Monday
After yesterday’s wind, ice, and snow, we awoke this morning to beautiful sunshine. But it is still COLD. It was 28º this morning. By later in the day the Captain had opened all the outside decks again. Not much to report today. And not many pictures. It was beautiful outside as we settled down to read in the same spot as yesterday.
My sister asked why the fireplace wasn’t turned on in yesterday’s picture. Not sure; maybe that one was malfunctioning. They have those “fireplaces” all around on the ship, like the one in the picture below. They are not gas fires. In fact they are not fires at all, but water vapor fireplaces. It’s all done with electricity and water vapor and LED lights. You can connect them to a water line or fill them with water manually.
Cocktails were in the Living Room at 5:00 pm.
Bel was our server. She’s great doing selfies so she did a few for us. Note her great facial expressions.
Dinner was in Manfredi’s. Elaine had Caprese Salad while I had my usual Pasta e Fagioli (it’s so good!). Elaine had a pork chop; I had the Bistecca Florentine. In the picture it may look burnt. It isn’t! It nicely charred and red on the inside – cooked perfectly rare. We skipped desserts.
Tonight we enter the St Lawrence River. This will be third (maybe fourth?) cruise on the St Lawrence. The previous ones were going up from Montreal towards Europe. This will be the first one down river. We’ll be stopping in Québec City tomorrow (snow predicted!) and then Trois-Rivieres on Wednesday. We’ve been to both cities on cruises and on driving vacations. (I actually skied at Mont-Sainte-Anne near Québec City way back in 1963 when I used to visit Québec for the Winter Carnival.) After Trois-Rivieres we will have a river/locks/lake day with no stops. We’ll go right through Montreal and then enter a series of five locks that will take us onto Lake Ontario. We disembark on Friday in Toronto.
Be back tomorrow with a snow report from Québec.
Love reading your blog, Joe, marvel at how you and Elaine relish every aspect of each cruise, find and make it (all of them) so interesting, weather and port cancellations be damned! Have ‘enjoyed’ every meal, and bottle of wine, and the history, details and great pics of venues, the ship, food & beverages, right along with you two! Wish I had a more robust sea stomach, regret that I’m a motion weenie, would love to invite us (ourselves?) to tag along with you; Russ is fine with sea motion. Probably not on this one though, need to be on land more, in warmer weather! I am French Canadian, after all! Enjoy Quebec City and the locks! Are you spending time in Toronto or elsewhere, before flying home? Stay warm! Too bad you can’t bottle up some of that cold to take home for Scottsdale summer!A bientot!
In Toronto, where we’re been several times, we are driving to Niagara Falls for two nights followed by a night at Toronto Airport prior to flying home.
Warm here, 100 expected on Thursday, 102 on Friday, but cooling to the 90s for the weekend. It’s supposed to be 15 degrees below average for the northeast so bundle up!
That heat would feel pretty good right now.
Brrr. Cold but beautiful. More snow for us today too.
Thanks for the info on the fireplace. I assumed it was electric, but no. I saw one of those water vapor fireplaces on a home renovation show. Not a fan, but practical for a ship, I guess. Great photos by Belle (and of Belle). You all look very happy. And the food, as always, looks delish.
When you mentioned skiing in yesterday’s blog, I jotted a note, but I’ll add it again today. I never knew that you skiied. I do remember, however, that you brought me back a winter headband from the Quebec Winter Carnival with a picture of the cute carnival mascot on it. I loved it and wore it for years in the winter. I wonder whatever happened to it.
It’s a good thing you’ll only be back home for a short time before heading off again to Dingle as, according to Barb, it’s mighty HOT in Scottsdale.
I skied three times in my life. Twice at Mont Ste Anne with Richard Stevens – remember him. I picked him up at UMaine and we went to the Winter Carnaval twice. The other time I skied was in Grenoble in France in 1967 or 1968 while I was in the Army in Germany. Never took a lesson and never skied very well. The mascot was Bonhomme Carnaval.
No, I don’t remember Richard Stevens but the name sounds familiar. Yes, Bonhomme Carnaval. I couldn’t think of that name either when I wrote the note. Your mind is sharper than mine (even though you’re older)!!
He lived on Tremont St and Mom was friendly with his mother.
Nice to see pics of you and Elaine together. Sorry it’s so cold but glad it’s there and not here. We are finally warming up in CO.
The cold is OK. The snow, not so much.