2019 Iceland to Quebec by Travel Gals

FOLLOW THE VIKINGS Author: Lois Olive Gray Photos: Kay Ellen Gilmour, MD Website: www.kaygilmour.smugmug.com

Follow The Vikings & Track Hurricane Dorian August 26 to September 12, 2019 Zegrahm Expeditions on Le Champlain Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................1 ICELAND ........................................................................................................................................2 REYKJAVIK ....................................................................................................................................... 2 THE GOLDEN CIRCLE ........................................................................................................................... 8 FLATEY ISLAND ..................................................................................................................................14 SEA DAYS .................................................................................................................................... 18 GREENLAND ............................................................................................................................... 19 PASSARSUAK.....................................................................................................................................19 PRINZ CHRISTIANSUND ......................................................................................................................22 NARSASUAQ .....................................................................................................................................25 NARSAQ ...........................................................................................................................................29 SEA DAYS AND A HURRICANE.................................................................................................... 32 NEWFOUNDLAND ...................................................................................................................... 32 L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS LOCKDOWN....................................................................................................32 NORRIS POINT ..................................................................................................................................37 GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK...........................................................................................................39 CANADA: QUEBEC PROVINCE .................................................................................................... 41 HAVRE ST. PIERRE .............................................................................................................................41 PERCE ..............................................................................................................................................46 SEPT-ILES .........................................................................................................................................50 SAGUENAY TOWN & FJORD NATIONAL PARK ........................................................................................53 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 55

INTRODUCTION This trip with Zegrahm retraced some areas we had already visited, but we were intrigued by additional spots we had never seen before. So we signed up about 6 months in advance. The expedition started in Iceland and ended in Quebec City with stops in both East and West Greenland, Newfoundland, and several small towns along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Of course, when we signed up, we had no idea that a monster hurricane would be threatening Florida at just about the time we were to fly away. After a few days of anxiety while in Iceland, we learned that Dorian (from the Greek for “child of the sea”) had kindly skirted the Florida peninsula though it had wreaked total havoc on the Bahama islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco. After Florida’s narrow escape became clear, we stopped worrying about Dorian and began to enjoy our Zegrahm activities. However, as we left Greenland and started towards Newfoundland, tracking the terrible hurricane again became necessary since he was now “tracking” us and heading right towards our ship’s route. Though Dorian was no longer a Category 5 storm, he was still packing enough wind, rain and tidal surge to have dwindled only to a Category 2. Needless to say, no one on board, including the Captain, wanted any close contact with this violent weather system. The Captain decided that his ship could outrun Dorian’s forward motion and he proceeded to put “the pedal to the metal” or whatever the appropriate term for pushing a ship to its maximum knots per hour. And he was successful, though he did take the precaution of sheltering behind a large island (Anicosti) in the St. Lawrence River. Our ship was not only quite speedy, she was also amazingly stable. So though we were warned we might experience some pretty rocky waters and high winds during the night and advised not to go out on deck or open our balcony doors, no one on the ship complained the next day of any loss of sleep or feelings of seasickness. Kay and I slept through whatever the encounter with Dorian’s outer bands had produced with no disturbance to our rest at all! And with the storm behind us, here comes my recounting of the rest of the expedition.

ICELAND Iceland is an independent country of 338,347 inhabitants as of the 2017 census. During World War II when Germany conquered Denmark, the population conducted a plebiscite and asked for its independence which was granted formally on June 17, 1944. Germany never tried to annex the island despite its strategic position because Britain and the USA hurried to occupy it first. It is believed that the first colonizers were Norse Vikings who began to sail around the area, finally successfully establishing a settlement somewhere between 870 and 920 AD. About 15 years before, we had visited Iceland and toured it in an entirely different way. We were on a hiking trip and stayed mainly in the interior of the country with some minimal sightseeing opportunities at the usual tourist spots. So we felt that revisiting this strange and beautiful country would not be a repeat performance and for the most part our assumption was correct. One disappointment was that there was no difference between Iceland Air Economy seating back then and today’s Business Class. Equally uncomfortable and labelling the front of the plane “Business & First Class” was an outright joke. Seats were the same as economy, no food or drink was offered, three of the chairs I tried did not work properly but none of them reclined anyway. However, we arrived safely and on time even if we were more sleep-deprived than we had expected to be. (Flight was 5 ½ hours from JFK.) Although, the planes had not improved, we did begin to see definite changes on the drive into Reykjavik from Keflavik, the national airport which had been built by the USA during World War II. It still functions perfectly well and of course there have been renovations and updates in the Terminal Building. We saw much more evidence of industry during the 45-minute ride to the city as well as more tourist infrastructure such as hotels and attractions.

REYKJAVIK Reykjavik did not seem much altered. It is still a brightly colored small town which centers itself around the imaginatively titled “Town Lake.” Our first guide in Iceland had commented on the fact that Icelanders do not waste much time on inventive or specific names for natural features. He said every river in Iceland is called Salmon River. (Oscar was born and raised in Iceland so he should know.)

Parliament Building 3

The huge Lutheran Church (the Hallgrimskirkja) still dominates the skyline but there are many more restaurants, cafés and bars catering to tourists and locals. The Parliament Building (the Althing) still borders the lake as does the Town Hall itself and the country’s rare Catholic church shyly sits there as well.

The benches around the lake are still filled with parents and grandparents watching the children at play, chasing the birds, running delightedly in the scant sunshine, and enjoying the time outside since winter is so long and dark. The weather was cold, skies overcast, and misty rain fell on us as we remembered as well. Another unchanged presence was the huge and upscale shopping center (Kringlan) that was in easy walking distance from our Hilton Hotel. When we realized just how cold and penetratingly damp the weather was here, we knew had brought insufficient winter clothing, so we walked to the mall to purchase some needed winter preparations: long underwear, neck and head scarves, warm fleece jacket for Kay, and, for Lois, brand new boots.

