TRIP BACK EAST Cruise from Montreal

Oct. 21, 2014 at Sept-Iles, Quebec
It was a great adventure to see the precruise of Canada that I had never seen before. The flight from Vancouver to Montreal was uneventful except for my business class seat that did not cramp my long legs. The flight attendants were very helpful, kind and talkative as sitting up front had it's advantages. "Well, how?" you might ask. She shared experiences and her kit-kat bar. We also got sandwiches, coffee, tea and a number of snacks but for me the most exciting aspect of flying business class is that I had two checked bags FREE.
Once in Montreal we picked up our rent-a-car, a lovely Toyota Camry, which ultimately turned into a disheartening disaster. As we headed toward Ottawa I started feeling wet and put my answer to just perspiration as it was a warm day. Upon arrival at our motel stay for the night I realized it was not me. The seat was soaking wet. No big deal. Covered with newspaper and a folded towel we headed off the next day for a picture taking of the Parliment Buildings and enjoying a visit with relatives on Thanksgiving. Oh Dear, another mishap. The car was not properly insured and licenced. Well there went my visit to the Gateneau Hills area as we needed to return to Montreal to change vehicles. Now into a Toyota Matrix we headed south toward Niagara Falls.
The trip down to the Niagara Falls and back to Montreal was absolutely gorgeous. I saw many of the bridges that link Canada to the US, the changes in the colours as trees and bushes go from Fall to Winter, the Thousand Island area, and without a doubt the awe inspiring view from the Skylon Tower overlooking Niagara Falls while enjoying an exceptional dinner in the hourly revolving restaurant. Another addition was a bottle of Niagara wine which accompanied our dinner. Nothing could have topped that after missing the Gateneau Hills.
Our first night after leaving Montreal the second time was spent at the Bridgewaters Motel in Johnstown, Ontario along route 2 which travels next to the St. Lawrence River. Johnstown is connected to the US by the Johnstown-Ogdensburg bridge going into New York state. That bridge was funded by the US so all tolls are paid to them. The following night we stayed in Niagara Falls at the Quality Inn which had a beautiful view of the falls from the entrance or high up from the view rooms in the hotel. Traveling during offseason has it's benefits and we got a very nice room for far less than I had budgeted for. We had dinner in the Skylon restaurant that night, and picture taking of both US and Canadian Falls occurred the next day before returning to Montreal. We liked the family run Bridgewaters Motel so much that returning there was ideal and they had one room left. Traveling route 2 took a bit of time but the towns and sights along the way were worth the extra time. Brockville, Ontario had an amazing amount of stone buildings and I hope to return one day and really learn about it's history. Once back in Montreal we found a Quality Inn near the airport and spent a quiet and reflective evening over dinner reviewing the sights, sounds, places and people we had met that week. The next morning we returned the car to downtown Montreal and hailed a taxi to the cruise ship terminal.
Oct. 23, 2014
Holland America has been our choice of cruising companies as our mariner loyalty benefits go up. So this trip we start getting free laundry, and 50% off wine packages as well as other benefits. This was our first trip on the Maasdam, and once the clearing process was done from the previous sailing we had priority boarding on Oct. 18 followed by a lovely Mariner's lunch in the Rotterdam diningroom. We were upgraded to a nice cabin on the same deck with two porthole windows and a bathroom that is a wheelchair accessable one. The air circulation is great and there is a good deal of room in which to move. We chose anytime dining and have met a number of interesting people. I managed to organize a meet-and-greet get together which was set up in the Crow's Nest the first day with HAL suppling a tray of goodies with tea, coffee, and water. Cruise Critic is a great way to start your cruising experience and allows you to ask questions and meet others and has a number of other pieces of information. Just use your search engine and type in Cruise Critic. There is so much that you will need to explore the site so don't get frustrated.
Our luggage arrived in the early evening and we spent some of that evening exploring the ship so we could find areas easier. Being on deck 4 starboard at the bow and getting to the diningroom on deck 7 meant that we needed to walk on deck 4 to the rear and take the elevator to deck 7; or go up to deck 8 and walk the length of the ship and come down to deck 7. "Why?" Well the kitchen sits on deck 7 and passengers are not allowed except by invitation. Unless you are a person who has high class taste buds and spends money on extremely fancy restaurants, I have found the food to be above average and this cruise is no exception. Food can be found in a number of different categories: no sugar added ice cream, vegetarian entrees, different types of carbohydrates, lots of assorted salads and at least two types of soups. Hamburgers, hotdogs and panninis and Mexican tacos ingrediants can be found near the pool. Drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic can be found all throughout the ship.
The weather has been overcast and cloudy for the last week.
