What a lovely day
today! To begin with, it was a calm, brilliantly sunny morning, and we woke to
cliffs and hills of gold and green both sides as we sailed up the Saguenay
River. There was some mild excitement when we reached a 10m statue of Notre
Dame de Saguenay on a 100m cliff above the water, erected in gratitude for
someone’s miraculous survival in the river; but the real thrill was to come in
the town of Saguenay at the head of the fjord.
It was a slow
approach with plenty of time for lazing in the sun on a lounger by the pool
under a pretty unnecessary rug; and the docking was such a masterly and low-key
affair that even hanging over the bridge watching the captain ease the Silver Whisper alongside the pier was
almost dull, once we’d got over how miniscule his joystick was. Ahem.
So it was just as
well that, despite its being Thanksgiving today, the town was there to watch and
welcome our arrival (even though we’d been pipped into the harbour by
Celebrity’s Summit) and the pier was busy with unicyclists, jugglers and costumed
stilt artists. Saguenay is, unsurprisingly, famous for its welcome.
More than that
though, and despite its being a particularly pretty town of cute little
mansard-roofed houses, neat gardens and sandy beach, it’s famous for the show
it puts on telling the history of the town and of Quebec province. It’s called
‘La Fabuleuse’, it runs for 90 minutes, stars upwards of 100 of the townspeople
on stage in 1000 roles from little children to old people, and is quite the
most extraordinary stage performance I’ve ever seen.
Here are some of
its elements, on the indoor stage of what must surely be a purpose-built arena:
Indians, French aristocrats, colonists, cantering horses, a pig, a flock of
geese, a cow and a goat, cannon fire, bombs, abseiling soldiers, two cars and a
jeep, a tank, a boat, flames and a man on fire, fighting, dancing, tumbling and singing.
Oh, and a flood. I’ve never seen anything like it. Hugely entertaining and
impressive, particularly since it’s performed by volunteers, and has been going
for 27 years.
All this, plus
scenery and poutine! Completely worth the day’s detour along the river.
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