- I'm Lynn Elmhirst.

I'm a travel journalist with a deep passion for sailing the high seas.

My most cherished travel experiences have been by water.

The spectacular scenery, fascinating ships, and maritime traditions you can only experience when you cruise.

When the whole world went into dry dock, I bided my time by diving into my library of footage to relive some of my favorite travel memories on the world's greatest cruises.

Today on World's Greatest Cruises, some travel colleagues and I are sailing on the Canada segment of an autumn colours cruise.

We're sailing from Montreal, Quebec to Eastern Canada aboard the Seabourn Quest.

It's one of three smaller ships in the Seabourn fleet.

Home to only about 450 guests and 330 crew.

In this small ship, Seabourn does big things with cuisine.

In multiple bars and lounges, several restaurants, from white napkin dining to breezy al fresco venues.

No wonder, a number of long-time favorite Seabourn traditions are culinary.

On our cruise, we go shopping with the chef at the market in Quebec City for local seasonal flavors, then cook up an autumn dish Seabourn style against Quebec City's historic backdrop.

We taste the cuisine of the shipboard restaurant of one of America's most decorated chefs and celebrate a Seabourn tradition.

Caviar on the pool deck.

We sail out the St. Lawrence river in time for peak autumn colors in Eastern Canada.

Beginning with a pre-cruise extension in the creative, cosmopolitan flare of Montreal.

Where I get to stay in the famous suite where John Lennon and Yoko Ono conducted their famous bed-in for peace.

Seabourn is the only cruise partner of UNESCO to help feature and preserve world heritage sites.

And on this voyage, we visit two.

Old Quebec City, that's like traveling to historic Europe, but in our own backyard, and a natural seaside wonder on Canada's Atlantic coast.

(upbeat music) Our cruise embarks from Montreal's Old Port, so I've arrived a couple of days early to reacquaint myself with one of my favorite cities.

Montreal's the largest French speaking city in the world, outside of Paris, with a European history that dates back to the 1600's.

But Montreal has carved its own new world path to the 21st century propelled by Expo 67 onto the world stage as a modern culture capital for today.

At the same time, Montreal is one of the most livable cities in the world.

And autumn may be the most beautiful time to join residents in the city's expansive parks and green spaces or wander through Montreal's traditional neighborhoods that still retain their signature character.

I'm staying at one of Montreal's landmark hotels, not just for its mid-century atmosphere.

The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel has a place in 1960s music and peace movement history.

It's created a whole experience in the very suite of rooms where John Lennon and Yoko Ono conducted their famous bed-in for peace media event in 1969.

This is also where they recorded the anthem, Give Peace A Chance.

I'm sitting on the most famous bed in Montreal.

So look at this, an old reel-to-reel and it plays.

(group chattering) Right from that moment here in Montreal.

And that's not all.

So this is a little bit of old school.

This is a little bit of new school.

It's virtual reality.

Let's see what happens.

Oh, so here we are.

So this is virtual reality from the perspective of John and Yoko lying in the bed and having a maid come in from the, from the, the point of view, from the perspective of right here in this bed, when John and Yoko were here.

So old meets new.

Very immersive experience.

So this phone check it out.

First of all, it's mint, how retro and darling is that, but it gets even better.

You pick it up and there are messages recorded from that time when John and Yoko are here in their own voices.

Let's see if we can pick that up in the microphone.

- (John) This is John and Yoko from your friendly Peace Station in Montreal.

- (Yoko) Yes and peace to you.

Peace and love.

- (John) Hi folks.

- (Yoko) Hi.

- That is so cool.

It's like, you're right here again.

This wall looks like a wall of filing cabinets and it is, but there's something quite special.

All of the falling cabinets have different names.

All we're saying is gives peace a chance, for example, this one, 1969, the year of all possibilities, but it's really spectacular when you open the filing cabinet, there are interactive memories inside.

Like this one you press the button.

- (Narrator) May 26th, 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono are organizing a standing... - A news reel... ...from the time period.

