Last Day - Newport

So, we are steaming along to the west-southwest, along the south coast of Long Island. Seven Seas Navigator will get a scrubbing, reset, and sail out tomorrow with a fresh contingent of guests.  And, we will be in Chelsea, in New York City!

 We've set an early (EARLY) alarm so we can get up to see the Statue of Liberty as we pass by.  We're scheduled to dock by 0800, and indeed, we have to be out of the suite by then.  The hallways are full of luggage, which is gradually being staged for removal in the morning.

We had a fine day in Newport, Rhode Island, as our last full day of the cruise. We took a walking tour of Colonial Newport as our official activity - more on that in a minute. First, I have to write about last night and our trip from Boston to Newport.

I had forgotten about the Cape Cod Canal - we saw it on our driving trip, and it appealed to the transportation/infrastructure geeks within us. I admit, though, I hadn't thought much about how the ship would get from Boston to Newport - I guess I (naively) thought we would swing out to the east of Cape Cod.  Oh, that's silly.  There is a perfectly good shortcut!

I mention all this, because I went to bed wondering why the GPS map on the TV showed us to the west of Cape Cod.  I woke up about 0130, and looked out the window.  I was astonished to see the shoreline only about 100 yards away!  Plenty far if you are in a small boat or seaplane, but in a (somewhat) big ship?  No way!

Well, of course we were in the canal.  I quickly realized that the banks were perfectly straight, and of course whatever waterway we were traveling would be deep enough to accommodate us.  I realized we were in the canal. And, what's better - we were just about to pass under the Bourne Bridge.

 I cannot over-empathize the surprise and bewilderment I felt for a few moments, though.

Newport.  We visited here on the driving trip (described here and here) so it was, again, a place we'd briefly visited before. It is, as you probably know, known for its sailing, and indeed, we saw many boats, and a class or two in small boats, in the bay.  We anchored today, so that meant a ride in the tender to the shore.  I love the rides in the tenders - it's fun to see the ship from that perspective, and there was a good bit of chop in the water, which makes for a fun ride (for some!)

Weather today - sunny, but chilly. Biting wind.  Warm enough in the sun, but really cold in the shade. Cold enough that I bought a scarf (with Nancy's help!) at the Newport Visitors Center, and that made all the difference.

The walking tour - led by a no-nonsense guide, and taking in a number of sites in the immediate "downtown" area of Newport. Honestly, it all kind of ran together (this late in the trip, the dates don't jump out any more) but we saw the Quakers meeting hall, the (reported) oldest continuously-running tavern in the USA (did you know the symbol for a tavern is a White Horse, for those who were illiterate?) And, the Touro Synagogue - the oldest in the US. We had wondered why there would be a synagogue in the middle of "Wasptown, USA" but it makes sense when you consider that Rhode Island was founded on true religious freedom.  Jewish people from Spain and Portugal getting kicked out by the Catholics heard what Roger Williams was up to, and decided it was a good place to go.

In true ecumenical style, I also visited Trinity Episcopal Church, which has seen the likes of George Washington, Queen Elizabeth II, and Bishop Desmond Tutu as visiting worshippers.  Nancy checked out St Mary's Catholic parish where JFK and Jackie were wed, too.

Turns out it is the Seafood Festival this weekend in Newport, so we got our lunch on the run, as it were.  Lobster tacos for me, and a scallop roll for Nancy.  Like the Ballard Seafood fest, except on the water, and without the salmon!

Back to the ship, a last swim in the pool, then sailaway, packing, dinner (where we were escorted to our seats by the maitre'd with great ceremony!  Even funnier when you consider that tonight was "Casual Night".

I checked out the sendoff "Beatles Dance Party" featuring the band and dancers - on a ship this small, that means you end up dancing with the dancers and singing with the Cruise Director (Jamie - great guy)  Great fun!

Now, Navigator is gently rocking us to sleep for the last time (this time)  I probably will not chronicle the rest of the trip so faithfully, so if you've read this far, THANK YOU, Merci Beaucoup, and hope to see you soon! Cheers.

Of Presidents and Friends

Campaign button from JFK's 1960 campaign. It turned out to be true!

