Ange and her family live on Grosse-Île in First Class

We then stretched our legs on the forest path leading to the Celtic cross, erected in memory of the Irish. The cliffside view of the river is magnificent! A memorial has also been created near the cemetery where almost 6,000 Irish immigrants lost their lives following a terrible typhus epidemic in 1847. The long list of names engraved on the glass made the children realize the scale of the plague.

We then boarded the excursion train for the central and eastern parts of the island, where the village and hospital area were located. In the village, Mademoiselle Boulet, the superintendent’s daughter, invited us to enter the pretty yellow wooden Anglican chapel, and to enjoy the view from the balcony of her house overlooking the river. One of the best views on Grosse-Île!

The kids really enjoyed the train ride and the fact that we made stops, allowing us to get to know the area better and satisfy our curiosity.

A visit to the lazaretto, hastily built to accommodate an unexpected number of sick immigrants, was full of emotion and mystery. Even in broad daylight, you could feel the place’s charged past. The children were impressed not only to see a horse-drawn ambulance from the past, but also to enter the red-lit room where the smallpox patients were kept. The archive photos were unequivocally striking (though suitable for a young audience).

Our day was rounded off with a visit to the disinfection building and medical inspection. The nurse on site was so convincing in her character that the children actually thought for a moment that they should shower there!

In the late afternoon sunshine, we waited for our boat on the quay, surrounded by the characters we had met earlier, who continued their skits, much to the children’s amusement.

Asthe last privilege of our First Class excursion, on the way home we had the opportunity to spend some time in the wheelhouse. The kids even got to sit in the captain’s chair!

We really enjoyed our trip to Grosse-Île. It was nice to have a family activity where we could move around, get some fresh air, enjoy the scenery and learn more about our rich heritage.