenty verses of "This is the Song that Never Ends", there would not be a great deal worthy of note. You may in fact be correct. I'm gonna do it anyway.
What surprised me about the trip to Quebec was how new it all got to be. I've travelled the 401 highway between Toronto and Montreal too many times to count, and, getting into the car yesterday morning with Noah, Jake, and our friends Marc and Sherri, (who do drive incidently, so this is not a case of us all sitting, saying "vrooom" and using our imaginations) I was pretty sure I wouldn't have much to say about the drive to Quebec, or at least a good portion of it. It's gorgeous though. There is so much green, and so many different greens, and the highway just seems to go on through this wonderful tunnel of colour. It's beautiful in the autumn too. But right now, green it is. And of course a big blue sky dotted with clouds. Big cumulus clouds. There Godzilla. There Jack's dog Zero. What surprised me though was actually what I saw. And no, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Farms: yes. Towns: yes. A crap load of other cars trying to get through the tunnel under the St. Lawrence river outside Montreal: yes. Aliens: no. Dinosaurs: yes - birds are dinosaurs afterall as Marc informed me. I mistakenly believed that while birds evolved from dinosaurs that they were classified as something else. Apparently I was mistaken.
I saw alot of the stuff that has always been outside the window. The fun thing is, this time I actually noticed it, took it in, thought about it. This time the little rusted barn type building nestled down the hill just off the highway grabbed my attention and found a place in my memory. This time I experienced the space we were travelling through, And, paraphrasing many a license plate, it was beautiful. And I think that what is really neat is that, because this is the first step of a year of travel where everything outside the window is going to be new, that this familiar space I have seen so many times got a chance to be new again too. And it did not disappoint.
We arrived around 8pm and checked into our hotel Auberge du Tresor, which is ideally situated in a square right by Le Chateau Frontenac, in the heart of Vieux Quebec. Dinner was fondu, and a lesson. The lesson was: remember to ask questions. The fondu was fabulous, but of a different consistency than what I am used to. I'm used to something very smooth, while this had a bit of a grainy texture. I don't know why, but I expect it is the types of cheese used. I am used to a swiss recipe that consists primarily of gruyere, swiss and one other I never remember until I ask my Dad. I don't know what this one was. I should have asked. It can't hurt to ask. And really, if we want to learn from these experiences, then voicing a question now again is likely a good idea.
We spent the night walking the streets of the old city, hearing music, watching street performers, getting ice cream, riding the funicular, hanging from camels - actually canons, but I'm not the clearest of speakers at times - and enjoying the night.
I am, sadly, all but entirely mono-lingual. I speak very, very little french. The fact that I hesitated to write, and then looked up "un petit peu" for the correct spelling should be a testiment to that. Surrounded by the french language was honestly a little isolating. Part of that has to do with feeling apologetic for not speaking french, as I really feel I should but have not done much to resolve that. This though got me thinking about what lies ahead. If lack of language can bring on that feeling on day one of the trip while still in my own country, then I can only imagine what the rest of the year and its many destinations will bring. I'm looking forward to finding out, and I am looking forward to having to crack through that self-imposed isolation and connecting, ever-so-apologetically, with people.
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