Today, Boston.  One of those cities in which a mere twelve hours isn't nearly enough, but we did our best!  Busy, enjoyable day. (and we will most certainly be back again!)

Weather was great, once again - a bit breezy, and apparently it rained this morning before we arrived, but the skies cleared and we were able to see all around very well.

Arrived at sunrise, which sounds early, but was around 8AM. Beautiful golden orange skies to the east. We sailed right past Logan Airport, which I obviously loved very much!  Out on the balcony in my bathrobe, shooting picture after picture (as the passenger ferries scooted by!)  Traffic was arriving & departing to the south, so they came right over the ship as we pulled into the Black Falcon Cruise Ship terminal area.  Yet another area (this was a common theme across our trip) in which there is much urban growth - new buildings springing up among, or in place of, older ones, or over former parking lots.

Our tour today was positively Presidential:  the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, MA, and the JFK Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. Just a few notes about both of them, as I can either write loads and loads, or offer observations and hope you, dear reader, will visit them yourself someday.

Adams

• Home to four generations of the family, starting with John and Abigail
• We saw the home and the library (separate building) but there is lots more to see
• No photos allowed inside
• People sure were smaller "back in the day"

Please browse the web site for more details - and please do visit this park if you have any interest in US History.  Plus, it's free!  But be sure to say it is in "Quin-zee, Massachusetts,"  (not Quin-see) That is more local than saying "pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd"

JFK

• Stunning building and location on Columbia Point on the waterfront, in the campus of UMass-Boston
• Your visit starts with a 20-minute film composed of photos and video, and "narrated" by JFK himself (snippets from speeches and interviews
• Exhibits then walk you through his life from the time that he is nominated for President, to Nov 22, 1963 and his legacy beyond.
• Lots of great stuff from campaigns - signs, buttons, etc.
• Lots of great TV footage
• Some of Jackie's dresses and acoutrements
• Numerous drafts of speeches (with handwritten corrections) and White House guest lists, with Jackie's corrections "who are they?"  "need someone who speaks fluent French"  etc.
• Exhibits devoted to space, the Peace Corps, the Cuban missile crisis, and other events 
• Teddy's institute is next door

Well worth a visit, and the view across the water is stunning.  If you take the T to get there, they run a shuttle from the station to the museum (it's a little out of the way otherwise, in amidst the buildings of UMass-Boston)

After being presidential, we met up with friends Janet and Wayne, who live in the Back Bay area of Boston. They thoughtfully came out to meet us at the T station, and shepherded us back into their part of town, very near the John Hancock Center and Copley Square. It's also where the Boston Public Library is located, so of course we had to check that out (see what I did there?)  And of the Library, may I just say "WOW."  Stunning, majestic building, lots of marble, murals, arches, courtyard. Beautiful architecture and artwork inside, including rooms with murals from illustrious artists such as John Singer Sargent.  Well worth a visit, and (again) it's free!

Copley Square is also home to Trinity Cathedral, a weekly (seasonal) Farmers Market, and, of course, the start/finish of the Boston Marathon.  

We spent some time catching up at Janet and Wayne's gorgeous brownstone home (after they took us to their favorite chocolate shop nearby!) And then, they thoughtfully escorted us all the way back to the port, helping us navigate a couple of T-trains, a bus, and a walk through to the entrance to the port secure area.  The T bus dropped us off in between major stops because it would be easier for us to get to the ship. That was nice.

Now, we've been underway for a few hours, and the data on the TV is a little confusing.  It says we've sailed 189 miles since leaving Boston. Something's not quite right <grin>  We have spent a lot of time with this TV channel, too much, in fact.  It plays "soft hits music"  and we have heard Muskrat Love and That's Why I'm Leaving It All Up To You just a few too many times....

Beautiful sailaway in the dark. We went up to deck 11, the only ones up there, and enjoyed the city scape and Logan Airport with all its pretty lights. Aviation nerd alert - FlightRadar24 is a seriously cool app, and it gave us lots of information for the arrivals and departures we were viewing from our front-row seat.

Tomorrow, Newport, Rhode Island, and the last day of the cruise.  What a great trip it's been!

The "other" Portland - and, some general ship observations and catch-ups

Photobombed by the Portland Head Light!

