Saguenay, Quebec

We are greeted by French-Canadian dancers.

September 17, 2019

While we were sleeping the ship cruised down the St. Lawrence River to our next port, Saguenay, Quebec. The city is situated on the Saguenay River at the midway point of a long fjord that runs roughly northwest from the St. Lawrence River. Saguenay is situated at a point where the fjord is no longer navigable by large ships. The city is divided into three boroughs and we were in the borough of La Baie. We were roused by the sound of loud music and a speaker-amplified French-Canadian voice from pierside. It turned out to be a group of locals in period dress cavorting to lively French-Canadian music at the head of the pier to welcome the ship and its passengers.

We departed the ship at 10:30 a.m. to board a shuttle bus to take us to Saguenay Fjord National Park. We drove for 45 minutes along a wooded two-lane road. Along the way we caught glimpses of colorful fall foliage. We pulled into the park and stopped at a visitor center where we met our hiking guide, a 50-something French-Canadian ranger. After she filled us in on the basics of the hike, we started our trek through the woods. The sunlight filtering through the trees caused colorful leaves to shimmer. Wildflowers joined in with their gold and red hues. Mother Nature was putting on a fall display for all to see.

Our hike led us along the shoreline of the fjord. The tide was out so we walked on a raised wooden path by muddy tidal flats. The path protected the landscape from our shoes and our shoes from the sometimes-soggy landscape. We walked at a comfortable pace with many stops at scenic outlooks and near flora and fauna of interest. A crane perched on a big grey rock sunk in the tidal flats watched us as we walked by. In the distance the cliffs of the fjord rose some 500 to 1,000 feet above the river. A sailboat anchored in the distance floated lazily in calm waters. It was a great time to commune with nature.

When we got the Welcome Center it was time to board the bus and head back to the Zuiderdam. To recover from our hike, we spent the rest of the day relaxing and eating. At 4 p.m. the ship got underway for our cruise down the St. Lawrence River. We would spend the next day (September 18) at sea slowly steaming to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.