Bonjour!

I am aware that Quebec is French speaking but considering that Canada is 3/4’s English speaking I was always of the thought that they spoke French but were more of an English culture. This is not the case and it is very interesting. (Regrettably, we are experiencing some haze from the northern wildfires.)

Everyone speaks at least some English and, they are more than happy to accommodate us non-French speakers. Our dockmates at the marina are about the most welcoming we have ever met. Offering advice on the locks ahead, help with the boat, picking up items for us at the grocery store, they just couldn’t be nicer. The Marina Fortin is a very nice marina- bath house, laundry, pool and docks are all in very good condition, and they lent us a truck to get around. The surrounding area is rather remote, very large farms all around. We stopped at a farm-Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser to buy several fresh cheeses, a delightful place in the middle of nowhere.

We visited Fort Lennox and got a wonderful lesson in how History is at least in part a matter of perspective. I had always thought of the French & Indian War as the French and English both using native tribes to help push each other out of the U.S. When we visited Fort Lennox we heard that it was built to prevent the Americans from taking over Quebec. It sounded like we were the aggressors. I suppose he was considering the British ‘Americans’.

Live and learn.