- (Narrator) in Montreal.

Exactly where you are... standing right now.

- (Lynn) Again, bringing... ... that powerful moment... - (Narrator) But 1969... ... is also a year - (Lynn) ... in time... - ... to life.

- (Narrator) where it seems- everyone is at each other's throat.

- I think Paris has a new rival for the title City of Lights.

Montreal at night is illuminating.

- City Memorial is a very large scale video projection project.

This year four new Tableau were added.

And so making up to 23 and recently a new multimedia installation was inaugurated at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

So making up to 26 different videos that are talking about different topics, different aspects, and different periods of the history of Quebec and the development of Montreal.

- Another nighttime experience you can't miss the spectacle of Montreal's illuminations by night from nearly 200 feet.

That's 20 stories above the Old Port.

Montreal's new Grande Roue, which just means big wheel, is the highest observation wheel in Canada.

The Grand Roue gives us a 360 degree view of the city, it's landmarks, and the St. Lawrence for almost 20 miles on a clear day or night.

You know how they say, wait until my ship comes in?

Tomorrow, our ship's going to be docked right over there.

We're right over top of the Old Port of Montreal.

Boarding right on schedule, with plenty of time to freshen up and refresh in my suite.

This fresh sea air and being on the teak decks with beautiful scenery of Montreal in the background.

And just a simple cup of tea becomes something really magical.

I think the tea tastes even better in the fresh air and with a view like this.

Fully restored for one last moment in Montreal.

Montreal is Canada's style and fashion capital.

And we discovered a store and atelier that's open for us to watch.

Where Montreal fashion and Canadian history come together in eco-friendly style.

Not only can you watch the fascinating process of how wool felt hats are made, I'd never seen a wool hat made right in front of my eyes before.

Have you?

We also get to see the transformation of vintage and used fur coats into upcycled, new fashions, perfect for a Montreal or New York or Northern Europe winter.

- Fur is the most beautiful material you can find.

It's been made by nature.

It has all the textures and the colors and it's three- dimensional.

It's part of our heritage.

The whole city of Montreal is built around fur, the whole city of Quebec.

That's why Europeans started coming here.

But also because as a recycler, it's probably the best material to recycle.

There's millions and millions of coats to recycle 'cause fur last for a hundred years.

So people actually carry on the furs through three generations.

Once you take off the used parts, you have beautiful pieces that you can dye it, you can sheer it, you can knit it, make braids and beautiful, beautiful piece.

And it looks new.

We make sweaters with chunky furs on it.

We make boots because you want warm boots in the winter.

We make mittens, we make hats.

We make a bit of jewelry with all our leftovers.

- (Lynn) Did you want to change the image fur?

- Yeah, I think fur was also a very snobby thing.

A little bit too arrogant too.

And I wanted fur to be used also for the fact that it's warm, it's beautiful, it's comforting.

- What do you think?

Yeah?

Yes?

- And it doesn't have to be a, something only special people can afford.

- Oh.

Oh my.

I feel very glamorous.

- The fact that I'm recycling, none of the pieces we make are the same.

So even when we receive from our contractors, the whole production of mittens, each product has its own life, its own personality.

If I was making exactly the same black shirt all week, I'm not sure I would have that much fun.

So recycling is really more complicated.

But once, once you see the result, it's just fantastic.

I would say the equal part, the fact that we've saved a million lives of animals that we try to do fashion a different way.

Just make us feel good.

I don't, I don't think it's only me.

I think it's my whole team.

We're reinventing fashion and, and looks in, in a different way.

(upbeat music) - If you've watched World's Greatest Cruises before, you'll know that one of my favorite moments on a ship is sailaway.

With all the anticipation of the cruise adventures ahead, alongside a new group of friends you're just meeting.

Our dramatic sunset sailaway from Montreal has us cruising past architectural landmarks like Olympic stadium known as the big O and under the bridge named, after the French explorer, Jacque Cartier, the first European to arrive by ship in what's now Montreal in the 1500s.