Today (Thursday), we woke up in Portland. Another lovely, sunny, crisp day.  Watched the Nova Scotia ferry, m/v Nova Star, as it arrived in Portland.  Apparently, this ferry, which is a fairly new operation, is losing money (it takes about ten hours to sail from Portland to Yarmouth, N.S., while it takes about 10-12 hours to drive the same distance. So.... not much of a time savings.)

Anyway, I am going to keep this entry somewhat short, owing to energy and time. Maybe it is because we are nearing the end of the cruise, and the fact that last night the Internet went Tango Uniform.  It's all good.

We had a day-long tour today, billed as "The Best of Maine."  This included a trip to Kennebunkport (and its sister, Kennebunk), a short boat ride to see that area from the water, along with how lobstering works, then a lobster roll lunch at a local resort, and finally, a trip to Portland Head Light.  It was all very well done, and the day couldn't have been better.

In Kennebunkport, we got to see where George and Bar hang out in the summers (as well as where Bar insists on taking her beach walk, with dogs and walker, and Secret Service agents.)  We got to swing into the cove next to the compound, because the Bushes left last week for Texas.   There are buoys that mark the security area - when (either) Bush was president and in residence in Maine, lobstermen were given about a day's heads-up to get their traps out of the secure area, because they would have no access when the family was present.  We got the impression from one of the other guides who lives there and has been guiding for many years that some family members are liked much more than other members.  You can figure out which ones. <grin>

Kennebunkport is charming, if a bit precious.  It has been the playground of the very wealthy for many years, after all.  We saw numerous other houses belonging to famous people, including the founder of EHarmony - notable, because we were also told the story that this fellow is currently undergoing a divorce because his wife met someone else on EHarmony.  Not sure if that is true, but it's a good story....

Once we returned to the dock, Nancy and set out to explore Portland a little bit.  In my couple of hours (which is hardly anything,) I found it to be delightful, and about what I expected. I expected it to be: a bit funky, a bit hipster, a little gritty, a lot charming and historic.  Kinda like that other Portland, I suppose.  We wandered the streets, dropped some cash here and there (in stores, mind) and soaked it all up.  Thought we would dine off the ship tonight (late sailing) but neither one of us was hungry at the right time.  Oh well.  We returned to the ship and enjoyed dinner as Portland slipped away.  Had a contingent from the Coast Guard escorting us, and saw the Portland Head Light doing its thing.

So, some somewhat random observations before I forget:

• New Brunswick
• one of the most popular snacks is dulse, the seaweed that tastes like bacon. They were eating it long before it became the new super food
• Our guide passed around on the bus a "moose call" - a big can with a leather string attached to it.  You run your fingers up and down the leather and it makes a funny squeaky sound.  Not sure if that truly duplicates the mating call of the moose, or if we were just being made to look ridiculous <grin>
• Maine
• If you stretched out all the coastline in Maine, it would measure about 3,600 miles
• Most of our tour guides have been retired folks (as compared to most of our guides on our last two summer cruises, where the guides are schoolteachers on summer break)
• If you are not a native Mainer, you are "from away"
• Portland's airport is called the "Jetport"  That's fun
• I forgot to wear my PDX socks today in Portland, Maine, darn it
• On board and in general
• We have yet to see our next door neighbors, and wonder if they ever leave the suite. We hear them all the time (especially on the phone) and they always have a Breakfast order hanging on the door, or else a "Privacy Please" notice. And, they leave their balcony light on all night
• Frat boys are frat boys at any age, even in their sixties-seventies (seeking out the nearest beer in Kennebunkport at 10:30Am, for example, or talking through the dance performances)
• Regent staff are, without exception, absolutely spectacular.  Well, except maybe the I.T. guy. We have been amused by several Windows errors showing up on the in-house TV presentations.

Well, as usual,that wasn't short after all.  And I'm sure I'll think of more stuff that is relevant to us, but not particularly interesting to anyone else, ha ha!  

Tomorrow, Boston.  We're touring the JFK Library, and the Adams (John, and John Quincy) museum.  Then, we're getting together with friends. 

We're in Maine now.....