A funny story attaches to that requirement. I had left home for the airport in a pair of old boots that I tried out a couple of days before and they seemed just right. By the time I walked from the airport entrance to the gate, the sole of my left boot was flapping with every step and leaving a conspicuous black powder on the floor behind me. The whole rubber sole was deteriorating with every step. I found a little kiosk where a saleslady kindly gave me some duct take which we used to strap the sole onto the shoe. When I reached JFK, the sole on the right boot went through the same process. No duct tape to be found so we just ripped the sole completely off and headed towards TSA. I am sure that you can imagine how happy the TSA folks were with my left boot duct taped together. Of course, the tape set off the alarms and I was told I had to sit down and take the offending boot off. Though I protested weakly that I might not be able to get it back on, they insisted and removed the boot. Then it took five TSA personnel to examine it and send it through various detection devices before it was finally returned to me. So we made it past security and got to our gate. Then I limped the rest of the way through the trip until we could get to the Hilton Hotel and unpack my extra pair of ship shoes. That explains why I had to buy boots in Reykjavik. They are Scarpa Brand (never heard of it before) and they were wonderful—no need to break them in, they were comfortable from the very beginning. As they should have been at $250.00 US money! Something else has not changed about Iceland—everything is surprisingly expensive. Like my new hiking boots. Another example of the high cost of living here is illustrated by the brunch Kay and I enjoyed at the big shopping mall in a restaurant called Café Blue. It was not a fancy or upscale place at all. We were hungry since we had not been “fed and watered” on the Business Class flight, so we ordered a small plate of lasagna with a side salad each. Kay had a Coke Zero and I drank water. The bill came to $40.00 and it was delicious. Iceland’s no tipping policy does help keep the shock level done. On another day, we had lunch in a different café and ordered pancakes with blueberries. We each drank water and that bill came to $50.00 Something utterly new and fascinating in its wizardly technology is the museum called Perlan: The Wonders of Iceland. We visited it on our second day in the country. The building is an attractive modern construction but the surprises are inside. Among the many exhibitions and experiences offered here are an ice cave that can be explored and shivered through: the temperature is kept below freezing so the ice doesn’t melt. We were really glad that we had by now bought those extra winter layers of clothes.

There are many presentations of Icelandic terrain, volcanos, thermal waters, waterfalls, geysers (our word for that phenomenon comes directly from the Icelandic language) and plate techtonics since Iceland sits astride the meeting place of the European Plate and the North American Plate. This explains why Iceland is actually growing in size by about 2 centimeters a year as the plates separate allowing magma to erupt up into the space created. So Europe is moving slowly to the east while Iceland is being pushed to the west.

How Iceland exists in the modern world without oil or coal usage is also explained in several exhibits. It is the constant heating of water by the closeness of the Earth’s crust there to the hot core of the planet. The country is dotted with active volcanos, hot springs, Yellowstone type features like geysers, bubbling mudpots, fumaroles (steaming vents in the earth), and earthquakes. Scientists have learned how to utilize the natural heat of the country to create electricity and other forms of energy. Perlan is full of

complete explanations of all these advances. Iceland does not have to worry about pollution from fossil fuels at all. Even when the skies are overcast with threatening rain or mists, the air is pure and healthy. Two exhibits in Perlan really made our jaws drop in delight, surprise and amazement. One of them had a huge mural showing enormous bird colonies that use the rocky cliffs and ledges in the mountains and coastlines of the country. When we stood in front of the wall, everything was static but as we looked more closely we could see little circles on the surface. Moving the telescopes around to the circles suddenly made the birds come alive. They were identified as to species and shown flying, courting, feeding chicks, fishing and living their lives “on the edge.” The other special exhibition was perhaps even more incredible. We stood in footprints and stared out a mural depicting landscapes of Iceland. If you lifted your arm and pointed to a particular feature a cartoonlike balloon would appear with information about that formation— its characteristics, history, effects on life in Iceland and the like. You could point in as many directions as you pleased and would then see the balloon appear. Fabulous is the only word for that exhibit. Displays of fish species, birds, and marine mammals were also scattered through the 3 story building. Some history Iceland’s human habitation was also included. Arctic foxes now live in Iceland as the only feral land mammal but they were introduced as were reindeer. Perlan should be on every first visitor to Iceland’s list of must see attractions—the earlier the better in the visit because so much information in this museum will greatly enrich the rest of the time spent in the country.

The Golden Circle After we joined the Zegrahm group to begin the formal part of our trip, we were taken first on the route known as the “golden circle” which comprises a list of sights most visitors are eager to see. The circle begins in Reykjavik and visits sites near the capital. Thingvallier is where the oldest parliament in the world was established in 1000 AD. It is also a significant geological site because it straddles the point where the European plate and the North American Plate are separating, creating huge rifts in the earth’s surface. The rock formations create an enormous amphitheater where the various chieftains would meet to discuss the governance of the country. It is the place where Christianity was declared the religion of the country—however, the wise chieftains also decreed that those who preferred the “old religion” could continue its practice without discrimination or persecution. How enlightened of them! The formal parliament moved into Reykjavik in 1798 and was called the Althing. When exploring this mighty geological wonder, a person can actually put one foot in Europe while the other rests in America! How’s that for a really weird experience?

Geysir Hot Springs Area is usually the second stop on the circle tour. This hot springs area is much smaller than Yellowstone, but it has the honor of the being the first identified by Europeans and it gave the word “geyser” to all such features in the world. The area is 1.2 square miles and the thermal features are located along a 320 foot wide strip which stretches 1,640 feet in length. Compare that with Yellowstone’s 3500 square mile area. The most famous of the remaining geysirs is called Strokkur and it is reliable, shooting about 100 feet in the air every 10 minutes. The so-called “Old Geysir” which gave the world its name has been dormant for several years now. In addition to geysirs (there are some smaller and less regular ones still active here), there are fumaroles, boiling mudpots, and hot springs. An interesting sidelight is that Iceland’s hot spot does not smell nearly as strongly as Yellowstone with all the all-pervasive rotten egg odor that prevails everywhere in our national park.

Gullfoss (Golden Falls) is the 3rd stop on the Golden Circle Tour. The 105 foot falls cascade down from Langiokull Glacier in two leaps pouring 459 cubic feet of water per second over the summer and 358 cubic feet per second during the winter into the Hvita River which takes a 90 degree turn creating what could be called two separate waterfalls. Seen in certain lights, visitors and locals claim they see glints of gold in the tumultuous waters. Having seen the falls twice now, I cannot say that I have detected the golden flecks, but the waterfall is impressive without that additional color.

As expected, Zegrahm always offers a surprise to enhance typical tourists stops and they succeeded wonderfully with a visit to a local farm (named Fridheimer) which produces tomatoes and cucumbers all year long despite the brutal winters and the general paucity of sunshine. How does this intrepid farming couple accomplish this feat?