Our departure under that bridge illustrates why smaller ships aren't just one of the best ways, they're the only way to cruise from Montreal along the St. Lawrence.

Bigger ships have to begin down river at Quebec City, which is our first port of call.

It's just about a three hour drive east of Montreal, along the St. Lawrence or an overnight sail.

We dock right in the heart of Quebec City's Old Town, a UNESCO world heritage site dating back to 1608.

The stone walls and ramparts of Old Quebec are the only fortified city walls North of Mexico.

Religious orders soon followed, building many of Quebec's earliest structures.

Today one of the city's oldest religious buildings has found a new life while maintaining the spirit of the religious healers who founded it for visitors and locals.

- So Le Monastère des Augustines actually occupies the ancient wings of the first hospital in America, North of Mexico.

Also the Hotel-Dieu de Quebec and it's a former monastery that has been entirely restored and redesigned.

In 2013, the sisters realized that their declining numbers.

So they decided to pass on their legacy in order to preserve this heritage.

This place became a not for profit and everything was passed on in order to preserve this.

So this brings us to what Le Monastère is today.

It's mainly a hotel, a wellness center also.

So it's really a, a way to continue this mission of healing while being non-confessional, obviously.

So everyone from all cultures and beliefs are welcome to come to Le Monastère.

We have a healthy restaurant, a full museum, as well as an archive center that has 400 years of the Augustine sisters legacy.

The reason why they came to Canada to New France was to build hospitals, was to, because there was obviously people moving over from France and there were no ways to, to heal them.

These sisters at first, they were apothecaries.

So they have this entire garden, the inside courtyard as well as many gardens around the property.

They used to make remedies and they would find health cures to common problems at the time, such as scurvy.

So this place has been really a place to, to heal and to help people.

The building, having been a monastery where the sisters were cloistered for over 300 years.

When you walk in, you really feel like you're, you're taking a deep breath and you're entering into a different world.

An entire floor of our rooms are authentic rooms.

They're former nun rooms which have been restored.

There's no TV, there's no phone.

And it's quiet on the entire floor also.

And it's mostly a, a museum experience because you have museum pieces in your room.

So it's a meshing of culture and health.

- Another hotel you just can't miss, literally towers over the St. Lawrence.

It's historic French Chateau style dominating the skyline.

This Quebec city landmark is the most photographed hotel in the world.

The Chateau Frontenac only dates from 1872.

It looks a lot older, doesn't it?

And in fact, there's been a Chateau on the site for centuries.

The landmark hotel evokes Quebec's history and its bar crafts cocktails using local flavors and ingredients, which you can sip overlooking one of the best views over the city and the port.

On Seabourn, chefs don't just stick to the ships' restaurants.

They go into the theater for culinary demonstrations, and they even take guests on provisioning expeditions into local markets.

So called shopping with the chef has always been one of Seabourn's most requested excursions.

So you know this market well, chef?

- I've been here a few times.

You could say that.

It's one of the best markets I've seen around.

Tomorrow morning you'll see these strawberries out for breakfast.

- (Lynn) Okay.

- Two tables just full strawberries, apples, Greek yogurt, and bang.

- (Lynn) This is your cheese lady.

- (Chef) This is my cheese lady.

Exactly.

Yeah.

- (Lynn) Oh, that is delicious.

- Yeah.

You're tasting that?

- Oh yeah.

- It's full power flavor.

As you're cooking it, you're scraping it and the kitchen- - Just smells.

- Starts to smell this cheese.

You're like, ah, it's magnificent.

You gonna try one of my favorite sausages.

- (Lynn) Oh my.

- It will just melt, dissolve in your mouth and you'll stop concentrating what you'll do.

- Mm.

You have never had sausage until you've had this sausage.

- Mm.

- (Chef) We've come to try some of your amazing cider.

- (Lynn) Oh yes.

- We gonna say cheer to that.

- Of course, cheers to that.

