Quebec City - Old France Above the St. Lawerence The singular image of the city is a hotel surrounded by cannons. Built to evoke a mountain castle, Chateau Frontenac sits atop a cape above the St. Lawrence River. The hotel is part of the city's Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you'll think you're in Europe. From there, cruise vistors can take the funicular or the "neck-breaking steps" down to the Lower Tower. Many structures there date back to Quebec City's beginnings, and highlights include Notre Dame des Victories, the Petit Champlain district, the port and the Musee de la Civilisation. Cruising the Gulf of St Lawrence and Saguenay Fjord (Quilting Day) The largest estuary in the world, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence fringes the shores of half the provinces of Canada and is a gateway to the interior of the entire North American continent. Geographically, the Gulf is defined by stunning coast line and beautiful islands, including Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen islands. Thousands of migratory birds make this area their home during the spring and fall migration period. And be sure to keep an eye out for whale, porpoise and seal sightings. Charlottetown - Green Gables and Seascapes Canada's smallest province is an island that seems to be tethered to New Brunswick by the 8-mile-long Confederation Bridge lest it drift into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Leave the mainland, cross the bridge, and make a right for Charlottetown. The largest city on Prince Edward Island as well as its capital, Charlottetown's Victorian architecture, abundance of parks, and harborside location make it an idyllic stop for cruise vistors. Walk the cobblestones of Victoria Row, see the house that inspired "Anne of Green Gables" or explore the wild shore of Prince Edward Island National Park. Sydney - The Highlights of Nova Scotia A hundred thousand Gaelic welcomes await you in Novia Scotia, Latin for "New Scotland." At the northeast end of the province sits Cape Breton Island, whose wild and lovely topography includes Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Bras d'Or Lake, and miles of rugged coastline. Sydney is the gateway to it all. There are highland villages for cruise vistors to see, the scenic Cabot Trail to explore, golden inland seas to sail, and the Fortress of Louisburg to inspect - where every barn, barracks and pipe and drum corps appears just as it did when King Louis' troops occupied the site in 1744. Halifax - Canada's Gateway to the World It's big enough to be the economic and cultural capital of eastern Canada, but small enough to be easygoing and hospitable. Halifax residents have it good, the city is located on one of the planet's great natural habours and adorned with landmarks like the Citadel fortress, Pier 21 (Canada's Ellis Island), and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Outside the city, cruise visitors can discover the weatherbeaten landscape of Nova Scotia's south shore. See craggy coastline, the bouldered topography of Peggy's Cove, and the German village of Lunenburg, so meticulously restored it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While in Halifax take an very exciting class with one of Canada's best and most exciting art quilters Laurie Swim. Laurie will be in Halifax and will be teaching a half-day workshop of the techniques she uses to create her wonderful pieces. Bar Harbor - A Fresh Light For much of the year, sunlight touches the United States first at Cadillac Mountain on the Maine Coast. From the granite-slabbed summit, light tiptoes down across the rest of Mount Desert Isle. Acadia National Park, the town of Bar Harbor and then the rest of the country. The raw coastal scenery attracted Hudson River School painters in the 1840"s and their art in turn lured visitors to the area. Lots of them. Before you know it,Bar Harbor was a haven for the East Coast glittering class and bejeweled with grand mansions and immaculate gardens. Cruise visitors can walk the streets of town, relax on the Village Green, or climb Cadillac Mountain. You'll see that the grandeur abides. Boston There is no better way to get a sense of the Revolutionary struggles that changed the nation's destiny than with a stroll along Boston's Freedom Trail. Along the way: Paul Revere House, Old North Church, the Old State House and Faneuil Hall, gathering place of the early revolutionaries. Further afield: Lexington Green, where the minutemen and redcoats first skirmished, and bewitching Salem. Sea Day - Quilting Day Newport, Rhode Island In this natty yachting town it is not the Joneses one must keep up with, but the Vanderbilts, Asors and Morgans. They called their summer homes by the sea "cottages", but a stroll along Cliff Walk reveals some of the grandest mansions in America - the Breakers, Rosecliff, Beechwood, Doris Duke's Rough Point Estates. In town, shop lively Bowen's Wharf, taste lobster fresh off the boats. New York - Brilliant to the Core Close your eyes and you'd still know it's New York. Puffs of steam rise warm from the street, the aroma from pretzel-vendor carts floats through the air, and the echoes of taxi beeps careen off the glass skins of office towers. Open your eyes and take in the textures of a capital of world finance, media, art, fashion, and pretty much everythng else. It's a Big Apple, too big, so cruise vistors have to take small bites. Maybe start with a museum - the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, the Guggenheim, or the American Museum of Natural History. Take a walk through Times Square or Central Park. Catch a Broadway show. Shop. Grab a pretzel from a street vendor. Close your eyes. Mmm.