Atlantic Coast Leeward Islands - 6371A Seabourn Quest departing 24 Oct 2023

Montreal, an island city of approximately three million people, claims to be the largest French-speaking city outside of Paris. It was here in 1535 that Jacques Cartier, the first European to explore the St. Lawrence River, founded a small settlement on the island. This settlement failed, so the official founding date of the city is May 1642. In modern days, Expo ’67 and the Summer Olympics of 1976 brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to Montreal. Major conventions, film festivals and cultural events are held in Montreal, attracted by the city’s extensive facilities, fine hotels and excellent dining.

Founded in 1608 as a fur-trading base by Samuel de Champlain, Québec has a long and exciting history. In 1759, the English defeated the French on the Plains of Abraham and helped determine the outcome of the French and Indian Wars, which under the Treaty of 1763, established British supremacy in Canada. The joie de vivre and panache, however are totally French, as are the cuisine, language and heritage. The first buildings were close to the St. Lawrence waterfront and are known as Lower Town. Most hotels are on a hill that rises steeply from the river in what today is called Upper Town. Québec is still North America’s only walled city north of Mexico. Handsome old structures throughout the city are fine examples of classical French architecture. The towers and spire of the imposing Château Frontenac Hotel, built by the Canadian and Pacific Railway in 1892, lend the city an aura of the Belle Epoque.

The great fjord of Saguenay cuts deep into the slopes of the Laurentian Shield, cited as the oldest rocks on earth. On either side, domes of rock are furred with forests of conifer and hardwoods whose fallen foliage gives the fjord its tea-colored hue. At the head of this spectacular waterway, the newly-created Port Saguenay provides easy access to the natural splendors of the Laurentian forests, a favorite year-round playground of the Quebecois.

With its exceptionally delightful harbor side setting, early Europeans were first attracted to Halifax in 1749 with the establishment here of a military outpost by Colonel Cornwallis. The ports natural advantages of a well-protected harbor and close proximity to major fishing grounds resulted in its growth into a major military base and sea port. The peninsula has had several major immigrations during its history; English, French, German, Irish and Scottish have come in substantial numbers at various times. Travelers familiar with the South Pacific will find it interesting to know that Captain James Cook, whose explorations defined most of the Pacific Basin for Europeans, also spent four years in Halifax charting Nova Scotia and the waters of the St. Lawrence. A college town, Halifax has an exhilarating and youthful air about it, as evidenced by many bicyclists and skateboarders. The heart of Halifax offers wonderful restaurants and shopping, galleries, museums, and sites of historic interest including the Naval Dockyard, which dates from 1757, and St. Paul’s Church. Heading out of town, the wonders of nature are to be found in the form of the sea, with the smell of salty air, cool ocean breezes, and the powerful force of waves crashing against the rugged shoreline.

Although it was first colonized by French Acadians in the late 17th century, Shelburne’s real expansion began during the American Revolution, when it was a haven for British Loyalists fleeing the mainland colonies. In 1783, these included a large number of escaped African-American slaves who founded Birchtown, at that time the largest free black community in North America. A decade later, some 1,000 of them accepted a British offer to be relocated to the new African colony in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Learn about this, as well as Shelburne’s shipbuilding past and other historical eras in the town’s complex of three museums, including the Dory Shop Museum where boats are still built.

As the state of Maine stands apart from the rest of New England, so does Mount Desert Island stand apart from the rest of Maine. When French explorer Samuel de Champlain first dropped anchor here in 1604 he was so impressed by the outline of its towering peaks that he named it “the island of wilderness mountains” – Isle des Monts Deserts. Locals call it the place where the mountains meet the sea. Pink granite mountains give way to pristine freshwater lakes on one side and the mighty Atlantic on the other. Mount Desert’s largest town, Bar Harbor, existed for decades as a small local resort and farming community. By the turn of the century, Bar Harbor had gained a reputation as a playground for the rich. In 1916, some of the more conservation-minded residents got together and purchased some 33,000 acres of land and donated it to the government as Acadia National Park, the only national park in the New England states.

Merely sailing into the harbor of New York past its world-famous skyline is sure to win a special place in your travel diary. Although it will be quite early in the morning, this fabulous experience is well worth getting up for. Be sure to have your camera ready for a picture of the legendary Statue of Liberty, once the first welcome sight for millions of arriving immigrants. New York is rich in history, from its early Dutch settlers to the swearing-in of George Washington as the first U.S. president, on to its status as the capital of finance, fashion, art, publishing, broadcasting, theater and advertising. Truly, The Big Apple has something to offer everyone.

Merely sailing into the harbor of New York past its world-famous skyline is sure to win a special place in your travel diary. Although it will be quite early in the morning, this fabulous experience is well worth getting up for. Be sure to have your camera ready for a picture of the legendary Statue of Liberty, once the first welcome sight for millions of arriving immigrants. New York is rich in history, from its early Dutch settlers to the swearing-in of George Washington as the first U.S. president, on to its status as the capital of finance, fashion, art, publishing, broadcasting, theater and advertising. Truly, The Big Apple has something to offer everyone.

Expansive Charleston Harbor is a major seaport with an aristocratic, colonial city gracing its shores. Your first glimpse of the city’s historical importance comes as you sail through the harbor and pass Fort Sumter. This national monument, constructed on a man-made island, marks the spot where the Civil War began. Once ashore, you will delight in strolling through the French Quarter, seeing the elegant homes of the Low Country dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, and shopping for that perfect treasure in one of the city’s excellent antique stores.

