Serendipity can be a wonderful part of the travel experience or not. Our bypassing Prince Edward Island, due to winds, allowed us to travel up the Saguenay Fjord to see the statue Notre-Dame-du-Saguenay. So while we were unable to savor Prince Edward Island Mussels at the source, we were able to travel to a seldom visited spot on most cruise itineraries, learn more about geology than most people would care to do and be told the story of Charles-Napoléon Robitaille.
The weather that day was brisk as we entered the sixty-five-mile long fjord. It was a good day to be indoors and it was hard to believe our eyes when we saw a group of people flying by on a speed boat, all bundled up in their orange and yellow slickers, doing some type of mad adventure tour. We couldn't imagine what they were up to. After all, it was cold, windy and there was snow on the mountains.
From the comfort of our warm stateroom, we watched the fall colors, passed by some small villages and under numerous hi-tension lines, all sagging ominously towards the ship, as we learned about Quebec's abundant hydro-electric power, the Precambrian era and the birth of the Laurentian Mountains, which may be the oldest in the world, and the aforementioned story of Robitaille.
Robitaille was a traveling salesman in this part of the world in the late 1800's. He did his work with horse and wagon and in the winter, with horse and sleigh. Today this area is sparsely populated. It's hard to imagine what it must have been like then, but like a postal worker of old, he carried on no matter the weather, and on a faithful winter's day in 1878, fell through the ice of the Saguenay River while riding in his heavily laden sleigh on the way to make a sale.
With death drawing near, as he flailed to get onto solid ice, he prayed to the Virgin Mary for one more chance and miraculously found himself on the ice and safe. Unfortunately, once he was returned home, he fell seriously ill from the event and when his demise seemed imminent, he again prayed to the Virgin asking for ten more years to raise his children, this time promising to do something to commemorate her miracles (nothing like hedging your bet). He survived and made good on his promise and thus we have the statue of Notre-Dame-du-Saguenay, erected on a point overlooking the river, which in of itself, is a miracle given it's three-ton weight, thirty-foot height, and erection in 1881. It's quite inspiring coming across this beautiful monument to one man's faith in such an out of the way place.
Unfortunately, with a fjord, you go out the exact same way you came in. It was starting to get dark, not to mention colder, and frankly, one can only take so much of the same scenery. Quebec City beckoned the next day and then Montreal. Quaintness would be fading along with the leaves and we were looking forward to a little more action. So we turned our backs on the Saguenay and headed for the wine bar. It was time to warm up a and think about the restaurant reservations I had already made.
It had been almost twenty years since we last visited Quebec City, but when I opened the curtains in the morning, it looked very familiar. Chateau Frontenac stood proudly atop the highest point in the city as it has since 1893, dominating the landscape. It is arguably the most photographed hotel in the world.
The lower city seems dominated by galleries, restaurants, shops and great photo ops. We strolled the cobblestone streets shooting and shopping thrilled by the modern designs in so many of the shops that are so sorely lacking where we live. We could have shopped all day, but it was past noon, we were cold and it was time to find the crepe shop.
Reading a map in the wind and trying to decipher streets that were once cow paths, changing names after every little jog, is quite a challenge, but Kathy was up to it and we found our way to the charming little crepe shop. It was as authentic a Breton crepe shop as one could find outside of Northern France. Staffed by three of the hardest working women one could imagine, with one making all the crepes, one serving the entire restaurant, one washing dishes in the back, we savored our crepes. I had wild boar in a cider sauce, Kathy a traditional ham and cheese and John had a sampler trio that ended with a chocolate/banana crepe. They were from heaven.
The weather that day was brisk as we entered the sixty-five-mile long fjord. It was a good day to be indoors and it was hard to believe our eyes when we saw a group of people flying by on a speed boat, all bundled up in their orange and yellow slickers, doing some type of mad adventure tour. We couldn't imagine what they were up to. After all, it was cold, windy and there was snow on the mountains.
From the comfort of our warm stateroom, we watched the fall colors, passed by some small villages and under numerous hi-tension lines, all sagging ominously towards the ship, as we learned about Quebec's abundant hydro-electric power, the Precambrian era and the birth of the Laurentian Mountains, which may be the oldest in the world, and the aforementioned story of Robitaille.
Robitaille was a traveling salesman in this part of the world in the late 1800's. He did his work with horse and wagon and in the winter, with horse and sleigh. Today this area is sparsely populated. It's hard to imagine what it must have been like then, but like a postal worker of old, he carried on no matter the weather, and on a faithful winter's day in 1878, fell through the ice of the Saguenay River while riding in his heavily laden sleigh on the way to make a sale.
With death drawing near, as he flailed to get onto solid ice, he prayed to the Virgin Mary for one more chance and miraculously found himself on the ice and safe. Unfortunately, once he was returned home, he fell seriously ill from the event and when his demise seemed imminent, he again prayed to the Virgin asking for ten more years to raise his children, this time promising to do something to commemorate her miracles (nothing like hedging your bet). He survived and made good on his promise and thus we have the statue of Notre-Dame-du-Saguenay, erected on a point overlooking the river, which in of itself, is a miracle given it's three-ton weight, thirty-foot height, and erection in 1881. It's quite inspiring coming across this beautiful monument to one man's faith in such an out of the way place.
Unfortunately, with a fjord, you go out the exact same way you came in. It was starting to get dark, not to mention colder, and frankly, one can only take so much of the same scenery. Quebec City beckoned the next day and then Montreal. Quaintness would be fading along with the leaves and we were looking forward to a little more action. So we turned our backs on the Saguenay and headed for the wine bar. It was time to warm up a and think about the restaurant reservations I had already made.
It had been almost twenty years since we last visited Quebec City, but when I opened the curtains in the morning, it looked very familiar. Chateau Frontenac stood proudly atop the highest point in the city as it has since 1893, dominating the landscape. It is arguably the most photographed hotel in the world.
The weather was overcast, windy and cold, but being the intrepid travelers that we are, we bravely bundled up and headed out into the fierce Quebec fall. Our goals were modest for the day; shop, stroll, shoot and find the best crepes in the city for lunch.
Quebec City is nothing if not quaint and very European in feel. Split between upper and lower city, it is compact, comfortable and easy to get around especially with the Funicular connecting the upper and lower city. Without it, it would have been much more difficult to get from lower to upper.
Thoroughly satisfied and warmed up enough to brave the cold and return to the ship, we headed out knowing that the next morning our cruise was over and we were headed to Montreal by train. It had been a wonderful cruise. While not transporting us to exotic ports nor adding to our country count, it was by far the easiest going, most comfortable cruise we had taken.
As we strolled back to the ship, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this sign.
Poutine, actually designer poutine, had come to McDonald's. When will it come to the States?
Quebec City delivered what we wanted. It really is a special place in North America. If you can't get to Europe, this is about as close as you will get.
We had a wonderful dinner that night at Cafe Du Monde. As we strolled back to the ship, Chateau Frontenac stood guard over the city as it has for so many years.
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