We arrive at Eppley Airfield, having been picked up by our travel mates, Howie and Lee Needelman
for a short hop from chilly, snowy Omaha to colorful Colorado. A quick and uneventful flight in our
economy (steerage) seats. Upon arrival at Stapleton Airport, we walk for miles to the baggage claim area. One good thing about the long walk is that, when we arrive at the
carousel, our luggage has also arrived.
Next we head to the train stop for our senior price tickets and the train ride into
downtown Denver, headed for Union Station. A pleasant but not speedy ride
and we disembark. From there we walk a few blocks and pick up the free Mall
transit bus to take us a few miles down the 16th Street Mall to the civic Center
station. Alighting, we walk the four blocks to our hotel for the stay - The Art Hotel.
This property, adjacent to the Art Museum, near the State Capitol Building and the Library, is smack
in the middle of central Denver. The hotel is a smallish (165 room) modern hotel with very acceptable rooms and a restaurant.lobby.bar on the fourth floor. We drop our luggage and head to
the bar for an afternoon cocktail and a bite of hors d’oevres.
We decide to go see a movie and land a Lyft ride to the nearby movie theatre, settling in for the
movie 1917. We all recommend this Oscar nominated film to any. Truly a mind opening look at
World War I.
Next, we walk to the nearby Brown Place Hotel, Denver’s iconic hotel, founded in 1892. It’s stunning
lobby and chandelier are amazing. We dine in the Ships Tavern Pub on sandwiches and chips with
accompanying wine and beer.
We then head back for the 15 minute walk back to our Hotel and are down for the count by 10:00.
Friday, January 24, 2020
Joslyn Castle to Detroit - Thursday, October 10, 2019
Up early and down to breakfast followed by a load up of our luggage onto the bus. We then
motored a scant two blocks to the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA) for a relatively short tour. Our guide
sped us through the museum, pointing out some highlights and beautiful works of art, culminating
with a stop in the huge gallery holding the Diego
Rivera frescoed murals. This work is a
stunning site in itself, and when coupled with a
lecture explanation of all the panels and the
various themes that Rivera was
communicating, you come away with a much
better understanding of this artist and his
times. The DIA encompasses over 650,000
square feet with over 100 galleries and a
collection of over 65,000 pieces of art. The
scope of the institute is mind boggling. The real
treat is that, due to non-stop flights from
Detroit, one could fly to detroit, take a cab from
the airport to the museum, spend a few hours
enjoying and tasting its offerings, and then
back to the airport and on to your ultimate
destination. A great day trip with non-stops to cities all over the world.
We then lunched at the DIA cafeteria and boarded our bus for our last home of the trip - The Edsel and Elaine Ford home, in Gross Pointe, a mere ten miles from the city. This home, set on over 175 acres along the Lake St. Clare waterfront, is a superb example of Alfred Kahn’s Cotswold cottage architecture and the vision of the Fords. This is a true family home with a subdued scale, especially considering the wealth of the owners. The home is designed to be lived in by a family, this one which had 4 lively and engaged children, all of whom went on to some renown. The grounds are particularly stunning, designed by Jens Jensen, the same landscape architect that is reputed to have lent his design hand to parts of our own Joslyn Castle. After a walk of the grounds and a stop in the gift shop, we loaded up the coach for our final stop of the day.
We headed back into downtown Detroit, along the Detroit River to the Pewabic Ceramics studio.
The building built in 1906, is the home of the world famous Pewabic Pottery works. The name Pewabic is from the northern Michigan copper mine area and was picked by its founder, Mary Chase Perry Stratton. Ms. Perry Stratton became a world famous potter and eventual leader of architectural ceramics use throughout the world. We toured the facility, learning of its history, its workings and the way in which the tiles are created, formed, fired and glazed. There was time for shopping in the retail area and a number of pieces are now in Omaha homes.
At 6:00, we left for our drive to the airport, sorting out of the bags, travails with boarding passes and TSA, quick meals, and finally, at 8:45, our flight leaves for Omaha. We arrive home at 9:40 Omaha time and head home, educated about Detroit, our appetites whetted for another trip to this amazing gem of a City with Architecture, Museums and 300 years of history embedded. It was not what we thought it would be and also more than we though it would be. Well worth a future visit.
We then lunched at the DIA cafeteria and boarded our bus for our last home of the trip - The Edsel and Elaine Ford home, in Gross Pointe, a mere ten miles from the city. This home, set on over 175 acres along the Lake St. Clare waterfront, is a superb example of Alfred Kahn’s Cotswold cottage architecture and the vision of the Fords. This is a true family home with a subdued scale, especially considering the wealth of the owners. The home is designed to be lived in by a family, this one which had 4 lively and engaged children, all of whom went on to some renown. The grounds are particularly stunning, designed by Jens Jensen, the same landscape architect that is reputed to have lent his design hand to parts of our own Joslyn Castle. After a walk of the grounds and a stop in the gift shop, we loaded up the coach for our final stop of the day.
We headed back into downtown Detroit, along the Detroit River to the Pewabic Ceramics studio.
The building built in 1906, is the home of the world famous Pewabic Pottery works. The name Pewabic is from the northern Michigan copper mine area and was picked by its founder, Mary Chase Perry Stratton. Ms. Perry Stratton became a world famous potter and eventual leader of architectural ceramics use throughout the world. We toured the facility, learning of its history, its workings and the way in which the tiles are created, formed, fired and glazed. There was time for shopping in the retail area and a number of pieces are now in Omaha homes.
At 6:00, we left for our drive to the airport, sorting out of the bags, travails with boarding passes and TSA, quick meals, and finally, at 8:45, our flight leaves for Omaha. We arrive home at 9:40 Omaha time and head home, educated about Detroit, our appetites whetted for another trip to this amazing gem of a City with Architecture, Museums and 300 years of history embedded. It was not what we thought it would be and also more than we though it would be. Well worth a future visit.
Joslyn Castle to Detroit, Wednesday, October 9, 2019
We awake today to clear skies and temperatures in the upper 50’s - boding for a great day. Our
group meets in the lobby breakfast room for coffee, scrambled eggs, toast, pastries, juices and
other goodies. All were well satisfied with the breaking of the fast. Most slept well, although one
claimed to have fallen from a great height out of bed!
(No witnesses, but she is a credible person!)
We mount our coach at 9:30 for our drive north to Bloomfield Hills and our day’s visit to Cranbrook Art Academy. This 300-acre campus includes elementary, middle and high schools currently enrolling approximately 1,600 students. In addition it enrolls college graduates in its world famous arts disciplines, leading to post-graduate degrees in painting, metal-smithing, fabrics, ceramics, woodworking and architecture. The Cranbrook Institute of Science features exhibitions, planetarium, observatory and native plant garden.
There are also the Cranbrook Art Museum, Christ Church and historic houses and gardens. Easily a multi-day destination which we are going to skim in a mere 8 hours. Cranbrook is the creation of Elaine and George Booth. The Booths were the scions of the Detroit Free Press paper and the Booth Newspaper chain. They were fabulously wealthy and very intent on giving back to their community. They purchased the original 175 acres as a retreat from the city for their family and enlisted architect Alfred Kahn to create the Cranbrook Booth home. Soon they decided to add some schools and asked Kahn to design more structures. Kahn demurred as he was busy designing factories for Henry Ford so he recommended Eliel Saarinen, Finnish architect who was lecturing at Michigan University. Saarinen accepted, moved to the property and began designing, teaching and building. Thus begun one of the great partnerships in art history. Saarinen, together with his wife, Textile Artist Kjola Saarinen began teaching and training. They created a campus of buildings, museums and workshops unmatched in the U.S. We started with a stroll from the peristyle of the Museum building, through the gardens and eventually to the Saarinen House, which he created to serve as the home of he and his wife and, as he served as the President of Cranbrook Academy until his death in 1950, the home also served as the home of the president. You might recall that Eliel and Kiola’s son Aero Saarinen was himself a famous architect, designing the St. Louis Arch and the TWA terminal at LaGuardia airport among other commissions.
Following Saarinen House, we traveled further to the Booth Cranbrook House and Garden. This original home of the Booth family is modeled on a Cotswold Tudor style home. Booth ancestors were from England, and originally from a small village called Cranbrook, which means field of the crane. Hence the name of the estate. Our group toured the house and then sat down in the huge dining area (formerly the library) for an afternoon “high tea” of sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, jam and petit-four desert treats. Following lunch we strolled the gardens of the home and took a quick look at the gift shop (underwhelming.)
We then headed to the Inn on Ferry Street and back to our rooms for a slight rest before reconvening in the lounge for a cocktail and then onto the bus for a drive to our evening restaurant, Rock City Eatery, only a short drive away. We were joined at dinner by our son and daughterin-law, Jake and Audrey Covert, who live in the Detroit suburb of Pleasant Ridge. We enjoyed our hamburgers, mac & cheese, salads and other typical pub fair. Plus conversation and review of the days sites and activities. We were back in our beds, safely tucked in by 10:00, preparing for our final day tomorrow.
We mount our coach at 9:30 for our drive north to Bloomfield Hills and our day’s visit to Cranbrook Art Academy. This 300-acre campus includes elementary, middle and high schools currently enrolling approximately 1,600 students. In addition it enrolls college graduates in its world famous arts disciplines, leading to post-graduate degrees in painting, metal-smithing, fabrics, ceramics, woodworking and architecture. The Cranbrook Institute of Science features exhibitions, planetarium, observatory and native plant garden.
There are also the Cranbrook Art Museum, Christ Church and historic houses and gardens. Easily a multi-day destination which we are going to skim in a mere 8 hours. Cranbrook is the creation of Elaine and George Booth. The Booths were the scions of the Detroit Free Press paper and the Booth Newspaper chain. They were fabulously wealthy and very intent on giving back to their community. They purchased the original 175 acres as a retreat from the city for their family and enlisted architect Alfred Kahn to create the Cranbrook Booth home. Soon they decided to add some schools and asked Kahn to design more structures. Kahn demurred as he was busy designing factories for Henry Ford so he recommended Eliel Saarinen, Finnish architect who was lecturing at Michigan University. Saarinen accepted, moved to the property and began designing, teaching and building. Thus begun one of the great partnerships in art history. Saarinen, together with his wife, Textile Artist Kjola Saarinen began teaching and training. They created a campus of buildings, museums and workshops unmatched in the U.S. We started with a stroll from the peristyle of the Museum building, through the gardens and eventually to the Saarinen House, which he created to serve as the home of he and his wife and, as he served as the President of Cranbrook Academy until his death in 1950, the home also served as the home of the president. You might recall that Eliel and Kiola’s son Aero Saarinen was himself a famous architect, designing the St. Louis Arch and the TWA terminal at LaGuardia airport among other commissions.
Following Saarinen House, we traveled further to the Booth Cranbrook House and Garden. This original home of the Booth family is modeled on a Cotswold Tudor style home. Booth ancestors were from England, and originally from a small village called Cranbrook, which means field of the crane. Hence the name of the estate. Our group toured the house and then sat down in the huge dining area (formerly the library) for an afternoon “high tea” of sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, jam and petit-four desert treats. Following lunch we strolled the gardens of the home and took a quick look at the gift shop (underwhelming.)
We then headed to the Inn on Ferry Street and back to our rooms for a slight rest before reconvening in the lounge for a cocktail and then onto the bus for a drive to our evening restaurant, Rock City Eatery, only a short drive away. We were joined at dinner by our son and daughterin-law, Jake and Audrey Covert, who live in the Detroit suburb of Pleasant Ridge. We enjoyed our hamburgers, mac & cheese, salads and other typical pub fair. Plus conversation and review of the days sites and activities. We were back in our beds, safely tucked in by 10:00, preparing for our final day tomorrow.
JCT Detroit October 8, 2019
Our group of 15 friends and acquaintances, all supporters of Joslyn Castle Trust of Omaha, gather
at 8:30 AM at Omaha Eppley Airfield for their Delta Airlines flight to Detroit. Bags are checked or
not, boarding passes are distributed and we depart at 10:30 for Detroit. The flight is smooth with
clear skies. We arrive about 5 minutes ahead of
schedule, collect our 16th member arriving from
Houston 3 minutes after our arrival and head to the
carousel to pick up the checked bags. All bags arrive
intact and we traipse out to the parking area to meet
our bus.
We motor into downtown Detroit and stop at Jimmy John’s to pick up our preordered sandwiches and collect our Detroit City Tour Guide, Karen, and proceed on a tour of the city while we wolf down our sandwiches, chips, cookies and bottles of water.
Our first stop is at GM Renaissance Center and riding the elevator to the top of a garage where we viewed a rooftop garden and beekeeping facility. This gave us an overview of this 300 year old city and a glimpse of the buildings that populate this area. We stared across the Detroit River to the City of Windsor, Ontario, looking directly south to our Northern neighbor Canada.
Leaving the interior and winter garden courtyard (right) of the Renaissance Center, we head for a unique structure, The Z Garage, one of a number of buildings owned by Dan Gilbert, the CEO of Quicken Loans and the initial driver of the current Detroit Renaissance. This garage has artwork on every floor, and from the the 10 floor level, we could see all around the area, including a recent painting of Stevie Wonder on the side of one of the buildings.
We leave the garage and walk through an adjoining pedestrian alley whose adjoining walls are covered in art and graffiti. The area is lined by small shops, bars and restaurants. At the end we reboard our motor coach.
Next we head towards the Guardian Building, constructed in 1928 as the headquarters of the Guardian Bank. This phenomenal structure has the entire former first floor retail banking floor now converted to shops and stores. The 5 story tall lobby area is topped by a faux tile ceiling actually made of canvas and horsehair padding to reduce sound. There is no echo here.