Cheers.

- I'll take four of these, three apple butter, and I have to take three or four of those.

- (Lynn) Ah.

Salmon.

- White pepper smoked salmon.

It's very good.

It's gonna get your taste buds going.

- It's delicious.

It might've spoiled me for any other salmon.

- I'll take five of each please.

I'm going to be serving them cold thing on an Epicurean table.

So as guest walk around swimming pool, there'll be loads of local food tables, cocktail table, vodka table, champagne table.

And as the guests go around, they'll be taking little sips of their drinks, tasting all the little tables, - Lovely.

- Experiencing the local flavors as well as the stuff we make on board.

- I call that a perfect meal.

- That's just cocktail.

- Oh, and look, a six pack of maple syrup.

- And why not.

I think we should go back to the ship and do some cooking.

- That sounds perfect.

- (Chef) Let's go.

Today we went to one of my favorite markets in Quebec City and we bought some quite a few nice local products.

- (Lynn) Right.

And this is all going to become?

- A pumpkin risotto.

- A pumpkin risotto.

You're just looking for an excuse to put all of these pumpkins on the table.

- I'm very proud of my pumpkins.

So today we're gonna start off with chopping a shallot.

We're just gonna pop it in the pan here.

Add a little bit of olive oil.

Now, whilst this is heating up, we have got some chicken stock on the other stove here.

We wanna have nice warm stock.

It speeds up the cooking time and absorbs nicely.

- Right.

It smells great already.

- So now I've half cooked the risotto rice already.

Quick deglaze this.

- There you go.

- Splash.

- Splash.

- Splash.

- (Lynn) That's a Chef Jes splash.

- Now we're gonna add the stock, bit by bit, not too much.

You don't want it to drown the rice.

You want it to absorb it as much as you can.

Before we get any further, we're just gonna add some pumpkin.

Now this is the pumpkin we bought today in the market.

- (Lynn) And did you roast that?

How was that?

- Yeah, we peeled it, covered it with olive oil, just a little bit of salt and pepper.

So now we've got some nice roasted pumpkin seeds.

We're gonna add this.

So you now you got another texture.

- Right.

- A nice crunch to it.

We're now gonna add the, the cheese.

And it's gonna help make it creamy as well.

- (Lynn) Oh, beautiful.

- We're also gonna add some nice cold butter.

There you go.

- (Lynn) And why butter?

Why not?

Is that the answer?

Why not?

- Butter makes everything good.

But of course the more fat you put in food, the better.

Now as we stir this in, it's gonna start to dissolve.

Get a little bit creamier.

- (Lynn) Right, indeed.

Oh yes.

- So we're gonna have the right pinch of salt.

- (Lynn) Oh, okay.

- (Chef) Give me a twist of pepper.

- (Lynn) Certainly.

- (Chef) Don't be shy.

- Oh.

Okay.

I'll keep going.

- Superb.

- Done.

Mm.

- So as I've been taught, whatever we make, we must taste.

- Mm.

Chef.

That's magical.

- Mm.

- (Chef) Got the nice seeds.

- (Lynn) Yes.

- (Chef) Pumpkin bit of everything there.

To finish this off, We're gonna give it one more.. - (Lynn) Very nice.

- (Chef) ... sprinkle of seeds.

- Beautiful.

- Now I've got some beautiful raw kale.

Few more seeds.

And of course the cheese is so good.

I think we should actually just finish off with.

- (Lynn) 'Course we should.

- Little sprinkler of extra cheese.

That is your Winter Pumpkin Risotto.

- Fit for a king.

A Quebec king.

- (Chef) Yeah, exactly.

A Quebec King yeah exactly.

Now of course, whilst we're in this market, we bought some ice cider.

- We did.

- We were tasting, which... - We tasted a lot.

- ... was one of the best parts of the day.

- It was, it was a highlight.

- We actually brought it back to the ship and we've turned into a little sorbet for you to try.

- Really?

- Jan my maitre, he's just gonna bring some in here now.

