eptember 25, 2023

This is the last day of our cruise; we fly home tomorrow. I have caught the epizootic that's being passed around the ship, so Norman went on today's excursion by himself. He took all the pictures. Among the photos are some of an Anglican Church and others of a Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church is much bigger and ornate; the Anglican Church boasts a small organ said to have been played by Hadyn.

Our final Chef's Table was tonight with a menu titled La Route Des Indies. It was our least favorite of all the Chef's Menus.

 

September 24, 2023

This morning we docked at Saguenay in time for us to take a walk before lunch and our afternoon excursion. The town is made up of the 2002 merger of three neighboring towns to form one municipality. There are multiple industries, beautiful old churches, a university, and a tourist industry that welcomes 80 cruise ships per year. 

The town experienced a major flood in the 1990 when they got 15 inches of rainfall in a week. The flooded river breeched the dam and destroyed many houses and displaced 1,600 people. “The White House” survived and stands today in a park with water rushing out the front door as it did during the flood.

We turned into the Saguenay River from the St. Lawrence. The fjord here is referred to as an inland fjord because it empties into a river instead of the sea. The fresh water from the fjord maintains a different strata from that of the tidal St.Lawrence. Fishermen catch both salt water and fresh water fish.

 September 23, 2023

It was another day at sea. We have entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The water has been calm. We had to slow down because of whales, but we didn't see any; we are hopeful that we will tomorrow. Tonight was another dinner at the Chef's Table. This dinner with an Asian theme was delicious. Tomorrow, we make another stop in Canada in Quebec in Saqeunay.

 September 22, 2023

This morning, we visited the town of St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador. The ship was scheduled to go to another town, a World Heritage site that is the first Viking settlement in Canada, but the sea conditions weren’t amenable to landing the tenders from our ship.

St. Anthony is a town of about 2,400. It dates from the early 16th century. St. Anthony boasts the largest hospital in the area. The hospital was founded by Dr. Wilfred Grenfell in 1900. Dr. Grenfell came to Labrador as a member of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. His efforts transformed to health and wellbeing of the people. The Grenfell Historical Society celebrates this remarkable man and his work.

Norman and I decided to hike to the top of Fishing Point. The 400+ steps that make up the trail lead to a high point with wonderful views of the town and surrounding coast.

 September 21, 2023

Another sea day, calm water and warmer temperatures and sun. The sunrise was dramatic with some ominous clouds, but the day turned out beautiful. We walked around and around on the deck and even played 2 games of Ping Pong (interesting in the breeze with the motion of the ship).

 September 20, 2023

Our second day in Greenland took us to Qaqortoq, a town of just over 3,000 people.

The Vikings settled this area in the 10th century. The Inuit followed, and the Danish era followed that. We visited a sweet church that dates to the early 1800s.

There are dozens of “Stone and Man” sculptures carved into a hillside.

We saw a sod house, used by the Inuits until the 1950s.

We have set off for our next port in calm seas. There are clouds tonight so we most likely will not have a repeat of last night’s Northern Lights.

 September 19, 2023 Late Update

We just saw a beautiful display of the Aurora Borealis!

 

September 19, 2023

Our day in Greenland has been spectacular. Early this morning we began our passage through the Prince Christian Sound to Nanortalik. The scenery is been breathtaking; this southern tip of Greenland is a place of austere beauty. We saw glaciers, waterfalls and icebergs. 

We took a walk through the town of Nanortalik; its 1250 inhabitants must feel a bit overwhelmed by 900 plus visitors from the ship. 

Finally, we had another dinner at the Chef’s Table, a California menu; it was another delicious meal with the halibut a culinary high point of the cruise. 

It’s a cold clear night; we are hoping to see the Northen Lights.