Heights Seniors Invade Canada
What makes a vacation great? Is it the location, the accommodations,
the weather, the food, the sights, or the people you travel
with? It was a combination of all these factors and, for these
reasons, the Leisure Club’s trip to Canada was a great
trip.
A few years ago, the Club traveled to the Niagara Falls area
and Toronto. This year it was to French Canada to visit the
most popular and exciting cities on the French side of Canada.
The five day tour focused on the cities of Montreal and Quebec
City.
The best way to describe the many locations surrounding these
two cities is to remember the scenes in the old movie, “An
American in Paris;” the narrow cobble-stoned streets,
the small cafés, the street vendors, the displays of
art individually painted, the slow relaxed atmosphere, the small
parks with all their monuments, the street performers entertaining
everywhere, the horse-drawn carriages and, of course, the beauty
of listening to the French language being spoken.
The group of fifty-five seniors will never forget their visits
to the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-Montreal, the Chapel of Saint
Joseph’s Oratory, and the world-famous Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre.
No matter what your religion, these places of miracles were
breathtaking. The architecture, the carved statues, the paintings,
the wall of crutches and the feeling of peace and solitude made
these visits memorable.
The trip included a trip to Cuivres d’art Albert Gilles,
a copper museum. There they viewed a display on the artistic
applications of copper. There was an exhibition of 50 magnificent
silver panels illustrating the life of Christ. There were also
many decorative pieces to view and to purchase.
There was a stop at Marie’s Bread Oven to taste a slice
of their delicious maple sugar bread. The group also had the
opportunity to view the Montmorency Falls. These waterfalls
are 98 feet higher than Niagara Falls. The tour also included
viewing the 3-D movie, the “Quebec Experience,”
which was a journey through time reviewing the city’s
history.
They had a chance to ride on the Funiculaire de Quebec which
takes you from the lower region of Quebec City up the cliff
which is surrounded by a fortress like wall. The Funiculaire
does not ride up like an elevator but rides on an incline on
a rail track.
No visit to Quebec could be complete without a visit to the
famous Chateau Frontenac Hotel. This “chateau” style
hotel is perched on a tall cape overlooking the Saint Lawrence
River. It towers so high that it is visible from 10 miles away.
A tour of this 19th century building with its vast dining areas,
small bedrooms and narrow hallways can only remind you of the
hotel in the movie “The Shining” – scary but
elegant. The group enjoyed a gourmet afternoon tea at the Frontenac.
There was plenty of time for the Leisure Club Tour to relax.
There was the afternoon at the Casino Montreal, and dinners
at the Restaurant Brochetterie Vieus-Port, Restaurant Festin
Du Gouverneur, Restaurant La Trattoria and the Restaurant Chez
Greco.
There were so many sights that were viewed that it would be
impossible to name them all. But the funniest sight was to view
President John Fitzin dressed as the first governor of Quebec
standing his ground while being challenged by the last mayor
of Quebec. John not only looked stately, but at times he looked
like Count Dracula. He gave us all a good laugh.
No Leisure Club extended trip would be a success without the
hard work of Alice Shenloogian. She made all the arrangements,
collected all the money, listened to any complaints, interceded
when necessary and never lost her cool. She has the patience
of Job and the gratitude of all. Story and photo by Peter Gallo
Jr. ### |
Thank
you for visiting our hometown. Come back soon!
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