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General Observations The Language - We learned more about French pronunciation on this trip than we had on two prior trips to France. Even so, there was no real need to speak French in Quebec Province. Except for the hitchhiker on Ile d"Orleans and the clerks at the McDonald's in Quebec, everyone we talked to spoke excellent English, usually with a charming French accent. The ability to read French, on the other hand, is very useful, perhaps even essential. There are no signs in English in Quebec Province. The law must prohibit them because even stores that cater to English-speaking tourists have only French signs. More importantly, all traffic signs are in French only, and some of them are quite complex ("Wait for the green arrow to turn from this lane.") Fortunately, with our Italian and Latin backgrounds, we both could read French reasonably well, so we didn't have much of a problem. Driving - The Quebecois are much more patient and courteous drivers than we see in the U.S. There are many differences, though, in their traffic signs and rules, and nothing to explain these to visitors. We only learned that there is no right turn on red because the guide on a bus tour mentioned it. The traffic lights operate in more phases than ours. The green light blinks for a few seconds before it turns orange. It also blinks sometimes when it first turns green, and cars may not turn right while it's blinking. The green also blinks sometimes to signal that oncoming traffic must stop so you can turn left (instead of a green arrow). As may be obvious, we still haven't completely figured out the blinking green lights. Old Quebec - We were surprised to learn that many of the most charming features of the old city have attained that charm only in the last 30 years. Many of the old buildings were in sad condition before 1970. Even parts of the "old" city wall have been rebuilt or added during that time. Of course, this is little different from what has happened in the U.S. where old urban areas decay for decades, then are revived and made into a popular tourist area. At least in Quebec, the restoration, though not entirely accurate, has respected history. Is it Old France? - As we planned this trip, we said that we were going to pretend we were going to France. We had been to France in 1962 and again in 1990, so we had some basis for comparison. Our conclusion? We did not have to pretend very hard to feel like we were vacationing in France. The "feeling" was there. In some ways, it was even better. For example, there was little difficulty with the language in Quebec because almost everyone spoke English. But they would continue to speak French to us as long as we spoke only French, no matter how badly. That was a big plus over France where most people have little patience if you don't speak French perfectly. We also found that the Quebecois were more friendly than the French, also more friendly than many Americans, for that matter. And of course, the cost! Prices in Quebec were very reasonable, probably only half those in France. We heartily recommend Quebec as a great tourist destination. |