By heating their 10+ large greenhouses with the hot water always available naturally in Iceland. They use thermal and hydropower to create the electricity to provide sufficient light to their plants as well. Both husband and wife have degrees in agronomy which certainly gives them expertise in creating their beautiful gardens which supply these vegetables to grocery outlets and restaurants in Reykjavik. They ship 1 ton daily into the city. They buy bee boxes from the Netherlands for pollination and must receive a box a week complete with a queen. In addition to learning about this marvelous agricultural miracle, we learned that the couple also raises Iceland horses for riding pleasure and some sales (never outside the country). A horse show was part of the visit and we so much enjoyed watching the horses demonstrate their 5 natural gaits (trot, canter, walk, tolt, and flying pace). For a complete explanation of the different gaits, check here--http://www.riding-iceland.com/blog/thefive-gaits-of-the-icelandic-horse-make-it-a-breed-apart. Icelandic horses are maintained as a pure breed by laws never allowing any other type of horse to be imported into the country. They are beautifully conformed horses and come in 40 different colors. They 12

are well adapted to the weather in Iceland and usually do not need to be brought inside for sheltering. If one is housed inside during winter, it has to be shaved to avoid overheating.

The piece de resistance for this highly entertaining and educational visit was the scrumptious lunch we enjoyed there. Naturally, most courses were based on tomatoes and cucumbers. Our soup was fresh gazpacho, there were several starters made with cucumbers and tomatoes, the main course was Arctic Char (just delicious) and dessert was freshly picked berries from the farm. We thought we heard that the fish to be served was salmon and we were a little disappointed since neither of us likes that fish. So what a wonderful taste treat the Arctic Char turned out to be: pure white meat, not oily, and no fishy flavor! Another surprise offering which some adventurous diners decided to try was a beer made with tomatoes! Didn’t hear any raves about that part of the meal however.

Flatey Island We did not leave Icelandic territory when we visited this small island off the northwest corner of the country. It’s the largest of about 40 tiny islands in the area: only 1.2 miles long and .6 miles wide and almost completely flat. (Dorian’s threats forced the everinventive Zegrahm staff, particularly Brent the Expedition Leader working with the ship’s captain, to find a different landing site for us because the first choice was under siege with high winds and rambunctious seas. Since we had never been to the first choice, we had no reason to be disappointed with Flatey and we weren’t. Though so small, it has a very interesting history and a strangely peculiar present. There was a monastery on the island in the years after 1172 (long since disappeared) which was considered a center of learning at the time. In the 1900s, the island regained its importance as a commercial center for fishing and processing. The present buildings all date from that period of economic strength when the island was densely populated. Its church and library date from that period as well. As the area was fished out and other parts of Iceland became more important, the island’s inhabitants left for the mainland to find new ways of making their livings. Today the lovely old timber houses are summer homes for Icelanders who do return for the change in weather and the chance to relax away from the hustle-bustle of Reykjavik or other Iceland towns. Today only 5 people reside on the island year-round. And the odd thing about them? The two families do not speak to each other because of some kind of dispute over grazing rights for sheep on the island which has never been formally settled.

When we entered the tiny Lutheran Church, built in 1926, we wondered if anyone enters its doors during the winter. Probably when the temporary residents are on the island, the church must have some purpose for being. The church is spare on the outside but well maintained and inside is a completely different scene. The ceiling is almost like a barrel roof structure and all around the walls and on the ceiling a Spanish painter, Baltasar Semper, painted murals depicting life in the old village as well as religious themes. He did this beautiful work in the l960s in exchange for room and board in one of the island houses. The pictures feature fishing boats, men engaged in chores connected with that activity like mending nets, some of the sheep that have lived on the island for years, women collecting eiderdown left behind when the eider ducks fledge their chicks and all leave for other lives. This activity was very important to the economic life the island and Iceland as a whole.

On the other side of the church wall are portraits of the some of the monks and priests who brought Lutheranism to the island. Even Noah earns a place on that wall as a spiritual guide for fishermen. On the ceiling flies a huge sea eagle with wings outspread as though a part of the religious life of the community—perhaps an incarnation of the Holy Spirit.

The altar painting is unexpected but deeply moving and evocative. Semper used his own son as his model for the young Christ he depicts wearing a heavy Icelandic wool sweater against the cold of this island. The face of this Jesus bears a benevolent and happy smile as he looks down on the congregants—not the usual, almost swooning from religious ecstasy, Christ. Semper has painted himself kneeling before and clasping the leg of this Christ the Savior depiction. The tiny library behind the church is the oldest one in all Iceland. Besides honor for age, this little building is famous for a copy of one of the earliest Icelandic sagas in existence. It was presumed to have been copied from an original by the monks who occupied Flatey back in the 12th century. This fragile and immensely valuable historical book is kept under glass and pages are turned only periodically so it is not exposed to light very often. The library is still used by the summer residents on the honor system. Many of them bring new books from the mainland and stock the shelves with more books.

Our weather while on the island was blustery and cold, proof that Dorian was still busy kicking up a storm. There were also some spitting rains, but that did not dampen our enthusiasm for exploring this small island community. All of us relished the chance to walk on land because we knew that the next day would be a “sea day”—meaning no landings and usually it also meant no zodiac rides as well. 17

SEA DAYS Sea Days are usually full of the lectures (sometimes as many as 4 in a day) given by the many experts aboard ship. We had 2 ornithologists, 1 geologist, 1 Viking historian, 1 language enthusiast, 2 general historians, a climate change expert, Arctic and Antarctic explorers and researchers, and some biologists specializing in sea creatures and land mammals. So the lectures were something to look forward to rather than feeling cheated because we would not be out adventuring. The lectures enrich the experiences in zodiacs and on land. Of course, the naturalists are always out on deck spotting birds and sea creatures. When some critters appear, a general announcement is made all over the ship so that anyone interested can join the other watchers and spotters. Viking Facts and Myths Here’s just a taste of some tidbits we gathered from our Viking Scholar aboard.  

