The Gulf of St. Lawrence contains more than shipwrecks and seals. Snug in the middle, in Canada’s province of Quebec, hunker a dozen sandy islets, six of which are linked by sand dunes. From north to south, they’re île de Grosse Île, Le Grand Entrée, tiny Île de la Pointe aux Loups, then Île du Havre aux Maisons, followed by bustling Île Du Cap aux Meules - the harbour and commercial centre, and lastly the Île Du Havre Aubert.

Incredibly, over 13,000 inhabitants call these dunes home. To 94% of them, their islands are the Madeleines. These are the French speaking “Madelinots’, descendents of the hardy Acadians who were once evicted from their mainland homes by the British. The other 6% know the islands as the Magdalenes, and are English-speaking; many of them are descendents of shipwrecked sailors. They’re found mainly on remote Entry Island, a forbidding, hilly island often cloaked in fog, and lying 16 frequently wave-tossed kilometres from the rest of the sandy archipelago. They’ve also settled on Le Grand Entrée island where the tiny settlement of Old Harry houses an even tinier museum of their history, in what was once the old schoolhouse. The museum is presided over by one of the school’s original students, Wynn Currie, a treasure trove of information, and an invaluable resource. (Little Red Schoolhouse photo here.)

Foggy, wind whipped and cool, sometimes even in summer, the Madeleines are a world apart, and getting to them slowly is the way we wanted to go. Thanks to the Vacancier, an intrepid ferry based in Montreal, we could keep our anticipation pleasurably on ice for several days. (Vacancier photo here.)

Seven years ago, the M.V. CTMA’s (Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien) City of Cork left its Irish port to churn down the Gulf of St. Lawrence to its new Montreal home, to be renovated and re-named the Vacancier and destined to travel a scenic three-day route from Montreal to Cap-aux-Meules (Cape of Grindstones) on the Madeleines.

Built in 1973, the 126-metre, car carrying, 12,000 ton vessel accommodates approximately 450 passengers in 220 cabins, and offers an exercise room, enormous cafeteria, formal dining room, screening room, bars, a tiny library, and a well stocked shop. What better way to reach a remote destination? Better yet, the vessel, which sails weekly, started offering ‘theme cruises’ in the shoulder seasons of June and September. We would have been content with any of the themes, but lucked out with our timing; we were on the gastronomic cruise. This meant we had to suffer through a 6-course dinner, formally served in the elegant dining room, with recommended wine pairings for each course.

A dinner like this you don’t hurry. We lingered for hours, while the courses glided toward us and the Vacancier glided under bridges, around sylvan headlands, and eventually nudged close to the Gaspé Peninsula’s famous offering, Percé Rock. While our server delivered the recommended wine for our lobster pâté with roe and sea asparagus, and we lapped up the passing scene, I couldn’t help thinking it would be hard to top this experience, and we weren’t even at the Madeleines yet. (Dinner – pate photo here.)

Earlier that day on board we had gone to a wine pairing demonstration by the visiting sommelier, and sampled several wines. Earlier that morning, we had been nibbling chocolate during the guest chef’s presentation on chocolate. A renowned pastry chef rounded out the VIP list. (Choc demo photo here.) Educational, fun, and relaxed, it was the perfect cruise. Although the other thematic cruises had also appealed to us, we now had to agree it would have been hard to top this one. (The choice was an Acadian heritage cruise that featured local music, foods and educational presentations; a birding cruise; a maritime history cruise; and even a cruise for musicians and bridge players! Check out the schedule on line.)

The majority of the passengers were along for the whole ‘Zen’; they were going to the Madeleines, and using the vessel as their hotel while they toured or explored the islands on their own for three days and two nights. They would then return on the same vessel, which stops regularly at Chandler and Quebec City, with lots of time for exploration and visiting the Plains of Abraham and famous Château Frontenac.

But we were renting a car and giving ourselves 10 days in the islands, taking the Vacancier back on its next trip. While we were reluctant to miss the return gourmet meal on board, it turned out the Madelinots wrote the book on ‘gourmet’. With the theme of ‘ the good fresh taste of the islands’, every restaurant and inn featured local delectibles like smoked herring, lobster, scallops, shrimp, mussels, local beers, veggies, fruits, preserves, organic artisan breads, and even wine and an incredible raspberry liqueur. (Brightly coloured homes photo here.)


Rainbow-coloured houses vying for the attention of agape tourists, more sandy beaches than you could tuck into a lifetime, red cliffs bleeding into the surf, the vast expanse of St. Lawrence-flavoured ocean stretching endlessly in between curlycues of fog; tiny fishing harbours where lobster boats also often vied for attention with colours and names that caught the eye, there was much to fill our ten days. Car rental was not too expensive, and a nice surprise was that gasoline prices were nearly the same as Vancouver’s, which meant we didn’t have to curtail our explorations due to budget concerns. The Madeleines have more restaurants than islets of 13,000 had any right to, and we never found a mediocre one. We deliberately planned a June arrival, at the start of lobster season. Eastern Canadians believe that lobsters caught in Madeleine waters, which are rocky rather than muddy or sandy, are by far the tastiest. That could well be true; the crustaceans, usually killed only moments earlier, were way delicious, unfortunately for them. (Lobster photo here.)

