Whales, geese and dancing

The bright city lights left behind, the Silver Whisper made its way into the River Saguenay.  The Destination Consultant says it’s a fjord, which is an inlet of the sea, as opposed to a river, which empties water into the sea. But how can a tributary of the St Lawrence river be an inlet of the sea?

The province of Quebec is thought to have 3% of the earth’s fresh water supply. (Today’s second  fact).

The river looks like a fjord, edged with rounded peaks about 300-400 feet high. They are covered with evergreen trees, interspersed with a smaller number of deciduous trees which are showing deep orange or red as they move into Autumn (Fall). The trees seem to be growing directly out of the grey rock.  Low cloud drifts in ribbons across the lower slopes.

There are few signs of habitation but at one point the river (?) widens and there is a small cluster of buildings, including a small church with characteristic grey stone and spire. At a narrow point, a statue of Notre Dame de Saguenay can be seen high up on the rocks. Silver Whisper played ‘Ave Maria’ and the ship did a complete circle so those on board viewing from their balcony could have a view of the statue.

Saguenay is situated at a wide point, where the land becomes flatter. This port surpassed expectations. There was nothing spectacular to see but it was clean and pleasant, with a promenade along the water front. And then there was the welcome. A troupe of amateur performers were dressed in a surprising array of costumes. Mostly early settlers, with a priest in a white cassock (ruining the effect with a mobile phone pressed to his ear) and a man in a dark suit and a bowler who looked like a Funeral Director. And a woman in a crinoline with a man in a striped suit. And an extremely politically incorrect Native North American in full battle dress (The actor did not appear to be a native North American). And there was blueberry juice and blueberry pie and a wood cutting demonstration. They played music, which mostly sounded Celtic, overlayed with  some jazz. The Dancing looked Celtic, which is not surprising, given their Irish and Scottish ancestry.  But the area is mostly Fench-speaking.

Saguenay won a prize for ‘most welcoming cruise point’. This was the first visit by a Silversea ship.

The weather is beautiful, clear blue sky, with the morning chill giving way to an afternoon high of about 23C.

The big disappointment of the day is that TSH and Diva see not a single whale, in spite of close scrutiny of many dark patches and seemingly unusual currents. There were reputed to be one or two at one time but no sighting was made. Later update: A large white shape could have been a Beluga. Vast numbers of Canada geese seen.