On next to the Fisher Building. This 28 storey building was built by the Fisher Brothers, as headquarters for the Fisher Coachworks corporation. It is across the street from the former GM headquarters, now the Cadillac Place building, housing government offices. The Fisher Building is a work of art, designed by the architect Alfred Kahn. The lower exterior of the structure is granite, and then the upper storeys are marble. Inside, the lobby is polished brass, marble and art work everywhere.
From here we drive to MoTown for a look at the houses that formed the original Motown record label founded here in Detroit by Barry Gordy. We did not tour the museum, but did step out to listen to the music being played and for photo ops on the front porch.
From here we headed to our hotel for the rest of the trip, the Inn on Ferry Street. This collection of early 20th century mansions located a block from the Detroit Institute of Art. We take over one entire mansion and its adjoining arraign house. After a quick curt case drop, we convene in the lobby of the mansion which serves as the restaurant and office for a cocktail. We then walk a block to our restaurant, Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails. Meals included Scallops, Merguez Sausge hors d’oevres, potato dumplings, chopped salad, twice cooked egg salad, basil ricotta tortellini with shrimp, short rib and Babette Steak. A few desserts followed.
We walked back to our mansions to rest and recuperate from our busy first day in Detroit, retiring around 10:00 and looking for an exciting second day.
We motor into downtown Detroit and stop at Jimmy John’s to pick up our preordered sandwiches and collect our Detroit City Tour Guide, Karen, and proceed on a tour of the city while we wolf down our sandwiches, chips, cookies and bottles of water.
Our first stop is at GM Renaissance Center and riding the elevator to the top of a garage where we viewed a rooftop garden and beekeeping facility. This gave us an overview of this 300 year old city and a glimpse of the buildings that populate this area. We stared across the Detroit River to the City of Windsor, Ontario, looking directly south to our Northern neighbor Canada.
Leaving the interior and winter garden courtyard (right) of the Renaissance Center, we head for a unique structure, The Z Garage, one of a number of buildings owned by Dan Gilbert, the CEO of Quicken Loans and the initial driver of the current Detroit Renaissance. This garage has artwork on every floor, and from the the 10 floor level, we could see all around the area, including a recent painting of Stevie Wonder on the side of one of the buildings.
We leave the garage and walk through an adjoining pedestrian alley whose adjoining walls are covered in art and graffiti. The area is lined by small shops, bars and restaurants. At the end we reboard our motor coach.
Next we head towards the Guardian Building, constructed in 1928 as the headquarters of the Guardian Bank. This phenomenal structure has the entire former first floor retail banking floor now converted to shops and stores. The 5 story tall lobby area is topped by a faux tile ceiling actually made of canvas and horsehair padding to reduce sound. There is no echo here.
On next to the Fisher Building. This 28 storey building was built by the Fisher Brothers, as headquarters for the Fisher Coachworks corporation. It is across the street from the former GM headquarters, now the Cadillac Place building, housing government offices. The Fisher Building is a work of art, designed by the architect Alfred Kahn. The lower exterior of the structure is granite, and then the upper storeys are marble. Inside, the lobby is polished brass, marble and art work everywhere.
From here we drive to MoTown for a look at the houses that formed the original Motown record label founded here in Detroit by Barry Gordy. We did not tour the museum, but did step out to listen to the music being played and for photo ops on the front porch.
From here we headed to our hotel for the rest of the trip, the Inn on Ferry Street. This collection of early 20th century mansions located a block from the Detroit Institute of Art. We take over one entire mansion and its adjoining arraign house. After a quick curt case drop, we convene in the lobby of the mansion which serves as the restaurant and office for a cocktail. We then walk a block to our restaurant, Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails. Meals included Scallops, Merguez Sausge hors d’oevres, potato dumplings, chopped salad, twice cooked egg salad, basil ricotta tortellini with shrimp, short rib and Babette Steak. A few desserts followed.
We walked back to our mansions to rest and recuperate from our busy first day in Detroit, retiring around 10:00 and looking for an exciting second day.
Boston to Montreal, Saturday, September 7, 2019
The ms Zaandam arrives this morning at the port of Montreal on the St. Lawerence River at 7:00
AM. Again, a beautiful 58F day, moving towards mid-70s. Our luggage disappeared overnight from
the corridor and we hope we can find it again when the time
comes. We journey to the Lido Deck 8 for our final breakfast
of the cruise. Crowded, but as our departure time is near the
end of the group, 9:15, the cafeteria is emptying and we finally
just headed down to our stateroom to await being called. At
9:00 Red # 2 is called and we drag our carry-ons off the ship.
Unlike our last cruise, the bags are right there, standing clear
of a mess and our driver is waiting for us.
Pierre is a 67 year-old native of Montreal, formerly an import/export person and, for 25 years, a chef. He embarks on a tour of this 44 mile long by 14 mile wide island populated by 2 million persons. Montreal is named for the 500 foot Mount Royal in the Center of the island. All the granite for the buildings has been quarried from this mountain, and there is plenty more to go.
Pierre takes us through the various neighborhoods, stopping at an Italian pastry store for amazing cannoli and then into the Hasidic Jewish quarter for freshly boiled bagels, still hot and covered with sesame seeds. This is like a mini-New York with all the various neighborhoods changing as the populations prosper, move out to the suburbs and are replaced by others. We drive past a Roman Catholic Church where three leaf clover are a part of the decor of the walls and plinths. This was built by the Irish, but as they prospered and moved on, it is now the Polish church which John Paul visited and led a mass in when he visited Montreal.
One note that Pierre was particularly excited about, the bicycle lobby is so strong that Montreal is probably the only city in North America where it is illegal to turn right on red. The bicyclists are afraid of getting hit - hence traffic is slowed as people impatiently wait to turn on red lights.
Our tour lasts about three hours and is ended by the highlight of the trip (according to Abigail) by a stop at the yarn store she had researched prior to leaving Omaha, Espace Tricot, La Knittere Moderne, where yarn was purchased.
Onward to the airport by 12:15 where we checked and weighed our bags, confirmed our seats and passed through immigration with the U.S. Gestapo who allowed that we could indeed return home. We are now checked all the way through to Omaha, the Duggans through Philadelphia, and the Coverts through Newark. We then stopped at Urban Crave and the adjoining Tim Horton’s. Tim enjoyed a cofffee and cinnamon sticks, Deb Duggan a salad, and the Coverts helpings of Poutine with bacon and wine. We enjoyed our vacation, our cruise, and now look forward to returning to our own beds, with windows to look out rather than our inside cabins with no view. Our view of the world has been enlarged and we have met people and seen sights that were new for all of us. We even got to places (Prince Edward Island, Halifax and Quebec City) that Deb Covert had not seen; this is always a plus as she feels less jaded with new experiences, and we feel like we have helped her expand her horizons.
Pierre is a 67 year-old native of Montreal, formerly an import/export person and, for 25 years, a chef. He embarks on a tour of this 44 mile long by 14 mile wide island populated by 2 million persons. Montreal is named for the 500 foot Mount Royal in the Center of the island. All the granite for the buildings has been quarried from this mountain, and there is plenty more to go.
Pierre takes us through the various neighborhoods, stopping at an Italian pastry store for amazing cannoli and then into the Hasidic Jewish quarter for freshly boiled bagels, still hot and covered with sesame seeds. This is like a mini-New York with all the various neighborhoods changing as the populations prosper, move out to the suburbs and are replaced by others. We drive past a Roman Catholic Church where three leaf clover are a part of the decor of the walls and plinths. This was built by the Irish, but as they prospered and moved on, it is now the Polish church which John Paul visited and led a mass in when he visited Montreal.
One note that Pierre was particularly excited about, the bicycle lobby is so strong that Montreal is probably the only city in North America where it is illegal to turn right on red. The bicyclists are afraid of getting hit - hence traffic is slowed as people impatiently wait to turn on red lights.
Our tour lasts about three hours and is ended by the highlight of the trip (according to Abigail) by a stop at the yarn store she had researched prior to leaving Omaha, Espace Tricot, La Knittere Moderne, where yarn was purchased.
Onward to the airport by 12:15 where we checked and weighed our bags, confirmed our seats and passed through immigration with the U.S. Gestapo who allowed that we could indeed return home. We are now checked all the way through to Omaha, the Duggans through Philadelphia, and the Coverts through Newark. We then stopped at Urban Crave and the adjoining Tim Horton’s. Tim enjoyed a cofffee and cinnamon sticks, Deb Duggan a salad, and the Coverts helpings of Poutine with bacon and wine. We enjoyed our vacation, our cruise, and now look forward to returning to our own beds, with windows to look out rather than our inside cabins with no view. Our view of the world has been enlarged and we have met people and seen sights that were new for all of us. We even got to places (Prince Edward Island, Halifax and Quebec City) that Deb Covert had not seen; this is always a plus as she feels less jaded with new experiences, and we feel like we have helped her expand her horizons.
Boston to Montreal, Friday, September 6, 2019
The morning breaks partly cloudy and cool, but promising. We dock this morning at the pier for
Quebec City, at the base of the rock of this city founded by Samuel Champlain in 1608. Champlain,
a Frenchman, of course was
already a war hero in the battles
with Britain, the conqueror of the
indigenous peoples of the West
Indies, and the discoverer of the
Great Lakes on behalf of the
conquering European nations.
After a fine breakfast on board ship, our scouting party of five sets out to discover the famous walled city. We did not have a shore excursion booked today as we wanted to cover this very walkable old city on our own, and also because all the good, shore excursions were sold out before we thought to review them. We embarked at the pier and walked only a few blocks to the vertical elevator known as the funicular for the $3.50 per person ride to the top of the great rock and walk of this only remaining walled city in North America.
At the top of the rock sits the famous Frontenac Hotel, formerly the site of the home of the ruler of Quebec and all of French Canada. Deb and Deb slipped into the lobby for a look as there are clients of Deb’s arriving in the near future and she wanted to get a feel for what their $500.00 per night will get them. She was impressed with the sumptuous off the lobby and the general feeling of service.
Meanwhile, Mark, Abigail and Tim relaxed on benches in the park fronting the Hotel, people watching and soaking up the atmosphere, not to mention the sun, which had broken through the cloud cover and was making for a glorious day. We then commenced what this group of five does so well, shop in the myriad small shops that line the streets here. The crowds were beginning to grow as we walked along, flitting from shop to shop, occasionally making purchases and marvelling at the U.S. dollar to Canadian dollar exchange rate. By noon, we were beginning to feel a little peckish so decided to forego riding the funicular device back down and walked the steps (slowly) instead.
Once at the bottom, we again had streets of shops, cafe’ and restaurant choices. We eventually picked a nice restaurant with outside seating, but in the shade, and ordered our lunches: flatbread pizzas, soup, pasta, wine and beer were consumed in a leisurely fashion. At 1:30, we left to work our way back to the ship via more shops, an ice cream store and a popcorn shop with outstanding popcorn. More purchases were made, and we arrived back on board at 3:30, tired but proud that we had walked over 3.6 miles, up and down the streets of ancient Quebec. Every part reminded of the Willa Cather novel, Shadows on the Rock which depicted Quebec in its early settlement. Sites and buildings were still recognizable; the novelist had gotten it exactly right - but knowing Ms. Cather as we do, this is not surprising. One should read this novel whether or not you are intending to travel to Quebec City.
After our return shipboard, it was time to consolidate our purchases and find a way to cram them all into suitcases, as we had to pack up our luggage and have it out in the corridors prior to retiring, or at least by midnight if not retiring, in preparation for our arrival tomorrow at Montreal and the end of our cruise. We dined once last time in the Lido Market and then finished our packing before calling it a night at 10:00 PM.
After a fine breakfast on board ship, our scouting party of five sets out to discover the famous walled city. We did not have a shore excursion booked today as we wanted to cover this very walkable old city on our own, and also because all the good, shore excursions were sold out before we thought to review them. We embarked at the pier and walked only a few blocks to the vertical elevator known as the funicular for the $3.50 per person ride to the top of the great rock and walk of this only remaining walled city in North America.
At the top of the rock sits the famous Frontenac Hotel, formerly the site of the home of the ruler of Quebec and all of French Canada. Deb and Deb slipped into the lobby for a look as there are clients of Deb’s arriving in the near future and she wanted to get a feel for what their $500.00 per night will get them. She was impressed with the sumptuous off the lobby and the general feeling of service.
Meanwhile, Mark, Abigail and Tim relaxed on benches in the park fronting the Hotel, people watching and soaking up the atmosphere, not to mention the sun, which had broken through the cloud cover and was making for a glorious day. We then commenced what this group of five does so well, shop in the myriad small shops that line the streets here. The crowds were beginning to grow as we walked along, flitting from shop to shop, occasionally making purchases and marvelling at the U.S. dollar to Canadian dollar exchange rate. By noon, we were beginning to feel a little peckish so decided to forego riding the funicular device back down and walked the steps (slowly) instead.
Once at the bottom, we again had streets of shops, cafe’ and restaurant choices. We eventually picked a nice restaurant with outside seating, but in the shade, and ordered our lunches: flatbread pizzas, soup, pasta, wine and beer were consumed in a leisurely fashion. At 1:30, we left to work our way back to the ship via more shops, an ice cream store and a popcorn shop with outstanding popcorn. More purchases were made, and we arrived back on board at 3:30, tired but proud that we had walked over 3.6 miles, up and down the streets of ancient Quebec. Every part reminded of the Willa Cather novel, Shadows on the Rock which depicted Quebec in its early settlement. Sites and buildings were still recognizable; the novelist had gotten it exactly right - but knowing Ms. Cather as we do, this is not surprising. One should read this novel whether or not you are intending to travel to Quebec City.
After our return shipboard, it was time to consolidate our purchases and find a way to cram them all into suitcases, as we had to pack up our luggage and have it out in the corridors prior to retiring, or at least by midnight if not retiring, in preparation for our arrival tomorrow at Montreal and the end of our cruise. We dined once last time in the Lido Market and then finished our packing before calling it a night at 10:00 PM.
