14-night From The St Lawrence To Greenland, The Last Moments Of Winter Cruise

Montréal is truly an experience: old world charm, French joie de vivre and a modern style all its own. Montreal is a stunning city to visit and there is so much to see. Along the St. Lawrence River many people come to take a horse-drawn calèche ride through cobbled streets for romantic moments. Just miles away are the skyscrapers of the city as they tower above the city’s businesses and restaurants. Montreal is the world’s second largest French-speaking City. It's top ten attractions are: The Biosphere, Old Montreal, Biodome de Montreal, Musee d'Art Contemporain, Montreal Botanical Gardens, Chinatown, Notre-Dame Basilica, Insectarium, Cours Mont-Royal, and the Canadian Centre for Architecture.

Destination Guide

Enjoy a cruise along one of this country's most historic waterways. With the craggy mountains as a backdrop, the ever changing tapestry of foliage along the riverbank is a sight you will remember forever.

Cruising

The Saguenay region of Quebec is most known for its distinctive geological features. Here you can visit Le Monde Enchante, a park with waterfalls, covered bridges and gazebos overlooking the Saguenay River. The fjords, mountains, waterfalls and the beautiful village of Petit-Saguenay attract visitors from all over. Visiting the New French Village, one can experience what life was like when this area was first settled by French explorers. Among museums in the area are the glass art factory, the Cheddar Cheese Museum and the Zoo Saint Felicien.

Cruising

The picturesque town of Gaspe is situated on the rugged eastern coast of the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec Province. The peninsula forms the southern entrance to the St Lawrence River and is dominated by forested ranges of the Appalachian Mountains, such as the Chic-Chocs (also called Shickshock) Mountains, in the northern interior, which include one of the Gaspé's loftiest points, Mount Jacques-Cartier (4,160 ft). The peninsula has numerous rivers and lakes and large areas of wilderness, which afford excellent opportunities for hunting and fishing. The peninsula has several large parks, notably Forillon National Park, on the eastern coast, and Gaspésie Provincial Park, in the Chic-Chocs. Iroquoian-speaking tribes were living on the Gaspé Peninsula when the French explorer Jacques Cartier landed there in 1534. The Micmac tribe inhabited the peninsula by the 1600s. The peninsula is probably named after a Micmac word meaning "land's end".

Destination Guide

The picturesque town of Gaspe is situated on the rugged eastern coast of the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec Province. The peninsula forms the southern entrance to the St Lawrence River and is dominated by forested ranges of the Appalachian Mountains, such as the Chic-Chocs (also called Shickshock) Mountains, in the northern interior, which include one of the Gaspé's loftiest points, Mount Jacques-Cartier (4,160 ft). The peninsula has numerous rivers and lakes and large areas of wilderness, which afford excellent opportunities for hunting and fishing. The peninsula has several large parks, notably Forillon National Park, on the eastern coast, and Gaspésie Provincial Park, in the Chic-Chocs. Iroquoian-speaking tribes were living on the Gaspé Peninsula when the French explorer Jacques Cartier landed there in 1534. The Micmac tribe inhabited the peninsula by the 1600s. The peninsula is probably named after a Micmac word meaning "land's end".

Destination Guide

Cruising

Qaqortoq means "The White Place", and the town is the educational and cultural center of Southern Greenland. The sheep farms give this part of Greenland special character. Qaqortoq has a sculpture park "Stone and Man" made by 18 Nordic sculptors. The result is 24 sculptures and reliefs spread all over town. Greenland's only public fountain is in the town square. The square is the historical part of town, with many buildings from colonial times and a museum concentrating on Greenlandic culture, the Norse period and the history of Qaqortoq. Close to the square is "Brædtet" market where local fishermen and hunters sell the days catch. There are 2 churches in town; "Frelserens" from 1832 and "Gertrud Raschs" from 1973. "Frelserens" hans the lifebuoy and memorial tablet with the names of those missing from M/S Hans Hedtoft, which went down in January 1959. "Gertrud Raschs" has one of Greenlands most beautiful altar pieces made by artist Maria Haagen-Müller.

Since Narsarsuaq means 'great plain', it stands to reason South Greenland's international airport is here. The ice cap is about three to four hours away on foot - and a beautiful hike away through lush 'Flower Valley'. The ice can also be experienced by sailing to Qooroq Fjord where boats sail close to the glacier, which occasionally sends gigantic icebergs into the water. Narsarsuaq offers a beautiful view of Qassiarsuk sheep farms. To this day ruins from the Norse era are clearly visible, as are elegant reconstructions of Erik's farmstead and Thjodhildur's Church. Many stay at them during hiking trips, horseback rides and angling trips in the area. Itilleq is one hour by boat from Narsarsuaq to the south-east. From here it is a short walk to the settlement of Igaliku. The Norse named the locality Gardar, and an Episcopal residence was founded here in 1126. The ruins of the cathedral and bishop's place have been renovated in recent years, and today constitute a beautiful memorial to Greenland's Norse Era.

In September 2005, an American Explorer, Dennis Schmitt, discovered an island off the coast of Greenland, Uunartoq Qeqertoq, Inuit for “warming island”. The island has always existed but covered by a glacier which melted exposing the island. On Uunartoq Island near the town are Inuit ruins from the 18th and 19th centuries, a nunnery and geothermal springs. Offshore are drifting icebergs and whales that frequent these waters.

Nuuk was founded by the unfailingly optimistic Hans Egede - the Danish missionary with soul-conversions on his mind - who promptly named the settlement Good Hope. Today Nuuk is small by modern standards, with a total population of only 14,000. Despite a wealth of land and a paucity of people, Nuuk has insisted on housing the population in immense apartment blocks with imaginative names like Blok P - a kind of Gulag on ice - and the urban sprawl is now spreading out along the road to the airport. Kolonihavnen is a pleasant exception to the rest of Nuuk's Lego-city look: it's a picturesque 18th-century fishing village in the heart of Nuuk and gives some idea of what the town looked like before the industrial harbour was built. Nuuk's real attraction lies in its proximity to any number of excellent day hikes into the hinterland and the fabulous views from the tops of the nearby mountains. Organised tours, boat trips and the rental of equipment is easier from the capital.