Levis agin!

Hello... for last time :(

Today we had to drop Dad off at the airport but we still had the afternoon to do something. We went to the second biggest shopping centre in Canada which had the largest indoor theme park/amusement park in it. It wasn't very good as it was very noisy and the shopping centre was just like any other so we had to think of something else to do. We decided to go back to the little island off Quebec called Levis. We didn't look around this time instead we just went straight to the Ice-Cream shop! It was gorgeous but we had the petite this time so we could finish it all. Mum had a bebe sized one which was so cute and tiny. Here is a picture:

This is our last day as tomorrow we are cleaning the house and then flying home which means this is the last blog post. We have thoroughly enjoyed writing and thank you for reading it and leaving your lovely comments. They are really nice to read on holiday and it makes it feel as if you are here with us. Thank you so much! Lots of love Neve and Euan xx

Lac Duchesnay - Segways and High ropes

Hello again,

Today we split up again into boys and girls. The girls went segwaying and the boys did high rope courses (like Go Ape). It was a fantastic day but we will have to write in two parts again.

Today at Lac Duchesnay Mum and I went on segways in the forest. It was difficult to get going at the start as there are a lot of things to think about. Once you got it though it was amazing. The guide took us into the forest where there were bits where you went down dips and over rocks. This was my favourite bit though as the ground was softer and it was more exciting. We went in a group of four (me, Mum and two other people we didn't know) with a guide who was lovely. Only the man who we didn't know fell off but he was fine and got straight back up. It was amazing and by far my favourite day! Neve x

 Today Dad and I went on a high ropes course. we started on a basic starter course about 3 feet above the ground. Like the one in Switzerland, you had 2 carabiners and one at all times must be clipped on to the wire above your head. There were a lot of zip wires and two extreme ones at the end. One of them was 100 yards long! There were loads of different courses that had different colour. We went on all of them except the black extreme which you had to be able to do 5 chin-ups which neither dad or I could do. The black one was my favourite because it had lots of zip wires, a tarzan swing and was very high. It was a great day and I'm looking forward to the next. Euan x



We had a fantastic day and to top it off we had take-out pizza for dinner. Today was Dad's last day as he has to work in New York for the rest of the week. We have all got one more day though. Thanks again for the comments. Lots of love Neve and Euan xx

House and Monster Truck

Just a short one...

Just thought I would give you an idea of where we are staying. The house is massive and the view is beautiful. We have a massive car too which is like a monster truck. Here are some pictures:

Neve x

Quebec and the parliament

Hello,

Today we went back to Quebec as we wanted to go to the parliament of Quebec Provence which is like a state. We had an English guided tour which was really good and he told us lots of interesting facts. For example Jaques-Cartier, which is the name of the lake and national park we have been going to, "found" Canada. After that we went for lunch in Old Quebec in a lovely restaurant where the waiter was really friendly. It was called Le Cochon Dingue which means The Mad Pig (that is why there is a pig in the picture of us at the restaurant). Then we went souvenir shopping as it is one of our last days in Canada :( . I got a magnet and Euan got a stone bird and a pin. We had a lovely day and we had the camera so here are some pictures:

Lots of love Neve xx

Tandamonium and a dip in the lake

Hello,

Today we decided to go cycling but we don't have any bikes here so we had to hire some. They only had one bike so Mum and Dad asked whether they had anything else we could ride. The woman found us a tandem bike and recumbent so we took them. It was hilarious but we did get some funny looks. We all had a go on everything, the most fun being the recumbent and the hardest the tandem. It was so much fun and turned an ordinary bike ride into a fantastic day.
Here are some pictures:

Then it wasn't late enough for us to go home so we decided to go and find a beach where we could have a swim in the lake. We didn't quite find what we were looking for but we made do with it. There were lots of rich people on their boats floating around in the water so we didn't really fit in! It was worth it though just to see the look on their faces.

Another very good day and looking forward to tomorrow. Lots of love Neve xx

Spa for the girls and kayaking for the boys

Hello,

Today the boys and girls of the family did different things so this blog post is written in two parts (girls pink, boys blue). The girls went to a Nordic spa in Stoneham and the boys went for 7km/4 miles kayak down the Jaques-Cartier river. No cameras so no pictures today sorry.