Boston to Montreal, Thursday, September 5, 2019
Today is an At Sea day, meaning no port. We left last night from Prince Edward Island, sailing
around the southern side of the island towards the east and then around the northern tip of the
island turning
southwest into the St.
Lawerence bay,
headed towards the
St. Lawerence River
and into Quebec City,
a distance of some
698 nautical miles.
We spent our time on board today reading, knitting, playing bridge and eating. A true vacation punctuated with trying to find our team members when they wandered off to some other area of the ship. Abigail spent time finishing a sweater which she then modelled on board.
We spent our time on board today reading, knitting, playing bridge and eating. A true vacation punctuated with trying to find our team members when they wandered off to some other area of the ship. Abigail spent time finishing a sweater which she then modelled on board.
Boston to Montreal, Wednesday, September 4, 2019
This morning breaks cloudy and a bit chilly. Deb and Tim are staying on board this morning so
Abigail, Deb and Mark rush to the Lido Market Deck for a quick and tasty breakfast and then
through passport control onto the island of Prince Edward, the smallest of the Canadian provinces.
Prince Edward Island (PEI) has a population of 143,000 and comprises 1/10 of 1% of the Canadian
land mass. It’s capitol, Charlottetown, where we are docked, has a full time population of around
36,000 but swells to 80,000 during the day as commuters come in for work and shopping.
The three of us, together with 29 other shipboard ‘friends’ board a coach with Cindy Wenge as our tour guide and Don as our driver. Cindy, we quickly learn, is a PEI native and has just recently retired as the provincial prosecutor, in charge of all criminal prosecutions in PEI. Her legal training and preparedness soon become apparent as we motor through the countryside and she presents her case for the beauty and history of her homeland.
PEI is a rural economy with its biggest crop being potatoes. It is second only to Idaho in potato production. Next is mussel fishing - the province is the largest supplier of mussels in North America - and those you eat or buy in Omaha are probably sourced here. The other big crop is lobster, tons and tons of lobster. The island land mass is sandstone, not granite as others we have visited, hence a relatively high water table, and a slowly eroding shoreline. Charlottetown is where the original confederation of provinces meetings took place in order to form the nation of Canada. PEI population is descended from English, Scott, Irish, French and indigenous Mi’kmaq peoples.
The weather is rather temperate as the Atlantic Ocean does not touch the island shores; however winter is an experience; they receive an average of ten feet of snow per year. Due to the warming and cooling and the sandstone base, the snow often disappears relatively quickly, but there is a lot of it. In 2017 they received one snowfall of 18 feet! Cindy passed around pictures that were astonishing. Access to the island is either by a bridge - the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick, the longest bridge over ice in the world and costing $46.00 for a round trip ticket, or a ferry from Nova Scotia at $76.00 round trip.
The countryside is rolling hills with the highest point only around 500 feet above sea level. One of the subliminal things noticed by tourists but not quickly sensed is the lack of roadside billboards or advertising! Banned! Wonderful! Enlightened! (Is my enthusiasm showing?)
Our motor coach has a sign on the front which reads “Ultimate Anne of Green Gables Experience” and this is one of the selling points for Abigail on this cruise. She is all things Anne. We travel first to the site of the Campbell residence, immortalized in L.M. Montgomery’s books as “Silver Bush” the home of her cousin and best mate. This is still in the Campbell family and is restored to a museum of sorts. We step off the coach to a clearing sky and temperatures in the low 70’s, another perfect day. The Campbell house is educational recreating the happier moments of Montgomery’s early life; the grounds are very well manicured and tended. We finish up by stepping into the gift shop for a glass of coffee, tea, or raspberry cordial and a scone. Shopping is completed by some (most) and others sit on the restful outside benches. We stretch a bit and wander the grounds until our motorcoach is ready to head further on to the town of Cavendish, the town in which Lucy Maude Montgomery was raised.
L.M. Montgomery’s story is very interesting. Her mother died when she was only a small child and as fathers did not act as single parents in those late 1800 times, she was raised by her grandparents while her father left for the prairies of Canada. She began writing stories as a teenager while she worked as a schoolteacher and helpmate to her grandmother at the local post office, mailing her manuscripts off to publishers as she sorted the mail.
Her first, and most famous novel, Anne of Green Gables was written in 1908 and first published in 1911 by a Boston publisher. She went on to write many novels, including eight in the Anne of Green Gables series. After her grandmother died, she married a local minister and soon moved to Ontario, where she lived for the rest of her life. She continued to come back to her beloved Prince Edward Island to visit her friends and family, stating that her heart was always here. She is buried in the Cavendish cemetery and celebrated in the Heritage Centre we visited next. The Centre, newly opened this year, has a Green Gables home set as a museum, and interpretive center and grounds to walk and gift shops to peruse. Very well done and most informative.
As we continued our 26 mile loop of PEI, our guide began a short trivia quiz over some of the things we had learned. She asked 4 questions and the Covert trio were first to answer two - a 50% success. Either we are good students, we were paying attention, or we were close to the front and loud enough to be recognized. We will take the win no matter what. The coach arrived back in Charlottetown by 2:30. Deb stayed in town to meet with Deb and Tim, while Abigail and Mark returned to the ship to lunch and knit.
The shopping trio returned on board shortly before the 4:40 cast-off and regaled the knitting duo with their talk of big glasses of wine and raw oysters for their lunch. The shipboard hot dogs were excellent also. We cast off and sailed out for a two day run at sea, expecting to arrive next at Quebec City on Friday morning. We all retired around 10:00, set for a leisurely day ahead and now over halfway through our vacation.
The three of us, together with 29 other shipboard ‘friends’ board a coach with Cindy Wenge as our tour guide and Don as our driver. Cindy, we quickly learn, is a PEI native and has just recently retired as the provincial prosecutor, in charge of all criminal prosecutions in PEI. Her legal training and preparedness soon become apparent as we motor through the countryside and she presents her case for the beauty and history of her homeland.
PEI is a rural economy with its biggest crop being potatoes. It is second only to Idaho in potato production. Next is mussel fishing - the province is the largest supplier of mussels in North America - and those you eat or buy in Omaha are probably sourced here. The other big crop is lobster, tons and tons of lobster. The island land mass is sandstone, not granite as others we have visited, hence a relatively high water table, and a slowly eroding shoreline. Charlottetown is where the original confederation of provinces meetings took place in order to form the nation of Canada. PEI population is descended from English, Scott, Irish, French and indigenous Mi’kmaq peoples.
The weather is rather temperate as the Atlantic Ocean does not touch the island shores; however winter is an experience; they receive an average of ten feet of snow per year. Due to the warming and cooling and the sandstone base, the snow often disappears relatively quickly, but there is a lot of it. In 2017 they received one snowfall of 18 feet! Cindy passed around pictures that were astonishing. Access to the island is either by a bridge - the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick, the longest bridge over ice in the world and costing $46.00 for a round trip ticket, or a ferry from Nova Scotia at $76.00 round trip.
The countryside is rolling hills with the highest point only around 500 feet above sea level. One of the subliminal things noticed by tourists but not quickly sensed is the lack of roadside billboards or advertising! Banned! Wonderful! Enlightened! (Is my enthusiasm showing?)
Our motor coach has a sign on the front which reads “Ultimate Anne of Green Gables Experience” and this is one of the selling points for Abigail on this cruise. She is all things Anne. We travel first to the site of the Campbell residence, immortalized in L.M. Montgomery’s books as “Silver Bush” the home of her cousin and best mate. This is still in the Campbell family and is restored to a museum of sorts. We step off the coach to a clearing sky and temperatures in the low 70’s, another perfect day. The Campbell house is educational recreating the happier moments of Montgomery’s early life; the grounds are very well manicured and tended. We finish up by stepping into the gift shop for a glass of coffee, tea, or raspberry cordial and a scone. Shopping is completed by some (most) and others sit on the restful outside benches. We stretch a bit and wander the grounds until our motorcoach is ready to head further on to the town of Cavendish, the town in which Lucy Maude Montgomery was raised.
L.M. Montgomery’s story is very interesting. Her mother died when she was only a small child and as fathers did not act as single parents in those late 1800 times, she was raised by her grandparents while her father left for the prairies of Canada. She began writing stories as a teenager while she worked as a schoolteacher and helpmate to her grandmother at the local post office, mailing her manuscripts off to publishers as she sorted the mail.
Her first, and most famous novel, Anne of Green Gables was written in 1908 and first published in 1911 by a Boston publisher. She went on to write many novels, including eight in the Anne of Green Gables series. After her grandmother died, she married a local minister and soon moved to Ontario, where she lived for the rest of her life. She continued to come back to her beloved Prince Edward Island to visit her friends and family, stating that her heart was always here. She is buried in the Cavendish cemetery and celebrated in the Heritage Centre we visited next. The Centre, newly opened this year, has a Green Gables home set as a museum, and interpretive center and grounds to walk and gift shops to peruse. Very well done and most informative.
As we continued our 26 mile loop of PEI, our guide began a short trivia quiz over some of the things we had learned. She asked 4 questions and the Covert trio were first to answer two - a 50% success. Either we are good students, we were paying attention, or we were close to the front and loud enough to be recognized. We will take the win no matter what. The coach arrived back in Charlottetown by 2:30. Deb stayed in town to meet with Deb and Tim, while Abigail and Mark returned to the ship to lunch and knit.
The shopping trio returned on board shortly before the 4:40 cast-off and regaled the knitting duo with their talk of big glasses of wine and raw oysters for their lunch. The shipboard hot dogs were excellent also. We cast off and sailed out for a two day run at sea, expecting to arrive next at Quebec City on Friday morning. We all retired around 10:00, set for a leisurely day ahead and now over halfway through our vacation.
Boston to Montreal, Tuesday, September 3, 2019
We dock this morning a little later than normal, and will be able to leave the ship by 10:30. As we
have no tours planned for today, we take a leisurely morning, with coffee in our rooms and then
meeting at Lido deck for a hot breakfast of omelettes, scrambled eggs, pastries, and juice. Deb and
Tim elect to eat in their stateroom so Abigail, Deb and Mark spend some time planning their day
over coffee. Abigail has decided to remain on board ship today, resting (?) knitting and lounging.
Deb and Mark decide to go on shore and
explore the town of Sydney.
Technically, Sydney is no longer a town, having been absorbed into a regional governmental body in 1994. However, it obviously still exists. It is a small town with a regional population of 22,000 or so, occupying a portion of the Cape Breton Island. As we disembark the ship, we are greeted by a 30 foot tall sculpture of a violin or fiddle. Cape Breton has an Irish, Scottish and indigenous heritage and loves their fiddle playing musical heritage. On the pier is a large structure of small shops, tables and chairs occupied by a host of passengers and crew anxiously bent over their electronic tethers to find what is happening with the world (free WI-FI,) and a large hall filled with tables of craft objects, all being hawked by the local makers.
We walk a bit further into the town, finding small shops, looking at the houses for sale in the real estate store window, and just soaking up the local culture. As we are very set against the cruising habit of stop, buy souvenirs, and then hop back on board, we wandered the small stores, eventually stopping in one to buy some cute tee-shirts and visit with the shop owners. The two local women were munching on a burrito style wrap sandwich, and when we inquired, they directed us to a small cafe around the corner. We walked a block over and entered the Flavor Restaurant and sat to have a chicken, apricot and walnut wrap (delicious) and a bowl of Fish Chowder and home made toast, all washed down with a tasty glass of red wine. Deb declares the chowder the best she has ever had!
While waiting for our meal, we perused the map we had been given of the town and discovered a yarn shop, The Bobbin Tree. After our luncheon, we walked back a few blocks to the shop where, substituting ourselves for Abigail, we purchased some locally produced and dyed yarn. The walk back to the ship was slow and interesting; we passed a statue/memorial along the way on the waterfront which told the story of the merchant ships lost during the Atlantic Wars of 1939-1945 as the sailors from the area helped to supply the war effort. The loss of over 266 ships during the many crossings was a testament to the effort put forth by this small island and the price they paid for our continued freedom in the western world. We journeyed back to our ship and were on board by 2:30 PM.
We located Deb Duggan and Abigail who, we found had been sitting in the library most of the morning, Deb reading, and Abigail listening to her music, mostly napping and just relaxing. After their lunch they talked at length and decided to head to the lecture and demonstration on Chicken Marsala, presented by America’s Test Kitchen magazine, which they did, from 3:00 to 4:00. Tim, in the meanwhile, was out searching for another bridge game. We all then readjourned on deck to bask in the sun, read and generally lolly-gag around until we cast off at 6:30. Then on to dinner, again in the Lido Market for pork roast, deviled eggs, pasta, salmon and other comestibles, wine included.
Deb, Deb and Tim again went on a quest to find the mythical prow of the ship, going up and down steps, into unauthorized “Staff Only” doors and eventually finding their goal, but not without a lot of marching around. All were back in their staterooms by 9:30. Another lazy day that is becoming a hallmark of this vacation. As we stood on the aft deck of the good ship Zaandam bidding farewell to the coast of Nova Scotia earlier in the evening, we all remarked on what a pleasant and quiet land we had visited over the last two days. We vowed to return in the coming years to explore the area in much greater depth. The Nova Scotian Province is easily reachable by automobile from the American Northeast, and merits much greater interest from its American neighbors to the south. The views are stunning, the people friendly, and, with no language barrier, it is welcoming and engaging.
