Eagle-Eye Tours Eagle-Eye 4711 Galena St., Windermere, British Columbia, Canada V0B 2L2 Tours 1-800-373-5678 | www.Eagle-Eye.com | [email protected] Travel with Vision 2011 Canada and the North Cover photo © Andrew Stewart, 2009 Dear Adventurers, In 2011, we at Eagle-Eye Tours are delighted to present another series of outstanding voyages. Every single one will not only bring you to places of beauty and importance, but will connect you to them. Through the summer season we have the great thrill of exploring the mighty North Atlantic. We’ll range all the way from the cities of Scotland through the Outer Hebrides, north around the ancient settlements of Orkney and Shetland, and end up in St. Andrews, where we’ll help the University celebrate its 600th anniversary. Then there’s unforgettable Iceland, and beyond lies the world’s largest island, Greenland, where we’ll watch giant icebergs calve and meet with the Greenlandic people. Further West, in the Canadian Arctic, or in rugged Labrador or music-filled Newfoundland, we’re on home ground, with expeditions that take us from Inuit art centres like Baffin Island’s Kinngait (Cape Dorset) all the way to The Northwest Passage. Our itineraries are thoughtfully designed to include areas of exceptional splendour, optimal wildlife viewing and historical significance. Our teams of experts – geologists, botanists, biologists, anthropologists and historians, as well as artists in words, music, painting and more – are there to make sure that we’ll all learn a lot, gaining insight into both the natural and the cultural landscape. Everywhere we go, we make a point of mingling with the local people, since we know that learning, fun and interaction are the great joys of travel. On our cruises we’re committed to providing ample opportunities for each of these elements, and much more. When you return home, your friends will be amazed by the memories that you’ve stored up, in one short cruise. For nearly 15 years we’ve been exploring special places. We’ve enjoyed sharing them, and the local people we have met on our journeys of discovery, with our guests. We’d like to thank all of our guests for their endless appetite for discovery, learning and fun. As you continue to pursue your own adventures in life we hope that you will think of us. Yours in adventure, Eagle-Eye Cam Gillies and Richard Knapton Directors, Eagle-Eye Tours ToursTravel with Vision © Larry Frank, 2010 Cover photo © Andrew Stewart, 2009 Special thanks to our partners: www.houston-north-gallery.ns.ca Celtic Quest: A Voyage Through the Scottish Isles Celtic Quest: Voyage through the Scottish Isles 6 Art on the Rock with Kevin Major 52 The Canadian-Scottish Connection 11 The Clipper Adventurer 53 TableGardens Great & Small:of Pre-tour Contents 13 The Ocean Nova 54 Iceland & Greenland 14 The Clipper Odyssey 55 Four Billion Years of Earth History 19 The Trans-Siberian Express 56 Into the Northwest Passage 20 Explore Eastern Newfoundland 58 Walking in Ancient Footsteps 25 Newfoundland Close-Up 59 Out of the Northwest Passage 26 British Columbia’s Coast Mountains 60 Heart of the Arctic 30 Haida Gwaii: The Queen Charlotte Islands 61 Some Thoughts on Inuit Art 35 Pond Inlet: Floe Edge 62 Greenland & Wild Labrador 38 2011 Rates 64 The Land God Gave to Cain 43 2012 Rates 65 About the Arts Float 45 Coming Attractions 66 Newfoundland Circumnavigation 46 Registration Form 67 Exploring Rural Newfoundland 51 Terms & Conditions 68 Adventure Canada specializes in soft adventure programs, where you can experience the best of the natural world while enjoying the comforts of a friendly hotel. Our program features outdoor activities such as walking, wildlife viewing and Zodiac cruising in addition to a full lecture and entertainment schedule onboard our ship. Every day we offer a combination of lively shipboard activities and interesting shore excursions. Our guests choose what elements of the program they want to participate in, with nothing compulsory. It’s up to you! Iceland & Greenland How fit do you need to be? Our excursions onshore will involve a relatively low level of exertion, but you will need a reasonable level of Into the Northwest Passage mobility. For example,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 waterproof boots. All of our participants must complete a medical form verified by their physician. Once Out of the Northwest Passage you have left the Zodiac, you’ll find that we have designed our shore excursions to accommodate both those who wish to enjoy gentle Heart of the Arctic strolls and those who prefer more active hikes. A few of the excursions may involve rough terrain, with rocky beaches leading to steep or rocky or marshy ground. Greenland & Wild Labrador In the seasons we