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Vikings never wore horned helmets (Sir Walter Scott is responsible for that myth). Vikings were not an unrefined bunch of savages. They excelled in various handicrafts, particularly working with silver from which they created beautiful brooches, pins to secure clothing, swords. They were apparently obsessed with combs and made them from many different natural resources like bones and stones. Even their “architecture” was effective in providing shelter and protection along with some comforts. They mastered navigation long before other peoples. They had a written language as seen in their rune stones which commemorated famous people, battles, family events. They were apparently efficient fishermen, herdsmen, and farmers. They were more often traders than raiders. But that being said, they were ruthless in battle and pillaged, took slaves, and stole from every corner of the known world. They made it all the way to Russia and even sacked Paris 3 times. Their first recorded attacking of a monastery was at Lindisfarne, off the coast of England’s Northumberland in 793. There are several contemporary written accounts of this calamity for Christianity in Europe. Many of the brothers were killed and others taken away as slaves. It is no myth that Europe was terrified by the Norsemen (usually called foreigners or Danes. The term “Viking” is a derivative of Old Norse, Old German and other Scandinavian languages. But our exploration did not follow the raiding Vikings, 18

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but instead concentrated on the trading, colonizing and working people called by that name which meant “pirate” in many tongues. The myth of the Viking Women Warriors was strongly (sadly) debunked by our shipboard Viking scholar. He said that the movies, the Netflix series and the history channels takes on the question of their existence are fanciful. There is no research by credible historians, archeologists or anthropologists to support this bit of imagination.

 The Aurora Borealis was another treat best seen on sea days because we were far from any source of artificial light pollution. Our first chance to see the sky light up with that eerie green light occurred on the first sea day. We were almost asleep (around midnight) when the call came over the PA system that the northern lights were playing overhead. Everyone rush up on deck or stood on their balconies to watch the magic in the sky. Kay and I had seen more vivid displays in Alaska, but those who had never seen the spectacle were quite happy with the show. The sky lit up in pale green which covered the bowl of the heavens, but there was little of the coiling and streaming lights we had seen before. It was exciting to see the stars shining through the green curtain with their fiery twinkles piercing through.

GREENLAND Passarsuak Our next day after the first sea day found us in an East Greenland fjord called Passarsuak awaiting zodiac rides—no landings here. The scenery all around was awesome—sheer rock cliffs rising hundreds of feet over us. Many millions of years of rock types were seen in rock faces—some of them metamorphic rock over 4 million years old (like Vishnu Schist in the Grand Canyon). But we also knew that beneath our tiny craft were thousands of feet more rock walls going straight down to the sea bottom. These deep and grand fjords are the results of uncountable years of glacier carving through the earth. There were many rocky ledges where seabirds should have been but it was not the season for rearing young, so birding was not a rewarding activity here.

But “rock watching” was the big activity in our Zodiac because we had Tom the geologist with us and he was so excited about the geology all around us that he easily got all of us interesting. He explained about “dykes” and “veins” in rocks as well other forms of stratification. “Dykes” represent a new rock formation that has been thrust between older rock layers. “Veins” are distinct sheet-like bodies of crystalized mineral within a rock.

At one point in our ride, Tom asked the zodiac driver to get him closer to a particular rock feature at the base of a cliff. Terence obediently edged a little closer and then when that wasn’t close enough, he finally just went up to the cliff face until the nose of our zodiac touched. Whereupon, Tom scrambled to the front of the boat and leaned as close as he could get. When that didn’t do the trick, he clambered out of the zodiac and poised himself on the formation while he studied it with a magnifying glass. One woman in our zodiac was totally unnerved by his intrepid moves that she began to plead with him to get back in the boat ASAP. 20

When he finished his examination he got back into the boat and pronounced himself satisfied with his original opinion about the kind of rock it was (metamorphic). He then decided to tell about how to identify the various ice formations we were floating among. Icebergs rise at least16 ft. above water, bergie bits show between 3ft and 13 ft. of ice above the water surface. Growlers are smaller than bergie bits and make a sort of growling sound when a craft floats over them. Brash ice is an accumulation of floating ice made up of ice fragments not more than 6 ft. Pack-ice is an expanse of large pieces of ice driven together in a continuous mass. An ice floe is a large flat piece of floating ice less than 65 ft. across. But he warned us we can’t get too close to any of the larger ones since they can turnover without warning swamping a small vessel. Meanwhile, most of us just stared in wonder at the beauty around us—mountains, glaciers, icebergs, grey water under us. All in dark colors under the cloudy skies above our heads. Here and there a little patch of something green on some rock faces, presumably mosses since there are no trees this high up in the arctic waters.

The saddest thing Tom told us on this day was that Glacier National Park in the USA needs to be renamed because by all scientific definitions of a glacier, there are none extant now. So we gazed moodily at the glaciers around us here in Greenland as well as glimpses we saw of the edge of the Greenland Ice Cap which is rapidly melting too and felt great sorrow for our changing world and all the species alive on the planet today. How long will they be able to cling to life in the hostile environment to come.

Prinz Christiansund Labor Day dawned really crappy weather-wise. The skies were cloudy and rain was falling steadily. There were white-caps on the waves but Le Champlain once again proved her stability. She might shudder occasionally as a big wave hit her broadside and she might even mutter “shiver me timbers” but she never creaked or groaned in protest at the seas. Despite the unpleasant weather, we were sailing through Prinz Christiansund—a very narrow passage from East Greenland to West Greenland without having to round the bottom of the island country were the winds and tides can be fierce.

The very tall cliffs and waterfalls and glaciers seemed to be crowding us as we squeezed through. We could clearly see the line in the water where glacial milk (water from glaciers is usually mixed with silt, sand, crushed rocks) met the seawater without any mixing. Our passage was calm but still intimidating as the ancient cliffs seemed to bear down on us. Magically, the afternoon cleared when we reached a spot in the fjord where the authorities aboard thought we could make a landing. The landing site was a lonely & lovely beach. We left the ship on zodiacs and went ashore by wet landing (meaning that we had to wear boots as we would exit the zodiac into water deep enough to reach our shins). Since this was a polar bear frequented area, our guides carried rifles but we were more than thankful that no big white bears crashed our shore party. The beach was gravelly underfoot but easy to walk on. The beach was ringed by mountains still covered in snow and there were waterfalls visible as well. There were lichens on the rocks and tundra plants on the ground. Even some small flowers were blooming—sea-sandwort and crowberries. The entire scene was so pristine we could have almost believed that we were the only people who had been here.

The only really strange finding for us was seeing a huge dead jellyfish on the ground quite a bit away from shore. Certainly its presence had to be a clue about how far the tide could come up the beach. The creature was about 32 inches in diameter but size was not the only odd thing about it. Apparently it had been washed up not too long before we arrived because we could see through its transparent amber colored body the creatures it had apparently dined on last and they were still alive and moving inside. Creepy indeed--mostly tiny fish. I wished there was a way we could have liberated them but it was not possible according to the naturalists with us. As we re-boarded the zodiacs, the sun finally came bustling through the clouds and changed the appearance of the entire scene. More colors in the rocks, more detail could be observed in the cliff faces, the waterfalls suddenly sparkled as they cascaded down the walls and the color of seawater changed to a more beautiful seagreen color. Our morning on the beach turned out to be very special indeed.