Technically, Sydney is no longer a town, having been absorbed into a regional governmental body in 1994. However, it obviously still exists. It is a small town with a regional population of 22,000 or so, occupying a portion of the Cape Breton Island. As we disembark the ship, we are greeted by a 30 foot tall sculpture of a violin or fiddle. Cape Breton has an Irish, Scottish and indigenous heritage and loves their fiddle playing musical heritage. On the pier is a large structure of small shops, tables and chairs occupied by a host of passengers and crew anxiously bent over their electronic tethers to find what is happening with the world (free WI-FI,) and a large hall filled with tables of craft objects, all being hawked by the local makers.
We walk a bit further into the town, finding small shops, looking at the houses for sale in the real estate store window, and just soaking up the local culture. As we are very set against the cruising habit of stop, buy souvenirs, and then hop back on board, we wandered the small stores, eventually stopping in one to buy some cute tee-shirts and visit with the shop owners. The two local women were munching on a burrito style wrap sandwich, and when we inquired, they directed us to a small cafe around the corner. We walked a block over and entered the Flavor Restaurant and sat to have a chicken, apricot and walnut wrap (delicious) and a bowl of Fish Chowder and home made toast, all washed down with a tasty glass of red wine. Deb declares the chowder the best she has ever had!
While waiting for our meal, we perused the map we had been given of the town and discovered a yarn shop, The Bobbin Tree. After our luncheon, we walked back a few blocks to the shop where, substituting ourselves for Abigail, we purchased some locally produced and dyed yarn. The walk back to the ship was slow and interesting; we passed a statue/memorial along the way on the waterfront which told the story of the merchant ships lost during the Atlantic Wars of 1939-1945 as the sailors from the area helped to supply the war effort. The loss of over 266 ships during the many crossings was a testament to the effort put forth by this small island and the price they paid for our continued freedom in the western world. We journeyed back to our ship and were on board by 2:30 PM.
We located Deb Duggan and Abigail who, we found had been sitting in the library most of the morning, Deb reading, and Abigail listening to her music, mostly napping and just relaxing. After their lunch they talked at length and decided to head to the lecture and demonstration on Chicken Marsala, presented by America’s Test Kitchen magazine, which they did, from 3:00 to 4:00. Tim, in the meanwhile, was out searching for another bridge game. We all then readjourned on deck to bask in the sun, read and generally lolly-gag around until we cast off at 6:30. Then on to dinner, again in the Lido Market for pork roast, deviled eggs, pasta, salmon and other comestibles, wine included.
Deb, Deb and Tim again went on a quest to find the mythical prow of the ship, going up and down steps, into unauthorized “Staff Only” doors and eventually finding their goal, but not without a lot of marching around. All were back in their staterooms by 9:30. Another lazy day that is becoming a hallmark of this vacation. As we stood on the aft deck of the good ship Zaandam bidding farewell to the coast of Nova Scotia earlier in the evening, we all remarked on what a pleasant and quiet land we had visited over the last two days. We vowed to return in the coming years to explore the area in much greater depth. The Nova Scotian Province is easily reachable by automobile from the American Northeast, and merits much greater interest from its American neighbors to the south. The views are stunning, the people friendly, and, with no language barrier, it is welcoming and engaging.
Boston to Montreal, Monday, September 2, 2019
Today is Labor Day in both the U.S. and Canada. It is also our first stop in Canada, Halifax, largest
city in the Province of Nova Scotia. We dock around 7:30 AM, but are delayed as the ship has to
clear Canadian immigration. Previously, each passenger was required to fill out a Canadian
immigration form, but there were errors on some, which necessitated delays. As an example, at
around 8:00, Deb and Tim were called from their stateroom to the “interrogation room” with their
passports in hand to meet the inquisitors. It seems that Deb neglected to put the date at which
they were intending to depart Canada on their form. Don’t want those heathen southern immigrants
staying illegally in the country and sucking up all the good paying jobs and living off the largess of
the hardworking taxpayers, eh?
Finally, by 9:00 the ship was declared docked and passengers were allowed to disembark. Deb and Abigail have booked a thee hour coach tour to the destination of Peggy’s Cove, while the other three of us remain on board for a few hours to relax, read, and hang out. At 11:30, Deb Duggan and Mark venture off the ship to meet Deb and Abigail while Tim sticks on board to continue reading. Mark and Deb wander the shore side boardwalk, looking at the craft shops and taking advantage of the WI-FI to catch up on emails and such.
The tour to Peggy’s Cove and the iconic lighthouse showed Deb and Abigail some of the loveliest parts of Nova Scotia. Even though Nova Scotia is one of the smallest provinces in Canada, it has over 4000 miles of coastline with beautiful forests and the rocky granite that is only a few feet under the soil of the entire area. The tour guide pictured below (who reminded Deb of our friend Kevin,) provided detailed information on the area. For such a beautiful but small area, this has been involved in three major tragedies in the last 107 years, two which occurred in the Province.
The first was their acceptance of over 190 of the dead from the Titanic tragedy of April 15, 1912. Most were buried in three cemeteries in Halifax, one created in the form of a ship’s bow just for Titanic casualties. Many could not be identified and were buried with only their date of death and the number that they were tagged with corresponding to the order they were pulled from the water.
The worst tragedy was in 1917 when a French ship carrying armaments and fuel caught fire in Halifax Harbor. Thousands gathered in the harbor to watch the ship burn (the crew had jumped ship when the fire started), only to lose their lives when the ship exploded with the power and consequent devastation only eclipsed when Hiroshima was bombed. It changed the face of Halifax city forever. Thousands lost their lives and over 1000 people were blinded by flying glass. Boston was the first city to send medical help. Haligonians were so thankful that, to this day, they cut a large Christmas tree and send to Boston; it is installed in Boston Commons each year.
The third tragedy was again not of the making of Nova Scotia. 21 years ago, an Air France plane had a total electronic failure and nose-dived directly into St. Margaret’s Bay, near Peggy’s Cove. All aboard died but the people in the area pulled together to help with the retrieval of bodies and putting up relatives of the dead in their homes, as there were very few commercial inns at the time (this was pre AirBnB). There is a lovely monument dedicated to the people of Nova Scotia who helped comfort and aid those who had lost loved ones. It is also complete with the names of every passenger and their histories.
Abigail and Deb returned to the pier area at 12:30. They quickly made the stay-at-home troops feel remiss in skipping this tour. Halifax is a city of around 350,000 in the Nova Scotia Province of 1.1 million Canadian souls. The economy is based upon the sea: fishing, lobster fishing, shipping, military port and shipbuilding are among the largest industries.
We walked the boardwalk and shopped the craft stores open in the pier complex. Due to the Labor Day holiday, none of the stores in the Historic City area were open, hence, no yarn from Halifax!
We returned to the ship and located Tim. Then up to the 8th level Lido deck pool area for late lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos and burritos, washed down with soda and wine. A return to the staterooms for a refresh while Tim went to the duplicate bridge group meeting (amazingly not located on the ship’s bridge.) We later determined that his team won and now he has a date for Thursday afternoon for some rematch play.
At 7:15 we all met up at the Lido Market cafeteria for a late, light, dinner. If you can imagine this group of grazers eating a “light” dinner you would conjure salmon, rice pasta and roast beef sandwiches. There was one salad in sight. We then embarked on a hilarious search to find a Titanic style prow of the ship to view the stars, trouping up and down the passageways, stairs and elevators, finding dead ends and Staff Only labeled doors. We finally gave up and tried to just go out on deck. Strong winds and rain forced us laughingly back in side. We browsed the shops, found a quiet library area, and finally headed to our staterooms for the end of another vacation day off the northeast coast at sea.
Finally, by 9:00 the ship was declared docked and passengers were allowed to disembark. Deb and Abigail have booked a thee hour coach tour to the destination of Peggy’s Cove, while the other three of us remain on board for a few hours to relax, read, and hang out. At 11:30, Deb Duggan and Mark venture off the ship to meet Deb and Abigail while Tim sticks on board to continue reading. Mark and Deb wander the shore side boardwalk, looking at the craft shops and taking advantage of the WI-FI to catch up on emails and such.
The tour to Peggy’s Cove and the iconic lighthouse showed Deb and Abigail some of the loveliest parts of Nova Scotia. Even though Nova Scotia is one of the smallest provinces in Canada, it has over 4000 miles of coastline with beautiful forests and the rocky granite that is only a few feet under the soil of the entire area. The tour guide pictured below (who reminded Deb of our friend Kevin,) provided detailed information on the area. For such a beautiful but small area, this has been involved in three major tragedies in the last 107 years, two which occurred in the Province.
The first was their acceptance of over 190 of the dead from the Titanic tragedy of April 15, 1912. Most were buried in three cemeteries in Halifax, one created in the form of a ship’s bow just for Titanic casualties. Many could not be identified and were buried with only their date of death and the number that they were tagged with corresponding to the order they were pulled from the water.
The worst tragedy was in 1917 when a French ship carrying armaments and fuel caught fire in Halifax Harbor. Thousands gathered in the harbor to watch the ship burn (the crew had jumped ship when the fire started), only to lose their lives when the ship exploded with the power and consequent devastation only eclipsed when Hiroshima was bombed. It changed the face of Halifax city forever. Thousands lost their lives and over 1000 people were blinded by flying glass. Boston was the first city to send medical help. Haligonians were so thankful that, to this day, they cut a large Christmas tree and send to Boston; it is installed in Boston Commons each year.
The third tragedy was again not of the making of Nova Scotia. 21 years ago, an Air France plane had a total electronic failure and nose-dived directly into St. Margaret’s Bay, near Peggy’s Cove. All aboard died but the people in the area pulled together to help with the retrieval of bodies and putting up relatives of the dead in their homes, as there were very few commercial inns at the time (this was pre AirBnB). There is a lovely monument dedicated to the people of Nova Scotia who helped comfort and aid those who had lost loved ones. It is also complete with the names of every passenger and their histories.
Abigail and Deb returned to the pier area at 12:30. They quickly made the stay-at-home troops feel remiss in skipping this tour. Halifax is a city of around 350,000 in the Nova Scotia Province of 1.1 million Canadian souls. The economy is based upon the sea: fishing, lobster fishing, shipping, military port and shipbuilding are among the largest industries.
We walked the boardwalk and shopped the craft stores open in the pier complex. Due to the Labor Day holiday, none of the stores in the Historic City area were open, hence, no yarn from Halifax!
We returned to the ship and located Tim. Then up to the 8th level Lido deck pool area for late lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos and burritos, washed down with soda and wine. A return to the staterooms for a refresh while Tim went to the duplicate bridge group meeting (amazingly not located on the ship’s bridge.) We later determined that his team won and now he has a date for Thursday afternoon for some rematch play.
At 7:15 we all met up at the Lido Market cafeteria for a late, light, dinner. If you can imagine this group of grazers eating a “light” dinner you would conjure salmon, rice pasta and roast beef sandwiches. There was one salad in sight. We then embarked on a hilarious search to find a Titanic style prow of the ship to view the stars, trouping up and down the passageways, stairs and elevators, finding dead ends and Staff Only labeled doors. We finally gave up and tried to just go out on deck. Strong winds and rain forced us laughingly back in side. We browsed the shops, found a quiet library area, and finally headed to our staterooms for the end of another vacation day off the northeast coast at sea.
Boston to Montreal, Sunday, September 1, 2019
It is worth noting that September 1 is an auspicious day to our travellers. It is the birth date of both
Deb Duggan’s mother Virginia Kaplan, born 1919, and Ann Covert, born 1922 (although she always
claimed 1923.) If not for them, this trip would not be occurring. Thanks and Happy birthday!
Awoke this morning at 6:00 AM for our in-cabin breakfast. Deb and Mark ordered a full breakfast for 6:00 AM delivery as our tour departs at 7:30 this morning. The Steward knocked on the door at 6:10 with our tray, I thank him, close the door and juggle the tray into an increasingly crowded space. First crisis of the day - no coffee on the tray! This is definitely a problem. A quick call to room service and the pot is delivered to save the day. We later find that Abigail’s breakfast included a pot of coffee - which she does not drink! So that’s where it went!
The three of us make our way down to the lower deck to meet our tender boat to be taken into Bar Harbor. Deb & Tim opt for a leisurely morning and we will meet them in town later. The three Covert crew board our van for a two and one-half hour tour of Acadia National Park and Desert Island. First thing we learn is that Bar Harbor is on an Island. Second thing we learn is that natives refer to it as Dessert Island and non-natives refer to is as Desert Island - either pronunciation is acceptable. Third thing we learn is that Acadia National Park is the only national park in which all of the land was donated for the park. It also is the smallest National Park in the system, only 44,000 acres. As our tour guide noted, that is one-half the size of Yellowstone Lake!
To understate - this park is crowded. The busy season is July through August. This is Labor Day weekend; the park is easily accessible for all of New England, less than a day’s drive from the busy metropolitan northeastern cities. That fact however, should not deter anyone who wants to see a unique environment. Situated on the Atlantic coast on a huge pile of granite, this island is an eye-opener. Originally settled over 12,000 years ago by the group of native peoples collectively called the Wabanaki, they sailed to the island in birch-bark canoes, fished, hunted and traded with each other. In 1604, French explorers “discovered” the island. During the next century and a half, the French and the British fought for control of the territory and in 1761 the British established the first European settlement on the island; the settlers fished, farmed and quarried granite.
In the mid 1800’s, Hudson Valley School painters began bringing back paintings of the area, and soon tourism reared its head inspiring wealthy city dwellers to build “cottages” as summer residences, transforming the quiet fishing and farming villages. Beginning in 1801, Harvard University President Charles Elliot, George Dorr and other conservation minded philanthropists began acquiring over 5,000 acres of land that they eventually donated to the federal government. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the area a national monument, and in 1919 Congress designated it the first eastern national park.
The town of Bar Harbor is now chiefly fueled by tourism. Population year round of approximately 5,000 swells with over 4 million visitors per year to the park and surrounding area. With bitter winters and an average of 5 1/2 feet of snowfall per year, it is a seasonal business, with the successful merchants fleeing to Florida for the winter months.
