Saguenay: Definitely Graffiti-Inspired

Tattoo of our bus driver in Saguenay

If there was one unusual place we visited on our Canada New England repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal, it was Saguenay, Quebec.
First of all, I was fascinated by the tattoo of our bus driver shown above, and his tattoo kind of set the tone for the entire day. Just kind of weird and bizarre, but interesting.

Our guide at the goat farm

Besides the eery tattoo, we went to visit a goat farm. To me, the goats looked like sheep. But when I came back, I looked up the information on these guys and they were definitely goats. They are goats with mohair. Guess I learn something new every day.

Goats that look like sheep to me

The baby goats

It was a bizarre day all around. We went to a presentation at a small museum to see how fjords form. It was like going to a school room from the 1950s where they tried to be space age. Very odd. Then off to the  Le Chevrier du Nord goat farm, and after a musuem that we saw the works of Arthur Villeneuve. He was an eccentric man who painted the outside and inside of his house with tons of murals. I will do a separate post on him. He became quite famous and traveled all over the world. 

Goat Hair, Mohair, and Angora

Goat farm

Le Chevier du Nord goat farm was one destination on our Best of Saguenay tour. What I noticed right away was how dirty the "sheep" looked and how wide set were their eyes. 

at Le Chevier du Nord

They are really very bizarre looking creatures, quite large and really look like sheep to me. I had never seen a goat like this before, but they are goats. They are goats that produce a beautiful mohair that can be made in to angora garments, including sweaters and boots.

the goats

As I said, they are quite dirty but very cute and quite friendly. We walked through the process of how they sheer the goats and finally make their wool in to wonderful sweaters, coats and other garments.

You can find out more information about this lovely, family run business here.

Canada Once Again, Oh My

Mahone Bay

The main thing I remember from my Canada New England cruise two years ago was how cold I was the whole time I was there. I did a repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal, and I loved it. I especially loved the ports in Nova Scotia and Quebec. But in Gaspe for example, there was still snow on the ground and ice in the streams. I want to go back next year. But this time, I prefer to visit a little later in the spring, almost summer.

Needed hat and gloves

So the itinerary I want to do goes to many of the same ports, but I plan to do different tours. For example, at Quebec City, I plan to go to St. Anne de Beaupre shrine. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world. If you want to know more about it, click here. 

Statue in Old Montreal

I hope to stay at the same hotel in Montreal. It was one of my favorite hotels in all the world. Le Saint Sulpice located behind the Cathedral in Old Montreal.

A fabulous hotel in Old Montreal

Perce and Sweet Lorraine

Sweet Lorraine

I have taken my share of shore excursions on cruises. Most I barely remember the guide, typically being mildly aggravated by how much they talk and how little I will remember later. There were quite a few exceptions my last cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal on the Holland America Veendam. One great exception was the "Best of Perce" tour with our guide, Lorraine - and our bus driver, Frank.

On the way to Perce

We could not have had a lousier day weather-wise. It was cold with snow still on the ground in spots. The wind was whipping and it rained off and on. But in the toasty bus with Lorraine's anecdotes and Frank checking that we were warm enough, it felt like a day out with family. Lorraine is from the area around Gaspe and Perce, Quebec. She grew up there and then moved to the big city of Montreal and lived there for 40 years, working for a bank until she retired. Then she and her husband moved back to where they grew up.

Bleak day between Gaspe and Perce

Seen with rain through the bus window

Now she works as a tour guide some days, and on the other days, she shuffles seniors to their doctor's appointments and brings them home from the hospital. She is one of the kindest people I have ever met. 

in Perce

Frozen waterfalls

Even with the bad weather, the tour was terrific. We got to see frozen waterfalls and the rock at Perce. We ate lunch at a little restaurant by the boat dock of Perce, and I was ever so grateful I wasn't doing the tour on the boat that day.

Boat by the restaurant where we ate

Cute souvenirs in the one shop that was open

The town of Perce is tiny. Since it was before season opened up, there was only one souvenir shop open. But the trip there and back, with the lovely lunch and Sweet Lorraine, made the day go by fast. It was a delight!