Narsasuaq Narsasuaq is the town where the USA built an amazing landing strip out of indestructible steel plates to facilitate bringing airplanes to the UK during the lend-lease program starting in 1941. 4000 American GIs were stationed there at one time and over 10,000 airplanes landed there for refueling and then took off for the UK. Today there are 150 inhabitants with 0% unemployment. The former base now operates as an ice monitoring station and the airstrip which has been updated and enlarged is also the 2nd busiest airport in Greenland. There is also a crysolyte mine in the area which employs some of the residents. The old barracks still stand and have been converted into more useful buildings for the present day locals. One of the barracks is now Raven’s Bar which is highly prized and utilized. Others now are administrative buildings for the mining operation and for the ice monitoring office. The primary aircraft that fly regularly from this airstrip are helicopters bring supplies, mail, and transporting people as well. Our guide took us to what he considered to be the most important leftover from WWII days—the hospital. There is nothing left of that building now except a big stone chimney but our historian guide had several interesting things to say about it. The hospital began as a 10 bed facility but quickly grew to 250 beds. It was the first heated building in Greenland and housed casualties from the European Theater of Operations. Those men whose injuries could be successfully and quickly treated were returned to the front. Those who need longer and more sophisticated care were flown back to the US. However, one locked ward houses those men whose injuries were horrific and mutilating were kept there until they either died or recovered enough to be flown home in a condition that would not be shocking to the home front. In other words, propaganda dictated their medical services. The military was afraid that if the people at home saw how horribly its soldiers had been injured, morale would go down and support for the war effort would evaporate. Another interesting and distressing story our guide shared centered on the nurses who were based here. Usually there were at least 40 nurses on base for tours of duty of varying lengths. The sad fact he told us was that these brave and selfless women had to be guarded from the GIs stationed here. The little museum showed many pictures of life on the base during the war and there were many shots of parties and dances which both

sexes joined. However, these events were closely monitored by superior officers and the women could never leave the venues by themselves or even in small groups. They had to be closely protected in going to and fro from social gatherings and when going to work at the hospital. We just thought the #Me-too movement incidents started in more recent years. The US left the base to the Greenland government in 1958 even though the war had ended in 1945. Why so long? Because a base in Greenland was considered vital during the cold war days since it allowed easy monitoring of the Soviet activities in the Arctic regions. While Lois was visiting this remnant of World War II history, Kay elected to return with a guide to the nearby site of Leif Ericson’s first settlement in Greenland (Both of us had visited the site a few years before.) The Norse name of the tiny colony is Brattahlid and there have been several changes made in terms of creating copies of long houses and even the chapel that Eric’s wife requested. However, I saw those before anyway. The larger than life statue of Eric is still standing on the hill above the site.

Modern Church

Reproduction of Viking’s 11th Century Chapel 27

Reproduction of Viking Longhouse – Under the Green Netting

Longhouse Interior

Narsaq This charming town of 1300 people was important enough during World War II that the US provided food and other supply air drops to them while they were blockaded by the Nazis. Probably the most memorable building in town is the old red one labelled in very large letters A34. That was the spot the pilots looked for to begin dropping the supplies. The venerable building is still quite central to the Narsaq community life.

Our Greenlandic guide was eager to explain to us how close-knit this community remains. The lifestyle calls for fellowship and constant get-togethers. Everyone is supportive of everyone else whether in joy, troubles, sorrows. And believe it or not, A34 is still a focal meeting point as it has morphed into a cozy pub where many community activities transpire. Even dancing can break out in this crowded space. Singing and reading poems are regular occurrences. Important dates are celebrated here.

We met three young girls as we walked around town— they were 12, 10 and 8 and their English was surprising fluent. They told us that had been studying the language since Grade 3. They were outgoing and wanted to talk with us. Other locals we met were equally friendly and outgoing. Though it was cold land overcast during most of our visit, the atmosphere of the little town was decidedly warm and positive. We were shown government administrative buildings, the school, the cemetery, the slaughter house (only big job source in the community) and their pretty church.

Greenland is partially self-governing (internal affairs) but all foreign diplomacy and trade is controlled by Denmark, the island’s owner. Denmark supports the island monetarily and as we learned just recently, the island is NOT for sale. Because of this support, medical and dental care and education from Pre-K through University are free for the Greenlanders. University education requires that students go either to Denmark or to the Greenland Capital, Nuuk. However, there is a culinary school in Narsaq and we saw the educational facilities as well as the dormitories for the students. Greenlanders look like happy people and their many-colored buildings reflect that spirit.

SEA DAYS AND A HURRICANE We left Greenland and headed for Newfoundland knowing that we had two sea days to cover the distance. We had been feeling much relieved because we knew that Florida had been spared Dorian’s winds and we had not yet realized how much damage he had done in the Bahamas. So we were looking forward to interesting lectures, downtime for reading and writing, and even looking at a little television news (that that is rarely relaxing). So during this time at sea, we realized that Dorian was now apparently taking aim at some Floridians who had escaped. The ship captain and our EL, Brent, worked together to figure out how to keep Le Champlain away from Dorian. As mentioned before, the captain decided to outrun the still slow-moving storm and get us into the Gulf of St. Lawrence before Dorian overtook us. And he was successful and we had no more worries about the hurricane. Next stop for us was another Viking settlement site.

NEWFOUNDLAND L’Anse Aux Meadows Lockdown After two days at sea with overcast skies, rain, cold, wind and sometimes rowdy seas, the whole ship’s complement was looking forward to being on land again. Our interest in the Viking Site had been piqued by the lecturers so we were eager to explore this historical site: the only authenticated Viking settlement in North America. The anchor was dropped outside the little town of St. Anthony where we would get on the ship’s tenders to get into port. The earlier projected landing site had proven to be too windy, too rough, and too far away from our destination to make it feasible—it would have been a very long and very bumpy Zodiac ride. School buses were waiting to take us on the 50 minute drive to the UNESCO site. It took three vehicles to transport us all and that information will prove significant in the story of our visit. Kay and I were in Bus #3 (that’s important too). The drive up the coast proved to be entertaining as we passed through colorful little coastal villages and picturesque

