Cruising down the Saint Lawrence (Part 3) Cape Breton and St. Pierre

Skyline Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Cape Breton Island forms the most easterly portion of Nova Scotia -- connected to the mainland by a causeway completed in 1955. It's still a land apart by most measures, though, with a different way of looking at things and a spirit all its own. The passengers on the Ocean Endeavour got a taste of that spirit when we dropped anchor off the town of Cheticamp on the island's western side, near the border of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Many people associate Cape Breton with Scottish culture, but Cheticamp is a bustling little port with a character that's a hundred percent Acadian, from the food to the music to the first language of most of its residents. The ancestors of today's population were forcibly expelled by the English starting in the year 1755 in what was known as Le Grand Dérangement, and those who have returned to Atlantic Canada did so because of their deep connection to the land. After being torn from their homeland, they endured years of exile in what is now the United States, gradually working their way back a few miles at a time, year by year, to what had been known as Île Royale but later came to be known as Cape Breton. When the Acadians returned, most found that the lands they'd once owned had been taken over by settlers of British descent; they found themselves relegated to marginal land with less value; Cheticamp was one of the places where the returning Acadians created a new home.

Our morning was spent hiking in the National Park, with groups doing both the Acadian Trail near the park entrance and the Skyline Trail on French Mountain; both groups were treated to beautiful scenery and escorted by Parks Canada interpreters. It was a perfect early-summer day, with blue skies and warm temperatures, and we were treated to glimpses of birds and wildlife on our way. Those of us on the Skyline Trail even enjoyed an opportunity to plant fir trees inside a moose exclosure, an area that is fenced to illustrate the difference between land that's grazed over by moose and land that's free from their grazing.

Planting trees, Cape Breton Highlands National Park

On returning to Cheticamp we were treated to a sampling of Acadian culture as we explored three of the town's main attractions: the Trois Pignons cultural centre with its impressive collection of the finely crafted hooked rugs associated with the area,  l'Eglise Saint Pierre (St. Peter's Church) which dominates the skyline for miles, and the Centre de la Mi-Carême, celebrating the tradition of revelry and merrymaking that broke with Lenten austerity, similar to Mardi Gras or Newfoundland's  mummering. We gathered at a local lounge for music and dancing before returning to the ship.

The next day we found ourselves in the midst of a post-tropical storm that made yesterday's sun and gentle breezes a distant memory. It was rough and windy, and after assessing conditions it was decided that we'd have to forego the planned stop in the Magdalen Islands and instead, the cruise staff  compiled an interesting and varied program of on-board presentations. The foul weather continued to follow us, so instead of a stop on the South Coast of Newfoundland the decision was made to press on to Saint Pierre and overnight there -- an unexpected treat!

Île aux Marins

Early arrival in Saint Pierre meant lots of time to hike the trails surrounding the town, or to visit l'Île aux Marins or Sailors' Island. Since we were docked directly across from the island, it was an easy trip by Zodiac. The following morning there was time for a sightseeing tour of Saint Pierre by bus, then some exploring on foot in the heart of the town to sample the wares at the local patisseries or pick up a bottle of French wine or a jar of fois gras before heading to the airport for our flight to St. John's. 

Adventure Canada's Mighty St. Lawrence cruise has been named by National Geographic as one of its “50 Tours of a Lifetime".

Cruising down the Saint Lawrence (Part 2) Bonaventure Island and PEI

Gannets on Bonaventure Island

Continuing down the Saint Lawrence after a stop at Métis-sur-Mer, we arrived at Gaspé for a visit to Forillon National Park. There were options for walks of various lengths and degrees of difficulty, or time in the town for a walkabout; the National Park walks were through forested hills and there were wildlife sightings along the way, including a glimpse of a black bear, and there were lots of great photo opportunities. 

