I've
always been somewhat intimidated by French. I don't speak the language, I don't
understand it, I have no idea how to say words I see in print, and French
speakers tend to irritate me! Whether this bias spawned a rather long-standing
dislike of French-speaking people - who I saw as arrogant and often anti-American
- or whether these perceptions came about in reverse order is probably
irrelevant. I've had enough experiences
with French speakers to conclude they were accurate - and that I had no
personal responsibility for my encounters with them turning out to be memorably unfavorable.
Our
race was in Rimouski - a city of perhaps 40,000 people on the south shore of
the St. Lawrence River - nearly 200 miles downriver and northeast of Quebec
City. With just over 500
half-marathoners, about half that many running the marathon, and perhaps another 700 or so running a shorter
distance, it wasn't a huge race, but it certainly wasn't among our smaller
runs, either. The setting was quite
picturesque, as nearly the entire route was along the St. Lawrence - which, at
this point - is certainly more like a sea than a river. The north bank is visible, but barely, and it
takes an hour to get across the river in a high speed ferry at this point. The day didn't particularly showcase the
scenery; it was gray, windy, very cool and humid, and even a bit misty towards
the end of the race. However, there were
definitely some positives. The pre-race
and post-race food was VERY good; we got souvenir race hats since it was the
10th anniversary of the event; an excellent facility was available both before
and after the race to stay warm in; and there were enough English-speaking
participants that we didn't have to eat our food in silence. And did I mention
that we did interact with the Quebecois participants - many of whom went out of
their way to make us feel welcome - and who often spoke very good English or
made a legitimate effort to communicate with us?
The
race was a success. However, we brought
home with us much more than Finishers' Medals.
We had been looking forward to this trip for quite some time for a
number of reasons. First - I had seen
enough of Quebec to know it was a beautiful place. Secondly - a number of very critical chapters
of modern North American history were written there. And finally - old Quebec City rivals most old
European cities for charm and authenticity.
It did not disappoint - in any of those areas. And did I mention that the French Canadians often
seemed generally friendly and extended a welcome that included honest efforts
to communicate - in English, no less? (In fact, we met a French-Canadian couple from New Brunswick with which we became fast friends and who subsequently visited and skied with us in Utah and which we visited in Atlantic Canada.) We
spent a couple of days along the St. Lawrence, a couple of days in Quebec City,
a couple of days in the vast expanse and wilderness of northern Quebec and a
day in the Eastern Townships of southern Quebec. The
St. Lawrence included small villages, pastoral landscapes, seascapes, river
islands, waterfalls, a fjord, hills and escarpments and the impressive mountains
of Charlevoix - all with their own versions of beautiful fall colors. It also included the heights of Quebec City,
where a citadel and walled city were the heart of New France since the early
1600s - and a bastion against the British - who outsmarted the French later
that century and defeated them on the Plains of Abraham - just outside the
walls of the city. This officially ended the French presence in
North America. Unofficially, French (or at least French-speaking Canadians) are
still VERY present in Quebec - and when we asked the Citadel tour guide how it
was that Britain won the war and yet Quebec today is a very French province -
the answer was what I might have expected - it was destiny! Since the British didn't banish the vanquished foe - they eventually tired of them - and eventually found themselves in
"self-exile" elsewhere.
Okay,
so I can't vouch for the entire authenticity of my history lesson, but Quebec
was a great destination and trip - and gave us the kind of fall colors I have always
wanted to experience in New England. I'm
not ready to go out and enroll in French lessons - but I am willing, and even
anxious to go back. Is there a
thoughtful nugget in there?
Perhaps. For me, it might read
something like this: Don't erect French as an insurmountable barrier - even if
you really think they deserve it.....because it might be exactly what they
want! (Or perhaps......just perhaps....you may find something very worthwhile where you might least expect to find it.)
Picture Key: Collage 1, Intro To Quebec; Collage 2, S. Shore, St. Lawrence near Rimouski and Bic National Park; Collage 3, Quebec City, w/Chateau Frontenac and Plains of Abraham; Collage 4, Citadel in Quebec City; Collage 5, Eastern Townships and along St. Lawrence; Collage 6, N. Shore of St. Lawrence and Ste. Anne de Beaupre Basilica; Collage 7, Fall foliage; Final picture - ferry crossing at Saguenay (Fjord)/Tadoussac.
