Trip
Information
Dates:
May 11 - 23, 2009
Leaders: onboard
resource staff
Our Vessel: MS Andrea (94 passenger)
Price: From
$6,395 CDN, $5,244 USD* click for details
Highlights
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Great coastal birding
•
Diverse resource team covering nature, photography, history, archaeology,
and music
•
Remote archeological and historical sites
•
Whiskey sampling
Featured birds:
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Northern Fulmar
•
Manx Shearwater
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Great Skua
•
Atlantic Puffin
Summary
• 12 nights onboard the MS Andrea
• Includes all meals
•
Shore excursions by zodiac
•
Includes onboard educational program by a diverse resource team
•
Easy to moderate walking
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 Journey
with us to the far edges of Western Europe as we delve into history,
culture, music and landscape: the threads that unite the remaining
Celtic corners of Spain, France, Ireland, England and Scotland.
To
shatter all the usual stereotypical images of Spain, Galicia is the
place to go. Fresh and verdant, it has gushing rivers and a coastline
more reminiscent of Scotland than Spain. The most forgotten of the
seven Celtic nations, the land is steeped with an age-old atmosphere,
which travellers can share in cathedrals, castles, Dolmens & Hill-forts.
Our voyage then takes
us to Brittany, a large peninsula in the northwest of France.
Physically separate from the rest of the country, it lies like
a finger pointing out into the
north Atlantic. Picturesque and welcoming, Brittany is well known
for its megalithic monuments, which are scattered over the peninsula,
the
largest
alignments are near Carnac. It is also famous for its calvaries, elaborately
carved sculptures of crucifixion scenes, Brittany hosts them in churchyards
of villages and small towns, especially in the western regions of the
province.
Crossing the channel
we stop briefly in King Arthur’s England on
the Cornwall Coast, then pay a visit to the lively Irish. With close ties
to their past, Celtic tradition is alive and thriving on the Emerald Isle’s
western coast. Our journey to Ireland will be filled with modern day traditions
mixed with old as we enjoy storytelling over a pint of Guinness. We’ll
explore ancient settlements on the Aran Isles, venture past the remote
hermitage of Skelligs, head toward the territory of  famed pirate Grace
O’Malley, a woman well known for her piracy at the head of Clew Bay.
He we experience the county town ambience of Westport.
Further north we’ll
stop at the Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage Site and unique
collection of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns in County Antrim.
Nearby are the fine bird cliffs of Rathlin Island, with over 30 nesting
species.
Our visit to Scotland ends at Glasgow, the enigmatic metropolis on
the Clyde.
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Itinerary
2009
Vigo and Mino River
More than the main Atlantic port for Galicia, Vigo is the largest fishing
centre in Europe and hosts a number of annual sailing regattas. The
Celtic hill fort of San Cibran de Las borders the
city as does the fine wine district of the Mino River forming the border
between Spain and Portugal. We enjoy scenic coastal views as we make
our way toward the Andrea in Vigo. Our
home for the next couple of weeks, the Andrea sets sail for the protected
nature preserve of the Cies Islands.
Santiago de Compostela, Barona
“
Castro de Barona” is an old Celtic iron age fortress settlement
situated on a highly exposed and rugged outcrop of land in the “Rias
de Muros y Noia” a region of yellow-white beaches,
mountainous slopes and a backdrop of pine and eucalyptus forests. The
pilgrimage to Santiago became the most outstanding and most profoundly
experienced religious henomenon of the Middle Ages. The European Parliament,
which designated “The Way” as the First European Cultural
Itinerary, and by UNESCO, which declared it a World Heritage route. We
journey to the ‘end of Pilgrim’s way’, Santiago de
Compostela, the capital of
Galicia with a visit to the shrine of St. James in the famous cathedral
bearing the same name.
Santillana del Mar, Altamira Caves
Santillana del Mar has been called the Spanish Florence. With narrow
cobblestone streets and medieval architecture this timeless village is
a living museum on the north coast of Spain
with many important buildings dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.
Just two km outside of Santillana del Mar is one of the biggest archaeological
treasures of Cantabria: the Altamira
Caves. They were discovered in 1879 by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola and
his daughter Maria, and have been declared a UNESCO cultural heritage
site. The cave, about 300m long, has 150
engraved figures made by the Palaeolithic man approximately 14,000 years
ago. Access to the caves is heavily restricted, but we will visit an
exact recreation nearby.
Bilbao
Our visit to Bilbao includes a visit to the Guggenheim Museum, a truly
unique architectural creation housing over 19 galleries in 11,000 square
meters of exhibition space. Its architect, Frank O. Gehry, is Canadian-born
and duly possesses a love for the sport of hockey. Despite the many differences
of opinion on his designs, the Bilbao Guggenheim’s titanium curves
and limestone orthogonal blocks are no match for one of his smaller
creative
masterpieces: the trophy for the World Cup of Hockey. In the evening
we set sail for France, saying ‘A
bientot!’ to Spain!
La Rochelle, France
Enroute to Brittany, we stop in the quaint seaport of La Ville Blanche
(the white city), or La Rochelle, named such for its luminous limestone
facades. Early French settlers in Canada
set sail from La Rochelle, including the founders of Montreal. La Rochelle’s
seafaring past is reflected in its cobblestone streets, partially fabricated
from ballast of ships’ coming back
from across the Atlantic.
