I didn’t really believe my friend when he told me, just before I left for a weekend of camping and kayaking in Les Bergeronnes in Côte-Nord: “You’ll see, you’ll hear the whales from your tent!” Fall colours were spreading across the Manicouagan landscape and all along the Whale Route, punctuating the boreal forest with golden hues.
Read MoreI’d been dreaming for a long time of spending the night in a lighthouse. A childhood dream, from another era... A dream of those lighthouses that have been the eyes of the St. Lawrence for decades and have so often prevented ships from crashing into reefs... Lighthouses and lightkeepers that were isolated and sometimes provided shelter to shipwreck survivors...
Read MoreThe sun was beaming when I arrived at the site of Croisières Essipit in Côte-Nord. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw people getting ready for our adventure by putting on warm pants, heavy sweaters and even windbreakers, just in case.
Read MoreJean-Pierre Sylvestre is a marine wildlife biologist and photojournalist, who divides his time between the St. Lawrence River, Argentina and Antarctica in pursuit of his passion: whales. We asked Jean-Pierre to share why he so loved spending his summers working as a guide on the Croisières AML whale-watching cruise ship based in Rivière-du-Loup. This is what he had to say.
Read MoreAll regions have their classic attractions as well as the ones you find by chance along the way. If, like me, you like having a few places to visit in mind, here are 6 in the Îles de la Madeleine that I highly recommend (other than the beaches, obviously!).
Read MoreI liked Pied-de-Vent long before I visited the Îles de la Madeleine for the first time in 2012—in fact, it’s one of my favourite Québécois cheeses. At that time, I was on a whirlwind trip and the boutique had been jam-packed with people. Three years later, the boutique was still busy, but this time, I made it into the inner sanctum, where the cheese is made and packaged.
Read MoreAll my senses had been awakened since I’d set foot on the Islands. The brick-red cliffs, the warm sand beneath my feet and a gentle breeze on my skin all confirmed that I was officially on vacation in one of the most beautiful parts of Québec.
Read MoreWhen I think of the Îles de la Madeleine, the wind is present in all of my memories. Strong winds and gentle breezes... Winds that gust and winds that caress the skin... Winds that lift skirts and snatch at hair pieces... Winds that change the landscape, even.
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