This is an inside joke of ours - we are both huge fans of William Wegman, and he once did a short for Saturday Night Live, called "Dog Baseball."  I can't link to the video directly, but you can Google it if you want.  It starts out with him saying "Dog baseball is a game we started playing up in Maine.  We're not in Maine now."  Well, we are in Maine at the moment, and it's lovely.

I don't exactly know why, or when it started, but I've long had a "thing" about Maine. My first visit was in May 2013, but for many years prior, I dreamed of visiting. Had a great time in 2013, and am having a great time now!

[previous visits chronicled here and here.]

We arrived in Bar Harbor around 7:30am, gliding in amongst the lobster buoys and the islands.  We knew we'd be anchoring today, and also that we'd have to wait for the US Border Patrol to come on board before we could leave the ship.  Got to watch them lower the tender & zip off to pick up the officers, which was cool.  Regent had it very well organized, calling people to the theater to pick up passports, meet the Border Patrol, then set out on tours. Of course, they've done this kind of thing many, many times, but still, it was good to see it work so efficiently.  Before we knew it, we were on the tender, heading for shore.

Bar Harbor is on Mount Desert Island, which is home to (most of) Acadia National Park. (ANP) It is a very popular town "in the season,"  and with two cruise ships in town, we knew there would be lots of other tourists.  It wasn't so bad, actually and fortunately.  The town will get very quiet in a couple of weeks, after the leaves fade and most of the people go home.

There have been people summering here for a long time - the Rockefellers, to name one prominent family. In fact, it was due to private individuals that ANP came into being, nearly 100 years ago. Ideas such as no vehicular traffic, save horse-drawn carriages, helped carry forward the idea that the park was a natural sanctuary. There are plenty of cars now, but the carriage roads are still there and used daily by horses and carriages (and walkers and bikers.)  Also, Maine's own L.L. Bean company sponsors a bus system that runs through the park now, with propane-powered vehicles. This, too, helps keep the air clean.

When Nancy and I visited in May 2013, we had two strikes against us: (1) the weather was crappy, and (2) the government sequestration had just shut most of the roads in ANP!  We could walk or bike on the highways through the park, but not drive.  Oh well.  There were no people, and we managed to have a lovely walk/hike along the rugged, rocky shoreline, only us. 

Today, the weather was fantastic - perfect fall conditions - and although there were a lot of other people around, we managed to see the highlights of the park in all its autumn glory. We had a good guide (again) who is a MDI native

We have a relatively short distance to travel tonight, a little over 100 nautical miles.  The captain advised that we're taking it slow, and, because he doesn't want to disturb the many thousands of lobster pots along the way, he is not going to use the ship's stabilizers.  Consequently, we're definitely rolling tonight, albeit gently.  You know me - I like the rolling!

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And.... this week in First World Problems, the Internet totally died on board last night, so I couldn't finish the Bar Harbor entry.  Not much more to say, I guess, except it continued to be a beautiful day, we got coffee from our favorite Bar Harbor place, Two Cats, and had a beautiful sailaway at sunset.  Got to see the Princess ship all lit up, as they saw us, too.

On now to Portland....

No longer the only kids in town

Today, Saint John, New Brunswick.  In which we really discover what it's like to not be the "only kids in town...."  Turns out, our pals on Princess are following us through Bar Harbor, but will skip on ahead after that.  However, they are here now in all their behemoth state.  Add a 2,500+ Royal Caribbean to the mix, and there are tour buses EVERYWHERE.

First, though, a link to the blog for our last visit to Saint John.

Enough about that for now, though.  We arrived at midday, which meant we could watch the approach and docking.  And on a ship as small as the Navigator, you can stand right above the flying bridge, watching (and hearing) the Captain and the pilot discuss the maneuvers. Watch the dock handlers move the lines to the right cleats.  The lines are obviously quite heavy and somewhat awkward, but these guys hooked them up to a forklift and drove them over to the proper cleat (except then, they had to move a couple of them anyway.)  We watched the proceedings with one of the entertainers from the ship, which was fun.  He's been in here many times, and was pointing out things to us on the approach.

