French and English
During the historical tour, the Battle of Québec is discussed along with the faith of the 2 generals who died during the battle. After indicating that the French General Montcalm had been buried in Québec, I then explained that England wanted General Wolfe, their heroe, brought back home to be buried with full honors. To do so, his body was thus put in a barrel and filled with rhum to preserve it during his long voyage home.
When we reached the Québécois fresco, depicting the history of Québec, a lady observing it, noticed two men carrying a barrel and asked me if that was the barrel that carried General Wolfe back home. Since then, I cannot go by the fresco without smiling !
I've visited several countries in Europe (France and Corsica, England, Scotland, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal), in Africa (Marocco, Égypt, Mali, Burkina Faso) avec several trips looking for sunshine : Turcs and Caïcos, Tortola, St-Martin, Jamaica and Mexico). Of course, I have some that I like to revisit once in a while, mostly France, England and Mexico.
I worked as a reseach agent for the Department of Education before starting a new career as a Field Director for Statistique Québec. I was responsable for developing strategies to optimize collecting data for research projects.
One of my favorite responsabilities was developing and dispensing training sessions for the personnel.
When I travel, having a tourguide explaining "his" city has always been a vital part of my trips. Having access to information from someone who lives and loves his city -- a must for a good tour guide -- gives a whole new dimension to the city.
I have the good fortune of living in a city filled with history, georgous sites and with its share of secrets. It is my great pleasure and honor to help people discover my city and my neighborhood where I live surrounded with echoes of the past but still at the heart of a vibrant city where there is always something going on !
History, that's my thing! In a city over 4 centuries old, history has many facets : military, religious, and economic.
Understanding its history, is discovering its immigration patterns, that have influenced the lifestyles and the architecture over the years. Walking in the narrow streets of Québec is like travelling in a time capsule, thanks to the strides made to perserve its heritage.
Any history book about the city is always of interest to me. There is always something new to discover about the city. But I do have a special "go to book" when I need to check my facts : "L'histoire du Vieux-Québec, à travers son patrimoine" written by the historian Jean Provencher. This book gives you not only the big picture of the history of Québec but also the different facets of every day life over the years.
Any novel having the city as background is also exciting to read, specially by the authors
Marie Laberge, Jean-Pierre Charland, Christine Brouillette and Louise Penny.