The Big Adventure Continues: Charles & Chance Visit France!

Chance and me ride on the boat to go to France.

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Chance and me love to ride on ships. We could be sailors when we grow up. This is the MS Arethusa. It goes from Fortune, Newfoundland to Saint-Pierre.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! Oh.

France has a different flag from Canada. Le drapeau de la France est bleu, rouge et blanc. It has a name. It's the Tricolour. People in France call it le tricolore.

Bonjour! That's French for 'hi.' I am saying 'bonjour'  'cuz Chance and me and Grandpa James and Uncle Glen and Auntie Juanita are going to France. We're going to ride on the MS Aratheusa. 

We're going to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. I know where Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is. It's right next door to Newfoundland. They're next-door neighbours. Grandpa James says it's 20 kilometres away.

This is the flag of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Chance and me collect flags. We were sad that our little flag got lost but we will get another one.

I'm glad we get to ride in the ship. I'd be tired if I had to swim all that way. I'd be hungry, too. Oh! I hope they have Smarties in France. I'm gonna be as hungry as an ourson. That's French for bear cub, you know.

In France, bear cubs speak French. I speak French, too. We talk in French and watch TV in French at home and we have French classes at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre, too.

When we get off the boat in France we have to show our passports to the National Police.

When we get off the boat we go to Customs and Immigration. We show the National Police our passports.

Passports look like this.

 Chance and me got Pawsports, you know. I know what a Pawsport is. It's a passport for bear cubs. It's a  little book with my picture inside so the nice police know who I am. It says I am Charles the Bear Cub from Windsor, Ontario. It says I have brown fur and brown eyes. Oh! Wait! It says I was born on July 1st. That's Canada Day, you know.

The National Policeman says my passport picture makes me look like a criminal. I'm not a criminal. I'm five. I'm a bear cub.

The policeman asked me questions. He asked me if I had ever been in prison. He told me to be on my best  behaviour. He said if any Smarties went missing the National Police would find me and I might get arrested and go to prison! I don't want to go to prison. I bet they don't have Smarties in prison. I'll be very, very good in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Mais, oui!

We stay at Chez Ines. That's Miss Ines right there!

 First we go to our Bed and Breakfast. That's where we sleep. Oh. And eat breakfast, too. We get to stay at Chez Ines with Miss Ines.  I say, "Bonjour Mlle. Ines. Comment allez-vous?" I think she is surprised that Canadian bear cubs can speak French. I will tell you a secret. Miss Ines talks nice. She has a beautiful accent. I think she might be a Princess. We put our suitcases away and then we go for a walk.

Saint-Pierre is a pretty city.

 We are going to eat lunch. We want to buy Euros. That's the money people use in Saint-Pierre but it doesn't look like our money.

These are Euros. The coins are Euros, too.

Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

I will tell you more about our adventure next time, okay?

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be nice to neighbours and friends. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go for a boat trip and we can go to France and stay with Miss Ines! Okay! Over and out!"