Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

I always sleep in the car. I’m a pro at this, the way I set it up, it’s as comfy as a bed. It’s nice to be able to stop anywhere, no need to check in, check out, zero waste of time, and it’s free

Sorry, I meant to have as an objective to drive to the first place where it's more than 15C. That's not the temperature I would pick for something like that.

Yes, I know people who sleep in their cars on road trips. I would do it but my wife is not interested. She won't happily stay in anything less than a 4 or 5 star hotel. So you can imagine what she thinks of sleeping in a car at a rest or truck stop.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Yes, I know people who sleep in their cars on road trips. I would do it but my wife is not interested. She won't happily stay in anything less than a 4 or 5 star hotel. So you can imagine what she thinks of sleeping in a car at a rest or truck stop.

On this, I used to be and would normally be the type to spend less on frivolities like *nicer* hotel rooms, especially on the road, with the idea of saving money on that kind of stuff to take more frequent and longer trips to more places.

But what can I say, when you are in a couple and have a family, you have to make compromises!

[Acajack]

It's well known that Walmart generally allows people in recreational vehicles (and other smaller vehicles I assume) to spend the night in the parking lots of its stores, which are often open 24 hours. There are no electrical plug-ins or water/sanitary facilities in the lot but you can use the washrooms at Walmart and of course the hope is you'll also buy food and supplies at the store while you are there.

Truck stop chains like Love's and Flying J also allow you to overnight. Plus these places even have showers.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I would say I average about 120 kmh on my drives to Florida. Sometimes I push it to 125-130-135 if I feel good about the traffic around me. (Reducing the chances of getting caught.)

Yeah, but only 120 km/h because you'd be afraid of the (legal) risks above that, whereas when I drive to Southern Spain I usually drive at 150 km/h, because this is only 20 km/h above the speed limit, so the risk is minimum (its neither a felony nor even a misdemeanor, if these words are used in Canada). And for some few minutes I can be at 160 km/h even. But I prefer not too exceed 150 km/h too much, as that would become a misdemeanor otherwise.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

When you travel in the US you get to know which states have cheaper gas due to lower taxes.

New York State is lower than Canada so I would get there fairly empty and then fill up before Pennsylvania which has higher taxes.

Most of the "South" has lower gas taxes once you are there.

For example, the average price in South Carolina is currently 1 Canadian dollar per litre.

Once I paid 95 US cents per gallon at a gas station in LA (near Long Beach harbor).

Gas in Spain can be dirt cheap too (for European standards) if you know where to fill the tank (we have websites telling us where it's cheaper). Once during Covid I paid something like 0.98 euros per liter at a gas station in an industrial zone of Alicante. I took a picture because it was so surreal!!

Usually the cheapest gas stations on that long trek are... the big Alcampo hypermarket in the southern suburbs of Barcelona (Alcampo is the Spanish name of the French chain Auchan), and then various gas stations around Alicante (Alicante area always has the cheapest gas for some reason).

For example as of right now the gas station at the Carrefour supermarket near my place in Paris has gas costing 2.70 Canadian dollars per liter, but in Spain I see in the Barcelona area there is one gas station in their southern suburbs which sells gas (same type) for 2.05 Canadian dollars per liter, and in Alicante 2.08.

The cheapest gas in this part of the world is in Morocco south of the Akhfenir military checkpoint. That's where you enter the Western Sahara zone under military control (it's north of the official border appearing on maps), and gas is entirely tax free there. There are large gas stations just after the military checkpoint, with lots of truckers waiting to fill their trucks with gas. When I traveled to the Western Sahara one year we filled our tank to the max on the way back north just before the military checkpoint.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

But then one has to assume that Orlando is probably often warmer than its 22c daily January average these days as well, due to climate change.

According to Infoclimat, in January 2024 the average daily max temperature in Orlando was 22.2C, whereas in Alicante it was 18.6C at the airport (but 19.5C in town). In Murcia which is more inland than Alicante (so temperatures rise more like in a desert) it was 19.9C.

At sunrise the average daily minimum temperature in January 2024 was 9.7C in Orlando, 9.2C at Alicante airport (10.2C in town, which is closer to the sea), and 8.9C in Murcia (which is more inland, so bigger amplitude between day and night).

So Alicante slightly warmer at night than Orlando in January last year, and maximum in the afternoon not that far from Orlando.

I'm not talking of 2025 because they don't seem to have temperatures for every day in Orlando. Alicante city was 8.5C average minimum and 18.9C average maximum in January 2025. Orlando average maximum 19.0C they say, but I believe they did not record every day.

Hm... apparently Orlando was pretty cold around Jan. 22 and 23 of this year (2025). They had a maximum temperature of only 8.3C on Jan. 22. In comparison the coldest day of January 2025 in Alicante they had 14.0C (that was Jan. 17, and that same day Murcia had 14.5C).

So, not bad for southern Spain.

[Acajack]

Orlando is not even the warmest part of Florida though.