Carnac and Pont Aven
An archaeological stop at Carnac is not to be missed, as it has the world’s
greatest concentration of megalithic sites. Predating Stonehenge by 100
years, over 3000 upright stones (the heaviest being over 300 tonnes)
can be found in this region. The exact reason behind the construction
of these standing stones is not known, though the consensus is that they
served a spiritual or sacred purpose. At the artist colony known as the “School
of Pont-Aven” led by the painter Paul Gauguin, we visit this pretty
market village of white houses and sloping riverbanks. Pont Aven was
a centre
for milling with the river Aven being divided above the town to provide
a mill race which powers a series of picturesque water mills along the
waterway.
Douarnarez & Locronan
Douarnarez, at the mouth of the Pouldavid Estuary, is a fishing port
once known for its sardines. Today, its location with views of an emerald
sea and warm climate have created an ideal stop for ocean lovers with
marinas, a maritime museum, regattas and sandy beaches. We drop into
medieval France with a visit to Locronan one of Brittany’s most
beautiful towns. A
former linen manufacturing centre, the cobbled streets and stone buildings
gives the feeling of being in another time completely.
Cornwall, England
The Cornwall coast is generally understood to be the home base of the
mythic King Arthur and hosts a dramatic landscape of rocky cliffs and
green meadows crisscrossed with stone walls. The castle at Tintagel and
Merlin’s Cave beneath are frequently associated with the legendary
Arthur.
Cape Clear, Ireland
Cape Clear is home to Ireland’s southernmost seabird colony. The
gardens of Garinish
Island are within site of the picturesque county town of Glengariff,
as we cruise north to the Skellig Islands. An isolated and now abandoned
monastic community once clung to the bare and dizzy heights of Skellig
Michael, now populated by thousands of seabirds.
Aran Islands
The songs and stories of the Aran Islands and nearby Inishbofin and Inishark
enshrine
much of Ireland’s Gaelic folklore and culture. The impressive 6,000
year-old stone fortifications of Dun Aengus sit high on perpendicular
cliffs above the sea. Nearby are the impressive Cliffs of Moher, the
highest sea cliffs in Ireland. The fort consists of three irregular semicircles,
each a line of defense. The inner wall is awesome, thirteen feet thick
and eighteen feet high in places, mortared with stone laid by hand upon
stone. The enclosed space is 30m (150 ft) north and south and 27m (140
ft) east and west. The cliff at the western edge of the fort is as sheer
as the Cliffs of Moher, but at 100m (300 ft) not as steep. The view from
atop the parapet is stunning.
Westport
On to Westport, a quaint County Mayo town, where we take in such landmarks
as Matt Molloy’s Pub, flutist for the traditional Irish band, The
Chieftains. Westport is located on the shores of Clew Bay, a body of
water said to have “an island for every day of the year”.
A planned city, Westport’s tree-lined boulevard, the Mall, is a
popular stop for visitors coming to any of the many festivals held here
annually.
Giant’s Causeway and Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland
The result of an ancient volcanic eruption, The Giant’s Causeway
is an area of about
40,000 interlocking basalt columns. In 1986 it was declared a World Heritage
Site by
UNESCO. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the
cliff foot
and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although
there are
also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about
12m (36 ft) high,
and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28m (90 ft) thick in places.
Rathlin Island is is home to tens of thousands of seabirds, including
Kittiwakes, Puffins and Razorbills – about 30 bird families in
total – and has been designated a Special Area of Conservation
in Northern Ireland. It is a popular place for birdwatchers, with a Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds nature reserve offering spectacular
views of Rathlin’s bird colony which inhabit the island’s
70m (230 ft) tall cliffs.
Glasgow, Scotland
We will disembark this morning at Greenock, at the mouth of the River
Clyde. Dubbed the Empire’s Second City, Glasgow is a bustling metropolis
and is the economic engine of Scotland. Known for its architecture, we
will make our separate ways home or onto further journeys from this contemporary
city.
What
To Expect
For
most activities, a relatively low level of exertion is required.
Our program features activities such as walking, wildlife
viewing and Zodiac cruising. You will need to climb into and out of
Zodiacs (assistance is provided) for excursions onshore, and some of
our landings will be ‘wet’, requiring you wear waterproof
boots. A reasonable level of mobility is required to fully enjoy this
travel program, and participants must get a form completed by their
physician confirming so. We have designed shore excursions to accommodate
both those who wish moderate strolls and those who prefer more active
hikes. A few of the excursions may have rough terrain, with rocky beaches.
In
May, temperatures are usually quite comfortable
and will vary depending upon our altitude on land or our ship’s
position at sea. Flexibility is a must, as itineraries are subject
to change, and landings may be tidal or weather dependant. We will
provide you with a complete list of recommended clothing, essentials
to bring, and a suggested reading list upon registration. Meals are
a great opportunity to meet new friends and recount the day’s
adventures, and special diets can be accommodated with advance notice.
Everyone travels for different reasons, however, one
common element is a thirst for knowledge and authentic experience.
This desire drives
us to ensure the highest quality learning experience on our trips,
by taking time to carefully design each trip we offer.
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