Gaspe, Quebec, Canada

October 16, 2013

I remember studying about the Gaspe Peninsula in elementary school.  Today, we visited there.  This is a very rugged part of Canada, which includes a section of the International Appalachian Trail.  Yes, that’s the same Appalachian Trail that runs through Tennessee.  The peninsula extends into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.  There are high cliffs and mountains that border the area.  This is also a prime spot to see migrating whales and beautiful landscapes.  We didn’t see any whales today because most of them have already started their migration south into warmer waters.

This area is devoted to fishing, agriculture and forestry.  However, because of the number of tourists to the area, it is moving toward the tourism and service industries. 

We chose to stay in the little city of Gaspe today, rather than take a shore excursion to Perce, about an hour across the peninsula.  All of the shore excursions were by school buses, and we just weren’t up to riding that distance on that type of bus.  Had we gone, however, we would have seen the northeast tip where Forillon National Parks, the first national park in Quebec, is located, and is home to seals and moose. 

Just strolling the main street of Gaspe was like visiting Skagway, Alaska.  Very few shops, a number of restaurants, a Tim Horton’s (Canada’s version of Starbucks), and very friendly people who wanted us to enjoy their little piece of North America.

Tomorrow and Friday are sea days before we arrive back in Bayonne, NJ, on Saturday morning and return home from a much needed vacation.

Quebec City - Day 2

Quebec City, Quebec

It’s cold and rainy today, and looks very much like autumn in Quebec City.  We will wait awhile and possibly leave the ship later in the day.  This itinerary keeps us here two full days.

Here’s some things you may not know about the city.
·         It was settled by Samuel de Champlain in 1608 at a narrow part of the majestic St. Lawrence River.
·         It was the first permanent French settlement in the New World
·         As “the” place to trade lumber and fur, it soon became a prosperous commercial port.
·         Things weren’t always settled though, and the 18^th century brought disputes between the French and the British and later the Americans

Given the province’s French heritage(which is unique among the Canadian provinces), there is an ongoing debate in Canada regarding the unique status of Quebec and its people.  Currently, the population is divided – some support the idea of full sovereignty; some with a sovereignty-association with the rest of Canada; some are satisfied with the status quo and want their province to remain within a united Canadian federation. 

This is a beautiful area of Canada.  We depart late this afternoon and will have another day at sea before arriving at Gaspe.  More then.

Quebec City, Quebec

October 13, 2013

Fall has definitely come to Quebec City!!  We arrived early this morning, and the Hotel Frontenac was lit and beautiful.  The trees are in full color, and everything in Quebec City is decorated with beautiful pumpkins and Fall decorations.

Quebec City, Quebec, is the New France.  Very European in charm and character, this was the first French city in North America, and is 400 years old. The historic town sits atop a bluff overlooking both the St. Charles and St. Lawrence rivers.  About 95% of the people of Quebec speak French as their primary language, but most speak English as well.

Our tour this morning took us to the Joan of Arc memorial, the Hotel Frontenac, Place D’Armes, and the Basilica of Notre Dame.  This Upper Town area has spectacular views of the St. Lawrence River.
We also went through the Lower Town and saw the Place Royale and the restored Quartier du Petit-Champlain.  There is a “funicular” which connects these two sections of Quebec City.  A funicular is a cable car/incline type people mover. 

We drove out to St. Anne de Beapre, a beautiful Catholic Basilica.  St. Anne has become one of the most important Catholic sites in North America, and is known as a place of miraculous healing, and there were two walls holding dozens of crutches and canes and walkers.  The cathedral is built in the Gothic style and has over 200 stained glass windows.  Mass was being held when we arrived, so we could only go into the back of the Basilica. 

We also stopped at Montmorency Falls, a beautiful waterfall that is actually higher than Niagara Falls. 

It’s been our coolest day yet, and after being out most of the day, we are now back onboard to rest for awhile.  We will be in Quebec City again tomorrow, which is Canadian Thanksgiving.  Our guide told us that all of the shops and restaurants would be open tomorrow, so we plan to go back into the Old Town for a little shopping.

