Saguenay is a night’s sail back down the St Lawrence River and up to the end of the Saguenay Fjord, a left turn off the river to the north west. The fjord is Quebec’s largest and the most southerly fjord in the northern hemisphere. It is 105km long and 270m deep in some places.

Saguenay is not a place as such but more the name for a region of districts. We dock at La Baie near the confluence of the Saguenay River and the Fjord. This is a small port town, the main commercial area is around Chicoutimi further up the river.

We had a short shore excursion taking us around La Baie and then to Chicoutimi. Along the way we stopped at a Mohair goat farm, this operation did things the traditional way.

Homealone examined the wool offerings and left with a skein to make something with, not sure what. Allthego found a pair of super socks to keep the feet warm on wintery van trips back home.

Back on the road we made for the ‘painted house’ of the famous local painter Arthur Villeneuve. This guy used his house as his canvas, apparently a great frustration for his wife. He had a strange style, depicting history, local geography and his life’s activity on the walls of the family home. He wasn’t trained and depicted things in blocks ‘standing’ out from the walls. The house is a maze of frescos in vibrant colours. The house had been relocated to the interior of one of the old paper pulp mills, now a museum. Couldn’t take photos, but the one here is a copy of a postcard.

The other thing the area is known for is the Little White House which survived a devastating 1996 river flood. The house managed to avoid being washed over the falls and sits precariously on the edge. It is the town’s symbol of survival and hope!

Rio Tinto is the town’s major employer at an aluminium smelter. Bauxite feedstock for the smelter comes from various parts of the world, including Rio’s mines in Australia. It is a prominent sight coming into the port after the sail down the magnificent fjord, greenies I suspect think it is a blight on the environment. Probably is!

Saguenay has a very French flavour as we found out after the tour when lunchtime arrived. The east coast of Canada is well known for its seafood. Particularly lobsters, crabs and scallops.

Allthego and Homealone have decided to give these ago in the ports before New York. So we give a seafood burger a go at Pavilion Noir. The waitress struggled with our English, seemed to prefer French. The burgers were great. A combo of crab and scallops in a creamy sauce, with some salad and French fries. A big tick for this place!

Sydney on Cape Breton Island is the next stop, Slobro is very confused thinks we are almost home!