Today Mum and I went to a Nordic spa in Stoneham where we are staying. It had 2 hot water spas, 2 saunas, 2 steam rooms, relaxation rooms and hammocks. It was nice and quiet so it was really peaceful and relaxing. It was right in the mountains down by the lake. Me and Mum swam in the freezing cold lake then quickly got out and ran into the sauna which was lovely and refreshing. That was our favourite bit and we did it just before we had to go and pick the boys up. It was nice to have some girly time. Neve x

Today Dad and I went kayaking along the Jaques Cartier river. It wasn't quite the same as we did with Neve as it had rapids, obstacles such as rocks and twigs and we were going down stream rather than up stream. In the route there were two level two rapids and one level one rapid. Level one normally meant the water was choppy and there were no stones or twigs. Level two meant there were small and medium sized bumps and very small waves and had quite a few obstacles. We didn't get that wet but in the second level two rapid I got drenched and Dad got slightly wet because we went straight through a small wave and we almost capsized in that same rapid. It was great fun and I would love to do that again on another holiday. Euan x  

Walk... again!

Hello again,

Today we decided to go for a different walk in Parc Jaques-Cartier. This one was called Les Coulées which was flatter than the other one and a little bit shorter (10.4km/6.5 miles). There was quite a difficult hill at first but when we started to come back the other way we were walking along the river so it was flat and very beautiful with the mountains on either side. It took us about 3 hours which isn't too long but we were still very tired from the last couple of days so it felt a bit longer! Here are some pictures to give you an idea of how beautiful it was:

Thank you for the lovely comments, we read each of them and they all say very kind things! Lots of love Neve xxxx

Montreal

Hello,

Got back quite late last night so didn't have time to do a blog post so I thought I'd do one now before we go out.

Day 1

On the first day we got to Montreal at about 1:00pm which was a bit later than we thought because about 30 minutes into the drive down I realised I had forgotten my swimming costume so we had to go back and get it! When we did get there though we had a quick look at the hotel - very nice - and then went into Montreal. We got some BIXI bikes (they are like the Boris bikes in London) and cycled down by the canal in the industrial part of Montreal. It was very hot but it was good to see the other side to Montreal. Then we sat on some steps and listened to a Jazz band play before returning the bikes and going back to the hotel to get ready to go out for some dinner. Mum had read that a popular street where there were loads of restaurants to eat on was called Rue Saint Denis. We decided to go to a Mexican where Mum and Dad had Margueritas and Euan and I had non-alcoholic Pina Coladas to drink. The food was lovely and very big so we didn't have enough room for dessert! When we got back to the hotel Euan, Mum and I went to the swimming pool on the roof or a late night swim which we thought would be empty but was actually very busy! It was a very tiring day but we had some great experiences.Here are some pictures:

Day 2 (yesterday)

Yesterday we realised that in Montreal the Rogers Cup (a tennis tournament) was taking place. We had a look online to see who was playing and it turned out Nadal was playing in one game and Murray was playing in another! The tickets weren't too expensive so we decided to go. It was really good and the seats were amazing too. We were on the top tier in the first row and Mum got some amazing pictures on zoom. There weren't many Brits there but we certainly made up for them in the Murray game with our cheering. Nadal won his game but Murray lost his in straight sets which was disapointing. However it made up for it when as he was leaving the court he waved at us to say thank you as we were the only ones clapping! It didn't matter that he had lost to us though as it was still an amaing day and we definatetly won't forget Montreal!
Here are some pictures:

Lots of love Neve x

Valcartier waterpark

Hello,

Today we had Euan's dream day. We went to a water park which is not far away from where we are staying. It had lots of really scary slides like Everest which you go 50mph/80km/h on and Dad and Euan were the only ones brave enough to do that. There were also lots of things for the whole family to do like the river rapids where you get sprayed with water and a gentler slide where you go in a rubber ring. It was really fun and you could even sunbathe on the grass because it was really hot here today. We were there for about 8 hours and then we finished with an ice-cream!

Tomorrow we are going to Montreal and staying in a posh hotel for the night so I won't be able to post for a couple of days.

