Hi everyone! In this article, I’d like to tell you about my recent trip to Rimouski.
Last Friday, I got picked up by two assistants who were coming from Quebec City and we drove to Rimouski, where I spent my weekend.
What is Rimouski like?
Rimouski is a 2 hour drive east down the Saint Lawrence River from the town where I am living. It has a population of just over 45,000 people (compared to 4,000 in my town) and there is a university and a cegep, so there are a lot of students.
Who was I with?
I was with 8 other language assistants. Two of which are on the British Council assistantship scheme like me, and the rest are from Anglophone Canada, completing the Canadian equivalent scheme which is called Odyssey. They are from all over Canada, including the Yukon (near Alaska), Saskatchewan, Ontario and Alberta.
Where did we stay?
We didn’t stay in Rimouski itself. Instead, we rented an Airbnb right on the edge of a lake called Lac Noir, close to Saint-Marcellin. There was a beautiful view of the lake through the windows. However, the lake was completely frozen at this time of the year! It felt very Christmassy.
Where did we eat out?
When we arrived at Rimouski on Friday, we went out to eat at Le Crepe Chignon. The choice of crepes there is incredible! It took me a while to decide but I finally went for the Saumonee Florentine which had spinach and smoked salmon. For dessert, I had a sweet crepe called L’Origimelle which had bananas, caramel, roasted almonds and vanilla ice cream! Absolutely delicious!
At the end of the weekend, before heading back home on Sunday, we also had poutine in a place called Cantine De La Gare. I tried the poutine galvaude which also has chicken and peas as well as the traditional gravy and cheese curds. It was pretty tasty!
What did we do?
There was a lot more snow around Saint- Marcellin and Lac Noir than here in La Pocatière. Some of the Canadian assistants even decided to build a Quincy which is a snow shelter, similar to an igloo. It worked out pretty well and they could fit 3 or 4 people in it.
We were also supposed to visit a National Park called Parc national du Bic, however we decided against it. Quite a lot of us were tired after the journey to Rimouski. One of the assistants had come from Sept-Îles and his route included a 3 hour ferry crossing!
Overall, it was a really relaxed weekend. We played games like charades and Jenga, cooked food (we split into 2 and 3s, each group was in charge of a meal and we had a mini Come Dine with Me!) and we went for a walk around the lake, too.
What are my plans for this weekend?
This weekend, it’s my 21st birthday! I’m going to Quebec City to watch Cirque du Soleil (a contemporary circus show) and I’ll be spending the night in the city centre with some other assistants. I’m very excited! Happy holidays everyone!