As the ship was docking, the tour guides began to appear in the parking lot alongside the dock. Most were in period costume for the Loyalist era of the early 1700s.  There was a singer who was entertaining us also,walking round with a mic singing Neil Diamond and Elvis.  Corny, yes, but it was fun to watch a spontaneous dance break out amongst the tour guides in their period garb!

Saint John, it must be said, is not the prettiest of cities.  I mean no disrespect by saying that, but it is true - it is kind of gritty and industrial, sort of like Tacoma, I suppose.  It is home to Canada's largest oil refinery, and a huge paper mill as well.  Its legacy is in shipbuilding, and its many older homes look like they could use a lick or two of fresh paint. That makes it real, though, not something concocted for the sole enjoyment of cruise ship passengers.

What made it more real today also was the weather.  We knew that yesterday's glorious weather would not last, and we were lucky to have a dry (yet cloudy) approach. That deteriorated into rain and mist later on, though, although it is pretty warm out, too.  High humidity of course.  Our guide told us today that Saint John has the distinction of being the second-foggiest place in the world (a location in Newfoundland is, apparently, first)

Saint John is on the Bay of Fundy, which is famous for having the highest tides in the world. In particular, here in town, you can see the famous Reversing Falls.  At low tide, the St John River empties into the Bay, as usual. As the tide rises, however, it causes the sea to flow inland, reversing the current. It is cool to see, although to get the full effect, you really need to see it at both low and high tide, which we were able to do on our tour.

Because of the huge changes in the tides here, today we exited the ship from Deck 5, but reboarded on Deck 6.  It was very noticeable when we arrived back at the ship, how much lower it was in the water.

New Brunswick is sometimes called "the drive-through province," as people make their way to PEI or Nova Scotia.  The ferry to Nova Scotia leaves from Saint John, in fact, that is why Nancy and I traveled through here back in May 2013. I read somewhere that over 85% of NB is unpopulated and undeveloped, and then I thought about it - most of the other Canadian provinces could probably also make that claim, with the exception of Nova Scotia and PEI.  Anyway, there are a lot of trees and small hills here. Moose, too.  We searched all day for Bullwinkle, but he was hiding.  I remember form our driving trip, though, that there are huge signs warning drivers of moose.

Our tour took in a little bit of several sites: the Reversing Falls, the Saint John City Market, and the small village of Saint Martins, up along the Bay a bit.  We already knew that we would be competing with other tours from the other ships at most of these spots.  The tour guide company seemed to have some coordination between them, fortunately, to try to keep all 10-15 buses from converging on the same sites at the same time.  That said, it was still pretty busy, wherever we went.

Our guide came from Alberta, originally, but has lived in New Brunswick for many years. She and her husband live out by St. Martins, actually, so many of the stories she told us throughout the day were personal ones. She also said that several other guides live out that way, and they carpool together to work in Saint John. We thought they must have fun comparing notes at the end of the day.  She did say they usually take a poll to see whose bus would see the first moose.  Well, we didn't win that category today.

I won't write a whole lot about the Reversing Falls, mainly because there are thousands of stories and videos of it (I can't link to videos from the ship, so you have to look it up yourself <grin>)  I will offer some observations, though:
- The paper mill is very prominent behind the Falls
- There's a zipline operation next to the Falls
- It was fun to watch the cormorants flying "upstream", landing, and floating backwards with the current
- Saw a seal, too

After the Falls (morning/high tide edition) we headed into Uptown Saint John, and its City market - kind of like a small version of Pike Place Market, without the flying fish.  Saint John claims to be Canada's oldest city, and the market has been there a long time.  In fact, the aisleway that runs through the center (centre?) of the market is actually a city street, although the whole market is covered.  Also, the market, and many of the businesses in Uptown Saint John, are connected by underground walkways.  This is the Great North, after all.

We got back on the bus for the hour-long drive to St. Martins.  We took the scenic route, although, again, it's a gritty sort of beauty in places.  We saw the Three Sisters Lamp, a symbol of the city, and a form of "VASI" for sailors (ask your friendly local pilot to explain that.)  We also drove by the street & house where Donald Sutherland grew up.  (well, I spend a lot of my professional life pointing out Bill Gates' house, so...)

