Joan and I had booked a trip with Natural Habitat Adventures, NatHab, to visit Quebec and the Saint Lawrence Estuary, with an emphasis on whale watching. Our journey began on September 18, 2023, but only after another airline adventure.
Our flights were from Columbus to/from Québec City, with a connection in Toronto. United was our flight to/from Toronto, and, booked as part of the United reservation, Air Canada to/from Québec City. Two weeks before departure, Joan logged in to see if any schedule changes had occurred. Lo and behold, the Air Canada flight to Québec City from Toronto had disappeared. Nobody had notified us. United would take us to Toronto, leave us there to hitchhike to Québec City, and then return us to Columbus! Joan called United, and their first suggestions were not helpful: arriving at the Québec City airport at 10pm does not work when the orientation dinner for the trip takes place in town at 5pm! Finally, United came up with a connection through Newark on our way out, and Toronto on the way back.
September 18
Newark was surprisingly uncrowded on this Monday. During the flight to Quebec, we met two women on the other side of the aisle who would also be on our adventure. In the arrivals lobby, there was a shuttle driver with a sign that displayed not "NatHab," but the women's names. Joan and I joined them!
After dropping off our luggage at the Hotel Le Germain Québec, Joan and I had the afternoon to explore parts of the old city of Québec. The sky was cloudy with threats of rain from the outwash of Hurricane Lee, but the downpours weren't to arrive before the next day. We took a long walk and saw the Basilica-Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Québec, Montmorency Park National Historical Site, and others, including a chocolate shop with a chocolate museum. As is my unfortunate habit, I neglected to take photos on this arrival day, but here are a few snatched from Google StreetView. (Thank you, Google.) One side effect of this technique is that the weather appears better than it was!
First, the Basilica-Cathedral. (Click on any image to enlarge.)
The famous hotel Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac.The chocolate bonanza.Two images of the Promenade des Gouverneurs which, clinging to the heights, yielded ever-changing views of the St. Lawrence.It was not all flat.Joan and I also enjoyed going down the funicular Vieux-Québec, an electric cableway built in 1879. Here's a view of the petite top station.And a look from below.Then it was time for our welcome dinner at the hotel, where we met our fellow travelers and our guides, Julia and Jackie, sketched out our plans and gauged our interests.
September 19
The next morning was grayer than before. Here's a picture of the Séminaire de Québec taken from our hotel room window.Shifting the image, we can see that real estate is maximized on the lower level of the city by constructing rooftop gardens, patios, and such.Then we hit the road, traveling northeast out of the city towards Tadoussac, where we would spend the next two nights, focused on whale-watching.However, the weather was getting worse, with wind and rain, so after consulting by phone with the whale-watching outfit (Essipit Whale Watching Tours, an indigenous-owned company), our guides pivoted. On arriving at Tadoussac, we visited the Interpretation Centre on Marine Mammals instead, a short walk from the Hotel Tadoussac. Our whale-watching tours were reduced from three to two, but we all agreed it was the best course.
The Interpretation Centre has many hands-on exhibits, an exclusive film (in French with subtitles), and a fantastic collection of whale skeletons, from the smallest creature to the largest.One such is an example of whale baleen, the method by which grazing whales feed.After taking a big gulp of the sea, the whale expels the water, but food items such as krill are caught in the baleen and swallowed. Our group agreed that this museum visit was a wonderful orientation before the upcoming whale-watching.
These first two days were on the move, but tomorrow our group will focus on whale and walking adventures.
Our other zodiac.
The broad channel (about 25 km / 15.5 mi. ) hosts ocean-going cargo and tour ships here and deeper into Quebec.
Sometimes the whales surfacebarely enough to exhale and get some air.
A dive begins with an arcing posture.
More whale pictures will arrive in the next blog post.
This bay is well known as a place where female beluga whales and their calves spend time.
Admiring the wildlife at the visitor's center (closed).
The trail from the visitor's center crossed a river feeding into the bay.
The route wandered gently down towards the Saguenay, past old structures and campgrounds. We arrived at a point looking across the bay, joining other onlookers. However, it was late in the season for belugas.
A research vessel passed by.
After our tromp back to the visitor's center, it was time to return to our lodgings at the Hotel Tadoussac. (This photo is from the next morning, when the light was better.)
