20th September, 2018

Another day at sea, steaming very slowly North over the Gulf of St Lawrence (it is the whale season and shipping has to slow down) and then overnight up the Saquenay Fjord. Our first inkling that we had arrived and berthed was the sound of music at 0730 coming from the quayside. We took a guarded look from our balcony only to see some very enthusiastic locals dancing to French Canadian folk tunes, all done in ye olde costumes and the freezing cold with a jolly leader calling the steps through a megaphone.

This gave us an idea of the sort of welcome to expect from Saquenay and we saw more of it on the quayside where you could have a go at sawing logs, try some blueberry pie and suck on a maple syrup toffee stick – all for free. Indeed, Saquenay has been awarded the best port welcome award a number of times and it showed. They could not be more helpful and that applied all over the area as evidenced by a lady who asked us out of the blue if we were lost and can she help – and all that in broken English. Most impressive.

Saquenay is spread out along the fjord and is made up of three boroughs – La Baie where we berthed, Chicoutimi, about 20 kms away and Jonquiere, an area around the local aluminium plant. We hopped on the hop-on-hop-off bus to Chicoutimi where we walked along the not all that enthralling shops, though we did drop in on the cathedral and were suitably amused by a series of dancing fountains that also seemed to steam. The river/fjord glided past and the whole area looked pleasant enough.

We ‘hopped’ onto the bus again and they drove us to what is known as La Petite Manson Blanche (The Little White House), which was the only structure that survived a really major flood in 1996 and has now become a tourist attraction. A little further and there was the remains of La Pulperie or pulp mill, that was one of the most successful in the world until it declined and eventually closed in 1930.

I had a walk around La Baie as Val returned to the ship, but it didn’t take too long, though there were some nice looking buildings.

It was then back to the ship and a lovely evening sail down the fjord back towards the Gulf of St Lawrence. I include the obligatory seabird photo, some, what I hope, are Canadian geese, a seaplane, another cruise liner and a guy in a canoe.

And here is the fjord!

Next stop Quebec!