Les Iles de la Madeleine (also known as the Magdalen Islands) welcomed us with open arms this morning. As we walked down the ramp and onto the dock, a fiddler played for us and other welcomers rushed around offering us pieces of delicious island-made cheddar cheese. A good start!
We headed off by bus and were immediately struck by the beauty of the islands. They are long, narrow and lined with hundreds of miles of beaches. Sand contrasts against bright red sandstone cliffs and the grassy slopes are dotted with cheerfully colored houses: pink, yellow, green, orange and purple. We learned that ten percent of the municipal budgets are spent on simply keeping the place clean and tidy – every house seems to have a perfect yard and a brand new paint job. The loveliness is accentuated by the presence of gulls, gannets, cormorants and a variety of shorebirds.
Some of us visited a herring smokehouse and learned about the island's tradition of competitive sand castle building, while others walked the sand, checked out a lighthouse and sampled local beer.
The islands don't have many trees, and they slope gently to the shore, so even though we have come so far south, there are echoes of the tundra here. It seems a fitting end to a remarkable voyage of true exploration.