coastline views. When we reached the National Park, we were ushered into the Visitor’s Center and asked to go into the theater for a documentary on this site called “Completing the Circle.” The premise of the program was that mankind had started out of Africa and spread all over the world and that the Vikings of Europe met the aboriginal people out of Asia here at L’Anse aux Meadows, completing the circle of human migration. About halfway through the movie, a tall park ranger entered the room, turned off them movie and asked us to quietly file out of the theater and follow him across the lobby. Like dutiful tourists, we all complied and we were walking into the labyrinthine corridors of the administrative part of the Visitor Center. We were told that we were on “lockdown” because there was an active shooter in the area. We were not allowed to open any windows and the area became hot and stuffy as the majority of us stood (there was no place to sit) and waiting for further information. At one point, the ranger returned with an announcement that we must continue waiting for the episode to be concluded. At that point, he found some chairs for the people who were finding the prolonged time standing almost impossible to continue and then he left again. Still no word on what was happening outside the Visitor Center. Finally, the man came back and asked if anyone needed to use the restroom. A few of us raised our hands and we were escorted through some more long hallways until we reached the appropriate facilities. Back to the hallway after that relief to await more news. We spent about an hour in lock-down and then we were finally released and asked to return to the theater where we could finish the movie. They asked us not to linger in the lobby but to head right into the theater. After seeing the documentary in its entirety, we were told we could go out into the lobby and look around but we could not leave the Visitor’s Center. That’s when we realized, as we looked out the big windows into the Park itself that many people were already wandering around, peering into the exhibits and going inside some of the buildings which were reproductions of what the Vikings probably built during their time here. We looked at one another in rather irritate surprise, wondering why we were the only ones locked-down. The other two busloads from our ship were among the people already exploring the site. What the heck was going on? Just before we were ready to rebel against our “captivity,” the ranger told us that the mentally unstable “tourist” had been apprehended without injury to anyone including himself. We also learned that he had never had a gun but was instead brandishing a knife and threatening people in one of the small villages we had passed on our journey 33

here. (We were never informed about the tourist’s country of origin.) We were still detained because we had to wait for the RCMP to arrive at the Visitor Center to release us. That meant another 30 or so minutes still unable to explore the Park. (Kay and I were very relieved that we had already been here a few years ago.) Finally, the RCMP arrived and let us go into the Park. The ranger in the Visitor Center apologized to us and explained that the protocol established for these situations was that only the RCMP could declare the event concluded. The whole thing seemed crazy to us since the deranged person was never near enough to the Park to menace any visitors. However, he had jumped into a car and fled the original scene and no one knew exactly where he was. So . . . But we still wondered why all the people already out and about in the Park had not been rounded up for their safety—we never got an answer to that query. What really bothered those in our bus was the fact that when we were finally released we had only 30 minutes to explore this very large Park since we had to get back to the ship on time for departure from the mooring site. Kay and I raced from one exhibit or building as fast as we could, but there was certainly no time to linger long enough to read any of the educational materials.

We saw the reproduction of a Viking Ship that is now housed in a typical Viking structure and learned that a rich Canadian had commissioned the project and then sailed it from Lans Aux Meadow to Greenland to prove that the Vikings could have done the trip themselves. The ship is called “Snorri” and there is a documentary on the ship and the journey if you care to “Google” it. It weighs 30 tons and we could not imagine how the original sailors could have loaded it with their animals, food supplies, and everything else they needed and still retain enough “free board” to keep the ship from overturning or swamping.

In some of the areas, there were re-enactors dressed in presumably period costumes demonstrating various skills the settlers would have commanded: cooking, weaving, sewing clothing, iron working, shipbuilding, fishing, farming and tending sheep and goats.

The day was one of the best weatherwise and we did enjoy walking (or rather, dashing) through the Park and smelling the fresh vegetation and feeling the sun on our faces. Still a little chilly but the big blue sky overhead made up for that slight negative. So now we are convinced that Leif Ericsson did reach the New World first and that his landing was here in Newfoundland or Vinland (as he named it for the grape-like fruits he saw growing there).

On our drive back to St. Anthony, a very loud alarm went off in our bus. Now we are all wondering “What Next?!” The driver went to the side of the road and conducted a search to see what the matter was. Finally, he returned to his seat and told us that the back door had been closed firmly and that caused the alarm. We were relieved to board the tender and return to Le Champlain.

Norris Point The day after our really fraught day found us in Bonne Bay at Norris Point still in Newfoundland. The tiny town is really build around a Marine Research center where conservation studies are ongoing regarding the health of this bay which has been overfished in the past. There is a small visitor’s center where some of us went to see the creatures being studied and to learn about the research projects being carried out. Lois went on this excursion which was led by the female head of the facility. She happily showed us many of the creatures (in tanks) that are being studied and was pleased to be able to report that the findings about life cycles, reproductive activities are bearing fruit and the Bay is being rehabilitated through legal time frames for fishing for various creatures and for restoring the health of the bottom of the bay—thus restricting certain kinds of fishing methods and gear. Meanwhile, Kay elected to join the excursion to the Lobster Cove Head Light House. This facility functioned from 1898 until the 1970s when it was decommissioned and donated to Parc Canada as a historical and architectural treasure. It is now part of the Gros Morne National Park complex as is the Norris Point township and aquarium.

Gros Morne National Park Because of the detours and course changes executed by the ship’s captain in order to avoid Dorian who was still pursuing us, we had a very few minutes to explore this geologically significant area of the world. Actually, we went on the shortest ever tour of this world wonder—30 minutes! The young guides were told that we were under a really restricted time schedule and worked feverishly to give us the basic information about the park’s importance. (Again, K & I were relieved that we had enjoyed much longer explorations with guides in this area since this was our third visit here). But we also regretted the truncated visit for our fellow passengers for whom this was to be an exciting experience. So why is Gros Morne a UNESCO world heritage site? Truth is—because of the geology primarily. The park is big (697 square miles) and contains many different types of scenery and landforms: mountains, fjords, lakes, boreal forest and the most visited—the Table Lands. It is that barren desert-like terrain that confirmed the theory of plate tectonics. The sandy and rocky terrain is a rusty red color because of the iron content. There are very few plants that can survive in this area filled mainly by “peridotite” rocks which lack the nutrients plants require to thrive. Furthermore, the rocks are even toxic to life. More than 4 million years ago, tectonic plates collided in this area and huge swaths of oceanic floor were forced to the surface of the earth. When hiking in the Table Lands, the walker is actually treading this material from the earth’s mantle layer. Swells in the land are the remnants of oceanic underwater landslides on the ancient sea bottom. Even the surrounding mountains in this area are the result of that titanic collision of the plates. Gros Morne is one of a very few places on earth where this action can be seen on the earth’s surface. Layers of rock at the bottom the Grand Canyon (called Vishnu Schist) are as ancient but they had to be carved into by the Colorado River over millions of years to be exposed. Gros Morne’s ancient rocks are right underfoot.