Miami
Tampa
Key West
Ft Myers
Palm Beach
Fort Lauderdale
Naples

All warmer than Orlando.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Gettting back to warm-weather destinations...

I'm sensing some exasperation with the never-ending winter here...

Same here, it's AWFULLY COLD for la Saint Valentin (when it should normally be rainy and mild).

Thanks God the weather forecast guys FINALLY say we are going to have "températures printanières" next week, with 16C expected in Paris (hard to believe, but can't wait!!).

This evening was freezing with just 4C on the way to the gym, Siberian weather, not a cloud, plenty sunshine, and very cold and very dry.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by harls

Dream life and Lio is something I would never had thought to put together in the same sentence.

You must know things that I don't...

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Sorry, I meant to have as an objective to drive to the first place where it's more than 15C. That's not the temperature I would pick for something like that.

Barcelona would be 15C in winter. I wouldn't drive to Barcelona in winter, that's for sure. Alicante is 20C, I would drive (in fact I do).

Also, comparing southern Spain with the Carolinas, Texas or Tennessee... how should I say... besides Savannah or Charleston, what's there to do or see there? Spain has beauty and history everywhere. You have no idea how cute and charming are the villages around Alicante. Plus palm trees everywhere. The largest "palmeraie" in Europe is in Elche, 20 km from Alicante, which is usually where we stay, in a hotel made of lodges among the palm tree groves and gardens which is like a 1,001 Arabian Nights tale. Whenever I take my mom there (and it's been 3 or 4 times already), the next morning when we wake up to the chants of birds under gorgeous sunshine among palm trees and flowers in the middle of winter she's like "this place is not for real..."

I doubt I'd get that in the Carolinas or Tennessee.

PS: That's what I'm talking about. 8 hours drive from my parents' house in Southern France. Totally drive there in winter, no hesitation! This part of Europe is as exotic as going to the Middle East, but without the hassle of being in a Muslim country.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Speaking of warm weather destinations... I still think there's a huge opportunity for a flight between Moncton and Morocco. As far as I know, Montreal and Toronto are the only cities in Canada with a direct flight to Casablanca. Unlike Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and other places in Quebec, Moncton doesn't have a reliable or convenient bus/train to and from Montreal. It would also be a considerably shorter flight compared to the current flights between Casablanca, Montreal, and Toronto.

Moncton is one of the most important bilingual cities in Canada, in Canada's only bilingual province. Moroccans and North Africans in general are probably the biggest cohort of recent newcomers in Moncton now, and Francophone Africans from sub-saharan Africa aren't far behind them. Just based on the amount of North Africans alone in Moncton now, I think there could be a business case for a once a week, or seasonal flight, but there's also a market for tourism to Morocco. I know personally, I'd much rather take a vacation to Morocco than Mexico, not just because I find it far more interesting, it's an objectively safer country than Mexico is for tourists.

When it comes down to French speaking Africans choosing between NB and PQ, the direct flights to MTL likely factors into it for many of these prospective immigrants. I think a direct flight between Moncton and Casablanca, even if only once a week, or just seasonally, could help more Francophone Africans decide to immigrate to Nouveau Brunswick instead of La Belle Province.

Francophone immigration is an important issue for NB, but the lack of direct flights remains an impediment to attracting more of the best and brightest of prospective Francophone immigrants from overseas.


If this seasonal flight is viable from Saskatoon to Cancun (and a Moncton to Cancun flight, to boot)… and we can assume there's far more Moroccans and North Africans in Moncton than there are Mexicans in Saskatoon, (or Mexicans in Moncton for that matter)... I think it can be assumed that a similar seasonal flight between Moncton and Casablanca would also be viable. Beyond the North African newcomers, there's also a lot of people in New Brunswick who would consider a winter vacation to Morocco instead of Mexico, who don't really consider it at the moment, because no direct flights currently exist.



Direct flights to Paris and Casablanca from Moncton could be an absolute game changer in terms of Francophone African immigration to New Brunswick. Moreover, the Acadien population would be lucrative market for Moroccan tourism, and even for France too, which could be more of a two-way tourism opportunity.

People called me crazy for suggesting this Casablanca flight in the Atlantic Canadian Airport thread but that doesn't bother me in the slightest... I thought perhaps y'all in this French language and identity thread might find it a little more intriguing.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Barcelona would be 15C in winter. I wouldn't drive to Barcelona in winter, that's for sure. Alicante is 20C, I would drive (in fact I do).

Also, comparing southern Spain with the Carolinas, Texas or Tennessee... how should I say... besides Savannah or Charleston, what's there to do or see there? Spain has beauty and history everywhere. You have no idea how cute and charming are the villages around Alicante. Plus palm trees everywhere. The largest "palmeraie" in Europe is in Elche, 20 km from Alicante, which is usually where we stay, in a hotel made of lodges among the palm tree groves and gardens which is like a 1,001 Arabian Nights tale. Whenever I take my mom there (and it's been 3 or 4 times already), the next morning when we wake up to the chants of birds under gorgeous sunshine among palm trees and flowers in the middle of winter she's like "this place is not for real..."