Everywhere we looked lobster traps decorated the landscape, hanging out in the back yard, piled into boats, teetering alongside homes, and sometimes just crumbling on the shore. The fishermen, who only have 9 weeks to make their annual income, have long winter months in order to make and to repair their traps. (mouldering lobster traps photo here.)

Travellers have always recognized that Quebec province in Canada is a world apart from the rest of Canada, European in feel, sophistication and fine food. With its long history, different language and ornate buildings, Quebec feels like a part of Europe has broken off and drifted down the St. Lawrence, finally bumping into land.

The Madeleines may be in Quebec, but they are as different again.

While most of their tourists come from Quebec, the mainland Quebecois seemed to find the local’s French almost as confusing as we did. The Madelinots have been here for generations, bucking the usual North American trend of leaving home. The result is a slightly different accent and vocabulary, even from one tiny Madeleine Island to another. The islands’ culture and traditions are also different, based on the sea, the isolation and the history that has shaped these hardy people.

All this results in an experience that is unlike any other.

Trust me, staying aboard the Vacancier and heading back on the same vessel after three days in the Madeleines is just not the best way to see these islands. The archipelago may only stretch 65 kilometres, with about 100 kilometres of road, but you cannot see all the sights, sample all the ‘good fresh taste of the islands,’ and visit all their attractions in a mere three days.

Rent some bikes, for example, and spend some time in slow mode. For several days we did exactly that, and touring a small part of these largely flat islands. Unless you want a serious aerobic exercise, however, plan the trip in concert with the prevailing winds.

Not surprisingly, kite surfing is a very popular activity with youthful Madelinots, and watching them a popular activity with tourists. (Kite flying photo here.) Good old-fashioned kite sailing is another winner, and although the weather in early June was not warm enough for us to go swimming, locals assured us that the acres and acres of deserted sandy beaches are speckled with bathers in warm weather. On a hot summer day that has got to be paradise for beach bums and swimmers. (Beaches photo here.)

Kayak tours that explore the many caves and intriguing shorelines, are also a popular activity, or you can be a wimp as we were, and take a guided tour on a larger boat. Bird watching, long walks on the dunes, browsing through galleries, museums and tiny shops, listening to local music at the Café Grave, getting tickets to see the historical spectacle at La Grave, Mes Îles, mon pays, and visiting Le Site d’Autrefois, an outdoor historical adventure with a rollicking animation by owner Claude Bourgeois, are all must-dos. (L’Autrefois photo here.) We never ran out of steam until we heard the Vacancier’s blast announcing its next departure the following Tuesday night.

This wasn’t a trip; it was a kaleidoscope. Take it!

Sidebar:
French required? It’s always fun to try, but be assured most Madeleinots will speak English with a smile, especially in the hotels, inns, on the boat, and the restaurants.
Websites:
The Vacancier: www.ctma.ca <http://www.ctma.ca>
Hertz car rentals: http://www.hertz.ca
Madeleine Islands tourism: www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com <http://www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com>
Quebec Tourism: www.quebecmaritime.qc.ca <http://www.quebecmaritime.qc.ca>
No time for the Vacancier? Pity. Air Canada Jazz has regular flights from several Quebec cities: www.aircanada.com <http://www.aircanada.com>
Bike rentals: Le Pédalier: www.lepedalier.com/pages/j_c_rens.htm <http://www.lepedalier.com/pages/j_c_rens.htm>
Kayak and boat trips; Excursions en Mer Inc (link on the Madeleine Islands website above.)
Kite sales: Au Gré du Vent: (link on the Madeleine Islands site.)
Le Site De L’Autrefois (link on the Madeleine Islands site.)
Where to stay: (Photos here of Havre-sur-Mer and the old convent.) There probably isn’t a bad place to stay on these islands. From five star delights like Domaine du Vieux Couvent
www.domaineduvieuxcouvent.com <http://www.domaineduvieuxcouvent.com> or the elegant Havre-sur-Mer Auberge Sympathique www.havresurmer.com <http://www.havresurmer.com> or the stately historic hotel at La Grave, Chez Denis ‘a François. www.aubergechezdenis.ca <http://www.aubergechezdenis.ca>
A wonderful resort, La Salicorne, can be found at La Grand Entrée Island, which also includes guided activities with its lodging.
wwwsalicorne.ca/
In addition, there are lots of private bed and breakfasts, camping, and rustic family accommodation like the popular L’Istorlet, which features every imaginable water activity.