travel, temperatures will vary, according to our altitude on land, or our ship’s position at sea. Itineraries are subject to change, and landings may depend on tides or weather, so, as with all outdoor activities, a flexible approach works best. Newfoundland Circumnavigation When you register we will provide you with a complete list of recommended clothing, essentials to bring, and a suggested reading list. You will also receive a detailed booklet to help prepare you for your adventure. It includes information on the ship and a brief history of your destination, along with news about its people, its landscape, its wildlife, and its distinctive culture. Meals in the ship’s dining room are a great opportunity to meet new friends and to plan or recount the day’s adventures, and special diets can be accommodated with advance notice. Many of our guests form life-long friendships, and we are delighted to find that reunion events often involve people travelling great distances to renew these important ties. We know, of course, that everyone travels for different reasons. Over the years, however, we have found one common element among the guests who choose to travel with us — a thirst for knowledge and authentic experience. Knowing this drives us to ensure the highest quality learning experience on our trips, by taking the time to design in careful detail each trip we offer. May 31- June 10, 2011 aboard the Clipper Odyssey Celtic Quest: A Voyage Through the Scottish Isles 6 © LarryBoth photos Frank cotland’s western and northern isles offer a rich supply of culture, heritage and natural history. In medieval times an already archaic society in the Hebrides evolved into the Lordship of the Isles, a sea-kingdom blending Gael and Viking under the Spowerful domination of Clan Donald. In the north, Orkney and Shetland were welded into a formidable Scandinavian earldom, and were in fact held by the kings of Norway. The naturally-occurring slabs of flat stone and the shortage of wood for buildings mean that both island groups today preserve some of the oldest monuments in Europe, dating back to the Stone Age. The miraculously preserved buildings of Orkney’s Skara Brae “the most complete Neolithic settlement in Europe featuring superbly preserved domestic interiors with stone cupboards, dressers and box beds, cooking utensils and jewellery- like beads” (according to Rosemary Goring in Scotland: The Autobiography) provide a Pompeii-like intimate visit to the past. Today both islands exploit the latest computer technologies to place them at the forefront of modern developments, and the distinctive jewellery of Orkney is justly famous, like the traditional Harris tweed of the outer Hebrides. Kinship and community are two of the constants in this story; Gaelic-speaking clans retained their independence despite acknowledging the Lords of the Isles, while free Norse landholders battled the forces of feudalism in the Northern Isles. As our ship, Clipper Odyssey, winds its way through the western isles and the Pentland Firth to Orkney and Shetland, history will illuminate the present, while tradition will enhance our understanding of the past. An ever-present part of that past will be the tides of history that swept so many thousands of people from these islands to the shores of Canada, from the days that The Hector in 1773 brought the first Highland settlers to Nova Scotia. Today, more than 4 million Canadians boast of their Scottish descent, and the names of the people we encounter will be very familiar to students of Canadian leaders. On our cruise, the abundant bird and mammal population of the area will be observed, studied and surely enjoyed. June is an ideal month to visit Scotland in search of birds. With breeding well under way, watchers will be rewarded with excellent opportunities to see new types of birds. Photographers will have time to focus their attentions on improving technique, and will enjoy learning in small group tutorials. Island folk have always been extremely conscious of the natural environment, as the riches of the sea have sustained them for many centuries. We’ll experience a bit of island life, too, with music and laughter in community halls and local pubs. After sailing down the east coast of the Scottish mainland, a highlight of our program will surely be our visit to the University of St. Andrews, which will be celebrating the 600th anniversary of its foundation in 1410-12. As the ruins of the massive Cathedral show, St. Andrews was the seat of the greatest bishopric in Scotland and a natural location for a centre for learning, a role that has continued with distinction down through the centuries. The recent engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton, who met as students at St.