We finished our tour and met Deb and Tim in town, shopped for some yarn (of course) and then staked out an outside table away from the bulk of the crowd for a lunch of clam chowder and lobster rolls. Wine, beer, and a blueberry infused cocktail were also consumed. A great lunch. The blueberry pie, made from wild picked blueberries was sublime - no sugar added and sweeter than any cultivated blueberry ever grown. The “whoopie” pie sandwich was also out of this world. Unfortunately, as we forged our way downhill and back towards the dock, there were multiple shop stops. The Coverts will now feature the only $50.00, Santa painted- lobster claw ornament in the Midwest this coming December. We found our way back to the tenders, boarded them in fine fashion and sailed back to the Zaandam by 3:00. The ship pulled anchor at 4:00 and we set sail for tomorrow’s destination of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Abigail spent the balance of the afternoon on the top deck, swaddled in a wool blanket while she knitted, watching the ship depart and talking with people she met who wandered by. Tim went in search of a bridge game, found the assigned meeting room, only to have no one show up to play; he was forced to sit in the library and read a book - such a hardship for him. Deb and Deb each took a power nap in their rooms and I went up on deck to join Abigail and read for a while. We all then retreated to our staterooms to dress for dinner.
We first joined in the senior Coverts’ room for a cocktail and then at 7:00 headed to the dining room for our first formal shipboard dinner. This was billed as a “Gala” dinner evening; many of our fellow passengers were dressed in formal wear, but jeans and tee-shirts wee also in evidence. The evening’s meal included escargot, shrimp cocktails, peppered beef tenderloin, risotto, rack of lamb, sole fillet and other choices. While perfectly edible, there was nothing about the cuisine this night to do more than fill the void - the rolls and bread were commendable, the desserts passable, and the wine a nice Toscana.
Abigail retired after dinner while the four seniors found their way to a small concert of show tunes by a violin/piano duo. Lively music enjoyed while we let the meal settle. Back to our staterooms by 9:45 to prepare for bed. Tonight we lose an hour as the clocks are moved forward to Atlantic time zone. A nice day with good sightseeing., shopping and vacationing.
Awoke this morning at 6:00 AM for our in-cabin breakfast. Deb and Mark ordered a full breakfast for 6:00 AM delivery as our tour departs at 7:30 this morning. The Steward knocked on the door at 6:10 with our tray, I thank him, close the door and juggle the tray into an increasingly crowded space. First crisis of the day - no coffee on the tray! This is definitely a problem. A quick call to room service and the pot is delivered to save the day. We later find that Abigail’s breakfast included a pot of coffee - which she does not drink! So that’s where it went!
The three of us make our way down to the lower deck to meet our tender boat to be taken into Bar Harbor. Deb & Tim opt for a leisurely morning and we will meet them in town later. The three Covert crew board our van for a two and one-half hour tour of Acadia National Park and Desert Island. First thing we learn is that Bar Harbor is on an Island. Second thing we learn is that natives refer to it as Dessert Island and non-natives refer to is as Desert Island - either pronunciation is acceptable. Third thing we learn is that Acadia National Park is the only national park in which all of the land was donated for the park. It also is the smallest National Park in the system, only 44,000 acres. As our tour guide noted, that is one-half the size of Yellowstone Lake!
To understate - this park is crowded. The busy season is July through August. This is Labor Day weekend; the park is easily accessible for all of New England, less than a day’s drive from the busy metropolitan northeastern cities. That fact however, should not deter anyone who wants to see a unique environment. Situated on the Atlantic coast on a huge pile of granite, this island is an eye-opener. Originally settled over 12,000 years ago by the group of native peoples collectively called the Wabanaki, they sailed to the island in birch-bark canoes, fished, hunted and traded with each other. In 1604, French explorers “discovered” the island. During the next century and a half, the French and the British fought for control of the territory and in 1761 the British established the first European settlement on the island; the settlers fished, farmed and quarried granite.
In the mid 1800’s, Hudson Valley School painters began bringing back paintings of the area, and soon tourism reared its head inspiring wealthy city dwellers to build “cottages” as summer residences, transforming the quiet fishing and farming villages. Beginning in 1801, Harvard University President Charles Elliot, George Dorr and other conservation minded philanthropists began acquiring over 5,000 acres of land that they eventually donated to the federal government. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the area a national monument, and in 1919 Congress designated it the first eastern national park.
The town of Bar Harbor is now chiefly fueled by tourism. Population year round of approximately 5,000 swells with over 4 million visitors per year to the park and surrounding area. With bitter winters and an average of 5 1/2 feet of snowfall per year, it is a seasonal business, with the successful merchants fleeing to Florida for the winter months.
We finished our tour and met Deb and Tim in town, shopped for some yarn (of course) and then staked out an outside table away from the bulk of the crowd for a lunch of clam chowder and lobster rolls. Wine, beer, and a blueberry infused cocktail were also consumed. A great lunch. The blueberry pie, made from wild picked blueberries was sublime - no sugar added and sweeter than any cultivated blueberry ever grown. The “whoopie” pie sandwich was also out of this world. Unfortunately, as we forged our way downhill and back towards the dock, there were multiple shop stops. The Coverts will now feature the only $50.00, Santa painted- lobster claw ornament in the Midwest this coming December. We found our way back to the tenders, boarded them in fine fashion and sailed back to the Zaandam by 3:00. The ship pulled anchor at 4:00 and we set sail for tomorrow’s destination of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Abigail spent the balance of the afternoon on the top deck, swaddled in a wool blanket while she knitted, watching the ship depart and talking with people she met who wandered by. Tim went in search of a bridge game, found the assigned meeting room, only to have no one show up to play; he was forced to sit in the library and read a book - such a hardship for him. Deb and Deb each took a power nap in their rooms and I went up on deck to join Abigail and read for a while. We all then retreated to our staterooms to dress for dinner.
We first joined in the senior Coverts’ room for a cocktail and then at 7:00 headed to the dining room for our first formal shipboard dinner. This was billed as a “Gala” dinner evening; many of our fellow passengers were dressed in formal wear, but jeans and tee-shirts wee also in evidence. The evening’s meal included escargot, shrimp cocktails, peppered beef tenderloin, risotto, rack of lamb, sole fillet and other choices. While perfectly edible, there was nothing about the cuisine this night to do more than fill the void - the rolls and bread were commendable, the desserts passable, and the wine a nice Toscana.
Abigail retired after dinner while the four seniors found their way to a small concert of show tunes by a violin/piano duo. Lively music enjoyed while we let the meal settle. Back to our staterooms by 9:45 to prepare for bed. Tonight we lose an hour as the clocks are moved forward to Atlantic time zone. A nice day with good sightseeing., shopping and vacationing.
Boston to Montreal, Saturday, August 31, 2019
The morning broke beautifully clear, sunshine and quiet. Abigail and Mark walked around the block
to the McDonald’s facing Boston Commons to secure breakfast and caffeine. We returned, ate and
then began the big pack up. While working away, we noticed increasingly a loud and constant
noise. We looked out the window to discover two helicopters hovering above the area, evidently
over Boston Commons. Abigail, ever the techno-warrior, logged on to discover that there was a
parade scheduled, beginning at Boston Commons. The street in front of our hotel was blocked off
from traffic. To add insult to injury, it was an anti-Pride parade - Heteros are Upseteros! Really???
We checked out and dragged our bags a block and a half to meet our 12:45 Uber ride to the dock; lovely driver who got us to the pier in 20 minutes. There was heavy security all along the way where the parade was to occur, due to the possibility of anti-hetero activity. One can only hope. We made it easily through ship security, each of us with our allotted one bottle of wine in our carry on luggage. You are allowed more, but are then subject to an $18.00 per bottle corkage charge. Since most prices of the wine they were to be selling on board was $18.00 or more, it seemed foolish to bring additional. Deb was able to distract them with her re-built knee, so they forgot to check her carry-on for her extra bottles of soda. Ha!
We dutifully attended the mandatory life boat drill (attendance is taken) and then strolled the decks, acquainting ourselves with the amenities and areas to play, knit, gamble or look at the stars. We cast off shortly before 5:00 PM, and slowly made our way out of Boston harbor, bidding farewell to this clearly historic American city. We all promised one another that we would be back to really tour the city and not be distracted by visiting relatives, shopping or meetings.
First order of business was to stop at Guest Services to figure out how to access the Wi-Fi package we purchased, how to add the shipboard “navigator” to our cell phones, and other general information that somehow missed our grasp. The line was short (and filled with Baby-boomers.)
We returned to our “staterooms” for a quick refresher and then headed up to the Lido Deck for dinner, foregoing the dining room sit down this first night. As usually, for the novice among us, the food buffet was an eye-opener. We dined and learned how to take advantage of the wine or soda packages we had pre-purchased (not as easy as it seems,) and then headed out for more exploration. Abigail descended to her room for a little knitting, Deb, Deb, Tim and I found a bar to have a night cap in and we all returned for a sleep around 9:30. A tiring but fun first day on the water.
We checked out and dragged our bags a block and a half to meet our 12:45 Uber ride to the dock; lovely driver who got us to the pier in 20 minutes. There was heavy security all along the way where the parade was to occur, due to the possibility of anti-hetero activity. One can only hope. We made it easily through ship security, each of us with our allotted one bottle of wine in our carry on luggage. You are allowed more, but are then subject to an $18.00 per bottle corkage charge. Since most prices of the wine they were to be selling on board was $18.00 or more, it seemed foolish to bring additional. Deb was able to distract them with her re-built knee, so they forgot to check her carry-on for her extra bottles of soda. Ha!
We dutifully attended the mandatory life boat drill (attendance is taken) and then strolled the decks, acquainting ourselves with the amenities and areas to play, knit, gamble or look at the stars. We cast off shortly before 5:00 PM, and slowly made our way out of Boston harbor, bidding farewell to this clearly historic American city. We all promised one another that we would be back to really tour the city and not be distracted by visiting relatives, shopping or meetings.
First order of business was to stop at Guest Services to figure out how to access the Wi-Fi package we purchased, how to add the shipboard “navigator” to our cell phones, and other general information that somehow missed our grasp. The line was short (and filled with Baby-boomers.)
We returned to our “staterooms” for a quick refresher and then headed up to the Lido Deck for dinner, foregoing the dining room sit down this first night. As usually, for the novice among us, the food buffet was an eye-opener. We dined and learned how to take advantage of the wine or soda packages we had pre-purchased (not as easy as it seems,) and then headed out for more exploration. Abigail descended to her room for a little knitting, Deb, Deb, Tim and I found a bar to have a night cap in and we all returned for a sleep around 9:30. A tiring but fun first day on the water.
Boston to Montreal, August 30, 2019
Rising this morning to a sunshiny day in Boston. We slept in until after 7:00 AM after our day of
travel and walking. After a coffee in the room and a nice shower, we levitated down to the lobby
and into the attached Coffee Spot. We ordered a pair of coffees, an egg, cheddar cheese and
bacon sandwich, and settled in to discuss our day. As we were finishing up, Deb’s phone rang for
the first time in the day, and her workday started with client calls. She finished up and we walked
around the corner to look at a book store we had spotted around the corner the night before.
Brattle Book Shop was one of the most unique stores we have ever experienced. It is comprised of two narrow, deep city lots on West Street. One, a building filled with four floors of books, mostly used, but some new. The adjacent lot was free of a building, but crammed with rolling book shelves. All the books on the rolling shelves in the open air book spot were marked down to either $3.00 or $1.00. We walked away with four books to add to our suitcases and our already over flowing book shelves at home.
We hauled our prizes back to the hotel and Deb set up her computer in the room to work for a few hours and I took the current installment of the Maisie Dobbs book series I am reading and went to the lobby to while away a few hours.
We finished up around 1:00 PM and waited for a text message from Abigail who was scheduled to arrive on the same flights today that we used yesterday. She phoned her arrival some 20 minutes early but then spent 45 minutes waiting for her luggage. I fear Logan Airport needs to work on their baggage claim system. Abby arrived at the hotel round 2:30 and we dropped her bags and headed out to find some sustenance. Around the corner, in another direction, we discovered Stoddard’s Fine Food and Ale. This building was built in 1868 and remains one of the few intact buildings to survive the huge Boston fire of 1872, which destroyed some 800 buildings between Boston Commons and the waterfront. Originally a corset factory, it has been restored to a bar and restaurant. An American flag flies on the front of the building, not the current flag but a 37 star flag known as the “Nebraska Flag” as it was the official U.S. flag flown from July 4, 1867 until July 3, 1877.
Food was very good, including fish and chips, clam chowder, another huge hamburger, and some wine and a local beer. All very enjoyable. We then walked a few blocks closer into the Downtown Crossing district to the Old South Meeting House. This building was where the meeting was held in 1773 to rally and discuss the English tax burden, which resulted in the tossing of some English product into the Boston Harbour. Perhaps you recall the story from your childhood studies! This is now a museum, but our reason to visit was because Abigail, the yarn researcher, found that there is the Newbury Yarns store in the basement of the building. They offer their own dyed yarn, and of course we had to stop, look and purchase. Now with our purchases of yarn and book in hand, we trekked back to the Hotel for a rest and clothing change prior to dinner.
We changed and Uber rode to meet Deb and Tim Duggan for dinner at Stephanie’s on Newbury Street. Newbury Street is blocks and blocks of typical brownstones (think New York City) that has becoming an upscale shopping and dining district. Packed with stores and people walking shopping and as the evening wore on, carousing, although tastefully. We had a wonderful dinner of seafood or pasta, or combinations thereof. Two outstanding entrees sampled were a sea scallops on a bed of basmati rice and a lobster pie. Wine, beer and cocktails accompanied.
