加拿大游輪之旅

“You’re cruising where？ The Caribbean？” “No mom，” I reply again into the phone. “Quebec， Canada. You know， that huge French-speaking province in the north.” “I didn’t know you could cruise in Quebec，” she replies. “What a great way to see Montreal！” A good way indeed. Due to the deep， wide waters of the St. Lawrence River， cruise ships can reach far into eastern North America to Montreal and other ports of Quebec， Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Cruise ships offer an easy way to see a lot of Canada with little effort. We’ve chosen a seven-day Holland America Line cruise， and the comfortable fall weather is the perfect backdrop for such a journey.

Our cruise starts in Montreal， and my family and I have spent the day exploring the capital of Frenchspeaking Canada. Though it’s my first visit to the city， already I’m smitten. Montreal is clean and stunningly beautiful. This city of 1.6 million is very modern， yet it’s obvious that they cherish their historic roots. That European heritage is still alive and well in Old Montreal.

With its cobblestone streets， historic architecture and patio-lined alleyways， Old Montreal has the feel of Paris. Only this is much， much better， for I’m surrounded by Canadians. Everyone we meet is friendly and welcoming. French speaking or not， the majority of Montrealers are bilingual， and communication is no problem.

The early fall weather is beautiful， so we head over to the Quays of the Old Port for a picnic lunch. The harbor front is filled with bikers， pedestrians and people out soaking up the sun.

Further out， we can see our ship， the MS Maasdam， waiting patiently for us.

Our cruise will take us to some of the top port towns in Eastern Canada. We’ll stop in Quebec City， at Prince Edward Island， in Sydney and Halifax， Nova Scotia， and then end our journey in Bar Harbor， Maine. Canada is a large country， and driving to these places would take days， while flying to these cities would cost a fortune. But cruising makes it easy. We see the best of each destination， and then hop onboard to be wined and dined while we sail to the next location—travel doesn’t get much easier than that.

Though shore time in each port is short， we cram in a lot of sightseeing. In Montreal， we spend an hour exploring the Montreal Biodome， a nature center that allows visitors to walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas.

Then we stop for a famous Montreal bagel at Saint-Viateur Bagel Café. This local favorite has been serving up oven-baked bagels since 1957. However， my two favorite stops are the Atwater Market and the Underground City.

The Atwater is a farmers’ market located in the Saint-Henri neighborhood. Established in 1933， the market is filled with bakeries， butchers， and specialty cheese， wine and produce shops. The folks in Montreal love fine dining—and it shows. I find food items at the market that I’ve never seen elsewhere.

The Underground City is also filled with life. Some 20 miles of connecting passageways wind beneath the city， filled with restaurants， stores， and professional offices. The whole thing has the feel of a huge mall， and it’s easy to get lost. The Underground City is especially wonderful in the winter， when temperatures average below zero. You can do just about everything in the Underground City.

We could spend a whole week here in Montreal. But it’s time to board our ship and begin our cruise adventure. Tonight we’ll relax on board with an excellent dinner， and then have a restful night in our cabin. Tomorrow， we’ll wake up in Quebec City for a whole new adventure.

Ah， Canada. What’s there not to love？

“你正在哪里巡游來著？加勒比海？”“不是的，媽媽，”我再次在電話里回答。“是加拿大的魁北克。你知道，就是北邊那個講法語的大省。”“我不知道可以在魁北克坐游輪呢，”她答道。“這真是游覽蒙特利爾的好方法！”確實是一個好方法。由于圣勞倫斯河水深，河面寬廣，游船能夠深入北美洲東部，直達蒙特利爾和魁北克的其他港口、新斯科舍省以及愛德華王子島。游輪為人們提供一種輕輕松松就能欣賞到加拿大各地風光的便利方式。我們選擇了荷美航運一個為期七天的游輪項目，舒適怡人的秋天正是襯托此行的絕妙背景。

我們的航程從蒙特利爾開始。我和家人利用白天探索這座加拿大法語區的首府。盡管這是我第一次探訪這座城市，但我已被它徹底征服。蒙特利爾不僅潔凈，而且美得讓人驚嘆。這座擁有160萬人口的城市十分現代，然而它顯然十分珍視自己的歷史根基。歐洲的傳統在蒙特利爾舊城區依舊鮮活完好。

蒙特利爾舊城區有著鵝卵石鋪就的街道、各種歷史建筑以及布滿天井的小巷，有種巴黎的味道。不過這里比法國好多了，因為我周圍都是加拿大人。我們見到的每一個人都熱情好客。無論你是否講法語，大多數蒙特利爾人都能講兩種語言，所以溝通不是問題。

初秋的天氣如此美妙，于是我們中午前往舊港碼頭野餐。海港前面熙熙攘攘，有騎車的，有走路的，還有出來曬日光浴的。

在遠處能看到我們的船——馬士丹號正在耐心地等候我們。……