Thursday 20th September 2012 ­Trois-Rivières, Québec Canada: ­ A Maiden Visit of any Cruise Ship! - 5hrs BST

Overnight we steamed a further 90 miles upstream – even if the Captain in an unusual moment of error described it as downstream (The St Lawrence is confusing since from its source in the Great Lakes it flows North East towards Cape Breton Island) – to the city of Trois-Rivières in the Maurice region of Québec and at the halfway point between Québec City and Montreal.Trois-Rivières is the second oldest French-speaking city in North America and was founded in 1634 by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain. Its name means ‘Three Rivers’ after Champlain had mistaken the gaps between two islands that sit at the mouth of the Saint-Maurice River as the confluence of three rivers.

The Saint-Maurice River once provided a route for the fur trade and established Trois-Rivières as an important fur trading post.  Much of Canada’s early history, however, is based upon lumber, logging, pulp and papermaking and in its heyday Trois-Rivières supported 5 vast pulp and paper mills. Today only two remain.

As I have already explained the desire to promote tourism in this region is inextricably linked to the decline in wood pulp and papermaking and our arrival today marked an historic first for Trois-Rivières since it was the first ever visit of any cruise ship to this city and of course another maiden port of Balmoral. Even at 8.00am in the morning there was a huge crowd to welcome the ship on the quayside and an even warmer welcome awaited us in the town with lots of local volunteers and students from the University of Trois-Rivières roaming the streets offering guidance and explaining the history.

Since we had until late n the evening to explore Peg and I took a stroll round the historical centre of the city in the morning and I went to visit the Boréalis Museum – which as the name suggests displays the history of the lumber, pulp and papermaking industry – in the afternoon.

Much of the historical centre comprises 18^th & 19^th century brick or stone houses, the locals having given up on wooden construction after a disastrous fire said to have been started bychildren using a lantern in a barn to search for a missing football. The photo is of one of the main streets in the historical part of Trois-Rivières.

The Catholic Church, heavily influenced the development, and indeed the early governance of the region, and Trois-Rivières, therefore, has a rich religious heritage.  My guide in the afternoon said that there were some 31 churches in Trois-Rivières serving apresent day population of 130,000 but only some half-a-dozen of these churches currently support congregations.

As Peg and I strolled back to the boat a ‘crocodile’ of primary school children were being led down to the quay to see ‘Le Grand Bateau’ such was the significance of this visit to the city.

In the evening the Mayor of Trois-Rivières was invited aboard and thanked everyone for their friendliness and hoping that the city had been good hosts to which there was a rousing cheer.  I understand that when the ship sailed at 11.30pm there was an equally exuberant send-off although I have to say I had long departed for my bed by then – poor old soul!!