I doubt I'd get that in the Carolinas or Tennessee.

PS: That's what I'm talking about. 8 hours drive from my parents' house in Southern France. Totally drive there in winter, no hesitation! This part of Europe is as exotic as going to the Middle East, but without the hassle of being in a Muslim country.

Looking positively Islamic lol

Are Muslim majority countries really that much of a hassle? I’ve heard they’re generally quite welcoming of tourists and no issues with alcohol or anything like that… or at least that’s the case in Morocco and Tunisia. I’ve heard Algeria isn’t so welcoming to tourists to say the least… especially French tourists.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Looking positively Islamic lol

That area was LITERALLY part of the Muslim Arabic world until 7 centuries ago, and was inhabited by a majority of Moricos (Muslims officially converted to Christiniaty but in fact secretly remaining Muslims) until their mass deportation in 1609. The influences are everywhere, in the Arabic place names, in the canals and irrigation system created by the Arabs, in the architecture of old buildings, etc. All the churches in this area (including the one in my picture above) were formerly mosques that were reconverted into Christian churches (the one in my picture above was turned from a mosque into a Catholic church in the year 1265).

You should go read about the history of this region before commenting. You can start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_the_Moriscos
And here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taifa_of_D%C3%A9nia
And here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmeral_of_Elche

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

That area was LITERALLY part of the Muslim Arabic world until 7 centuries ago, and was inhabited by a majority of Moricos (Muslims officially converted to Christiniaty but in fact secretly remaining Muslims) until their mass deportation in 1609. The influences are everywhere, in the Arabic place names, in the canals and irrigation system created by the Arabs, in the architecture of old buildings, etc. All the churches in this area (including the one in my picture above) were formerly mosques that were reconverted into Christian churches (the one in my picture above was turned from a mosque into a Catholic church in the year 1265).

You should go read about the history of this region before commenting. You can start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_the_Moriscos
And here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taifa_of_D%C3%A9nia
And here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmeral_of_Elche

Oh I’m quite aware, mon frère but thanks for the Wikipedia links, always eager to learn more, especially if it helps pick up some of the smoking hot Moroccan women that have been moving here to Nouveau Brunswick.

[niwell]

I can't imagine a scenario I would ever sleep in my car outside of an emergency, but then again I sleep poorly in anything other than my own bed(s) at the best of times. I also can't imagine ever willingly driving to Florida. On the rare occurrence we went somewhere warm in the winter for that explicit purpose it's been flying to the Caribbean, Mexico or Costa Rica. Road trips can be fun but for me it's the experiences in various locales with relatively minimal driving in between each one. Similarly if I'm going to Europe in the winter it's not for the beach! Hell I went to Berlin in late November for a week, albeit to line up with my wife's work trip.

This also may be why we won't retire for quite some time but zero regrets.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

I'm sensing some exasperation with the never-ending winter here...

ry.

I actually find the period where we have true winter conditions (when outdoor winter sports) quite short here. Too short.

It’s the in-between seasons that are way too long. Especially the early spring season where most days are 6-8c and grey, and it seems like it takes forever for the warmth to arrive.

Spring is the longest season for me, not winter.

Winter feels short.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

It’s the in-between seasons that are way too long. Especially the early spring season where most days are 6-8c and grey, and it seems like it takes forever for the warmth to arrive.

Spring is the longest season for me, not winter.

Spring is the best season here. 18C now forecasted for Paris next week. But boy how cold it is still this week-end! (freeze at sunrise, only barely 4C at noon, and super dry, the humidity in my apartment plunged down to 23% when I woke up, meaning running nose)

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I actually find the period where we have true winter conditions (when outdoor winter sports) quite short here. Too short.

It’s the in-between seasons that are way too long. Especially the early spring season where most days are 6-8c and grey, and it seems like it takes forever for the warmth to arrive.

Spring is the longest season for me, not winter.

Winter feels short.

I find that by the time I feel like I’m sick of winter, spring is usually just around the corner and days are already considerably longer. The air temperature may still be low but we can feel the sun is getting stronger. So it’s really just a few weeks per winter where I feel I’m over with it.

I’m probably going to reach that point tomorrow after the storm. Then the thaw will likely start in three weeks (it usually starts in early March but this winter has been particularly crap).

[New Brisavoine]

"The thaw"...

It's called "la débâcle" in French by the way, although we never use that word here since we haven't had a débâcle in ages (not in my lifetime at least).

[le calmar]

I’m not talking about bodies of water specifically, but generally speaking, the temperature rises in early March and everything starts melting and thawing. Ice, snow as well as the ground. This winter has been particularly harsh and there’s little reprieve in sight, so the process could start later than usual.

When we get there the risk of flooding will be quite significant due to the large amount of snow on the ground.