The Magdalen Islands: Beauty Under Threat

Our island guide Heugue and friends paid $1 each to buy this lighthouse.
He estimates than in 40 years they will need to move it back from the bank. In the past,
ice formed on the cliffs and protected them from being eroded by wind and
water. Now, if ice forms, it lasts only a short period of time, and erosion accelerates. 

Sandstone cliffs with white sandy beaches are abundant on the Maggies.

The Japanese go in large numbers to the Maggies in the winter. Why? They believe that if they have intercourse there in the winter, their children will be intelligent, (financially) successful and happy. They may be right. But the people who live on the island year round are also intelligent, successful (they live on a fragile island threatened by climate change) and happy. Most tourists, however, go in the summer by ferry either from Quebec or from Souris. Heuge often said with a drawl, "We llooovvvee tourists!"

The Maggies are located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, north of Prince Edward Island. Each of the seven islands is attached either by nature or by man.

Snoozing in the sun. The weather  was too cool for people to take off  jackets when on deck. It takes 5 hours to sail from Souris PEI to Cap-aux-Meules.

Dancing in the afternoon. Cabins and meals are available. Movies are shown. Kids play in activity rooms. We had Royal Lobster - the specialty of the islands.

This was part of the view from my room - the beach. I had never been on a bus tour before but I enjoyed the benefits: someone else takes care of the details
someone else researches the places to visit
and, in this case, someone else found exceptional accommodations for us.
Plus I met fascinating people.
(This shot reminds me of Alex Colville's paintings.)

And our coach and driver with passenger. 

Erosion is a serious and constant problem. Some scientists claim the islands will disappear  in  1000 years. The seven island are situated on seven pillar of sale.  Our guide claims they will disappear in 300 years.   

The second largest wooden church in North America and the largest wooden church in Quebec is L'Église de St. Pierre here on the island. Heugue, our guide on the island, (in black in the middle)  is a passionate member of this church because his people built it. He is also aware of the dangers fishermen face each time they go out in their boats.  And he is aware that the shore line of the entire island loses 1metre each year. Some of us thought Heugue should be a priest; others, that he should be a comedian. He is a Pittsburg fan and rolls his eyes at the thoughts of the Maple Leafs.

Cormorants gather on the sandstone shore.

The sandstone Elephant. Our young guide on the boat tour recalled when this formation did look like an elephant, not too many years ago.

Sheila Ferguson, a woman I met on the tour, took photos.
This is a sculpture of seven fishermen and is located at Le Café La Côte Restaurant..
I am attaching both. I couldn't chose one.

Random photos and comments from my five day tour from June 17 - 21, 2015 of the Magdalen Islands. 

I don't speak French but language was not a problem. The house are painted in vivid colours. According to Heugue, when the fisherman buys paint for his boat, he buys enough for his house too. When he is out on the water, he can easily identify his house. 

We visited many craft shops. In their paintings, the most vivid ones primarily folk art using  red, yellow, and blue. 

Heugue was an exceptional guide -  honest, personal, and humourous.

He and his partner have two daughters, one of whom is deaf. "One of them hears but doesn't listen; the other listens but cannot hear." 

And informative. "The cancer rate is high on the island. The powerlines are too close to the ground and expose residents to harmful elements. Plus, the level of plastic is high in the ocean. The fish devour it and  we devour them and the plastic."

Everything that can be recycled is being recycled. People gather driftwood on the shore. They stack it in teepee style for a year in order to get rid of the salt, The wood is then used as firewood. People only cut dead trees. 

Most of the houses are small. According to Heugue, "Doctors and hairdressers build the huge ones!" 

All and all, a great get-away. 

-Heather