Ocean Endeavour through Percé Rock

From here it was on to Percé, where we boarded the Zodiacs for a closer look at the famous Percé rock and the northern gannet colony on Bonaventure Island. The island is roughly circular in shape and measures a little over four square kilometres, and is one of the world's most accessible bird sanctuaries. In addition to nearly 50,000 gannets, the island is also a nesting site for seabirds like common murres, black guillemots, razorbills and a few puffins.

Trying traditional quillwork, Lennox Island

Returning to the Ocean Endeavour, we set off for our next stop, Prince Edward Island. Sometimes called the Garden of the Gulf, the island was known as Epekwitk (translated as "Cradled on the Waves") to the Mi'kmaq people who lived here before the Europeans arrived. Two main options were offered for shore excursions from our stop in Summerside: a visit to the North Shore with its Anne of Green Gables history, from the books of L. M. Montgomery, and Prince Edward Island National Park; or a visit to the Lennox Island First Nation where we visited the local school and were greeted by elders of the community to learn about its history, then had an opportunity to observe traditional crafts like porcupine quillwork. There was time for a little exploring in Summerside when we returned to the dock, and a shuttle service that provided transportation to points of interest around town. Leaving Summerside, we were treated to an unusual view of the Confederation Bridge during dinner. 

Headed for the Confederation Bridge

 Adventure Canada's Mighty St. Lawrence cruise has been named by National Geographic as one of its “50 Tours of a Lifetime".

Next: on to Cape Breton Island.

Cruising down the Saint Lawrence (Part 1) The Saguenay and Reford Gardens

Leaving Quebec City

The first day of June dawned sunny and mild; a group of stalwart travellers set forth from the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac to explore the beautiful and historic city of Quebec, the only surviving walled city in North America north of Mexico. After some time for sightseeing on our own and a chance to try out one of many local restaurants, we were met by Adventure Canada staff for a transfer to the Ocean Endeavour. There our small group of 22 met the rest of the 179 passengers boarding for the nine-day Adventures Afloat program, Exploring the Mighty Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

There was time to get settled into our cabins before our lifeboat drill and orientation. We set off just after 6 p.m. in a light breeze, passing by Montmerency Falls and l'Île d'Orleans in beautiful evening light.

On the Saguenay

We travelled down the river through the night, then turned up the Saguenay Fjord to begin our first full day of sightseeing with a leisurely cruise back down to the confluence with the St. Lawrence. On the way, under clearing skies, we spotted a few of the area's famous beluga whales along the shore. At Tadoussac we tendered ashore to the community's floating dock in the ship's fleet of Zodiacs and made our way to the local church for a welcome ceremony complete with snacks, drinks and music along with a few words from the mayor. We worked our way back to the ship taking in several of the town's attractions - including the exceptional Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre - along the way.

It rained while we were in Tadoussac, cancelling the town's plan for a beach bonfire to celebrate our visit, but it didn't dampen our spirits. One of my favourite memories of the trip is of walking through the town on my way to the ship, with a huge smile on my face, happy to be where I was at that moment. I looked up to see a member of the Adventure Canada expedition team walking in the opposite direction, wearing the same delighted grin!

Dessert at Reford Gardens

The following day brought a visit to Reford Gardens, a beautifully tended collection of plantings. Once privately owned, then operated by the Province of Quebec, the site is now under the control of a foundation headed by Alexander Reford, who served as the tour guide for our Road Scholar group. After a walk through the gardens, this group enjoyed a superb lunch prepared by the foundation's chef, who explained each course as it was served, beginning with a "bloom spoon" - a collection of flower petals and berries presented in the bowl of a spoon, designed to be consumed as a single mouthful. What a remarkable burst of flavour! This was followed by an asparagus and tulip salad, a choice of Reford Gardens lamb or fresh turbot, and a tempting dessert that was flavoured with lemon geranium.

We returned to the ship to take in some of the excellent on-board programming.

Hotel Tadoussac

Adventure Canada's Mighty St. Lawrence cruise has been named by National Geographic as one of its “50 Tours of a Lifetime".

Next: continuing down the St. Lawrence bound for Gaspé.