CANADA: QUEBEC PROVINCE Havre St. Pierre This small town is located in Quebec on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River and it was our next landing after our last encounter with Dorian which proved to be a nonevent. We were able to draw right up to the town dock so no Zodiac riding was necessary. We had elected to take the excursion to the Innu peoples’ reserve north of the city. In Canada, the indigenous people are called First Nations and their home areas are called reserves (not reservations). The bus ride from the town center took about 40 minutes.

We were met by 3 ladies in the Cultural Center. One of them was the matriarch of the tribe and thus had considerable power, knowledge, and wisdom. She spent considerable time showing us the many medicines that the plants on the reserve can be used to create for specific complaints—like stomach problems, itches, colds and fevers. She also demonstrated some items like hand creams, cleansers, insect repellents that can be produced using the plants all around the people.

Next a man discussed with us some aspects of the Innu culture’s spirituality, customs and origin stories. He demonstrated the importance of the drum in the culture’s rituals for marriage, births and deaths as well as general worship. He sang a couple of songs in the Innu language and translated the words for us. Then a young French archeologist entered the center and proceeded to tell us at some length about the various projects he is leading in the area, pursuant to understanding the ancient history of these peoples. He is looking for links with these peoples and other tribes in Canada as well as the USA and Russia, searching for migration patterns and encounters. Following that lecture, we were treated some Innu snacks. There were cookie-like items made with blueberries and apples that grow in this area. We were offered some bread with jams made with berries from the area. Then we had small pieces of smoked salmon to try—rather dry, but not bad in flavor. Lastly, we were invited to try “Labrador Tea.” This drink is brewed from the plant of the same name but I was unable to drink any of it beyond a single sip—not a good flavor at all for me.

Next the directress came back out and with the help of the male drummer, she performed a blessing ceremony for us. This entailed her creating smoke from some plant materials which she wafted around and among us using a very large wing feather, probably from an eagle, while she chanted words in Innu and the drummer kept up a cadence for. We were told that the blessing was for good health and safe travels. How kind and thoughtful was that?!

Following the blessing, we were invited to tour the Roman Catholic Church a few steps away along with the local cemetery. The church is different in that elements of the Innu beliefs are intertwined in the decorations of the church along with more typical Christian iconography. For instance, the stained glass windows had the faces of the Innu people in them rather stylized Biblical figures. A ceremonial drum was given a prominent place on the altar. In the foyer of the church was a totemic statue of Christ that was quite unusual.

The cemetery was also different in that the headstones were actually works of art; for instance the headstone for a child was decorated with a teddy bear. The headstone of a fisherman was a carving of his face and the tools of his trade while the other half was waiting for his wife for elements of her life to be entered on the stone. Rather endearing really.

The townspeople of Havre St. Pierre gave us quite a send-off as we pulled away from the dock. They blew car and truck horns, sang and waved flags. Our ship answered with a booming foghorn blast. A really nice visit to a special place indeed.

Perce What a spectacular entrance to this lovely touristy town! We awoke to clear skies and calm seas, after a couple of days of very different conditions. We sailed around beautiful Bonaventure Island, gateway to Perce. There were multicolored cliffs with 60,000 Northern Gannet pairs squawking a noisy welcome (at least we took it that way)!

They were flying around us, decorating the ledges, sitting on the water surface, and some on nests as far as we could tell from our distance. The cliff faces show pinks and ochres with occasional patches of green where plant life could get a foothold. There were darker patches of browns and evens blacks, most sporting white streaks of guano. Between the sky and the water higher up the slopes were forested areas of dark green trees forming a 46

protective barrier to the whole scene. Meanwhile, all the way to the top of the ledges was a white necklace of the snowy gannets. Little wispy clouds were a wonderful contrast to the really threatening ones we had been seeing. We were happy to be getting to Perce. But first loomed the iconic Perce Rock—a large seastack bisected by a natural arch. Very impressive. Pictures are better, but here are the dimensions anyway. The rock is 1,421 feet long, 300 feet wide, & 289 feet high. The arch itself is 49 feet high. It’s one of the world’s largest natural arches in water. It is formed of limestone and shale and it contains 150 fossils of different species. Needless to say, it is a magnet for photographers wanting to catch it in different lights, under varying skies, and at many angles.

Kay chose the excursion that took her to edge of Bonaventure Island so she could capture the antics of the Northern Gannets. She was surprised at how unconcerned the ones nesting on the top of the cliff were with people walking so close to them and their chicks. At the site were a café, picnic tables and a blind (totally unnecessary as it turned out).

Off the boat and starting up the one-hour long path to the other side of the island to get to the nesting area.

A matched pair with their fuzzy chicks. Lois selected the excursion called Highlights of Perce, especially because it included a walk to a glass pier hanging 656 ft. over a forest. It was exciting but pictures were impossible because of the reflections that prevented the camera from seeing through the glass. Perce is an attractive little town that has a year-round population of 500 which swells to 3000 during tourist season. It is filled with picturesque boutique hotels, amusing souvenir shops, cafes and bars everywhere interspersed along the waterfront and on the main street. At the far end of the walk stands St. Michael’s Church (Roman Catholic) from 1900. Then we visited Dawn’s Peak (first place the sunlight brightens in the morning) and the view over the water was beautiful. But more exciting to see were the two cavorting harbor seals directly under our lookout and watching the two Peregrine Falcons sky-diving above our heads. I really enjoyed the last stop on my selection: The UNESCO Global Geo Park. It reminded me of Perlan in Reyjavik in its innovative use of technology and the clever and entertaining way both adults and children were taught about the surreal geology & nature all around them. We were given entry cards, about the size of Tarot cards, which contained a QRS code which were to be inserted into the various exhibits to see them

come alive and provide signage explaining what was presented. The whole exhibit was in the dark except for lights shining on different displays. For instance, one exhibit was a large shiny egg-shaped rock. When the right card was inserted, the egg lighted up and the sound of tapping came from inside. Then a little whole appeared in the rock and soon a tiny beak protruded from the whole. Finally the just “born” Northern Gannet chick emerged. The writing appeared on the egg describing the life cycle of that bird present on the cliffs around Perce. Suddenly the sounds of thunder and crashing rocks called the visitor over to a large movie screen and the theory of plate tectonics was presented visually and in writing. Another exhibit depicted how a waterfall is created. Really an excellent museum for the community and all the tourists.