Other random bits of trivia about former Saint John area residents - the inventor of the foghorn hailed from here. Red Rose tea originated here (the original building now houses financial firms.) The tea bag was invented here.  Also, the guy who figured out how to make motion pictures (Ballardites, you see it every time you go to a movie at the Majestic Bay!  "Welcome to Eltaes Theatres, where the magic begins again... and again.... and again...")

Although it was misty and a bit rainy, we were able to see some good color in the trees.  The bus stopped at one point to let us take photos of a country lane that has great color right now. That's today's blog's picture.

St. Martins features a couple of covered bridges, a retired lighthouse that serves as the visitor center, and of course, a tiny harbor. We were there when the tide was going out, and were able to get some pictures of the boats in water.  About an hour later, though, the boats were on dry land (well, muddy) Such is marine life on the Bay of Fundy!

We were scheduled to have a small lunch at a local seafood restaurant, The Caves (if you've ever been to the Oregon Coast, think of Mo's - this is the local equivalent.)  This place caters to regular customers, of course, but also cranks out chowder and biscuits to hundreds of tour bus occupants every day.  We were but one of many groups for today.  Sounds chaotic (and it was, kind of) but the food was very good, and they were efficient.  Afterwards, we had a chance to "walk on the ocean floor" and look at many, many pretty rocks.  Also, the local caves - accessible in the low tide, but not recommended at other times!

Back on the bus, back to Saint John and the Reversing Falls. And damn if they weren't going the other way. They didn't disappoint!

So, now, we are steaming along for Bar Harbor, and a return to the USA.  We'll get our passports back first thing, and get cleared back into the US.  I love Canada, and I like living in a place where I can travel to Canada quite easily. Back to paying "full price" for things <grin>  We do get an hour back, though, as we travel back into the Eastern time zone (from Atlantic)

Hello, Halifax

Today, Halifax - capital of Nova Scotia.

As I said yesterday, we are now retracing our steps - we were in Halifax in May, 2013. (click here for that blog entry) Loved it then, and loved it today, too.

Woke this morning to find we were no longer the only ship in town - the behemoth Regal Princess, and the stately Maasdam were also docked in Halifax.  We were easily the smallest of the bunch, or in other words, "just right." <grin>

Glorious day in Halifax, weather-wise.  Sunny and warm all day!  We set out with long sleeves and layers, but quickly shed some of those layers in the warmth.  Fabulous.

We signed up for a City Harbour tour, with a ride on an amphibious vehicle. Given what happened recently in Seattle, with the very unfortunate accident involving a Duck vehicle and a charter bus, I'll admit, I looked the vehicle over pretty closely.  (not that I know what I'm looking for, but you know...)  Turns out, these vehicles are a different make and model.  The "Harbour Hopper Tours" in Halifax use LARC 5 vehicles:  Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo, 5 ton capacity.  They were used in the Vietnam War.  The one that had the accident in Seattle was a DUKW, or "duck" from WWII.

Anyway, we had a great, if quick, tour of Halifax and its harbour. Our energetic guide did her job in pointing out all the significant buildings and attractions of the city.  Halifax is quite a significant port and harbour (it just seems better to use the Canadian spelling) for Canada, as it is the major site for the Eastern part of the country.  Roughly half of the Canadian Naval frigates are in Halifax, the rest are in British Columbia. So, we got to see some of those ships, and other naval vehicles, right in the heart of downtown.

We also saw sites such as:
- a floating golf green, occupied by a heron at the time we went by. Apparently, if you hit a ball from the shore and make a hole-in-one, you'll win a car
- curious Harbour Seal popped up to check us out
- The Halifax Citadel, which commands an impressive view of both the harbour and the surrounding countryside (as any good citadel should do)
- Halifax City Hall, with its clock stopped at the precise moment of the Halifax Explosion, a disaster that leveled the city in 1917. Two ships collided in a foggy harbour, and one was filled to the gills with explosives.

Speaking of explosions, our guide apologized in a very Canadian way for the failed efforts of an ancestral Canadian (British at that time) who tried to burn down the White House.  Major General Ross, leader of the pack, is buried in Halifax.

