Jefie's VirtualTourist Home Page

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That's just me, goofing around on a boat....

Hello, Bonjour, Hola!!

My name is Isa and I'm a Canadian/Quebecoise with a passion for literature, history, languages (I speak English and French and I'm doing my very best to learn Spanish), and traveling of course! I'm back to living full time in Quebec City now, which I personally think is the best place to live in Canada, but I've also lived in the Gaspe region (Quebec), Kingston (Ontario), Edmonton (Alberta) and Montreal.

I've always loved traveling, but since I joined VT, this passion has turned into an obsession! In 2005, I spent a week in Texas with my friend Lisa, a week in Regina, SK, a week in England with my friend Sylvia, a long weekend in Boston with Annie-Claude, Alain and Benjamin, and a week in Prince Edward Island with my sister, niece and nephew. In 2006, I spent a week in sunny Havana, I went back to Texas to see Lisa again, I spent a week in Halifax, a long weekend in Fredericton, NB with my friend Annie-Claude, and a fabulous week on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. 2007 started with an amazing trip to Paris, followed by a trip to Vancouver and Victoria with my friend Catherine, two trips to Maine, USA (Old Orchard Beach and Portland), a long weekend in New York City, and two more trips to Vancouver to cap off the year.

My mindset for 2008 is the same as ever, meaning that I've got quite a few projects in mind, and while some will hopefully get done, some will inevitably get postponed. I plan on seeing most of the world anyways so it doesn't really matter in which order I do it. Just go with the flow and keep your mind open to new adventures!

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Stepping onto Kilometer Zero at the Puerta del Sol

Madrid, Spain (April 2008)

Hola! I just got back from Madrid, and what a great experience it was! I spent 3 weeks in and around the capital of Spain as part of a Spanish-language immersion program. On top of improving my knowledge of the language, I also learned a lot about the culture of this great country and I got to meet some fantastic people. A special thanks to VTers Cecile (CesVT), Santi (Redang), Ursula (Urzu), Nico (white smallstar), Molly (mollymoo0moo0), Elisa (elisabcn) and Joaquin (SirRichard). You guys made my trip unforgettable, hope to see you all soon somewhere in the world!

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Noah & the Ladies (Group 2)

Ottawa, Ontario (March 2008)

I spent the first 10 days of March in Ottawa, Ontario, volunteering at the Forum for young Canadians. This program allows 15- to 19-year-old students from all across to country to spend a week together in Canada's capital and learn about what's happening on Parliament Hill. This was my second time doing it, and I had so much fun once again that I can only hope I'll get to do it a third time! One of the highlights of the week was going on a private tour of the parliament at night during which I got to see many rooms that are not usually open to the public. I also had a wonderful time hanging out with the students and with the other group leaders. However, I didn't have much time to visit the beautiful city of Ottawa so I hope I can go back soon, hopefully once the tulips are out!

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Sylvain on the Brooklyn Bridge

New York City, USA (November 2007)

For the first time in my life, someone took me on a suprise trip! I had no idea where I was going until we arrived at the airport and I got my plane ticket for New York City :o) Sylvain and I spent 4 days in the Big Apple (it was my very first visit to NYC), walking through the streets of Manhattan, trying to get a good feel of this vibrant, fun and visitor-friendly city. I was surprised to see how easy it was to get around, and felt like an adopted New Yorker when I was asked for directions and was able to help people out! I truly had an amazing time and plan on going back soon - really soon!

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Going for a ride on my new bike!

Ile-aux-Coudres, QC, Canada (October 2007)

We decided to spend the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend biking around l'Ile-aux-Coudres, a beautiful small island located about two hours east of Quebec City, in the Charlevoix region. When people ask me what else they should see in the province of Quebec after visiting Quebec City and Montreal, Charlevoix usually is my first answer. Between the mountains and the St. Lawrence River, this region offers so many spectacular sceneries, it truly represents nature at its best. To do it justice, I've done my best to update my other Charlevoix pages (Baie-Saint-Paul and La Malbaie). Hope you enjoy them!

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We be sailing in Portland!

Maine, USA (August & September 2007)

In 2007, our Fourth Annual Family Camping Trip was rated "Best one so far" by Kevin and Alexandra!! I spent a week camping in the Old Orchard Beach area (Maine, USA) with my sister and her two kids and we had a fantastic time! With two super energetic kids, a slightly crazy aunt and plenty of activities for the entire family, OOB turned out to be the perfect place to go. That'll be a tough one to top for next year -- suggestions are welcome!!

And I ended up going back to Maine, more precisely to Portland, in September. I'd been thinking about going back to ever since I'd spent a day there in August - in just one day I had fallen in love with its beautiful Victorian architecture and the smooth pace of the city that seemed to follow the rythm of the waves. As it turns out, it was a great place to go for a long weekend: we went on a sailing cruise, visited some museums and historical places, walked all over the city, and we still had plenty of time left to relax. Yet another reason to love Maine!

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Catherine and I in Vancouver's Chinatown

Vancouver/Victoria, Canada (June & December 2007)

It had been a year since I'd seen my life-long friend/roommate Catherine and I could not take it anymore so I flew across the country to hang out with her and tour around Vancouver and Victoria at the same time. It was my first time traveling to BC and I truly enjoyed every moment of my trip! I also had the great pleasure to hook up with Vancouver VTers YVRDave, rmdw, and their friend Dennis. Not only were they super fun guys, but they took the time to show us around the city and helped us discover new neighborhoods. I guess they did a pretty awesome job because Catherine has just decided to stay in Vancouver for another year! ;o)

(Thanks for the pics, Rob!!)

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Hanging out by the Seine River in Paris

Paris, France (April 2007)

Paris, what a great way to kick off my 2007 travel season!! I spent 10 wonderful days in La Ville Lumiere - the weather was great, warm and sunny the entire time we were there, which suited our plan to walk through the beautiful streets of Paris. Of course we also stopped by a few museums and spent a day at Versailles, all of which I've done my very best to make up good tips for. One of the highlights of my trip definitely was to spend a day with my good friend Linda, also known as VTer 36waterfalls. Thank you so much for this amazing day Linda, can't wait to meet up with you again next year!