Day 5 and last one: Québec-Montréal

By Yvan and Bobby

We left the hotel early in the morning and went to a restaurant specializing in Brittany-style crêpes for breakfast. All of the choices involved standard breakfast foods like eggs and bacon, except one: the apple crêpe. After the breakfast, we traveled to a local supermarket and embarked on a scavenger hunt or “chasse au trésor.” In three teams of three, we raced to find certain food items used in common Québecois idioms and expressions. For example, someone who is “une bonne poire (a good pear)” is someone who is usually exploited for being gullible, a situation that is “tomber en compote (falling into applesauce)” is getting worse and worse, and a moody person is “soupe au laît” or milk soup. Following the hunt, we took a long ride in our “moach” from Québec to Montréal and decorated a Québecois flag with expressions and words we learned during our trip, like “c'est malade,” “mué pis tué,” and “avoir du fun en masse.”

We proceeded to go to a unique fast-food restaurant called Gibeau Orange Julep. Shaped like a giant orange, the restaurant is a famous Montréal favorite, specializing in its orange juice concocted using their secret formula. While eating our lunch on the bus, we took a quick bus tour around Montréal. First, we drove to Mont Royal (“royal mountain”), the mountain around which Montréal is centered, and we stopped at a vista point, allowing us to take a plethora of beautiful, scenic photos. After that, we topped off our tour by driving past other landmarks and important sites, such as a large statue dedicated to the founder of Montréal and an art museum. Finally, we arrived at the airport and said our final goodbyes and thank you's to Melanie, our guide, and Jean, our “moach master.”

All in all, we all thoroughly enjoyed the trip, with our favorites being playing in the snow, curling, and tubing. We all learned a lot, and had lots of fun!

From Mesdames Tchourilova and Pommier: 10:30pm, curfew time! We had a smooth flight home and were happy to leave 9 wonderful, curious, enthusiastic Harker Eagles with their parents for a restful night and relaxing Presidents' Day.