This was like nothing we had ever seen before! From the sea, the islands look like tiny green land masses strung together by spectacular white sandy beaches.
The archipelago is composed of 6 main islands which are linked by long thin sand bars and located in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
We rented a car for the day to tour as much as we could and started by visiting the nearby beach. What a view! The white beaches, sand dunes and long rolling waves extended as far as we could see. Seemingly without end, these perfect beaches total 300 km. The sand sings under your feet. The ever-present winds make this a mecca for kite surfers and wind surfers. No matter what direction the wind is from, a protected bay or lagoon can be found. It was fun to watch the many coloured kites scoot along! We also noted that cycling seems to be a popular way of touring the islands.
We made our way along the coastal road on Ile du Havre Aubert, stopping to visit a site depicting daily life of the early settlers in both miniature and life sized settings. They had their challenges!
We continued on our way to the Havre Aux Maisons Island stopping for lunch at the old convent, Vieux Couvent, which has been converted into a hotel/ restaurant and bar. It is owned by Denis Landry whose father, Emery, runs the B&B in Shediac where Bob and I stayed last year when we took the boat out and to which I returned this year when I was putting the boat in. So we were interested to visit on his recommendation. It did not disappoint!
The menu had many interesting dishes. We decided on the award winning seafood chowder with coconut cream and basil. Without a doubt, the best chowder anywhere!! The seafood crepe made with local "Tomme Demoiselles" cheese, seafood and oysters with rhubarb salsa was outstanding. The food everywhere on the islands was very gourmet with exceptional flavour and tasteful presentation ( including Summer Wine's!)
After our wonderful lunch, our tour of Hauvre Aux Maisons Island included stops at a small winery, a fromagerie, a smokehouse and a glass blowing shop.
The cheese making has been introduced to the islands relatively recently in 1980's and cows had to be brought to the island to make this possible. The fine cheeses are mostly unknown outside the islands and the province and are another of the secrets held by these islands. The lush grasses and the salt from the sea spray give the cheese a smooth texture and gentle flavour.
We stopped at a Winery for a taste test at $2.00 /head. Mostly fruit based wines with a few dandilions thrown in.
The smoked fish factory was interesting mostly because of the size of the smokehouse. We bought cold smoked herring and a pate. That night for h'orduevres, we were having smoked salmon, and the smoke smell was so intense we turned off the stove and checked for fire. ( I'm not kidding)
On our return to the boat, we stopped in Caps Aux Meules to climb 187 steps to a lockout platform and froze our noses off once we got up there. The weather has been very cool, windy and drizzly.
The following day we spent right around the marina visiting the quaint seaside area known as Le Grave where several old fish shanties have been repurposed as artisan workshops and galleries. We have been really impressed by the quality, craftmanship and variety of artwork.
Sadly, we had to leave the "Maggie's" far too soon. A good weather window opened for the sail to Nfld so we took advantage of it.
We hope to return someday....
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