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Only in Quebec

By Tanya Nouwens

Real Estate Sales Representative with Immeubles Deakin Realty

June 26, 2010 04:13 AM

Every summer when I was a kid, my parents would pack all 4 of us kids into the car and make the sweaty, stifling 18-hour trip from the east coast where we lived to London, Ontario, where we were born and our extended family lived.

My parents somehow handled the sweating, and complaining, and boredom and unending roads extremely well. (Except for the time they forgot my brother at a rest stop, but after hours of therapy, we're ready to let that one go.)

The only time they truly got frantic was when we passed through Montreal. "Jean, watch the signs. WATCH THE SIGNS! Oh for the love of God don't let us get lost here... Jean! Jean! Was that the sign for the tunnel we just passed? WAS THAT THE SIGN FOR THE TUNNEL! Kids, shush I can't think. KIDS! SHUT THAT BLOODY BOUZOUKI!!!! Oh Lord. Not again."

Getting lost in Montreal in the summer is not hard to do. Because of our intense winters, road construction and repair can only take place from April to November. So construction projects are jammed one atop another and the whole city is under siege in the spring and summer.

Detour signs are aplenty...or there are none at all.

Actual detour routes are only half marked...or not at all.

Lane changes are marked approximately 3.2 feet before the change MUST take place or your life is in jeopardy.

And rather than remove detour signs from the road when the detour is no longer in effect, construction crews just sort of push them to the side. We're left to wonder, "Is that really a detour? Is it sort of a detour? Did it used to be a detour but it's not anymore?"

Two detour signs on street in Montreal West Island It's like Quebec construction crews have taken a universal oath to screw with us to see how long it takes for the mice to lose their minds, find alternate 3-hour routes, or give up completely in a heaping, sobbing, cursing mess.

Here's a prime example of what I mean, seen in Montreal West Island.

Only in Quebec, my dears.

Strangely, it's part of what I love about this crazy province. Quirkiness is one of my favourite qualities...in people and places.

Welcome to summer : )

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Gloria Valvasori, Accredited Senior Agent

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE SIGNATURE SERVICE - Mississauga, ON

REAL Experience | REAL Commitment | REAL Results!

Tanya, what a great story.. can't imagine that long drive with 4 kids in the car! How brave they were! I'm sure you must have fond memories of those road trips and of the time spent in London with family and friends.

Have a great day!

Jun 26, 2010 04:21 AM

Li Read

Sea to Sky Premier Properties (Salt Spring) - Salt Spring Island, BC

Caring expertise...knowledge for you!

Thanks for the smiles, and the sudden memory of one of those long distance trips.....

Jun 26, 2010 04:30 AM

Susan Laxson CRS

Palm Properties - La Quinta, CA

Realtor in San Diego, CA & Naples, FL

Ah... road trips and watching the signs along the way - great memories! Susan

Jun 26, 2010 04:47 AM

Cherise Selley

Selley Group Real Estate, LLC - Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs Realtor

Which way to go? Love your terrific story.

Jun 26, 2010 05:31 AM

Tanya Nouwens

Immeubles Deakin Realty - Montreal West Island, QC

Montreal Real Estate Broker & Stager

Gloria: Yes, they were...and yes I do! To do this day, the sound of an 18-wheeler on a wet highway makes me smile.

Sea to Sky: I miss those trips. And being a kid : )

Susan: I'm with you on that.

Cherise: Take your pick, and be brave : )

Jun 26, 2010 07:42 AM

Tammy Lankford,

Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA

Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Your story makes me think of MANY family vacations. My dad used to get (off the correct path) because he would never admit to being "lost" in Charleston, SC on the way to Myrtle Beach EVERY single year.

And on one of my cross country trips with all three kids in a mini van, my family renamed Arkansas "right land closed". And although traveling to and from, sometimes frustrating... I also just remembered MANY happy vacations with family.

Jun 26, 2010 09:10 AM

Paul Slaybaugh

Homesmart - Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate

When in doubt, head for the middle. I say cut a path right through the basement of that brick behemoth.

Jun 26, 2010 11:15 AM

Santiago Ogradón Cortés

eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Long Beach, CA

Broker Associate

I enjoyed your story, too. I was fortunate enough to go to Québec and Montréal in the summer of '03 (when the lights went out everywhere else). I LOVE that place! Being from Long Beach (L.A.) the winters would probably crush me, but I have to say that I've rarely met friendlier people and such beautiful cities. You have much to be proud of.

