Aventure d'ete

I am currently on a mini-adventure, attempting to learn French in the lovely Quebec City. I just finished my second week (which seems astounding - I'm sometimes amazed at how fast time flies, when in other moments in creeps along so slowly). Anyway - I've been taking a bunch of photos - and I'm a bit behind on sharing them, for those at home, who told me to take lots! So here goes:

I’m studying at the École de langues del'Université Laval

This is the building where I spend most of my days.

It's been great so far! My brain seems to be clinging annoyingly to Spanish, but I am sure that will continue to improve. I'm living with a host family again, and that is great.

We spend the mornings in class, but then the rest of the day is left to be filled by activities (put on by the school), homework, or whatever else you choose. Comically, I am part of the Club des maîtres which you need to be 28+ to be a part of, as the majority of students here are part of the J'Explore program and are between 18 and 24. The comical part, is I haven't yet had much success convincing anyone that I'm over 28 - and while I haven't been ID'd pertaining to alcohol, I get questioned about my ability to participate in activities almost every day.

My first week here, was the end of the Festival d'été de Québec - an 11 day music festival that has a bunch of free stages, as well as the stages you need a pass to get into. It was fun to be able to wander around, people watch, and listen to great music - in the midst of my worst week of language confusion. 

One of the open air, free stages.

I also went to see the Stars, which was a great concert.

One of the first activities of the Club des Maîtres was a wine and cheese tasting, that also included a beer tasting, all of local Quebecoise delights.

The evening began with a sampling of beer from a local brewery.

Following the beer, we had 3 courses, each with different cheeses and wines.

The cheese was better than the wine, although we ended with
this maple cream liquor - that was quite tasty.

It was a fun night - although I had not anticipated full glasses of wine at each tasting. Thank goodness for so much cheese, bread, and fruit - or my walk home would have been daunting. It was also nice to start to get to know some slightly older folks. For many of the students in my class, this is their first time away from home, which comes with its own adventure, that I'm having a hard time identifying with. 

Yesterday, I went along on the hike to Cap Tourmente, which is at a nature preserve. The hike itself was a bit tough for me, in parts. I am not used to steep uphills, OR the mix of 32 degrees and high humidity. The combination felt a bit rough, but it was pretty enough that it was totally worth it. The reserve runs along the St. Laurence. In the spring and fall it is apparently hugely important site for many migratory birds, which makes sense as it is a mix of forest, prairie grasses/flowers, and estuaries, before hitting the river. 

Does anyone know what these are? They were everywhere - and I think they're so pretty!

These were all maples!

As we got higher up the mountain, all the trees changed, as did the smells. It was really pretty.

The view from the top was really pretty, looking out over the river, but it was kind of hazy and my photos make it look very bland - so I won't show those. :)

There's been a lot of play, but I need to get on with my homework. Week three this week, and exams begin! 

I hope you're having a great summer! 
Peace to you~