Exploring Rose Blanche

Rose Blanche Lighthouse

When approaching Rose Blanche, the most striking feature on the landscape is an impressive stone lighthouse, one of a series built between 1871 and 1873 along this coast. The Rose Blanche light is one of the last surviving stone lighthouses on the Atlantic Coast of Canada, and had fallen into disrepair by the 1990s, but the stone steps inside the tower were of such robust construction that they kept the building from falling down; restoration of the building was completed in 1999.

The Harbour at Rose Blanche

The little harbour of Rose Blanche is now accessible by road, but is still well off the beaten path so it sees fewer visitors than many more accessible Newfoundland communities. My own first visit here was on a superb July morning in 2015, on a cruise with  Adventure Canada. We dropped anchor just outside the harbour and made our way to shore in Zodiacs, landing at the public wharf and hiking to the lighthouse. The old path led around the inner harbour and over the hills, where the sun warmed berry fields and small ponds along the way. After seeing the lighthouse and the well-designed interpretation area at the end of the road, there was a warm welcome for the ship's passengers at St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church on the hill overlooking the harbour.

Lighthouse Point

Looking seaward

Rose Blanche now shares government with neighbouring Harbour Le Cou, the subject of a well-known traditional song from Newfoundland, here performed by the group Ryan's Fancy. If you're visiting by road, the community is located on Newfoundland's scenic southwest coast, about 45 minutes east of Port aux Basques via provincial Route 470.

Lighthouse interior

Take a walk through Rose Blanche via Google Street View here. Amenities include bed and breakfast accommodations, shops and cafes.

Coming back to Nain

Nain's brass band

There's a little community in Nunatsiavut that I've loved since the first time I visited -- it's the northernmost inhabited community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the largest community in Nunatsiavut and its administrative capital. I first visited Nain in 1994 via the M.V. Northern Ranger, as part of a cruise along the coast. In those days, the Ranger operated out of Lewisporte on Newfoundland's northeast coast, and the trip took in all the small ports along the way, including St. Anthony, Red Bay, and Cartwright on the way to Goose Bay - Happy Valley. Today the vessel still runs, but it's now operated by Nunatsiavut Marine and plies the coast only from Goose Bay northward, stopping at Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, and Nain, with a stop in the Innu community of Natuashish as well.

On the roof!

My most recent visit, though, was from a different vessel: the Ocean Endeavour, operated by Adventure Canada. I was delighted to see that Nain would be one of the stops on their Newfoundland and Wild Labrador cruise in 2015, and was eager to return to the place where there were so many wonderful memories. The icing on the cake was that the stop happened to fall on my birthday, July 11.

Carver John Terriak

In the years since I'd been to Nain, a very important development had taken place: the local brass band, established by the Moravian Church as part of its outreach to the coast, had been resurrected through the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers and advocates including Dr. Tom Gordon of Memorial University, who was a fellow staffer on the Adventure Canada team.When the Ocean Endeavour arrived, the band was there to greet us -- and after a welcome at the little white church near the public wharf, the band members followed tradition and climbed from the church tower onto the roof to play so the sound would carry better!

Pitsik

The welcome in Nain was as warm as ever, thanks to Tourism Nunatsiavut, and there was time to explore the community, see a demonstration of soapstone carving by noted carver John Terriak, taste some local delicacies like partridge soup and pitsik -- dried char -- and do a bit of shopping for soapstone, sealskin, knitted goods and other keepsakes before a reception with Inuit games at the local school; a buttery-soft sealskin eyeglass case seemed like the perfect birthday present, and by chance, the young man who sold it to me was celebrating his birthday as well -- along with his twin brother! We wished each other a happy birthday, and I was on my way.

The perfect keepsake

It was a delight to return to this little spot after an absence of nearly twenty years; I've promised myself it won't be so long before my next visit. Nain is on the itinerary of Adventure Canada's Greenland and Wild Labrador

cruise for 2016.

Leaving beautiful Nain