Oh Canada, Part I

I've always had a desire to go to Canada. I love to travel and I've been to many places, but I've never had the chance to visit our neighboring country up north. Luckily for me, I was recently asked to chaperone a school trip to Quebec City and so I finally had an opportunity to go. The trip to Quebec was long, and it was spent with thirty eight kids, but the experience was well worth it.

Being on a tour such as this one, there were things planned for us that I wouldn't normally do. In my travels, I've always avoided tours, preferring to do things on my own way, in my own time. For this trip, though, I didn't have a choice, and because of that I had the opportunity to experience some pretty wonderful and adventurous things. In this series of articles, I'd like to highlight some of the interesting things I was fortunate enough to experience on this trip to Quebec City.

Inner Tubing at Village des Sports

The first activity slated for the trip was inner tubing. We visited a winter theme park called Village des Sports. The park is not far from Quebec City, and is a real life winter wonderland, unlike anything I've ever seen. The place is a water park during the summer and a winter fun park during the cold months, with inner tubing, rafting, ice skating and more.

We were armed with passes to enter the park, which allowed us to grab an inner tube from one of the bins and head off riding. Within minutes, we were off to one of the many hills located throughout the park. No fewer than twenty tracks dotted the beautiful white countryside. The hills were marked with blue, green, diamond, or double diamond markers indicating its degree of difficulty. We tried them all and every one of them was tons of fun.

The Sugar Shack, Dog sledding, Meat Pie and Maple Syrup

Arrive for a fun filled evening at Erabliere du Cap, an authentic Cabane a Sucre Quebecoise. Partake in a 17^th Century meal, dancing, a taffy pull, make your own maple butter and more.

This was the itinerary entry for the first evening. I had absolutely no idea what a cabane a sucre Quebecoise was, so I was oblivious as to what to expect. On the way to this place, deep in a wooded area outside of Quebec, we learned that the translation for cabane a sucre is sugar shack. Sugar shacks are apparently an age old Quebec tradition.

When visiting a sugar shack, it becomes immediately apparent that maple syrup is very important to the locals of the region. The economic and societal significance of maple products has long been an integral part of the culture of Quebec. This particular sugar shack also housed a maple syrup-producing factory and a stable of sledding dogs. Maple syrup surely would play a large role in our evening.

The meal was the first activity on the agenda at Erabliere du Cap. We were all seated at large picnic tables inside a large dining hall. Baskets of white bread were put out at the tables, followed by a first course of some delicious yellow pea soup. Two stern-faced locals entertained us with musical accompaniment in the form of wooden spoons played across the knee as we dined on our traditional Quebecoise meal.

Once the soup dishes had been cleared, we were served the traditional Quebecoise family-style main course. The main dish was a meat pie, a normal looking pie crust filled not with delectable fruits, but a strange, pate-like meat. Side dishes included baked beans (apparently a Canadian staple!), potatoes, some homemade, hard-as-a-rock pork rinds, some ham and vegetables. I'm known in my circles for bravery in trying out new foods, but the meat pie was absolutely disgusting! Having been a lifetime, card-carrying member of the clean plate club, I failed at my task of finishing my meal. Making matters worse, we were told to smother all of the food in what else but maple syrup! Blech!

After dinner, it was time for dancing. The whole group moved off into another large room with the same musicians and a large dance area. Our guide, a native of Quebec, led the kids through some traditional and not so traditional Canadian dances. I've done enough Hokey Pokeying in my lifetime, so I skipped that affair and headed to the gift shop.

Once the dancing had finished, it was time to head outside for dog sledding. We bundled up and headed out towards the back of the restaurant, at the edge of a seemingly deep forest. We made our way towards the periphery of the forest to find dozens of sleds, each attached to five dogs. I admittedly was a little nervous, as I had not done anything like that before. (Besides, I couldn't help but feel sorry for these poor, beautiful creatures.)

We were told to get into pairs, one person to drive the sled and the other to simply enjoy the ride. I quickly grabbed one of the other teachers and volunteered him to be the driver. Thankfully he was happy to oblige. After a quick lesson on driving the sleds, we headed off to find one for ourselves. Within minutes, we were all headed off into the darkness. The ride was surreal, coasting through the dark and winding path, snow falling silently, but steadily around us, and the sound of the dogs barking just ahead. The immensity of the silence in the snow covered forest coupled with the sounds of voices ahead and behind in the darkness added to the intensity of the experience. The ride was exhilarating!

After our ride, we headed off to the barn where all of the maple products are made. We learned all about how the different products of maple sap were made simply with varying temperatures of heat. The lesson was interesting enough, and at the end we were given little cups of maple syrup to stir into our own maple butter, which was delicious.

The last activity of the evening was yet another traditional Canadian maple treat. We were ushered towards long tables covered in snow that were situated just outside the restaurant's doors. One of the waitresses came out with a large container of maple syrup, which she poured on to the snow. We were each given an ice cream stick and told to simply roll the sticks on the syrup and voila, we were rewarded with a surprisingly tasty treat.

That first day in Quebec was long, adventurous, and tiring, and it was only the beginning...