Sept-Iles Another Canadian city on the St. Lawrence, but this one is very different from the smaller towns we have visited. It is primarily an industrial community with a good port for shipping out the products. Iron, aluminum and fishing are the chief industries. 20,000 thousand white Canadians and 23,000 Innu people live in this city, their living areas sit side by side rather than being blended. The city has all the usual attractions of a larger city: Starbucks, McDonald’s, Tim Horton’s, movie theaters, restaurants, office complexes with residential areas surrounding the downtown. The facilities of Sept-Iles are not apparently segregated even though the residential compounds most certainly are. When Jacques Cartier first explored the area in 1535, he counted 7 islands, and called area 7 isles. When he came back in 1651 he could only find 6 islands. What happened to number 7, no one knows, but the original name stuck. This was not a real tourist town, but there was one attraction here that we visited—a reconstructed Hudson Bay Company Trading Post. The day was one of the prettiest we enjoyed with bright sunshine, blue skies and very mild temps, so it was a good day to wander through the various buildings and listen to the re-enactors stationed in them: warehouses, residences, the stores, chapel, craft workshops, barns, stockade fences, the Guard Gates, and the Innu encampment.

As we drove away from the Outpost, we saw many fishing boats up in dry docks. Our guide explained that fishing is only done in the warmer months due to regulations on various species of fish and other marine creatures. So the fishing vessels spend the winter on land; repairs and maintenance can be accomplished during that season. The season for “going down to the sea in ships” doesn’t happen until May. We were taken to a beach on the St. Lawrence River where we had a short walk and a chance the touch the water. It was chilly but not frigid. However, have to admit no one was in the water, until our guide and one of the Le Champlain naturalists decided to take the plunge. They certainly didn’t appear very comfortable as they emerged from the gentle wavelets.

Something very exciting and also ironic occurred as we got back on board and started out for our next stop. An announcement was heard throughout the ship that a whale had been spotted very near the ship. Again, the wild race to the open decks ensued. By the time we arrived on Deck 5, the naturalists had determined that our sighting was of a blue whale—largest creature on the planet! Of course, it is never easy to photograph whales because, like icebergs, so much of the bulk is under the water. Nonetheless, cameras were clicking and smart cards inserted into iPads and iPhones. When we returned to our cabin, we immediately wanted to see how much of the whale Kay had captured on her camera. Surprise, surprise: she had no card in her camera. So we will

just have to be happy with the fact that this is the 2nd blue whale we have seen in all our travels. Awesome experience even if not recorded for proof.

Saguenay Town & Fjord National Park Our last day of the trip dawned the exact opposite of our lovely day in Sept-Iles. It was grey, rainy, blustery and penetratingly cold. As it should have been because today (9/11) is one of the saddest days in the USA’s history. It rained harder off and on both as we drove almost an hour from the dock to the park and during our really big zodiac ride. When we reached the park, we walked a little less than a mile to the loading dock for the park’s zodiac launch. Even though these zodiacs were bigger than any we had ever seen, it took of them to carry all of us who had opted for this excursion. Bulky life equipment, called “float coats,” were distributed to us and then we walked out on the pier to board our vessels. The coats are uncomfortable but necessary according to park regulations. The coats were stiff and almost impossible to move about inside nor was it possible to move your arms or even change position on the boat. But even though we felt pinioned all the time, the heavy coats did keep us warm and dry.

After that complaint, I will admit that the zodiac cruise was spectacular even though the rain kept falling. The cliffs were sheer and majestic and we were told that in some spots in the fjord we were floating over 2,953 of feet of water. The first 16 ft. of water is fresh overlying the salty waters from the Atlantic Ocean brought in by the St. Lawrence River. Because the sky was so dark and threatening, the water in the fjord stayed steely gray in appearance. Wisps of fog crept around the fjord occasionally almost blocking our views of the tremendous cliffs. Tumbling down the faces of the cliffs were many waterfalls, some merely lacy threads and others large and tumultuous. At one point when we were pretty much blinded by the rain and fog, we round a bend and saw a large white statue standing on one of the high ledges of a cliff. As the view become clearer, we could see that it is a statue of Mother Mary almost at the point where the Saguenay fjord and the St. Lawrence River. The guide informed us that she is covered with lead and therefore impervious to the harsh weather conditions in the park. Some of the fjord walls boasted dark green trees growing in their cracks and crevices and some of those surrounded the stark white statue.

Over 70 species of fish live in the fjord including Greenland sharks (a deep water species) a well as Beluga and Minke whales. Kay and I were not lucky enough to see any wildlife on this cruise but some folks saw a snow goose and a bald eagle. We figured the wildlife was smarter than crazy tourists who insist on exploring in such nasty weather. The only thing we learned about the city of Saguenay: it is a center of ice fishing during the long winter months. The frozen river extends the size of the city and a temporary town is built on the frozen surface. The spaces between the ice huts are named streets and the city government keeps them plowed. The ice is thick enough that cars and trucks can be driven out to the fishing huts. It might sound like fun to folks who like snow and ice, but to us Florida girls winter does not sound attractive at all and it is soooo long here. As we left the dock in Saguenay, we came upon a pod of Beluga whales in front of the ship. Though they were not very close to the ship, the sighting was such a treat to the passengers who had never those lovely white floating marshmallows playing in the water.

CONCLUSION We sailed through the night to reach Quebec City, the termination point of the trip. Kay and I had visited this lovely Frenchy city in the past, so we were hustled off the ship fairly early and taken to the airport for our flight back to Jacksonville. Despite Dorian and his threat, the often nasty weather and the fact that we had previously visited many of the sites, we enjoyed this Zegrahm trip very much. Why? The scenery was magnificent, the expedition staff and the lecturers were excellent, the ship was comfortable, the crew was dedicated to our comfort and enjoyment, the food was tasty and varied, and we saw new things even in the sites we had seen before: particularly Perlan—the wonders of Iceland, the west coast of Greenland (Narsaq especially), and Gros Morne National Park. One relevant drawback: While Le Champlain is a beautiful ship, we were quite disappointed with our cabin. It appeared to be a cabin for a single traveler and was much too small for two people. If one person was sitting on the very small and strangely shaped sofa, she would have to get up and move if the other person wanted to walk to 55

the other side of the room! Luckily for us, there were some empty cabins and we were able to upgrade to something more appropriate for two people. Otherwise, this was another very worthwhile trip with our favorite travel company— Zegrahm!