A fun group of Middle School students traveled to Montréal and Québec City over spring break (March 8th-12th).

Montréal & Québec City, 2019 from Moravian Academy on Vimeo.

Québecois came alive on the streets of these Canadian cities as we visited landmarks such as the Notre-Dame Basilica, dined on delicacies, and cheered on an ice hockey team. In Montréal, the group made the trek up Mont Royal, took a hip hop dance class, and learned about the rich history of Old Montréal. In Québec City, the group explored the Latin Quarter, experimented in the “Bunker de la Chimie et la Physique,” feasted on a traditional 17th-century meal at a sugar shack, and learned about the First Nations past, present, and future lives at the Village Huron.

Below are the daily updates from Canada to learn more about the students’ experience and how much fun was had by all on the trip.

March 9th

Bonsoir! We began the day at La Petite Marche where we enjoyed a hearty breakfast before meeting up with an official Montreal tour guide who took us around town. We visited the underground city and learned why a basilica is called a basilica, and also learned about food and culture in Montreal.

Then we had some free time in Old Montreal where some students tried poutine and crêpes for lunch.

We got on the bus and headed to Sherbrooke where we watched an ice hockey game. All of the signs and announcements were in French!

After the game, we had a nice dinner and then loaded the bus for our ride to Quebec City. We have a lot of fun things planned for tomorrow and we might get to experience some Canadian snowfall!

March 10th

We had a fun, but cold day in Quebec. We began our morning with a big breakfast, followed by a walking tour of the city. Brr. It was cold! But everyone was in good spirits.

Then we drove to a mall and spent some time warming up with lunch and shopping. After lunch, we went back to the city and boarded the local ferry to cross over the St. Lawrence. We trekked through the snow to the Bunker de la Chimie and la Physique. Students performed a variety of experiments in order to rebuild the town of Quebec in a post-apocalyptic society.

We re-boarded the ferry and returned to Vieux Québec to spend an hour enjoying the beautiful sights.

Then it was off to the sugar shack!! We ate a filling meal that we doused in maple syrup. After some group dancing, we learned about how to make maple syrup. For the next eight minutes, we whipped warm maple syrup and turned it into maple butter. What a workout!

For our reward, we enjoyed fresh maple taffy made from hot syrup poured into the cold snow.

March 11th

We began our day with delicious croissants and chocolate chaud from Cochon Dingue. After, we hopped on the bus and drove out to Montmorency Falls where we took a short walk to the suspension bridge over the waterfall. We couldn’t believe how much ice and snow was on top of the rushing water!

Then we boarded the bus again and took a short drive to a beautiful basilica where we learned about its interesting history and art.

We had some free time in Quebec, near Chateau Frontenac, to have lunch and do some shopping. Around 2:30 we began a 45-minute trek up and down a boardwalk and through the Plains of Abraham. Although our feet were cold, our spirits were warm and everyone was smiling and laughing.

We met a British soldier in the Martello Tower and learned about how he would have lived during the early 1800s. We ended our day at Village Huron where we ate a traditional meal, learned about life on the reservation, and listened to legends of the Huron people.