Editor’s Note: After you have visited Quebec City, less than three hours flight from Chicago, explore the towns to the east including Tadoussac, a few hours to the east of Quebec City, on the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers. Jacques Cartier first came to this area in 1535 on his second voyage and visitors take zodiac and cruise boats all summer to see 13 whale species, including the largest animal on earth, the blue whale. Marjorie Schwebel shows us this charming town through her camera lens and reports that the city is so much more than its happy mammals, which you see breaching and celebrating summer.
Hotel Tadoussac and its grounds

You asked what is magical about Tadoussac? This village is a National Historic Site!

First adventure, we crossed the sea on a ferry, which is always an interesting excursion!

Ferry crossing on the Saguenay River

Second, the sea air is so pure! Walking and breathing this fresh air is invigorating! This region is noted for salmon fishing.

A boat on the water, seen through pine boughs
View of the ferry dock

As a photographer, no matter where I walked, there was another picturesque scene! This village is so quaint and a photographer’s paradise! When one has leisure time to stop, read and discover, we gain so much knowledge. There’s a wealth of history here in this small village.

A flower-lined path along the marina
A pink rose in bloom
An orange flower in bloom

I found cruise ships moving along the St. Lawrence seaway and small white whales jumping in and out of the sea! This particular area in Quebec, Canada is noted to be the best location for sightseeing whales, who love it for its food and environment. About twenty-five years ago, my family visited Tadoussac and we boarded a huge whale-watching ship, which was adventurous and great fun to watch these huge mammals jumping in and around the ship! On this visit to Tadoussac I wanted to walk around this village.

View of the marina and harbor
Boats docked in the marina
A white whale sculpture overlooking the village

With my love for history, I discovered the INNU Indians were here when the first missionaries arrived in 1615. In 1641, the Jesuits established a permanent mission for the INNU Indians, known as the Indian Chapel. For over 150 years, the Jesuits carried out their ministry. With time, the INNU population declined due to wars and epidemics. There was a small chapel dedicated to Saint Anne that served as a place of worship in earlier years until the bigger church was built in 1884.

The historic chapel at Tadoussac
The chapel's steeple
A historic red-roofed building

Hotel Tadoussac was built in 1864 by David Edward Price, son of a logging magnate, and its owners went on to renovate the historic chapel as this area became a huge tourist attraction for cruise passengers. The chapel is open to the public! In 1941, the President of Canada Steamship Lines, William Hughes Coverdale, had the old hotel demolished to build a new, more modern and comfortable one in 1942.

Hotel Tadoussac, viewed from the lawn

As a photographer, I see God’s beauty everywhere! From the sea, to the mountains, the flowers, trees, architectural designs & elements, stone carvings, rock formations, landscapes, colors in the sky at dawn or sunset, all pure joy for me!

Purple flowers in bloom
A bee on a yellow flower
A statue on the hotel lawn overlooking the water
A garden path leading to the chapel steeple
Lawn furniture overlooking the water
A white house on a rocky point
A rock formation along the shore
A landscape view of the cliffs and water
Marjorie Schwebel on a recent visit
Our author Marjorie Schwebel on a recent visit to the lovely summer and year round community, Murray Bay.