- Goodness.

- (Chef)I hope... you're gonna try this.

I hope you're gonna... - (Lynn) Look at this.

... taste it and tell me what you think.

- Oh, I'm going to taste it.

- Oh, you have to.

- Look at this.

Oh man.

- Yeah?

- I didn't think it could get better than outta the bottle at the market, but I think you've, I think you've elevated at this to a whole new level.

This is Quebec.

- Yes.

Absolutely.

- This is really a wonderful little Quebec gastronomic moment.

Thank you, chef.

- Absolute pleasure.

- A number of cruise lines work with famous chefs.

Seabourn's partnered with the American chef who's been awarded the highest number of Michelin stars.

Of course we make reservations to dine at The Grill by chef Thomas Keller.

Walking into The Grill for the evening feels like entering a mid-century train dining car with curved banquet seats, shiny marble and metal, and illuminated ribs on the ceiling.

A classic cocktail from the bar is just the beginning of an evening of dining on iconic American steakhouse cuisine.

Steak and lobster are a given.

But The Grill also revives long-lost dining traditions like Caesar salad made tableside.

- (Waiter) Okay.

Caesar salad.

- Lovely.

- (Waiter) Enjoy.

- It might be the best Caesar salad I've ever had.

Really.

Have ordering regret?

The Grill is an included specialty restaurant on Seabourn ships.

So every guest who sail has access to the cuisine of a chef whose land-based restaurants often have waiting lists months long.

You might call that the cherry on top of an evening at sea.

Sailing onwards out the St. Lawrence into the North Atlantic Ocean to our next port of call, the capital of New Brunswick.

St. John is the gateway to another UNESCO world heritage site.

This one, a natural and record breaking marine phenomenon.

St. John sits on the Bay of Fundy where the ocean's tides are so high they actually push the St. John river backwards.

From a new vantage point overhead, you can see the point where the two opposing forces collide.

In the whirlpools and wave peaks, they're call the reversing rapids that can get really big at high tide.

Outside of town we pass through some of the province's famous historic covered bridges to another phenomenon created by the Bay of Fundy tides, a place where we can walk inside underwater caves.

- They have recorded 54 foot tide changes on the Bay of Fundy.

When I say phenomenal, I do not use that word lightly.

Six feet is a, a big tide in other parts of the world.

When this tide goes out horizontally, it can go out 0.5 of a kilometer.

That's over 1600 feet.

That's amazing.

People come from all over the world to experience the Bay of Fundy and the tides.

It is listed as one of the top 20 natural wonders of the world.

The fact that you are able to walk on the ocean floor and pick up rocks and see fossils.

And these are pieces of art.

They're part of our natural history.

And they've been here for a long time and hopefully they'll be here for that much longer.

The tide is pretty much at its final out.

It will now start to turn and start rolling in again.

All of what you see behind me will be underwater in six hours and 13 minutes.

- (Lynn and two friends) Hello!

Or actually goodbye.

For us, this is the end of the road, or cruise segment, as the ship prepares to continue sailing to the US Eastern seaboard.

Fortunately, before we disembark, we get to participate in one of Seabourn's most beloved traditions.

In tropical climates it's caviar in the surf, but on cool weather cruises, like this one, the party takes place on the pool deck.

It brings almost everyone together to join in the festivities where we mingle with fellow guests and members of the Seabourn crew to toast our voyage.

Until next time on World's Greatest Cruises, wishing you fair winds, and following seas.

More information about World's Greatest Cruises and the ship and ports of call featured in today's program on our website at www.worldsgreatestcruises.com .

Next time on World's Greatest Cruises, a tropical seafaring Caribbean escape.

Beginning in Miami, we explore three eras of landmark architecture in one of the most exciting design cities in the world.

We sail America's cup racing yachts in St. Martin, and we go riding in the surf on a cruise line's private island.

Plus we go behind the scenes on the New Amsterdam to get a taste of what it really takes to operate a cruise ship.