Jun 26, 2010 01:55 PM

Jane Peters

Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles real estate concierge services

That has to be hysterical. I can see the French community throwing up their arms and yelling "Sacre Dieu". When I lived in Tehran, at noon they used to change the direction of narrow streets. No one took any notice and people would be zooming in opposite directions and just creating gridlock. And that was the least of that city's traffic problems.

Jun 26, 2010 03:46 PM

Ellen Caruso

Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty - Glen Head, NY

Love your story it bought me back to my family with my mom, dad, 6 kids and often a grandparent packed in a station wagon with a 30 ft trailer attached, and in route for vacation. We had a lot of detours but they were in the forn of bathroom stops. As yes, we even went to Toronto once.

Jun 27, 2010 02:26 AM

Tanya Nouwens

Immeubles Deakin Realty - Montreal West Island, QC

Montreal Real Estate Broker & Stager

Tammy: Remembering the bad parts of family vacations is a little like remembering the pain of child birth -- we forget oh so quickly : )

Paul: Perhaps not the path of least resistance, but maybe the one that makes the most sense.

Santiago: Why thank you! Yup, it's a special place up here...even with our crushing winters : )

Jane: Now THAT'S hysterical. I've never seen that happen here...except for the tourists caught in some non-existent detour.

Ellen: We did the station wagon too...in the days when no one wore a seatbelt and we could flop all over the place. Crazy times...

Jun 27, 2010 03:54 AM

Sergio DePinto

Royal LePage Maximum Realty.,Brokerage - Greater Toronto Area - Vaughan, ON

Hey Tanya,

FUNNY~ I can totally relate to the Montreal phenomenon. It took me longer to get through Montreal on August evening then it did to get home to Toronto. Funny thing was that I planned to avoid the traffic by slipping through after midnight.... oh well. Looking back at it now... it gave me a story to tell others.. lol

A nice post... keep it going.

Sergio

Jun 27, 2010 07:48 AM

Melina Tomson

Tomson Burnham, llc Licensed in the State of Oregon - Salem, OR

Principal Broker/Owner, M.S.

I was going to suggest the same path that Paul did. Split the difference and head down the middle....

Those signs are hilarious. I'm sure it just means that you can go either way to get around...right?

Jun 27, 2010 02:54 PM

Tanya Nouwens

Immeubles Deakin Realty - Montreal West Island, QC

Montreal Real Estate Broker & Stager

Sergio: "...slipping through after midnight..." That makes me laugh. You just never know when, how or if slipping through Montreal will happen! Thanks for sharing your story.

Melina: "I'm sure it just means that you can go either way to get around...right?" Mwahahahah. Spoken like a true non-Quebecer : )

Jun 28, 2010 01:57 AM

Susan Mangigian

RE/MAX Preferred - West Chester, PA

Chester & Delaware County Homes, Delaware and Ches

Loved that they left your brother at a rest stop! So funny! I've never been up your way but I would love to visit. Sounds wonderful!

Jun 29, 2010 05:06 AM

Tanya Nouwens

Immeubles Deakin Realty - Montreal West Island, QC

Montreal Real Estate Broker & Stager

Susan, you'd love it. Great mix of cultures and food and music and art. A few years ago, my husband and I stayed at a swanky hotel downtown for his birthday and pretended we were tourists. We still talk about how much fun it was.

Jun 29, 2010 05:41 AM

Jane Peters

Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles real estate concierge services

I meant to say they changed the direction at noon every day.

Jun 29, 2010 03:04 PM

Tanya Nouwens

Immeubles Deakin Realty - Montreal West Island, QC

Montreal Real Estate Broker & Stager

John, I was reminded of this just yesterday as we were coming back from a family vacation in Ontario. Along the highway in Ontario at one point, we saw no less than three flashing road signs warning of lane changes coming up on our side of the highway. Big stuff, right? Well, no actually. The "lane change" was actually just a slight inching over to the right. In Quebec, that wouldn't be worthy of ANY signs, let alone 3 flashing ones.

And then coming back into Quebec, the exit off the Transcanada for our home was completely blocked off, with no signs showing how to detour around it. Ha! We were fine because we know the area, obviously, but I sometimes think Quebec road crews just never imagine anybody outside of Quebec or outside of a particular area might ever be visiting that area and need some help negotiating our "make work" projects. Crazy.

Aug 02, 2010 02:12 AM

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