Once our tour finished, Nancy and I pushed our way through all the other cruise traffic (kidding, kind of) and got a bite to eat at the portside Farmers Market.  Fortunately, most of the kiosks were open today, but a lot of shops in town were not open, because it is Canadian Thanksgiving. In fact, one of our guides today said she was happy because her husband was home cooking the turkey, so she would come home from work to Thanksgiving dinner, done! And, she was hoping they would have their dinner outside. Lovely!  I celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving by having my first lobster roll of the trip.  Nancy, who has to avoid the clawed shellfish, enjoyed an Asian lunch of steamed pork roll.

During lunch, we saw one of my favorite sights from a Regent cruise:  staff and crew on the shore, having some down time. Several of the crew were hanging out at the Farmers Market, using the free wifi, probably Skypeing with home. Like most cruise ships, I expect, ours has a staff from all over the world.

After lunch, we set off along the very pretty waterfront boardwalk, watching people fishing (with success!), busking, and mostly just strolling.  Numerous dogs, happy to be in the sunshine, too.

I was happy to see that the "drunken lightposts" of Halifax are still there - I thought it might be a temporary exhibit when we saw it in 2013, but they're still there!  Official name of art: "got drunk, fell down" Party on, Halifax!

We walked to the end of the boardwark and the Halifax branch of Cows Ice Cream. Corny puns, great ice cream. And, closing for the season after today!  You could have chocolate, PEI strawberry, or Bubble gum flavors.  Cows, the business, is based on Prince Edward Island (PEI) so having PEI strawberry was a very locavore thing to do anyway.  But good thing we got there when we did - shortly after we got our ice cream, they were down to just bubble gum flavor.  Ew.

Walked back to the ship, taking a moment to watch the ferry come across from nearby Dartmouth.  The ferry boats are a curious round shape, and are very efficient at docking and undocking - they appear to just latch onto a large clip.

Once on board and set to sail, the port of Halifax (presumably?) offered up a wonderfully Scottish send-off: a piper and drummer, dockside.  I think they do it for all the cruises, which is a nice touch.

The internet is being even more stroppy tonight, so I'm going to wrap it up quickly.  Lovely session in the pool and hot tub (in the sun!), cocktail party for return Regent guests, dinner, and now back in the suite.  Much calmer seas tonight, but still a gentle rocking. Sweet dreams.

Birthplace of Canadian Aviation.... and The World's Largest Ceilidh Fiddle

would that fit on the ship??

Today, Sydney, Nova Scotia.  (yes, it's named for the same Lord Sydney as Sydney, Australia. No relation to Sidney, Montana!) Cape Breton Island - the northern part of the province of Nova Scotia.

From this point onwards in the journey, we are retracing our steps.  That is, we are visiting places we also visited on our big car journey a couple of springs ago. Here is a link to the blog entry from that trip for Sydney. It is going to be fun, comparing notes from that trip.

Our stay in port was shorter than usual today (all by design) Perhaps because it's Canadian Thanksgiving?  Don't know, exactly, but I am glad I have had the chance to visit Cape Breton Island twice, now.  I would really like to come back again to hear lots of music!

Anyway, we pulled in, early in the morning just before sunrise.  Our departure was 3PM, all aboard by 2:30.  We had an excursion scheduled - a visit to the village of Baddeck, and the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site of Canada.

Did you know that AGB had a role in the first aeroplane to fly in Canada?  Actually, technically, in the British Empire??  I was vaguely aware that he was a talented and curious inventor of many things, and that his wife was deaf, which encouraged development of systems and strategies for coping?  (early system of manual English, for example.)  Anyway, back to the aeroplanes...

It's true:  Alexander and Mabel (Mrs AGB) helped form a group called the Aerial Experimental Association, "to put a man in the air."  They finally succeeded on February 23, 1909, off the frozen water of Bras d'Or Lake at Baddeck.  Very cool.

(BTW:  Bras d'Or is the largest saltwater "lake" in Canada)

In the development running up to the Silver Dart, Bell figured out things like the concept of ailerons.  Those clever French folk had gotten there first, but it's noteworthy that he figured it out, too.

The museum we visited today has a replica of the Silver Dart, one what was flown in a 100-year commemorative flight.  The museum also includes lots of things related to the telephone, and the many other things Bell envisioned, but we had limited time, so we concentrated on the aviation part.  Big surprise, I know <grin>  We did look at the early hydrofoils on display, too, and the tetrahedron-shaped kites all around the place.