We finished up and were back in our rooms by 9:30, ready to pack it in and look forward to our cruise departure tomorrow. Good food, good walking and minor sightseeing, a very satisfactory day of vacation.
Brattle Book Shop was one of the most unique stores we have ever experienced. It is comprised of two narrow, deep city lots on West Street. One, a building filled with four floors of books, mostly used, but some new. The adjacent lot was free of a building, but crammed with rolling book shelves. All the books on the rolling shelves in the open air book spot were marked down to either $3.00 or $1.00. We walked away with four books to add to our suitcases and our already over flowing book shelves at home.
We hauled our prizes back to the hotel and Deb set up her computer in the room to work for a few hours and I took the current installment of the Maisie Dobbs book series I am reading and went to the lobby to while away a few hours.
We finished up around 1:00 PM and waited for a text message from Abigail who was scheduled to arrive on the same flights today that we used yesterday. She phoned her arrival some 20 minutes early but then spent 45 minutes waiting for her luggage. I fear Logan Airport needs to work on their baggage claim system. Abby arrived at the hotel round 2:30 and we dropped her bags and headed out to find some sustenance. Around the corner, in another direction, we discovered Stoddard’s Fine Food and Ale. This building was built in 1868 and remains one of the few intact buildings to survive the huge Boston fire of 1872, which destroyed some 800 buildings between Boston Commons and the waterfront. Originally a corset factory, it has been restored to a bar and restaurant. An American flag flies on the front of the building, not the current flag but a 37 star flag known as the “Nebraska Flag” as it was the official U.S. flag flown from July 4, 1867 until July 3, 1877.
Food was very good, including fish and chips, clam chowder, another huge hamburger, and some wine and a local beer. All very enjoyable. We then walked a few blocks closer into the Downtown Crossing district to the Old South Meeting House. This building was where the meeting was held in 1773 to rally and discuss the English tax burden, which resulted in the tossing of some English product into the Boston Harbour. Perhaps you recall the story from your childhood studies! This is now a museum, but our reason to visit was because Abigail, the yarn researcher, found that there is the Newbury Yarns store in the basement of the building. They offer their own dyed yarn, and of course we had to stop, look and purchase. Now with our purchases of yarn and book in hand, we trekked back to the Hotel for a rest and clothing change prior to dinner.
We changed and Uber rode to meet Deb and Tim Duggan for dinner at Stephanie’s on Newbury Street. Newbury Street is blocks and blocks of typical brownstones (think New York City) that has becoming an upscale shopping and dining district. Packed with stores and people walking shopping and as the evening wore on, carousing, although tastefully. We had a wonderful dinner of seafood or pasta, or combinations thereof. Two outstanding entrees sampled were a sea scallops on a bed of basmati rice and a lobster pie. Wine, beer and cocktails accompanied.
We finished up and were back in our rooms by 9:30, ready to pack it in and look forward to our cruise departure tomorrow. Good food, good walking and minor sightseeing, a very satisfactory day of vacation.
Boston to Montreal, August 29, 2019
Departing Omaha
We are up super early - 3:30 AM, for our scheduled 4:45 AM pickup from our wonderful friend and neighbor, Zoe Highland. She must have been anxious to get us out of town as she arrived in our driveway at 4:30! A quick drive to good old Eppley Airfield, and we gave our “driver” a hug for a tip. Check-in was easy, one checked bag and one carry-on each.
Even though there was lightning in the sky as we left home, by the time our departure time of 6:10 arrived, it was clear sailing as we headed to St. Louis on our first leg. We arrived in St.Louis ahead of schedule and were on the ground and in the terminal by 7:30. We walked down the E terminal, looking for a restaurant and landed at a bar/pasta house that was serving breakfast. The menu was limited so we ordered biscuits & gravy and an omelette. The place was horribly understaffed - a bartender/hostess and one waitress. Obviously there must have been a cook in the rear.
It soon turned out that they were all out of gravy, so we ended with two omelettes and two cups of coffee. Luckily we had plenty of time as the service was really slow, although our waitress was very kind.
We pushed off from the St. Louis gate at 9:40 and landed at Logan Airport in Boston at 1:03 PM EDT. Only a 2-hour in the air flight, not too bad. After 40 minutes waiting for baggage, we struggled out to meet our limousine and driver Anton Fisher (that really was his name) for the trip from the airport. Anton was a very cheery, intelligent and helpful guy, reminding us of our eldest son in his demeanor, bald head and full beard. We reached our destination - The Godfrey Hotel after a pleasant 30 minute drive through Boston traffic. Arriving in our room, we dropped bags on the floor and bodies into the beds. Around 4:30 we popped up and headed out for a walk, a drink and dinner, in that order.
There are two safe ways to get around Boston, the underground MTA, riding forever, or walking. We chose walking. Our hotel is in the Center of the city and we strolled over to the area known as The Commons, a large park area set up in 1634. We walked around the Frog Pond, where dozens of toddlers were walking in a huge one foot deep pond, attended by parents, grandparents, nannies and a number of life guards. As we walked through the park, in weather that was clear, 80F and with a slight breeze, we gazed on all the people out to enjoy the day. The huge number of gray squirrels being chased by toddlers, and the homeless wandering or dozing on the lawn. Although we are not anti-canine, it was refreshing to be in a large public space that was off limits to dogs. No chasing, no bring, no hassles, and no waste!
After a two mile trek around the park, we headed back to our hotel room in search of a liquor store to stock up on wine for our cruise (we are allowed to bring one bottle per passenger on board) and found an excellent wine shop just a block away. Securing our purchases at our hotel room, we passed a few restaurants that looked promising. We stepped into one or two until we found one with decent looking food and a noise level that allowed conversation.
We took our seat at a table at 49 Social Restaurant and ordered a beer and a dirty martini. We struck up what turned out to be a very enjoyable conversation with the couple at the next table, stretching our short dinner hour into 90 minutes of fun and laughing conversation. This is what traveling is all about, meeting people and seeing places. We enjoyed our Hamburger and Lambburger, and struggled back to the hotel and were in bed by 9:30.
Tomorrow, we welcome Abigail to Boston and hook up with Deb and Tim Duggan, who arrived yesterday. Looks to be a good trip coming up.
We are up super early - 3:30 AM, for our scheduled 4:45 AM pickup from our wonderful friend and neighbor, Zoe Highland. She must have been anxious to get us out of town as she arrived in our driveway at 4:30! A quick drive to good old Eppley Airfield, and we gave our “driver” a hug for a tip. Check-in was easy, one checked bag and one carry-on each.
Even though there was lightning in the sky as we left home, by the time our departure time of 6:10 arrived, it was clear sailing as we headed to St. Louis on our first leg. We arrived in St.Louis ahead of schedule and were on the ground and in the terminal by 7:30. We walked down the E terminal, looking for a restaurant and landed at a bar/pasta house that was serving breakfast. The menu was limited so we ordered biscuits & gravy and an omelette. The place was horribly understaffed - a bartender/hostess and one waitress. Obviously there must have been a cook in the rear.
It soon turned out that they were all out of gravy, so we ended with two omelettes and two cups of coffee. Luckily we had plenty of time as the service was really slow, although our waitress was very kind.
We pushed off from the St. Louis gate at 9:40 and landed at Logan Airport in Boston at 1:03 PM EDT. Only a 2-hour in the air flight, not too bad. After 40 minutes waiting for baggage, we struggled out to meet our limousine and driver Anton Fisher (that really was his name) for the trip from the airport. Anton was a very cheery, intelligent and helpful guy, reminding us of our eldest son in his demeanor, bald head and full beard. We reached our destination - The Godfrey Hotel after a pleasant 30 minute drive through Boston traffic. Arriving in our room, we dropped bags on the floor and bodies into the beds. Around 4:30 we popped up and headed out for a walk, a drink and dinner, in that order.
There are two safe ways to get around Boston, the underground MTA, riding forever, or walking. We chose walking. Our hotel is in the Center of the city and we strolled over to the area known as The Commons, a large park area set up in 1634. We walked around the Frog Pond, where dozens of toddlers were walking in a huge one foot deep pond, attended by parents, grandparents, nannies and a number of life guards. As we walked through the park, in weather that was clear, 80F and with a slight breeze, we gazed on all the people out to enjoy the day. The huge number of gray squirrels being chased by toddlers, and the homeless wandering or dozing on the lawn. Although we are not anti-canine, it was refreshing to be in a large public space that was off limits to dogs. No chasing, no bring, no hassles, and no waste!
After a two mile trek around the park, we headed back to our hotel room in search of a liquor store to stock up on wine for our cruise (we are allowed to bring one bottle per passenger on board) and found an excellent wine shop just a block away. Securing our purchases at our hotel room, we passed a few restaurants that looked promising. We stepped into one or two until we found one with decent looking food and a noise level that allowed conversation.
We took our seat at a table at 49 Social Restaurant and ordered a beer and a dirty martini. We struck up what turned out to be a very enjoyable conversation with the couple at the next table, stretching our short dinner hour into 90 minutes of fun and laughing conversation. This is what traveling is all about, meeting people and seeing places. We enjoyed our Hamburger and Lambburger, and struggled back to the hotel and were in bed by 9:30.
Tomorrow, we welcome Abigail to Boston and hook up with Deb and Tim Duggan, who arrived yesterday. Looks to be a good trip coming up.
ON TO TUCSON - July 12, 2019
We slept very well Thursday nite, some arising early to a surprise sprinkle
that late risers didn’t believe, as it had already evaporated in Anthem’s dry
humidity. The temperature was already on its climb to over 100 F by 9:00 AM. We had breakfast of poached eggs, sausage, toast, juice and coffee and then lazed
around while Deb worked for an hour or two.
Del and I went to the car wash, Karen to the
pharmacy and then Del and I took the Mustang
GT for a test drive - boys and their toys.
At noon, Del made a wonderful lunch of roast beef sandwiches and fruit salad. Deb and I packed our bags and loaded the car for the final push to Tucson. We left Anthem around 1:30 for the “quick” drive to Tucson, some 115 miles away. Phoenix metropolitan area is some 10 million souls, 2.5 million of which live on I-17 and I-10, going at least 70 mph and cutting in and out of lanes for sport.
Not my best type of driving, particularly in a strange city, never knowing for sure which lane to be in for an upcoming route change. Since you are reading this, you have correctly guessed that we survived this bumper-car-o-rama, but we have noticeably aged.
Tucson is surrounded by mountains, again in the high desert. Temperatures are the same as in Phoenix, that is to say hotter than hell, but a “dry” heat, just as in an oven. Seeing the mountains all around, with their promise of moisture above, must bring some solace to the citizens. Tucson metropolitan area is just a bit larger than Omaha metro - some 1.1 million people.
We arrived at Tom, Kevin & Liam’s rental unit around 3:30 and unloaded the car trunk and our bags. Little did we know of the fresh bottle of Johnny Walker Blue label in the trunk. Of course if Kevin had told us, it might not have survived the trip. TKL have rented this 2-bedroom condo on a golf course community for 3-4 months while they search for a permanent residence. It is nice, well located and accommodating for their needs. A good base from which to start.
After a few cocktails and gold fish snacks, we headed to dinner at a restaurant called Harvest, of which Tom had received a recommendation. Food was good, a salmon risotto, a chicken salad, a cheese burger and a truffle burger, all washed down with a couple of excellent bottles of Pinot Noir. Only sour spot was their inability to tell the difference between medium hamburger and mostly rare hamburger. I sent it back and when it returned it was hotter but not any better cooked - just spent some more time under the heat lamp.
We were in bed by 11:00 after a night cap. At 4:00 AM on Saturday morning, our alarm went off, we dressed and gulped some coffee. Tom had mapped out the route to the airport, and, after a few quick wrong turns, we arrived at 5:45. Not a lot of traffic on Tucson’s freeways at 5 AM on a Saturday morning. We hopped on our Southwest flight, headed to Denver and then on to Omaha. We arrived at 12:50, right on time, and Abigail picked us up from our excellent adventure. Our thanks to our hosts along the way. We saw friends and places we had not seen before. We now have multiple reasons to head to the southwest in the winter; so be prepared.
At noon, Del made a wonderful lunch of roast beef sandwiches and fruit salad. Deb and I packed our bags and loaded the car for the final push to Tucson. We left Anthem around 1:30 for the “quick” drive to Tucson, some 115 miles away. Phoenix metropolitan area is some 10 million souls, 2.5 million of which live on I-17 and I-10, going at least 70 mph and cutting in and out of lanes for sport.
Not my best type of driving, particularly in a strange city, never knowing for sure which lane to be in for an upcoming route change. Since you are reading this, you have correctly guessed that we survived this bumper-car-o-rama, but we have noticeably aged.
Tucson is surrounded by mountains, again in the high desert. Temperatures are the same as in Phoenix, that is to say hotter than hell, but a “dry” heat, just as in an oven. Seeing the mountains all around, with their promise of moisture above, must bring some solace to the citizens. Tucson metropolitan area is just a bit larger than Omaha metro - some 1.1 million people.
We arrived at Tom, Kevin & Liam’s rental unit around 3:30 and unloaded the car trunk and our bags. Little did we know of the fresh bottle of Johnny Walker Blue label in the trunk. Of course if Kevin had told us, it might not have survived the trip. TKL have rented this 2-bedroom condo on a golf course community for 3-4 months while they search for a permanent residence. It is nice, well located and accommodating for their needs. A good base from which to start.
After a few cocktails and gold fish snacks, we headed to dinner at a restaurant called Harvest, of which Tom had received a recommendation. Food was good, a salmon risotto, a chicken salad, a cheese burger and a truffle burger, all washed down with a couple of excellent bottles of Pinot Noir. Only sour spot was their inability to tell the difference between medium hamburger and mostly rare hamburger. I sent it back and when it returned it was hotter but not any better cooked - just spent some more time under the heat lamp.
