We arrived in Montreal in the early morning.
Did you know that that Montreal’s outdoor FrancoFolies festival features over 1,000 francophone musicians from all over the world, and attracts over 1 million concert-goers? Participants were lucky enough to attend on their first night in Montreal, and were thrilled to see a huge variety of francophone artists.
On Day 2, Canada C3 participants learned about Montreal’s jewish community with the Federation CJA.
The following day we arrived in Trois-Rivières.
Our participants went for a ride on a Coast Guard hovercraft.
In the evening, we broadcast a concert from the ship to Facebook Live.
The excitement was palpable on June 14 when we pulled up to the port in Quebec City in full view of the Chateau Frontenac!
Our participants went for a bike ride with Motivaction Jeunesse, a non-profit organization working to encourage kids to get active.
On our second day in Quebec City, we visited the Huron-Wendat Museum in Wendake, which included a spectacular longhouse.
Our participants got their hands dirty in a local community garden.
On the morning of June 16, the team kept smiling despite the rainy 12 degree day, and headed to Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site. This island was the first place that many immigrants to Canada saw between 1832 and 1937, and is now a memorial site for the thousands who lost their lives on Grosse-Île due to typhus and cholera epidemics. In this photo, participant Tiio and staff member Ryan take in the names of Irish immigrants who passed away on Grosse-Île.
After an emotional visit to this site, the team headed to l’Islet, where they received an incredible welcome from the residents of this community of 4,000 people. We trekked through the mud to get to l’Islet, and the residents of this town were completely worth it! We are so grateful for the warm welcome, and we will never forget our visit to l’Islet.
June 17 was a day of learning about and exploring the environment and the wildlife in the Tadoussac and in the Saguenay Fjord! In the morning, the Canada C3 team learned about the importance of marine protected areas, which are designed to protect marine ecosystem functions, species, and habitats, from our friends at Parks Canada. They also learned about the wildlife in the area, and spotted some beluga and minke whales!
What a thrill it was for our team to wake up alongside the whales in Les Escoumins on June 18!
On the second last day of leg 2, the Canada C3 team stopped in Rimouski, where we visited l’école du Grand-Pavois de Sainte Agnès in Rimouski. The school is known as a ‘blue school’, which means it has a special focus on marine sciences, fauna, flora, and history, and is committed to teaching its students about protecting marine environments.
On June 20, we said goodbye to our Leg 2 participants and welcomed a whole new group on board. Leg 2 was incredible and we can’t wait to see what Leg 3 has in store for us.
Watch our Leg 2 in Review video: