A Birthday and Seal Meat.

Sept 28, 2019

I woke up to the sound of Debbie singing “happy Birthday” to me and gunshots. It truly is wonderful to be celebrating my birthday on this unique island.  The sun was shining and the winds had slowed down and we felt that perhaps we could go kayaking today.  After another special complementary breakfast we headed out.  

Before going kayaking, we decided to visit several of the shops still open in the Le Grave area.  Several artist studios featured local artisan and artist crafts and we bought several items to take home.  We purchased a beautiful lamp constructed of the island sand and the shade is a painting of the local seascape.  

We then visited Verger Pomeloi, the local apple cider brewery, on the island.  JP and Lucy had recommended it to us and we were not disappointed.  We sampled several of the ciders and brandies that they produced.  We bought several bottles.  One unique brand features an actual apple inside the bottle of apple brandy.  The owner Eloi, explained that early in the apple growing season the small budding apple is inserted into a bottle which is then attached to the branch.  When the apple is mature, the apple is clipped from its branch still inside the bottle.  The bottle is then filled with the brandy and the apple is preserved inside. Eloi recommended that the bottle should be aged for a few years.

We stopped in for a latte and soup in the café La Grave, and then headed out to the area that we wanted to kayak.  We noticed several trucks and cars parked alongside the roadway and when we stopped we heard several loud and nearby gunshots.  The duck-hunting season had opened today and the hunters were walking though the high grass along the shores and in the marshes surrounding the lagoon. We didn’t feel safe kayaking in that area.  

We had also wanted to go hiking along the dunes and shores of the narrow isthmus.  The beaches stretch out for miles and there was no one near.  Debbie and I walked several miles along the shoreline.  She collected a toque full of sea snail shells washed on shore and I took photos of the interesting shapes formed by the blowing sand.   It was a wonderful way to enjoy our day and interesting seashore.  I had seen a high point of land yesterday that I wanted to see today.  We drove into Ile du Cap-aux-Meules and located the point.  High red cliffs overlooked the ocean and just off shore, a large rock formation loomed out of the water. Two large holes were formed that the sea had eroded over millions of years, fascinated me and I hiked over to the rock for a closer look. You could see the constant erosion as the large cliffs slowly, progressively tumbled into the ocean.

It was now time to return to our B+B.  JP and Lucy were picking us up at 5:15. So we hustled back to get ready.  We were both disappointed that we were unable to go kayaking but we had enjoyed our day none the less.

We all went to the Vent du Large and as we waited for our meal to arrive the place was beginning to fill.  It wasn’t long before the place was packed.  I had ordered an appetizer of seal ribs.  I decided that this is a local food and felt obligated to try it. I found the meat to be quite oily and had a strong fishy taste.  (Seals eat fish!!) The bones are quite small.  I could understand that this meat would have been a staple for many of the people who live on these northern coasts including Labrador, Newfoundland and the islands.  I also enjoyed a tasty fish and chips meal.  At 9:00 the Moffat brothers came on stage and entertained all of us for an hour and half.  Franschoise, the owner is a talented fiddle player and accompanied the singers on several songs.  He also found out that we, like the Moffat brothers, are from Vancouver Island and I was celebrating a birthday.  As I stepped out of the washroom he announced that it was my birthday and the entire restaurant cheered.  I was totally taken by surprise.  We had a wonderful evening, singing and enjoying the music as well as a couple of glasses of cognac.  The singers finished around 10:30 and we slowly ended our evening in the café and said goodbye to JP and Lucy.  We thanked them for a great evening and promised that we would stay in touch. They will be visiting our island later this year. We returned to the B+B and packed our bags to be ready for an early start tomorrow.