We were in bed by 11:00 after a night cap. At 4:00 AM on Saturday morning, our alarm went off, we dressed and gulped some coffee. Tom had mapped out the route to the airport, and, after a few quick wrong turns, we arrived at 5:45. Not a lot of traffic on Tucson’s freeways at 5 AM on a Saturday morning. We hopped on our Southwest flight, headed to Denver and then on to Omaha. We arrived at 12:50, right on time, and Abigail picked us up from our excellent adventure. Our thanks to our hosts along the way. We saw friends and places we had not seen before. We now have multiple reasons to head to the southwest in the winter; so be prepared.
ON TO TUCSON - July 11, 2019
Mesa Verde to Phoenix
We started the morning by having a very good, but typically expensive breakfast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit at the Far View Cafe. Again, as captives, we paid the $15 per person price, but it was decent food. Next we headed for the park entrance and the Visitor’s Center to make a few minor purchases and get our National Parks Passport stamped (it’s a thing with seniors.)
Now on the road again by 8:30. Our route today is to cross northern Arizona on US 160 to Tuba City, turn south on US 89, and drop past the Grand Canyon to hook up with I-17 at Flagstaff, eventually into Phoenix by 4:30 PM.
Not overly ambitious but we are on vacation, or at least I am. Deb of course is working, between dropped phone calls in the mountains from spotty service and not too bright reservation agents, she manages to solve a few booking problems and discuss some issues with clients.
We stop at Four Corners National Monument, now operated by the Navajo Nation. $5 per person entry for the opportunity to take a picture and perhaps spend some money at the native kiosks surrounding the central point. Bathrooms were filthy but necessary as our coffee intake from breakfast was catching up with us.
At Tuba City we stopped for gas and then headed due south. Curious about the name Tuba City, we looked it up on one of our gadgets. Originally named for a Navajo Chief Tuuvi, it morphed into Tuba City. It is the most populous city on the Navajo Reservation and is the headquarters of the western portion of the reservation. The main headquarters is in Shiprock in New Mexico.
At Flagstaff (elevation 7,000 ft.) the temperature drops to about 87 F outside and clouds start to form. As we hop on I-17 for the last leg of today’s journey it begins to sprinkle. As we pass south across the plateau and near San Francisco Peak, we run into a thunder storm. Rain on the windshield quickly clears the bugs, and the temperature drops to 63 F.
We start our descent into Phoenix from 7,000 feet down to 1,000 feet. The drop in elevation was inversely matched by a raise in temperature. We went from 63 F to 113 F. Although we expected to arrive by 4:30, we failed to account for an extra free hour due to Arizona’s refusal to play the daylight savings game. We gained an extra hour and arrived at 3:20. Good drive.
We loaded into Del and Karen’s home; Deb unloaded her computer into their home office and went to work while I poured myself a cool drink. Around 6:15 we braved the heat and went out for a good hamburger, beef brisket sandwich, pork chili verde (stew) and a chicken salad. Wine and more water topped off the evening.
Back to the house and into the spa pool to cool down. 84F in the spa but still over 100F in the air so it felt wonderful. Added a glass of wine and then back inside for some fresh fruit and ice cream for dessert.
Tumbled into bed in an air conditioned room and a hard sleep. Tomorrow we take the short drive to Tucson for the penultimate day of our journey.
We started the morning by having a very good, but typically expensive breakfast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit at the Far View Cafe. Again, as captives, we paid the $15 per person price, but it was decent food. Next we headed for the park entrance and the Visitor’s Center to make a few minor purchases and get our National Parks Passport stamped (it’s a thing with seniors.)
Now on the road again by 8:30. Our route today is to cross northern Arizona on US 160 to Tuba City, turn south on US 89, and drop past the Grand Canyon to hook up with I-17 at Flagstaff, eventually into Phoenix by 4:30 PM.
Not overly ambitious but we are on vacation, or at least I am. Deb of course is working, between dropped phone calls in the mountains from spotty service and not too bright reservation agents, she manages to solve a few booking problems and discuss some issues with clients.
We stop at Four Corners National Monument, now operated by the Navajo Nation. $5 per person entry for the opportunity to take a picture and perhaps spend some money at the native kiosks surrounding the central point. Bathrooms were filthy but necessary as our coffee intake from breakfast was catching up with us.
At Tuba City we stopped for gas and then headed due south. Curious about the name Tuba City, we looked it up on one of our gadgets. Originally named for a Navajo Chief Tuuvi, it morphed into Tuba City. It is the most populous city on the Navajo Reservation and is the headquarters of the western portion of the reservation. The main headquarters is in Shiprock in New Mexico.
At Flagstaff (elevation 7,000 ft.) the temperature drops to about 87 F outside and clouds start to form. As we hop on I-17 for the last leg of today’s journey it begins to sprinkle. As we pass south across the plateau and near San Francisco Peak, we run into a thunder storm. Rain on the windshield quickly clears the bugs, and the temperature drops to 63 F.
We start our descent into Phoenix from 7,000 feet down to 1,000 feet. The drop in elevation was inversely matched by a raise in temperature. We went from 63 F to 113 F. Although we expected to arrive by 4:30, we failed to account for an extra free hour due to Arizona’s refusal to play the daylight savings game. We gained an extra hour and arrived at 3:20. Good drive.
We loaded into Del and Karen’s home; Deb unloaded her computer into their home office and went to work while I poured myself a cool drink. Around 6:15 we braved the heat and went out for a good hamburger, beef brisket sandwich, pork chili verde (stew) and a chicken salad. Wine and more water topped off the evening.
Back to the house and into the spa pool to cool down. 84F in the spa but still over 100F in the air so it felt wonderful. Added a glass of wine and then back inside for some fresh fruit and ice cream for dessert.
Tumbled into bed in an air conditioned room and a hard sleep. Tomorrow we take the short drive to Tucson for the penultimate day of our journey.
ON TO TUCSON - June 10, 2019
Well, Wednesday started auspiciously with yours truly losing track of the time
change and hence up at 5:15 AM local time in Colorado Springs. My error
was quickly noted, so I hopped in the shower and searched out coffee while the better looking portion of our duo caught up on not needed beauty sleep. LaQuinta breakfast,
although standard fare of powdered scrambled eggs, sausage, bagels, home fries, waffles, fruit, etc.
was above average and very tasty. We wolfed it down, stoked up on coffee and hit the next door
gas station before ramping on the I-25 South by 8:30. Traffic was heavy, but not unduly so.
We were quickly through the city and headed south to Walsenburg, where we dropped off the freeway and turned west on CO 64 towards our westbound artery of US 164. We switched drivers somewhere in the middle of the state (Pagosa Springs,) and continued westward towards Mesa Verde. In Mancos, we gassed up and switched drivers again, arriving at Mesa Verde National Park around 3:00 PM.
As we already had a firm reservation at the Far View Hotel on property, we began a couple of loop drives to look at the archeological sites of the Puebla Ancestral Peoples (formerly referred to as Anasazi) and marvelled at the ecology of the high desert area. We drove, then walked, drove then walked. What we found was that we flatlanders (old and not in very good shape) take quite a while to become accustomed to the thin atmosphere. Likewise, even though the humidity is low, the sun is still very hot. Luckily we brought hats. Deb was happy to be viewing things that were older than she is!
Around 6:00 we checked into the hotel with a gorgeous view to the north overlooking the arroyos. We had our cocktails on our balcony and at 7:45 headed to the restaurant for our dinner reservation. Dinner was less than spectacular - a house salad and “ancient” grains risotto for Deb and house made chips and a cheese tortellini and mushroom dish. Deb had a local Cinsault wine that was quite good, and I a local porter beer that was also good. However the $100.00 price tag was not.
We walked back to our room and sat on the balcony waiting sunset and the star show in the clear, unlighted sky. Gorgeous! The park was wonderful, the scenery and weather were spectacular, so we agreed to overlook the food issue as we were captives. We did find later that the lounge next door served hamburgers and fries, a much better choice and one we will recommend in the future.
Tomorrow we head on to Phoenix.
We were quickly through the city and headed south to Walsenburg, where we dropped off the freeway and turned west on CO 64 towards our westbound artery of US 164. We switched drivers somewhere in the middle of the state (Pagosa Springs,) and continued westward towards Mesa Verde. In Mancos, we gassed up and switched drivers again, arriving at Mesa Verde National Park around 3:00 PM.
As we already had a firm reservation at the Far View Hotel on property, we began a couple of loop drives to look at the archeological sites of the Puebla Ancestral Peoples (formerly referred to as Anasazi) and marvelled at the ecology of the high desert area. We drove, then walked, drove then walked. What we found was that we flatlanders (old and not in very good shape) take quite a while to become accustomed to the thin atmosphere. Likewise, even though the humidity is low, the sun is still very hot. Luckily we brought hats. Deb was happy to be viewing things that were older than she is!
Around 6:00 we checked into the hotel with a gorgeous view to the north overlooking the arroyos. We had our cocktails on our balcony and at 7:45 headed to the restaurant for our dinner reservation. Dinner was less than spectacular - a house salad and “ancient” grains risotto for Deb and house made chips and a cheese tortellini and mushroom dish. Deb had a local Cinsault wine that was quite good, and I a local porter beer that was also good. However the $100.00 price tag was not.
We walked back to our room and sat on the balcony waiting sunset and the star show in the clear, unlighted sky. Gorgeous! The park was wonderful, the scenery and weather were spectacular, so we agreed to overlook the food issue as we were captives. We did find later that the lounge next door served hamburgers and fries, a much better choice and one we will recommend in the future.
Tomorrow we head on to Phoenix.
ON TO TUCSON - 6/9/2019
Tuesday’s Start
The dawn broke in Omaha with a short rain, the temperature still moderate, but threatening to soar. Deb and I rousted out and I started preparing the car. Deb stepped out of the shower to the ringing phone. Clients wanting to go ahead and book the huge cruise they had discussed the day before. She talked them through it, sitting in her bathrobe, contacted the cruise line, booked the trip and then called the client back to explain the necessary info, along the way explaining to one of the couples how she needed to get her passport updated immediately. Directions to the passport office were given.
Before she could finish the phone rang again with another client wanting to book their cruise. That done, she finished up and got dressed, two major bookings completed and another small crisis solved.
We loaded the sleek Toyota Avalon sedan that was the purpose of this trip, and headed out at 10:30, about 2 hours behind our intended departure. We texted our traveling partners, Tom, Kevin & Liam (TKL) to let them know of our late departure. They were only about 15 minutes ahead of us so not so bad. (By the way, Liam is the wonderful black Scotty Terrier who is the third person of this trio moving to Tucson.)
As we reached Kearney on I-80, traffic slowed to a crawl and we learned that Kearney received 8.5 inches of rain overnight, causing the Platte to overflow, flood parts of the city, and cause the closing of the main exit into Kearney. The flooded banks of the Platte continued on, past Lexington and further as we traveled west.
We passed TKL just west of Kearney and agreed to stop for gas, a stretch and driver change in Gothenburg.
After Gothenburg, with Deb now in our driver’s seat, we continued our western run. Just west of Ogallala, we dropped onto I-76 for the run towards Denver. Having made this trip before, and given the time of day, we opted to avoid the traffic around Denver, getting off the freeway at Ft. Morgan, dropping due south on US 71, then at Limon to US 24 on our run into Colorado Springs. Tom had told us in Gothenburg that he had booked at LaQuinta in Colorado Springs, so we made the call and secured a room. Who knew there were multiple LaQuinta hotels in Colorado Springs?
We arrived around 6:30 (7:30 body time due to time change) and settled into our room after a 9 hour drive. We texted TKL and learned they were still 30 minutes out. Not sure if they stayed on the freeway the entire way or made a second Liam stop.
As we had polished off our sandwiches for dinner, we opted to stay in and dine on a snack of goldfish crackers and red wine. How haute cuisine we are. We walked around the hotel grounds a bit to stretch our legs, marvelled at the 14% humidity and fell into bed around 10:00, tired but glad to be on the road again.
Tomorrow we separate from TKL as they continue direct to Tucson and we head across Colorado towards Mesa Verde National Park for a look see.
The dawn broke in Omaha with a short rain, the temperature still moderate, but threatening to soar. Deb and I rousted out and I started preparing the car. Deb stepped out of the shower to the ringing phone. Clients wanting to go ahead and book the huge cruise they had discussed the day before. She talked them through it, sitting in her bathrobe, contacted the cruise line, booked the trip and then called the client back to explain the necessary info, along the way explaining to one of the couples how she needed to get her passport updated immediately. Directions to the passport office were given.
Before she could finish the phone rang again with another client wanting to book their cruise. That done, she finished up and got dressed, two major bookings completed and another small crisis solved.
We loaded the sleek Toyota Avalon sedan that was the purpose of this trip, and headed out at 10:30, about 2 hours behind our intended departure. We texted our traveling partners, Tom, Kevin & Liam (TKL) to let them know of our late departure. They were only about 15 minutes ahead of us so not so bad. (By the way, Liam is the wonderful black Scotty Terrier who is the third person of this trio moving to Tucson.)
As we reached Kearney on I-80, traffic slowed to a crawl and we learned that Kearney received 8.5 inches of rain overnight, causing the Platte to overflow, flood parts of the city, and cause the closing of the main exit into Kearney. The flooded banks of the Platte continued on, past Lexington and further as we traveled west.
We passed TKL just west of Kearney and agreed to stop for gas, a stretch and driver change in Gothenburg.
