Quebec

No one has ever gone to Quebec?

> Just found out that we got a project in Varennes, Quebec. I don't speak French, not a lot any way. But going to that part of North America, does anyone have any good traveling tips? currency? good places to eat, etc??
>
>>

>
> I threw that last link in just cuz I thought it is dang funny!

Just be a redneck with a lil' savoir faire and you will be fine. 🙂
Your basic Quebecite likes to hunt, fish and gig frogs like Southern good ole boys.
enjoy.
I would learn to say basic greetings and also that

"Please excuse me because I do not speek French but can you help me."
instead of saying in english loudly,,Can body here speak english for chris' sakes

Montreal is a very cosmoplitan city. You might want to tale a train ride up to Quebec City which is more provencial.

I was there as a young boy.

Thanks

I have practice my "je parle un peu francais" a lot here recently and found a cool little add on to Chrome for learning other languages. I appreciate the help. Pictures are sure to come.

Thanks

When I was driving truck and got into the Mississippi Delta, sometimes I would need to stop 3 times to get directions that I could follow. Kind of neat, be trucking along beside a canal and pass large fishing boats a long way from the Gulf.
jud

You should also note that the french spoken in Quebec is more of the 18th century dialect, like the Cajun french in my part of the world.

Have you your parka, long johns, heavy wool socks, mitts and snow shoes ?

TNAI

Je ne parle pas Francaise tres bien.

Parka?

I hope you are kidding. I am going as if it is summer and that it will stay summer. I figured the french was an evolved French, kind of like American English vs. Britain's English, and My french isn't very good either.

Bonsoir Mr Tompkins,

Yes indeed the accent we have here vs the French is exactly the same as the American vs British. We don't speak at the same higher tone than the French.

For the climate, don't worry, the igloo did'nt melt yet! 😉 Prepare your self for a few heat waves and high humidity.

Currency, i wound't bother converting my US dollars in canadian $ since 1$ canadian dollars is worth 0,98$US .

Food, their is a variety of restaurant at all kind of prices. But, for fun, go a head and try our nation junk food success called the "poutine". Terribly bad for my heart, but i love that stuff!

To do, well, your at half an hour drive from Montreal, i'm sure you will find something. For my self, i would go and see the Samourai armor exposition in the old montreal.

The language, brace for impact, the region is at very high majority francophone. In fact, it's a region that voted for the parti Quebecois (pro-independance party) since it's creation in 1976. In general, people will understand english if you speak not to fast but will have problem or difficulty to speak back in english. A bonjour (Hi) and a merci (thank you) wll break the ice and you should survive 😉

Just out of curosity, what kind of work are you ask to perform in the region since georgia is kinda of far from Quebec? Must be something very specialised?

Robert

Robert,
Enchante, we are doing an inventory laser scanning project for a plastic plant to be dismantled and shipped overseas. Not really that big, but it is work and we sure do need it.
I appreciate your help. I am excited to go to Montreal. I have heard a lot of good things about it and actually look forward to butchering the French language in classically shameless american style. No offense intended, but I am not shy and will not hold back my ridiculous attempts to speak french, especially the pretty girls. Poutine sounds fantastic. The last thing I want is to go to Montreal and find another McDonalds. I want authentic cuisine.

You will have a good time. Speak as much French as you can, you will meet a lot of people that way. You could break the ice by saying that "Les canadiens de Montreal vont sûrement gagner la Coupe Stanley avec Carey Price dans le net " that will get people talking (Montreal habs will surely win the Stanley cup this year with Carey Price in the net"...)

If you have a chance, go visit the town of Sorel near by, lots of Anglo Saxon history and the birth place of the lit Christmas tree in Canada...not much of a claim to fame, but that's it...

And try "la fin du monde" a very good and strong beer.

And people on the road drive very fast, keep your eyes open and your reflex sharp if you happen to be driving.

Amuses-toi mon gars!

It's been around 8 years since I went to Montreal. You can use US dollars most places, but you might get a better rate if you use your debit card in a Canadian ATM. If you're driving and you have some Canadian money left over after you get back to the US, look for NY or VT gas stations that fly Canadian flags; that means they take Canadian money. Also, try to fill up before you leave the US; gas up there is expensive.

The border crossing requirements have gotten stricter; everyone is bringing passports, right? Anybody in your party that has a DWI conviction might have a problem.

You should be able to manage the language issue, with a little patience. Have fun. Be sure to visit Montreal.

I hope your city driving skills a sharp, because the are crazy behind the wheel.

> I hope your city driving skills a sharp, because the are crazy behind the wheel.

That's an old time prejudice, Scott. I'm from the Soo, believe me, we're worse than they are 🙂

Don

It was a kinda crazy fun that I remember. They would sit at a red light and watch the signal for the cross traffic. When the cross light went yellow and no one was coming they would go (or honk at me) and I mean GO! Peddle to the floor for 600 feet or so then slam the brakes for the next light.
Other crazy one was when they would suddenly stop, double parked and go into a store. I would just sit there wondering.
Crazy, but fun. Of course I am just a Northern County Boy who lives on the border of two counties that only have one traffic light each and the big city here has no expressways.
Have fun, ay.

Park your vehicle on the south shore and take the Metro in, because riding the Metro is a must. The quietest and cleanest subway you can imagine. We asked for directions the first time we bought tickets, and the man said: "You get on, you ride, you get off." He was right - it was that simple.

Wander around Old Montreal and sample the great little restaurants, see the historic old buildings, the statues, and don't miss Notre-Dame Basilica (gorgeous). You'll be surprised at the number of office workers outside at noon sunning themselves. The Botanical Gardens are amazing when all of the roses are blooming.

Montreal is a very big city in every sense.

Some of the western parts are mainly english-speaking. All of the major commercial operations such as hotels and airports will have bi-lingual staff. Once you get out of town, you may be in areas that are 95-99% french-speaking. If you are taken for a Canadian from an english-speaking province, you will be expected to converse completely in french, as you were run through years of it in school. If they know you are an american, you will be held to a much lower expectation and any initial effort to speak french will be a very good thing.

Being from Georgia, you will have the advantage of being in the same time zone, but understand that this time of year, that far north, the sun will be up by 4:30. The food is excellent. The last time I had fiddle head ferns and wild plums was in a restaurant way north of Montreal.

Thanks for all of the advice and story's. I will try just about everything I can get my hands on. I am looking forward to the trip. I will post pics and details in a bit. Thanks again. ouvoir

Don't forget the details of the laser scan when you report back. I want to hear about that also.