Splish -Splash Guy

Here is a video Yaryna and I made for English class*.


*In the original showing, the audio and the image were actually synchronized. Our sound team is currently working on fixing this problem to bring you the nuttiness in all it's splendor.

Stockholm

For the last two weeks, Renée and I have been in Stockholm, Sweden with Pierre and Sharon. For a more complete version of what we did, go to Sharon's blog, but here is a taste.

Day one
We arrived and explored the neighborhood and our apartment.



Day two
We went to Haga Parken, king Gustav III's favourite gardens and met some hungry carp.



Day three
We visited the Vasa, a ship that unfortunately sank thirty minutes after it left the harbor. It is also home to the ugliest cherubs on the planet.



Day four
We saw historic houses from all over Sweden at the village of Skansen (for example a temperance lodge).



Day five
We went to Drottningholm, the queen's palace and got to try on some of the costumes used in the plays preformed in the theatre.



Day six
We visited Sharon's parents and brother in Bro. And met this snail.



Day seven
We saw the city hall and went souvenir shopping in Gamla Stan, the old town.



Day eight
We had fun at Gröna Lund, the second biggest amusement park in Sweden! I was the only one who went on the free-fall and Pierre won two kilos of M&M's!



Day nine
We took a boat to the outer islands and swam in the cold Baltic sea.



Day ten
We went to the Nordiska museum and saw the same smurfs that are at Grandma Bider's house!



Day eleven
We departed for Toronto.

Rain

The Saguenay is not a stranger to extreme weather conditions, what with the heavy snow falls and the famous Déluge in 1996. And indeed, the word Déluge was spoken several times as we wached the street turn into a river before our eyes today.

Tadoussac

Tadoussac is a small town on the intersection of the Rivière Saguenay and the Fleuve St-Laurent, and it has become a traditionnal day-trip spot. This year, Pierre, Sharon, Renée and I started by visiting the giant sand dunes and spashing around in ICE COLD water (our feet where turning bright red). It was my first sighting of a wild sea cucumber (now that may give you the wrong idea, the thing was moving at the speed of 1 inch per hour) and of crab dwellings (resembling anthills). Then, we went to our choice whale-waching spot, but no whale showed up. The whole time, we where wrapped in thick fog, making everything seem grey and mysterious. We ended the trip with a look in the Cétacébon chocolate shop, and ate chocolate all the way back home!

Crab Dwellings

Sea urchin

Charlevoix

The Charlevoix region, where we camped last week, is home to the highest peaks in Canada east of the Rockies. We hiked and biked around the Parc national Les-Hautes-gorges-de-la-rivière-Malbaie and saw partriges, baby foxes, a wolf and a mouse. I have now discovered that there is practically nothing cuter than a baby fox. They have fluffy little ears and tails as big as their bodies. We were not lucky enough to spot one of the caribou who are said to wander in those parts. Next year, we will go back and climb the Acropole des draveurs, the most challenging hike!