Here is a picture of Euan and Dad by Everest which Euan went on 3 times and Dad went on twice:

Lots of love Neve xxxx

P.S. Nanny - Please could you E-mail Mum Bob's address, thank you x

Canoeing and Canadian Pooh sticks

Hello again,

Today we thought that we were ging to go rafting in the national park but unfortunately it was all booked up so instead Euan, Neve and Dad went canoeing. It was lots of fun but I (Neve) found it a bit scary as I am not too keen on boats. Here is a picture:

Then we still wanted to do something else so we looked up on the internet what there was to do and found a place that was called Les Sept-Chutes which means Seven Waterfalls. It wasn't quite what we were expecting as it was waterfalls that were used for energy but we still made the most of it. Whilst we were walking up to the top Mum starting to gather twigs and branches so that when we got to the top we could throw them in and watch them go down the waterfalls. When we got there the man who worked their simply said "What are you doing?!" It was really good fun and we had a right laugh! It was Pooh sticks on a grand scale. Here are some pictures:

Lots of love Neve and Euan :)x

Walk

Hello,

Today we went for an 8 mile/11km walk in the mountains at Jacques-Cartier national park. It was very tiring because we went all the way up one of the mountains. The walk we did was called Les loupes so we thought it was going to be a loop but instead you got to the top, saw an amazing view and then came down the way you went! There was a big rainstorm whilst we were on our way up so we all had to huddle under some trees for shelter. It was very challenging but we all felt very pleased when we had completed it with a great sense of achievement.
We did have our cameras today so here are some pictures:

Lots of love Neve :)x

Badminton and baseball

Hello,

Today it has been thundering and lightening so we had to do something inside. We decided to play badminton...boys against girls. If we missed a shot we had to say a quote from pitch perfect (an amazing film) which was hilarious. Then Dad had found out their was a baseball match on which was Quebec against New Jersey. Quebec lost 4-0 but it was still really good. Then the workers started handing out free things to people who cheered the loudest. Dad won us a pack of chewing gum and we ate it all by the end of the game! We had another great day but without camera again so no pictures sorry. Thanks again for the comments, we always enjoy reading them. Lots of love Neve x

Old Quebec city and Levis

Hello,

Today we visited Quebec city for the first time. We went on a short ferry ride to cross from Quebec city to a little island called Levis. Mum had read that it had the best chocolate ice-cream in the world on the island so we decided to have a look. When we found the shop Euan, Dad and I got a medium vanilla ice-cream which they dipped in the melted chocolate of our choice. I (Neve) had hazelnut milk chocolate, Euan had white chocolate and Dad had dark chocolate. It was very tasty but a little sickly. Then Dad had spotted a little museum on the Regiment in Levis and Anne Frank. We had a look and it was really good. We watched a 30 minute clip on Anne Frank and then looked round the museum which had lots of interesting facts and artifacts for us to look at. One of the workers there could speak really good English and answered all of our questions and told us lots of other useful information. Then we got the ferry back to the mainland and went to a small restaurant for something to eat for lunch. It was very nice and me and Euan had a margherita pizza. Then we had a quick look round Quebec and saw some street entertainers. One couple were really good and it ended with the man jumping through a ring of fire! We are all very tired now and are just relaxing at the house.
Here are some pictures:

Thank you for the comments; it's nice to know that you are enjoying reading about our adventures. Lots of love Neve and Euan :)x

Geocaching in Stoneham

Hello,

Today we (Dad, Neve and Euan) decided to go geocaching in the nearby mountain resort. You got given a GPS, compass and a pencil at the beginning to help you find the treasure! The GPS told you how many metres to go in which direction (north, south, east or west). You worked out the direction using the compass. When you got to the right place you had to look for small camouflage containers which had a roll of paper to write your team name on (ours was "Baggies" - Grandma you should be proud!) and a little toy. Euan was slow to start finding the containers but at the end he was the master and knew exactly where to look. It was great fun and made a walk a lot more enjoyable and interesting. This afternoon we are just relaxing and we have just got in from playing cards with Dad. He taught us a new game called Rummy which his Grandad taught him when he was a boy. Dad won the first game and then I (Neve) won the last two. Euan still did the very best with the cards he had.

These are a couple of pictures of the geocaching. The bottom one is a picture of the containers we had to find

Thanks again for the comments. Lots of love Neve and Euan :)x