After Gothenburg, with Deb now in our driver’s seat, we continued our western run. Just west of Ogallala, we dropped onto I-76 for the run towards Denver. Having made this trip before, and given the time of day, we opted to avoid the traffic around Denver, getting off the freeway at Ft. Morgan, dropping due south on US 71, then at Limon to US 24 on our run into Colorado Springs. Tom had told us in Gothenburg that he had booked at LaQuinta in Colorado Springs, so we made the call and secured a room. Who knew there were multiple LaQuinta hotels in Colorado Springs?
We arrived around 6:30 (7:30 body time due to time change) and settled into our room after a 9 hour drive. We texted TKL and learned they were still 30 minutes out. Not sure if they stayed on the freeway the entire way or made a second Liam stop.
As we had polished off our sandwiches for dinner, we opted to stay in and dine on a snack of goldfish crackers and red wine. How haute cuisine we are. We walked around the hotel grounds a bit to stretch our legs, marvelled at the 14% humidity and fell into bed around 10:00, tired but glad to be on the road again.
Tomorrow we separate from TKL as they continue direct to Tucson and we head across Colorado towards Mesa Verde National Park for a look see.
France, Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Bonjour. Happy Birthday to EBC III . Today is our last day in Paris and in France. We are up for our final breakfast and then out into the streets on a stunning day. We catch an Uber and ride to Sacre Cour, at the end taking the Funicular to the top. Howie and Lee tour the Church while Deb and Mark stroll the square, looking at people, pigeons and other assorted sites. After the church tour, we wander the horrifically crowded streets, stopping in the small shops to gaze at the merchandise. Eventually we settle in a cafe for a glass of wine and some pomme frites for our lunch.
We then start the trek down the steps, and split up for the afternoon. Howie and Lee go to explore Pigalle and a look at Moulin Rouge, following which they head for the long walk back towards the hotel and a nice stop for a sandwich and then a pleasant hour and a half at the Picasso Museum. The museum was showing a combination of Picasso works and Alexander Calder works; most interesting, but somewhere along the line, Howie misplaced his hat. That makes a hat and a wallet swallowed up by the City of Light.
Mark and Deb went on to the Metro stop at Abbesses to catch a subterranean ride to the Left Bank and our destination of Le Bien Aimee - a yarn shop, to pick up Abigail’s requested order of hand dyed yarn. After three train line changes, we arrive and step out into the sunshine for the amble to the cute little shop where we make our purchases and visit for a bit; then back towards Place d’Italie for the metro.
We take a break for another rest stop and then board the metro again to head back to the Bastille and a walk to our hotel. We arrive around 4:45 and head upstairs to pack and rest.
We meet back up with Howie and Lee to hear of their adventurous afternoon and plan for our last meal in Paris. We walk to Place du Marché St. Catherine, the small square near our hotel lined with small cafes - tres romantic. We choose the restaurant Le Marché, took a seat outside and dined on a crepe caramel, omelettes and tagliatellia followed by a creme brûlée dessert shared by all. A fitting end to our Parisian experience. We walked a few blocks to clear our digestive tracts and then to bed for our early morning wake-up.
France, Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Bonjour mes amis. Today starts with a drizzle outside, but we troopers suffer through our fruit compote, ham, cheese, baguettes and croissants with our normal stoicism and plot a day of museum trekking.
First off towards Notre Dame to survey the damage from the previous evening. The entire area is cordoned off, but we are able to take a picture from the bridge. People everywhere! We stop at a pharmacy for some ibuprofen to restock our supply and then head towards our first destination of Musee L’Orangerie, a long trek through the Tuileries garden to near the Place de la Concorde. We arrive around 11:30 and there are no lines! Because, of course, it is closed on Tuesdays, which we knew a day ago, but then forgot. Next we tromp back across the Seine to the Musee D’Orsay. Here lines snaked around the blocks.
As we sit to reorganize, realizing that with the Musee L’Orangerie and the Louvre closed on Tuesdays and now Notre Dame closed, the crowds of tourists must go somewhere. We opt not to stand in this queue as 3 of our 4 had been to the museum on previous trips. So, off we go towards the Musee Rodin. The lines here are not so long, and we enter. As we have now logged nearly 9,000 steps, and having visited this museum three previous times, Deb opts to sit in the coffee shop while the other three of us tour the grounds viewing the marvellous sculpture. We return to Deb at 1:30.
Disaster has occurred; Deb discovers that her wallet is missing. Our only choices for recovery are that it was left at the pharmacy or left in the Hotel this morning. The other possibility is that, when accosted for signatures to a petition near the bridge over the Seine, her pocket was picked. Deb and Mark head back to the pharmacy while Howie and Lee continue their tour of the Museum.
The pharmacy had not seen the missing wallet, so on back to the hotel. The wallet was not at the hotel, hence the arduous effort to cancel the credit cards and plan anew. Being good travelers, Mark, held a credit card not in Deb’s wallet and money was evenly split between the two. We will get by for the next few days, but a story to tell to all future clients with even more power.
Howie and Lee return after undertaking a further death march, going to Champs Élysées, Place de la Concorde, Palais Royale, and then back past Notre Dame for a final few pictures. They returned to the hotel shortly after 6:00, having logged a total of 25,000 steps. Mark and Deb’s 18,000 was a mere pittance. All 8 feet were in protest.
We finished the evening with an 8:00 dinner reservation at the Metropolitan Restaurant. We picked up this recommendation from Rick Steves’ book and this was easily the best meal of the trip so far. Appetizers of gnocchi, asparagus with a panko dipped, fried coddled egg, and a ceviche. Main courses of duck or veal and desserts of chocolate mousse, a flan, and a cheese platter. All washed down by and excellent Loire Valley wine. Lovely end to a somewhat crappy day.
First off towards Notre Dame to survey the damage from the previous evening. The entire area is cordoned off, but we are able to take a picture from the bridge. People everywhere! We stop at a pharmacy for some ibuprofen to restock our supply and then head towards our first destination of Musee L’Orangerie, a long trek through the Tuileries garden to near the Place de la Concorde. We arrive around 11:30 and there are no lines! Because, of course, it is closed on Tuesdays, which we knew a day ago, but then forgot. Next we tromp back across the Seine to the Musee D’Orsay. Here lines snaked around the blocks.
As we sit to reorganize, realizing that with the Musee L’Orangerie and the Louvre closed on Tuesdays and now Notre Dame closed, the crowds of tourists must go somewhere. We opt not to stand in this queue as 3 of our 4 had been to the museum on previous trips. So, off we go towards the Musee Rodin. The lines here are not so long, and we enter. As we have now logged nearly 9,000 steps, and having visited this museum three previous times, Deb opts to sit in the coffee shop while the other three of us tour the grounds viewing the marvellous sculpture. We return to Deb at 1:30.
Disaster has occurred; Deb discovers that her wallet is missing. Our only choices for recovery are that it was left at the pharmacy or left in the Hotel this morning. The other possibility is that, when accosted for signatures to a petition near the bridge over the Seine, her pocket was picked. Deb and Mark head back to the pharmacy while Howie and Lee continue their tour of the Museum.
The pharmacy had not seen the missing wallet, so on back to the hotel. The wallet was not at the hotel, hence the arduous effort to cancel the credit cards and plan anew. Being good travelers, Mark, held a credit card not in Deb’s wallet and money was evenly split between the two. We will get by for the next few days, but a story to tell to all future clients with even more power.
Howie and Lee return after undertaking a further death march, going to Champs Élysées, Place de la Concorde, Palais Royale, and then back past Notre Dame for a final few pictures. They returned to the hotel shortly after 6:00, having logged a total of 25,000 steps. Mark and Deb’s 18,000 was a mere pittance. All 8 feet were in protest.
We finished the evening with an 8:00 dinner reservation at the Metropolitan Restaurant. We picked up this recommendation from Rick Steves’ book and this was easily the best meal of the trip so far. Appetizers of gnocchi, asparagus with a panko dipped, fried coddled egg, and a ceviche. Main courses of duck or veal and desserts of chocolate mousse, a flan, and a cheese platter. All washed down by and excellent Loire Valley wine. Lovely end to a somewhat crappy day.
France, Monday, April 15, 2019
Bonjour. We are down to breakfast this morning at 8:30. A more complete breakfast today with fruit compote, juice, coffee, ham, Brie, and the usual assortment of breads and croissants. The only drawback is that we were only offered one cup of coffee and were unable to gain our servers’ attention for a second round.
Off we head for the Shoah Memorial, France’s Holocaust Museum. Although the literature said we should allow an hour for the tour of the permanent exhibition, we were in the Memorial for over three hours. A moving experience taking a timeline of anti-semitism and Nazi cooperation through to the discussion of 76,000 French Jews deported and only 2,500 of them returning after WWII. We toured the attached bookstore and then journeyed on for a rest stop of wine and beer at a sidewalk cafe. Then on to The Saint Chapelle for a tour of this 12th century chapel developed by King Louis IX, the first and only French king to be awarded sainthood - St. Louis.
The stained glass windows are amazing, outlining the life of the church from Genesis through the death of Jesus. The chapel sits on the Ille de la Citie, on one end of the Island shared with Norte Dame Cathedral. This island in the middle of the Seine was first colonized by a Gallic tripe called the Parissi in the 1st century and became renamed as Paris in the 5th century. Such history makes the 243 year old USA seem childlike.
Next we cross to the Left Bank to search out the famous Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore. This store, established in the 1920s carries English language books and has been a staple of the expatriate family of English and Americans ever since. The owner was the first person to publish Ulysses, the home away from home for Hemingway and Gertrude Stein. Now, expanding to the surrounding buildings adjoining, it is still selling books to the English language readers, and just tourists. As we approached, the line to enter the store stretched out and through to the street.
We stood in line and finally entered. There was no pressure and we spent a few fine minutes browsing as we do in any bookstore. However the crowds and the heat became over powering. We worked our way out without purchases, but glad for the experience. We then stepped down the block for our afternoon snack. Wine, beer, and Aperol Spritzer not accompany our Cheeseburgers and Hot Dog - French style. At least they were accompanied by the standard frites.
The cheeseburgers were very loosely formed patties, topped by a very runny cheese sauce. Also on the plate, together with the frites, was a small cup of guacamole and 4 tortilla chips. The Hot Dog was a baguette, split, with a foot long and grated Swiss Emmantel cheese, then cut in half. Not unflavorful but strange. We then head back towards our hotel, walking along the Seine, passing Notre Dame and stopping for an obligatory selfie from the bridge, and then on across the Îles St. Louis and back onto the right bank.
We arrive back around 6:30 and go to our rooms for a rest and to gather again for a plan for the balance of the evening. Lee finds a bucket of ice to cool down the champagne she had received as a Birthday gift from our landlady in Dinan and we decide to gather in our room to open. At 7:30, our phones start erupting with bulletins, and we gather in front of CNN to watch the unbelievable fire consuming the icon we had just spent hours skirting and walking around - Notre Dame. We watched, transfixed and astonished as the flames consumed and the spire came down. With that piece of news culminating our first day, we determined that we should call it a night around 10:00 and regroup for a plan for tomorrow.
France, Sunday, April 14, 2019
Fitting that this morning, Palm Sunday, we arise to look out over the square of Rouen Cathedral and see palm sellers lining the courtyard entry to the church, huddling in 32F chill. We pack our bags and head down to a wonderful breakfast, cereal, fruit, toast, yogurt, juice, coffee and the obligatory croissant. All while a grey long haired cat, almost a twin of our Sushi, wanders around the dining room looking for a scratch or rub.
We struggle with the bags to our car park and load up for the days run. Our only stop today before Paris is Giverney, the village of the home of Claude Monet, and the site of his home and gardens. We arrive at 10:30 and secure a parking place. Deb had, the night before, secured online prepaid tickets which allowed us to skip the entry queue and head for the group entrance where, after fumbling with the technology of tickets on a cell phone, we were through the gate.
There are two gardens, the famous lily pond gardens, which are across the road from the main grounds and then the beautiful beds surrounding the home. We start with the lily garden. If you never visit another garden, this is the one you must see - put it on your bucket list. Monet planned and planted this by painting with plants and then he famously painted the plants. The colors are wonderful, and blooming all year long as the early hyacinth, daffodils and tulips give way to the azaleas and rhododendrons, giving way to the roses and summer bloomers. All underplanted with a verdure that provides a base. All this surrounds a pond and stream crisscrossed with bridges and paths.
Next we stroll through the tunnel under the roadway to the house garden. Again painted with plants, but in a more orderly fashion. Row upon row of solid colors of tulips today, which will give way in a few weeks to the next wave of color. We eventually make our way into the house to walk through his gallery, studded with his own paintings and the hallways and other rooms hung with those of his friends, Pissarro, Renoir, Manet. All are reproductions, as otherwise there would be armed guards everywhere, but the illusion is masterful. The background of the yellow walls or the blue walls makes the home itself a work of art. Once arriving at the obligatory gift shop, we end up spending as much time as in the home itself.
We next stop at a nearby restaurant for our afternoon meal; memorable only in that the servings of quiche were nearly two inches thick and as large as a piece of pizza. Only that the flavor would have matched the size. The omelette on offer was also large and as tasteless as a 1/2 inch thick piece of fried cardboard.
Onto the highway and heading to Paris. As we are required to return the vehicle fully fuelled up, we stop on the outskirts and top off with €100.02 ($112.00) of diesel fuel. Sticker Shock!
We fight our way around Charles DeGaulle airport, at least twice until we discover our rental car drop off sight. Unloaded we walk to the nearest taxi stand for the long ride into Paris proper. Even on a Sunday, traffic is heavy, but we finally arrive at our hotel, Les Tournelles, around 6:00. We leave the bags in our rooms, rest for a few minutes and then off to explore the area of the Marais. By 8:30 we are ready to eat and so head back to the hotel and a nearby brasserie for a bite. Soup, crepes and sandwich with some wine and beer. Then to bed for our next days’ exploration of the City of Light.
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