Summer Trip to France and Spain 1919

By Lucas and Elizabeth Bouchard

June 8 1919 4 ;20 pm.
We are back on board the train and headed for New York City; we should be there by late morning. I feel remiss that I didn't make any log entries while we were in Montreal. It was such a whirlwind of activity while we were there. But I will try to give a quick summary of some of our activities. We arrived on the third of June to the warmest welcome from Helen and Martin who met us at the station. Their house is quite lovely, and the hospitality was amazing. Lucas had spoken so kindly of Matilde who did not disappoint. She is so devoted to the family and took us all in and made us feel at home. That first evening all we wanted is a bath and a comfortable bed to sleep in and she made sure that we were granted every wish that night.

The next day we were visited by a modiste who fitted us for some event dresses at the instruction of a certain Rosemary Coulter. There was no arguing and Laura, Helen, and I had a lovely time while the modiste bossed us around. That night, the three of us went to the ballet and saw Swan Lake. It was wonderful and it was Laura's first, so she was quite enchanted. Speaking of Laura, she has truly been such a wonderful part of our little family. She is really coming out of her shell and gaining confidence and she will be unrecognizable to those who know her as the quiet, shy wallflower of her past.

On the following day (June 5) we spent some time in the attic getting to know more about Lucas's childhood through the belongings that have been saved. Jack was quite enchanted by the beautiful rocking horse that reminded me of a carousel. And my boys played with an electric train set for the better part of the morning. In the afternoon, Martin and Lucas took Jack to the park to sail a boat, another favorite toy of Lucas's.

On the sixth, Helen hosted a reception in honor of our marriage. She sent us off to visit the city so as to keep some surprise at least as far as the décor. The party was attended by a large number of their family acquaintances and Lucas's friends from university. It was a memorable evening that requires an "in person" accounting to be sure.

On the next night Lucas and I had a romantic night out. We had dinner at one of Montreal's finest establishments and then attended the opera. Lucas and I were both entranced with the performance. We took a horse drawn carriage home and enjoyed the starlit night. I felt like a bride again; Lucas is nothing if not a romantic.

Well, that is a quick catch-up on our activities. It was so wonderful being with Lucas's parents; watching 3 generations of men bond was heart melting. With Lucas being an only child, it was clear that he and Jack were treasured.

June 9, 1919 7:30 am

The troops are still asleep, so I take this opportunity to make an entry in our travel log. Elizabeth has pretty much covered the essentials of our stay with my parents. I just want to add that it was for me a dream fulfilled. To return to my childhood home with my wife and son to visit his grand-pere and grand-mere was wonderful. My father in particular was quite emotional about our visit. For one, he was quite taken with Jack and the idea of being a grandfather. And the two of us, I think, came to an even deeper understanding about what is most meaningful in life, and I profoundly felt his approval.

We will return to visit them on our way back to Hope Valley at the end of the summer. Jack will have so much to tell his Montreal family of our travels. Matilde and my parents will all dote on him and give him all their attention during his stories from the eyes and heart of a four year old.

We will be dining at the residence of one of father's business associates this evening. Fortunately, we will have time to check into our hotel and relax for a while before we are expected. I hope we can engage a carriage to take us there through Central Park as I know that Jack will enjoy it immensely. I see that Elizabeth is stirring so I will set this aside for now.

June 10 1919 8:00 am.
Lucas and our travel consultant Mr Smith have rearranged our meeting to a breakfast meeting in our hotel's restaurant. He will be taking us on a trip to Bedloe's island to see the Statue of Liberty. He thought that we might be interested since it was a gift from France. And he knew that Jack might be impressed by the shear size of the statue. I can already here his impression…."sooo big".

Our evening at the Helmsman home was much more enjoyable than I had expected. They have a son just about Jack's age and the two became good buddies by the time the night was over. They were on a jungle adventure most of the evening. Jack was able to find an eager audience for his quite impressive knowledge of jungle life thanks to his big buddy, Papa Lucas.

Mary Helmsman was a very interesting woman. She was an activist in the Women's Right to Vote movement. The US Congress had just approved the measure to amend the constitution last week and she was quite excited. It would take some time to implement the law, but she was quite confident that by the following year women in the US would be voting. She is also a part time journalist and fledgling author, so we had much to discuss.

June 10, 1919 8:30 am

My discussions with Rudolph Helmsman went quite well. I think he will be a valuable contact as we pursue our business ventures. In the short-term he will be helping on a personal level with arranging shipping of anything we might purchase while in Europe.

Jack had an amazing time, as Elizabeth said, all our jungle book reading, play and drawing came to good purpose.

Elizabeth was quite taken with Mary and her activism. Women in Alberta obtained the right to vote around three years ago; thank goodness or Elizabeth would have been forming a committee after Mary's rousing enthusiasm.

We are off to meet Mr. Smith for breakfast and then off to our adventure to see Lady Liberty. Certainly, something my family in France will be interested in.

June 10, 1919 8:30 pm

We had a wonderful day today. We took a harbor cruise to Bledsoe island to see Lady Liberty and as Jack aptly put it, it is "Sooo big". It looked pretty large to me, so I can only imagine what it looked like from his vantage point. I can't wait to see his eyes when he sees our ship tomorrow, he was impressed by this ferry, but a transatlantic steamship should be something to behold for one so small.
Mr. Smith turned out to be quite the tour guide, he gave Elizabeth and I a long list of sites to include on our trip. He gave us a listing to go with our itinerary.

I am glad we are starting with several weeks with family at the vineyards. I hope to soak up a lot about the business while I am there. And I know that Elizabeth, Laura and Jack will have a grand time immersing themselves into daily life of another culture. They will be soundly welcomed.

Well. it is story time for my little buddy who is anxious for a recap of our amazing day and to wonder about what is ahead as we embark on the next leg of our journey

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