Québec City - Exploration Overnight Adventure
After researching, planning, and pitching their overnight travel plans in Session 3 and fundraising with the help of their sustainable businesses in Session 5, it was FINALLY time to head to Québec City!
On Wednesday morning, we took the train from Ottawa to Québec City. It was a long ride with multiple delays, but the Rebels handled it well, bouncing around to various seats, watching movies, playing games, reading, and completing word puzzles.
Once we arrived at the train station, we hauled our luggage up the steep hills to the Auberge Internationale du Québec to check into our rooms. Once we had settled in and eaten some pizza, we gathered and spent the rest of the day exploring the neighbouring sites. We first walked to the Plains of Abraham and, along the way, spotted Parliament and several sports cars, much to the delight of some learners. We also saw the Jardin Jeanne-d'Arc and Martello Towers on the way to the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. The building itself is art, and the Rebels enjoyed the Inuit Art: The Brousseau Collection, the Contemporary Art in Québec floor, and Jean Paul Riopelle's "Tribute to Rosa Luxemburg" before returning to the hostel.
Rebels bravely navigated sleeping away from home, and after our continental breakfast on Thursday, we ventured on foot to the Musée de la civilisation. We started together in the Crowds: Humans in Interaction exhibit, which was hands-on and a favourite among many learners. We then spread out and explored the rest of the museum in small groups, taking in the Teens: Creative Minds, My Place, and In Other Words, Québec exhibits. We also witnessed a life performance art group, which inspired us for our upcoming Performing Arts Quest!
After lunch at the museum, we headed onward to Rue du Petit-Champlain for some boutique shopping and ice cream along the cobblestones. Next, more steps (literally, so many staircases) up to Dufferin Terrace for an epic view of the St. Lawrence and the Château Frontenac! After all the walking, the Rebels were ready for a break, so we returned to the hostel for some downtime.
With our feet rested and ready for some fresh air, we headed out for dinner a bit early to check out a cool sports store and the Librairie Pantoute for some books. Of course, you can't go to Québec City without a dose of poutine, so we went to Poutineville for our last dinner of the trip. It was a fun dinner full of laughs, mocktails, and giant plates of food. Upon returning to the hostel, we played trivia games and foosball before heading to bed.
On our last morning in Québec City, we had just enough time to eat, pack up our rooms, and visit Artillery Park. We started in the Arsenal Foundry, where we saw the changes in Québec City over time and admired the authentic Duberger-By model of Québec City, built between 1806 and 1808, measuring 6.15 metres wide! We also watched a video of how they are using the model to create a 3D digital model in order to explore the city during that period further. We then headed over to the Dauphine Redoubt, where we explored Québec City's military and social history in one of the oldest military buildings in North America. This heritage building, dating back to 1712, bears witness to more than 250 years of military occupation in Québec City by French, British, and Canadian soldiers. We learned about the soldiers' quarters and saw a period kitchen, the antechamber, and an officers' mess.
We then returned to the Auberge Internationale, grabbed our luggage, and made our way back to the train station. The ride home was a bit quicker, but we were ready to be reunited with our families by the end!
This trip wouldn't have been possible without the research, planning, and engaging pitch by two of our Rebels in Session 3! Thank you, for pitching such a great overnight experience!
We are also grateful to all of the Exploration learners who worked so hard on their Session 5 sustainable businesses, which raised a significant portion of the money to fund the trip.
The careful execution of the plans, from booking the train, finding the hostel that met all of our needs (and budget), meeting weekly with the learners to create the itinerary, and ensuring all of the documents, paperwork, and finances were on point was all due to the incredible Ms. Mel!
Lastly, thank you, Rebel families, for your support and trust. This was a milestone trip for many of our learners, and we already heard them plotting for next year...