Louisbourg and Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, 9/14/2024, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Canada
This morning as we explored Louisbourg Fortress, we met various people from the 18th century who helped us understand what life was like in this city within a fort. A pleasant bus ride took us to Baddeck on the shores of Great Bras d’Or Lake. Alexander Graham Bell had many creative and productive years here, and at the Bell Museum we saw some of his very impressive inventions.
During a late afternoon boat cruise, we saw his stunning lakeside estate, and even a few bald eagles!
Berit grew up on the rocky shores of Marblehead, Massachusetts. In the tidal cove behind her family’s home she found horseshoe crabs, eels, and feeding frenzies of fishes and birds. Low tides exposed clam flats, crabs, mussels, and snails. She explor...
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After departing Cape Breton, Nova Scotia the night before, we arrived at the Magdalen Islands (known as Îles de la Madeleine in French) on a picture-perfect day. We split into three activity groups. One excursion was a bus tour of the islands, the second a scenic bike ride, and the third was a hiking tour across the beautiful landscape. Our tour got to visit some of the archipelago’s striking red sandstone rock formations, a couple of picturesque lighthouses, and a tasting tour of a local artisanal cheese maker and smokehouse. This was in addition to an amazing lunch of mussels or fish and chips at wonderful restaurant in an old convent, and oysters on the back deck of National Geographic Explorer. It was a day rich in culinary adventures. We were treated to some foot-stomping Acadian tunes played by talented local musicians Gilles Lapierre and Evan Martinet. Lapierre, who was also our tour guide for the day, is a masterful singer, storyteller, and player of the knucklebones, a percussion instrument made of beef rib bones that is used in a variety of folk music traditions. He and Martinet, the finest fiddler on the island, filled the ship’s lounge with joyful energy and toe-tapping rhythms.
It’s day one and we’ve already visited another country! Today we made our way around Newfoundland towards France’s Saint Pierre. With smooth seas, we spent our morning getting to know the expedition team and learning how to best use our smartphones as photography tools for this journey. Our afternoon was full of options to explore Saint Pierre, including hiking and visiting the heritage museum. The great weather continued and even allowed for our undersea team to venture below the surface! We concluded a wonderful first day on board National Geographic Explorer with a welcome cocktail from Captain Peik Aalto and evening photography presentation from National Geographic Expert Phil Schermeister.