Quebec

So this post comes under pressure, because really none of us want to take the time to blog it, but all of us promised we would. So here goes nothing! (Warning it might be a bit long because it was a 5 day trip with hundeds of pictures to choose from). I'll start with classic quotes because we (Jenny in particular) are amusing.

Jen: “I wish I brought my squishy” – exactly 45 seconds after leaving the house (squishy is a stuffed animal thing)

Jen “I brought baby powder”

Aimee: “why?”

Mom: “Us fat people need to put it under our boobs”

Bri: “My bra holds mine up”

Mom: “Well we don’t put the bottle under our boobs!”

Jen: “Haha, we just passed choda road”

Mom: “What’s a choda?”

Jen: “The piece of skin between a guys asshole and his balls”

Aimee: “Well you asked…”

Jen: “It was like a mini geyser in my mouth!” – in reference to throwing up a little in her mouth

Most often muttered phrase (by everyone): “fuckin quebecois…”

DAY 1: A Long drive completed entirely by mama dukes even though there were two other licenced and willing drivers. Some fun and games (Buzzword etc.), singing along to 80's classics, homemade egg salad sandwiches. We get to the Delta Hotel downtown Quebec. It's raining and crappy outside. We let the valet take our van even though we didn't get all of our stuff out. We thought we could just go back to the parking, but they take the keys. They fetch it for you every time. Silly us. So we go to the front desk to check in, only to find out we don't have a room until the next night. Now it's some art festival thing in Quebec this week, so we panick, but we end up getting a room, and we unpack. We order pizza (because we didn't want to wander in the rain), and watch 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' until each and every one of us falls asleep before 10pm.

DAY2: We wake up, set up mom's booth for work (this was a work trip first and foremost for her). We get stuck in the conference center. We can't find an exit that will let us out without sounding an alarm. Mom gets pissed while we all laugh. This was also a common pattern throughout the trip :)
So we wander down the hilly (freakin hilly!!) streets and find a little cafe called L'Oeuforie. We all order delicious fantastic Frenchie Brunch. For me, this meant creps (which were a first for me!) with strawberries and bananas and white chocolate sauce.
The other girls all order an assortment of eggs, french toast, beans, creton (French Pork pate, ie. barf), etc. All of which was enjoyed until Mama Dukes goes to put her egg onto her toast. She misses. She drops the ketchup covered egg (runny yolk and all!) all down the front of her shirt, and it drops under the table. We all laugh, except mom. She's ready to cry. Her day is ruined! She's pissed off again. We laugh and give her a Tide to Go pen. She cleans up a bit (still pissed) and then realizes that the egg may or may not have fallen directly into her purse under the table. We all laugh histarically at the prospect of this happening. We laugh until we are all crying. But then we check, and sure enough the egg landed on the deck instead.
We then wandered through the walled city, checking out all of the little cobblestone streets and a perfect piece fo culture that is Quebec city. It was really nice, and none of the girls (besides myself) had dever been there, so we took our time, and took a bazillion pictures. I felt like the architecture paporattzi.
We went for dinner with a colegue of moms. We ate at a little Swiss restaurant. We had Fondue Chinois (chineese fondue for those of us who don't parlez fancais). It was strips of thin beef and scallops, shrimps, and salmon, cooked in a pot of boiling onion soup and dipped in various mayonaises and mustard sauces. It was delicious. We then wandered to music. A live band playing ska punk of some sort. A local band I think. It wasn't our cup of tea. We went back to the hotel and were again asleep by 10pm.

DAY3: Mama Dukes had to work, and it was rainy. So us three sisters wandered Quebec getting wet and causing trouble. We found the naughty video store but didn't go in. We took pictures of random people on the street who were dressed funny, and went to a museum (of civilization) where we also took pictures we weren't supposed to (so they wont be posted) so that mom could see that she didn't miss much! Then we headed back to meet mom for a bit, before she headed off again to a fancy-pants dinner on the river, and we tried to find somewhere to eat. We found a restuarant with pountine (which was important to us!) but after Jen called to see if we needed a reservation, we found out it was equivalent to A&W or some such place. We had a good laugh. We ate at a little Italian restauant. Jen had milk shoot out he nose. I got it on video. Good times. Again, in bed before 10pm.

DAY 4: Mama Dukes had to work in the morning, so we went out again. Today we found the actual naughty store. I'm not telling if we went in or not... We found a brekfast place. Brianne got rotten chocolate milk, and we took pictures of a random old crazy woman while pretending to take pictures of us. Otherwise uneventful.
We met up with mom again, and walked the street all day. We saw the rest f old Quebec. The Chateau Frontenac. Took a horse and buggy ride, which was awsome, and let us see some more things we hadn't. We all hurt alot at the end of this day. We went to the pool at the hotel after, met a nice woman from Scotland, chatted, and chilled out. Had dinner at the hotel. Tipped the bitchy wait staff, even though I told mom not to.

DAY 5: Buffet breakfast at the hotel. I managed to steal 2 packs of caramel sauce, and a chocolate croissant (which was delicious) for the car ride home. Jen stole a pastry of some kind too. Brianne took nothing. She's learned nothing from us, obviously! Mom went back to man the booth one last time and we checked out, and went to the mall to get creton (yeah, the barfy pig fat) for the crazy French person in our house (ie. Mama Dukes) to eat on toast with mustard. We went back, collected mom, and she drove back (all 11 hours!!) the whole way, even though there were 2 willing and able drivers in the car.
On the way home it's raining, and we hit Montreal at rush hour. The highway is packed, and a woman merges without merging (not wanting to get in line, but instead trying to bypass on the shoulder). Then noone will let her in. She tries and tries, but she's screwed. And a white moving van has plans for her. She tries passing using the next off ramp. He cuts her off. We laugh. She tries to get in over and over again, but can't cause this van keeps blocking her. She throws her cell phone, she slams the stearing wheel, and is obviously raging. It's hilarious. We are all histarical in the car. She sees everyone laughing at her, and gets more pissed. She finally falls in behind moms van. Then sees an opening, and pulls out (again!) into the shoulder to get behind the white van, who proceeds to slam his breaks every four seconds almost causing an accident. I laughed so hard my throat hurt until the next day. She followed the van off the highway. I wish I could see the end of it. Like missing the end of a good movie.

The trip ended when we walked in the door to greet our puppies who missed us soo much. All in all a fantastic trip (Though I couldn't do it justice in one blog...)