Prince Edward Island and Anne of Green Gables

October 11, 2013

This morning, we arrived in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.  Charlottetown was named for King George’s wife, and Prince Edward was his son.  Again, the weather has been on our side, as we awoke to bright blue skies.  As the day progressed and we traveled to the north side of the island, it became a bit overcast, but cleared as we returned to Charlottetown.

The people here are extremely friendly.  Our guide asked if anyone was from the U.S., and then mentioned that she would be bringing a group to Nashville in November over Thanksgiving.  Of course, we had to let her know that we lived there.  She was so knowledgeable about the island and everything about Anne of Green Gables.

William and Kate honeymooned on PEI and stayed at the Lieutenant Governor’s house.  We saw Founders’ Hall, Canada’s birthplace pavilion, and travelled to the North Shore, famous for its red cliffs, PEI National Park, Cavendish Beach and the Anne of Green Gables House (the old fame site that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery’s first novel, Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908). 

Because I loved this book as a child and had just read it again before coming on this trip, it meant even more to me to see the setting that inspired the book.  The description of the house, barn, Lover’s Lane and the Haunted Woods were exactly as L.M. Montgomery had written. 

We are finally seeing some fall foliage, and today’s nip in the air let us know that we are definitely getting further and further north.  We set sail shortly for Quebec City. Tomorrow is a sea day, and after five days in port, we are looking forward to a day for relaxing, reading and enjoying the ship. 

Sydney, Nova Scotia

October 10, 2013

So, just where is the world’s largest fiddle (roughly 50 feet tall and weighing around 10 tons)
 located? It’s sitting dockside in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the quaint little port city where we are docked today.  We arrived in Sydney around 9:30 am Atlantic time.  It was cool and crisp, but again, we have bright blue skies and a little wind.  We were greeted by a Scottish piper when we left the ship.   This is a tiny little town, and we were able to walk about a half-mile from the ship into the downtown area. 

The people of Sydney hail from around the world, and are a mix of over 50 nationalities from Scotland and Africa to Eastern Europe. 
Cape Breton’s is the largest community in Sydney.  This is the general location of where our ship is docked.  Victoria Park now sits at the site of the original British garrison which was established in 1785.  We stopped in a little Irish pub for a light lunch and did a little shopping in the downtown district. 

One local boy made it big here when he invented the telephone – Alexander Graham Bell.  The city has also had famous hockey players (this is Canada, after all).  

We came back to the ship to rest and relax this afternoon before having dinner tonight in Normandie, one of the specialty restaurants on the Celebrity Summit.  Our ship sails late this afternoon, and then we set sail for Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Oh, Canada! A Day in Halifax

October 9, 2013

We crossed the U.S. border into Canada during the middle of the night.  Today we were in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Halifax is located on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia.  It is a very metropolitan city, is the capital of Nova Scotia, and is known as the “City of Trees”. 

Halifax is home to many museums, historic sights and beautiful gardens.  The Halifax Citadel, the Old Town Clock, City Hall, Province House and St. Paul’s Anglican Church are among the many sites we saw on the double decker bus that we took around the city this morning.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic features several Titantic exhibits that demonstrate the role Halifax played in the disaster.  As the closest major port to where the Titanic sank, Halifax played a significant role in the recovery and burial of its victims.  Once the magnitude of the disaster had become apparent, White Star Line dispatched three ships from Halifax to aid in the recovery operation.  There were 306 bodies recovered, 116 of these were buried at sea.  About 150 Titanic victims are laid to rest in three Halifax cemeteries, most at Fairview Lawn.  When we were here a few years ago, a hurricane had preceded us and the cemetery was closed to visitors.  Debris and trees were down and strewn everywhere. 

This afternoon, we took a tour out to Peggy’s Cove, the highlight of visiting Halifax.  The impressive rock formations are hundreds of millions of years old, left by eroding glaciers.  Their natural beauty is enhanced with a huge stone carving by William DeGarthe, which is a tribute to the people of Peggy’s Cove, a working fishing village.