I will try to bring this blog up to date and hopefully be able to post it tomorrow on shore in the terminal of Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Our first stop after leaving Montreal was the port of Quebec City. Having been to Quebec City many years ago I decided to bypass a shore excursion and enjoy the view from the ship. This city is a history unto itself with many old stone and brick buildings. It is also a haven for artists of all kinds. The population is around 672,000. Our ship docked in front of the Chateau Frontenac, which is the city's landmark or iconic hotel. One excursion went to the Montmorency Falls standing twice as high as the Niagara Falls and is 150 feet wide. A trip to the island of Orleans, located in the St. Lawrence River, helped make those present aware of the history. Orleans was one of the first parts of Quebec to be settled by the French.
We traveled along the river at night so seeing the beauty it was minimal as the sun would be close to setting as we left port. Oct. 20 I awoke to the sight of the Saguenay. Saguenay is the 7th largest municipality in the province of Quebec. Six communities amalgamated in 2002 to make up the Saguenay area. Chicoutami is the largest, but the population of the whole area is about 146,000. Some interesting tidbits that I found out without going into a lot of details are: the airport is the only one in Canada that is used by both civilian and military aircraft, the aluminum smelter was the first unionized company in Quebec, the flood of 1996 which destroyed a part of Chicoutami and the effect it had on the townspeople, and an interesting Cypress tree that loses it's needles in the fall. The rail is owned by Riotinto and is used for transporting bauxite. There was a time when a pulp mill was the main industry of the region. The mill was opened in 1886 and closed in 1930 as paper prices fell, and pulp flooded the market and changes in the production went from mechanical pulp to chemical pulp. A lunch of traditional delicious Quebec food tempted my tastebuds as I was willing to try tourtiere, a wild meat stew type dish with potatoes and other vegetables, and a soup known as gourgane, of which I could have eaten a pot. There is about 9.2% unemployment in the area. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and white cranberries can be found growing wild in the region. Moose are numerous as 2500 were shot last year during moose season. A story related to me that I found interesting but will probably never try is one about a man who aged cheese in a barrel under pressure while in saltwater. When he tried to sell it the law determined that it was illegal to market it. Now he just gives it away. From the information that the tour guide mentioned that cheese is very tasty.
On Oct. 21 a tour of Sept-Iles, meaning 7 islands, found us on the north side of the St. Lawerence River. In the 1950's there was no road so goods were shipped to the community by boat. Now it takes about 7 1/2 hours to drive to Quebec City. Today there are about 28,000 people who reside in Sept-Iles on a year around basis. Of those about 3,000 are Innu, not to be confused with the Innuit who live further north. We passed the Allouette Aluminum plant which sits on the Marconi Penninsula, and saw the old original trading post. Cloudberries are grown in the area and are used to make jam, syrup, a butter type spread or just frozen whole berries. They are a fuzzy berry and if not picked will not reproduce new berries for 7 years. Because of this only one in 16 bushes produces fruit in any given year. On return to the pier I found a lady selling home made foods...... she had Cloudberry everything so I bought some. Capelin fish beach themselves at reproduction time but at the same time become a great feast for local birds.
Oct.22, 2014
Today we landed in Gaspe which comes from the Miqmaq word "gaspeq" meaning ''lands end''. Gaspe is green and clean and the day started with the crew and locals breaking up the ice on the dock area which had been caused by the waves breaking against the shore sending water and mist onto the docking area and the freezing temperature. Cod fishing was very prominent in this area for many centuries. The French from France depended on cod and it was carried back by boats to France as on many occasions the use of fish was important for Catholic non-meat days. The Iroquois natives would paddle here from the Thousand Islands area to fish. A British man named Charles Robin (1743 to 1824) developed a commercial business fishing for cod. We all think that the salt used on cod was for preservation but it was used to keep the flies away while it dried. Working in the cod industry was labor intensive and highly skilled and important to the GDP of Quebec. Because of this farming practices were restricted by statutes and natural conditions (poor soil) so as not to harm the valuable cod industry. There are about 1/2 dozen different types of whales here, smaller than those we see on the west coast. Black Pilot Whales are about 10 feet in length. Hydro Quebec has mandated that 5% of power come from alternate energy. So now the Danish turbine manufacturer L&M has established a plant to produce wind turbines. Perce Rock draws visitors from all over. It use to have 2 holes but in the 1800's one of them collapsed. Atlantic salmon are caught in the emerald blue waters. During WW ll Gaspe held a military position on the south side of the St. Lawrence. In the 1930's there was collosal TB sanitorium but today it is a college. On to Bonaventure Island, the island home to 60,000 gannet couples at the height of breeding season. They migrate to South Carolina and Mexico. Prior to 1972 Bonaventure Island had people living on it but it was vacated to make a provincial park. Remnants of buildings are still visible today. The city of Gaspe has 6,500 residents but can grow to 25,000 during tourist season. Via Rail use to service Gaspe. National Geographic rated Gaspe in the top 10 places to see for fall colours. From the ship I could see that it was truely a beautiful.