And, did you know that AGB actually used the phrase "greenhouse effect" in 1914, to describe the effects of climate change?  Yeah.

Overheard on the way to the museum:  "Will there be Internet access in the museum?"  ??
Also overheard a lot on this trip (as opposed to our other cruises): Southern accents.  Not leveling any judgement, just commenting.  It must be said, however, that the entire ship knew the score of the Texas-Oklahoma football game.

Sydney, and Cape Breton Island, used to subsist on coal mining and steelworking.  Cape Breton Island (CBI) is a gorgeous place, and has a very rich cultural history.  Very strong Scottish links, as many of those who were sent packing in the infamous Highland Clearances ended up here. Hence, Gaelic appears on most of the road signs, there's a Gaelic College, and there is even a festival for Celtic Music going on right now.  Our guide said that CBI fiddlers are world-famous for their talents, even teaching traditional styles back to fiddlers in Scotland.  Well, anything to keep it all thriving, which it is!

Celtic music is such a big deal here, and tourism is becoming such a big industry (replacing the coal and heavy metals) that it makes sense that The World's Largest Fiddle should be there to greet us tourists!  I have an attachment to the Fiddle - I think it's cool.  As we left, I watched it recede, and promised I would see it again someday.

Random observation from Quebec, and also here:  numerous above-ground swimming pools.  Makes sense, because an outdoor in-ground pool would be a bad idea in these winters, I suppose.

Nancy and I watched the departure from our balcony for about an hour, as we steamed out the mouth of the river back into the Atlantic. It was overcast and a bit windy (nippy in the air today again) but we were able to watch the shore as it slowly wound by.  There is a lighthouse out at the point where we re-entered the Atlantic.  Several wind turbines up on the low horizon.

We got to watch the Pilot Boat pull alongside and scoop up the local pilots.  That is always cool to watch, and reminds us of cousin Dana, who found this part fascinating on our cruise last year.

We set off for dinner later, intending to eat at the cafe/bistro "Sette Mare,"  which is pretty casual, but very good. (hell, it's all good!)  Rather than have us wait a few moments for a table, though, the Maitre'd (I'm sure I didn't spell that correctly) asked if we would be willing to share a table in Prime 7, which is the fancy steakhouse restaurant on the ship.  Note that Regent is all-inclusive: you pay in advance for absolutely everything*, then just get on the ship and enjoy, so it's not that Prime 7 is "more expensive."  One must have a reservation for Prime 7, though, so it's usually quite competitive to get a table.  We reserved far in advance for one night coming up.  The chance to go twice in one cruise, though, was one we couldn't pass up.  Even if we had to share a table.

So....  you know how it can go when you're put into a situation with strangers, no matter how social.  Usually, in my experience, it works out great and you come away as new friends.  Other times, well, it can be Awkward.  We had both in our shared table experience, as we shared with two other couples.  All perfectly friendly, but one couple, (one member of that couple, that is) was just a little more... interesting and challenging.  And in a way that isn't helped by several glasses of wine, you know?  (on their part, not mine or ours,  that is!!  You know, someone who's a bit tipsy when they sit down, and it goes downhill from there. Hint: it wasn't either one of us)

The other couple, Colorado residents and fervent Broncos fans, kept us apprised of the Broncos score, and we could have happily talked Orange and Blue all night.  Well, we did what we could! (and we didn't talk about the Seahawks... sigh)

We did have a lovely meal, all in all, but to be honest, we'll probably vet our dinner companions a little more closely from now on!

Ship is rocking again, just as it did last night.  According to "Report from the Bridge,"  it's blowing about 45 knots out there, but we are steaming along downwind at about 17 kts.

Tomorrow, Halifax.  A harbo(u)r tour in a Duck boat (sigh.....)  and a revisiting of a lovely city we saw on our previous Northeast trip.

And it's still great to be the only cruise in town (and in a small ship, to boot!)

Cheers - Sláinte!




*except super-fancy bottles of wine or spirits.  Rest assured that there is plenty of "free" stuff that's perfectly fine