It was a beautiful day in Halifax today with the temperature hovering around the 60° mark, but sunny and little wind.  We are soon to set sail to Sydney, Nova Scotia.  More tomorrow.

 

 

Bah Hahbah

October 8, 2013

It’s Day 5 of our Canada/New England cruise on the Celebrity Summit.  Today was sunny, but our first cold day.  We awoke to 41° bright blue skies. 

Bar Harbor is a very picturesque town that is tucked away along Maine’s rocky coast.  Our ship can’t dock at the port, so we must tender in.  That means that we will have small boats that will take us into the port from our very large ship.  It was very windy out, and the seas were choppy, but we made it to shore in less than 15 minutes. 

Bar Harbor’s main attraction is Acadia National Park, but unfortunately, it is now closed because of the furloughed “non-essential” governmental employees.  This was a huge disappointment that we couldn’t see this site.  According to the information from Celebrity, there are “granite cliffs side by side with sand and cobblestone beaches. Glacier-carved mountains rise from the sea, cupping deep lakes in their valleys. “  Just a bit of trivia - the Acadians of were of French descent, and they migrated to the Southern coast, specifically to Louisiana and became known as Cajuns. 

Tourmaline is a gemstone indigenous to the area, and there are numerous store that sell jewelry with these stones.

A trip to Bar Harbor is definitely not complete without having Maine lobster and New England Clam Chowder  for lunch, followed by warm blueberry pie with ice cream. 

When we returned to our ship, we attended a cocktail party sponsored by Vacation.com, the travel agency consortium to which we belong.  This particular sailing is a Distinctive Voyage, and this is one of the amenities we will receive. 

After cocktails, I headed to the AquaSpa for a Spa-Topia treatment – hot stones back massage complete with a hand and arm massage, pressure point foot massage, and a spa facial.  What a way to end a beautiful last day in Maine before heading to Canada.

A Taste of Maine - Oct. 17, 2013

We arrived in Portland, ME, this morning to a very gray, very foggy sky.  Seeing across Casco Bay was an impossibility.  The term “pea soup” came to mind when we looked out from our balcony.  Portland is a wonderful place to get a taste of New England, whether you are looking for incredible homes, architecture and history, or lobsters and chow-dah.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow referred to Portland, his boyhood home, as the “Jewel of the Sea”.

Charlie and I got off the ship and took a walk down the main street, getting caught in a rain shower.  Thank goodness, I remembered to pack the umbrellas.  We met up with our friends, Linda and Jim Tidwell and David and Linda Bohan, and boarded our motorcoach for a tour to Kennebunkport around noon.

To get to Kennebunkport, we had to go through Kennebunk.  We passed The Kennebunk Inn, one of the top ten haunted inns in New England, and where our friends, the Bohans, have stayed.  They can vouch for the Inn being haunted because they experienced it first-hand on a trip here a few years ago. 

Kennebunkport is just 45 minutes from Portland.  The leaves are not at their peak color, but it is definitely looking like fall in New England.  This is a charming coastal village which gained worldwide exposure as the summer home of former President George H.W. Bush. 

When we arrived in Kennebunkport, we stopped for a quick bowl of clam chowder and a little shopping before boarding our coach again.

Motorcoaches are not allowed to stop , but we drove slowly past Walker’s Point, the Bush Estate, and the former Summer White House, where world leaders often gathered.  We could see Barbara Bush (although at quite a distance) decked out in pink, outside working in one of the many gardens surrounding the compound.  

There is a guard house to enter the driveway which has Secret Service personnel in residence.  There is also housing for them on the estate.  The flag pole is very interesting, with the U.S. flag on top of a flag of the state of Texas and a flag of the state of Maine.

As soon as we arrived in Kennebunkport, the sun came out, the weather started to clear which made the leaves even more brilliant. 

One thing we did learn today is that there are 75 lighthouses in the state of Maine.  I’m sure we will see quite a few as we sail by the Maine coastline. 

It’s 5:00 pm, and the Celebrity Summit has begun her departure from Portland as the fog again starts to roll in.  We are now headed to Bar Harbor for a day of eating lobster and roaming around this quaint little New England town.