Miami is the busiest cruise port in the world, hosting a myriad of ships year-round from all over the globe. Although it is technically not on the Caribbean Sea, no other American city exudes more of the diverse tropical appeal of the Caribbean. The city is home to a large and vibrant immigrant population that blends snowbird refugees from more northern climes with emigres from all Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as sizable groups from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. From the hot-blooded Art Deco haunts of South Beach to the natural wonders of the UNESCO-inscribed Everglades and the laid-back charms of the Keys, South Florida offers a bounty of appealing attractions that make an extended stay in the region nearly mandatory for those either embarking or disembarking here.

Puerto Rico has been voluntarily associated with the United States since it was ceded by Spain in 1898. In 1952, this island country became a self-governing commonwealth territory of the United States. The capital, San Juan, is a teeming city of over 1.5 million. Remnants of colonial architecture stand side by side with the most modern high rises in this city of contrasts. The 7-square-block area, which contains the historic zone of Old San Juan, was once completely encircled by city walls and is still guarded by the impressive forts of El Morro and San Cristobal, which loom over the harbor as reminders of the centuries of Spanish rule. El Yunque rainforest, on the northeastern side of the island, is just one of many distinctive geographical features found here. Mountain lakes, waterfalls, teak forests, and three magnificent phosphorescent bays offer the visitor a variety of diversions.

Tucked beside a lovely cove on the French side of this Dutch/French island, Marigot’s streets are lined with boutiques and shops displaying the filigree ironwork and striped awnings of a Riviera village. In the shops, imported Gallic goods tempt you to sample everything from cheeses and cornichons to the latest fashions. Across the island, Dutch Philipsburg is a famous duty-free bazaar, and offers activities including a sailing race aboard real 12-meter America’s Cup yachts.

The Iles des Saintes, a tiny cluster of islets off the southern coast of Guadeloupe is what the doctor ordered, if he ordered an unspoiled Caribbean experience. No franchise duty free, no big hotels, no casinos. It is what much of the Caribbean used to be like. Stroll around the little town of Bourg de Saintes. Shop for real French cosmetics from the sidewalk vendors. Grab a seat and a beer and revel in the weather and the pace of the past.

Fort-de-France, Martinique’s capital, with its narrow streets and iron grill-worked balconies, brings to mind New Orleans or Nice. This distinctly French island is a full-fledged department of France, with members in parliament and the senate. Naturally, everyone speaks French, as well as a rapid-fire Creole. The island features a varied landscape, from quiet beaches to lush rain forest to imposing Mont Pelee. Not surprisingly, the shopping in Fort-de-France has a decidedly Gallic flair. Bienvenue to this bit of France in the Caribbean.

Barbados has retained many of the trappings of its British colonial heritage. Judges and barristers wear proper robes and wigs, police don helmets styled after London bobbies and cricket remains a national passion. Barbados also has all the sporting appeal of the rest of the Caribbean, with pristine beaches, powerful surf and crystal clear waters. Brightly colored homes and hibiscus flowers mingle with mahogany trees and English churches dating back to the 17th century.

This is the island’s yachting center, quieter and less crowded than the main port of Castries. You can visit the island’s “drive-in” volcano at Soufriere, view the iconic peaks of the Pitons or perhaps snorkel at Pigeon Island, one of Jacques Cousteau’s favorite dive spots.

Antigua is blessed with an abundance of shining white beaches, and many of these have sprouted top-end resort hotels that engender golf courses and other amenities counted among the best in the Caribbean. A pleasant drive up through farms and tiny villages leads to the commanding fortress on Shirley Heights, from which you can survey the town and the harbor of Nelson’s Dockyard across the island. Once a carenage for British frigates, today it is an enclave of shops and restaurants.

A classic golden arc of sugary sand at South Friar’s Bay, Carambola is home to the island’s most luxurious beach clubs and restaurants. Umbrellas, loungers and optional water sports abound for those so inclined. Otherwise St. Kitts has other attractions, including a number of lovingly preserved plantation great houses, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Brimstone Hill Fortress and a scenic narrow gauge sugarcane railway.

There are approximately 40 British Virgin Islands (the exact number varies from authority to authority), many of which are uninhabited. Some have only a handful of residents. Jost Van Dyke has a small population of its own families: the Turners, Grants, Ringes and Callwoods to name the majority. The desire to continue in the old ways is strong here, and “Jost” looks much as it must have looked 100 or 200 years ago. This archipelago is pristine and traffic light free. Weather permitting, your captain will anchor in this idyllic location and deploy the Marina for a day of play in the sea and sun.

Miami is the busiest cruise port in the world, hosting a myriad of ships year-round from all over the globe. Although it is technically not on the Caribbean Sea, no other American city exudes more of the diverse tropical appeal of the Caribbean. The city is home to a large and vibrant immigrant population that blends snowbird refugees from more northern climes with emigres from all Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as sizable groups from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. From the hot-blooded Art Deco haunts of South Beach to the natural wonders of the UNESCO-inscribed Everglades and the laid-back charms of the Keys, South Florida offers a bounty of appealing attractions that make an extended stay in the region nearly mandatory for those either embarking or disembarking here.