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Hi,

I am not an expat now, but I was for four years in France.  I am hoping that you can help me.  My two sons are going to summer camp in Maine this summer.  We live in Florida and I plan to drive them from Florida up to Maine, drop them off at summer camp, and then I hope to be able to stay up in Quebec for the month while they are at camp, and then I will pick them up from camp and drive back home to Florida.

My problem is, I donÂ’t even know where to begin as far as finding the right town to stay in in Quebec, and any advice you could give me, along with your personal favorites would be greatly appreciated.

I am a computer programmer and I will need to rent a small affordable furnished place in Quebec for the month that must have good internet connectivity as I will be working remotely for the month from wherever I end up staying.  I lived and worked in France for four years from 2001 – 2005 and so my French is quite good.  I am American, female, and I am looking for a very French town to stay in to practice my French for the month and to really get a feel for Quebec culture.  High on the list for me is a place where a woman alone can feel safe, a lot of Quebec culture, a city or village that has a lot of charm, access to good food, access to good coffee shops and bakeries, access to nature, not too big of a city but also not too small, definitely not a town that is too Americanized or too full of American or English speaking tourists, maybe a town that the French tourists are known to go to – I really need to practice my French as I am slowly losing itÂ…  Also, a movie theatre would be nice – or at least in close driving distance.

I would greatly appreciate any advice you can give me, maybe your top three picks?  Also, what would you recommend as the best online or telephone resource for finding an affordable one-month rental?

Thanks so much,
Laurie