We extended our stay in Roberval for one more night to partake in the city’s dinner festival of 10,000 people. Really 10,000 people! The city blocks off the main street and sets up tables and chairs. We used our handy Apple Watches to walk from one end to the other and the watch claims we walked 600m. In most places there are two rows of tables, and in some, three rows. In addition, there are tables in parking lots.

You can bring your own meal and drink or you can purchase Lac Saint-Jean Tourtière, along with salad, dessert and a bottle of water for $20 from the IGA. Pickup starts at 5:30. Other restaurants had different selections – one had two large rotisseries with pork and beef.

We still had a bit of time before dinner, so we wandered through town and ended up at the former Ursuline Convent, previously home to 55 nuns. Part of it had burned down some years ago, but some of the wall has been preserved.

Nearby is a museum that offers a glimpse of life during the time of the convent, including tools and historical photographs.

Of particular interest was that the grandfather of one of the women on our tour had lived in this house and there was even a photograph of him from the time. The last owners of the house were artists and there is an exhibition of some of their work upstairs.

Some enterprising people had set up a lemonade stand on the main street and were selling $1 drinks, only to be crushed by a mega-corporation, Tim Horton’s in this case, who served free drinks just a block or two down the street. The little guy always loses!

Tourtière time had now arrived and we were among the first in line to pick up our order. Unlike some other tourtières, the Lac Saint-Jean version includes potato chunks. It was delicious! Dessert was a chocolate cupcake with a blueberry mousse. All in all, a great meal with great company and a chance to practise our French. It was super fun!

No map for today.