Thursday night we had a casual dinner in the Terrace Buffet. After dinner we found Len and Dave at another table and joined them for some conversation and drinks. Len is the guy who graduated from Tufts.
Friday was a day spent cruising the Saint Lawrence Seaway. We passed the end of the Gaspe Peninsula into the Gulf of St Lawrence, and now only Newfoundland stands between us and the open Atlantic Ocean. Early on Saturday we docked in Corner Brook on the western side of Newfoundland.
On disembarking we walked into a town, a pleasant 15 minute walk. The skies were grey and the temperatures were in the forties, but there was no rain. In town we walked two recommended walking trails, the Three Bear Mountain Trail and the Glynnmill Inn Pond Trail. After that we walked down Broadway and chatted with a couple of locals (who seemed to be waiting for the bars to open for getting drunk). We visited the town War Memorial, the Museum, and the Anglican Church.
Then it was back to the boat for lunch and some hangover recovery.
PICTURES (CLICK TO ENLARGE IN NEW WINDOW)
Approaching Corner BrookCorner Brook Pilot BoatWar MemorialCorner Brook MuralView from Three Bear Mountain TrailElaine at Glynmill PondRapids on Corner Brook StreamA Tree on a RockCorner Brook Pulp & Paper Company (That’s a Lot of Trees!)
Wednesday night dinner was in the casual Terrace Cafe which is a wonderful place to eat. It is where most people eat breakfast or lunch, but at night it is generally fairly empty as people opt for the specialty dining rooms or the Grand Dining Room. But the Terrace is set with white table clothes, and the buffet choices are endless. There is always fresh sushi, exotic cold cuts, and fine cheeses for appetizers as well as soups and salads — they serve a great Caesar salad and you can get all the anchovies you want. Main courses included grilled steaks, grilled fish, lobster, and an endless variety of carved meats. Vegetables abound. And the wines are the same as all the other dining rooms.
So in the Terrace we feasted on the daily specials — local Quebecois cheeses and cold cuts to start with a Quebec pork casserole dish for a main (with a few grilled shrimp added on for variety).
Today we dock at Saguenay which is not actually a city but a conglomeration of eight cities/town, the best known of which is probably Chicoutomi. We dock in the town of La Baie at Baie de Ha!Ha! That’s the real name of the bay. Saguenay is located on the Saguaeny River, a tributary of the St Lawrence.
At the cruise terminal we were enthusiastically greeted by locals in period costume and treated to a slice of local blueberry pie (delicious!). We sawed wood with lumbermen. The welcome was wonderful. Kudos to Saguenay!
Then we did the two circuits of the frequent hop-on hop-off buses which all had local people telling about the stops and another local at each stop to provide more information. All very well done!
We visited the Pulperie Museum where the highlight was the house of slightly eccentric local painter Arthur Villenueve). The house in entirely within the museum building. Sadly no pictures allowed, but I copied one from the web to show what it like. He artistically painted his entire house, inside and out.
I’ll let pictures tell the story. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Tomorrow is a sea-day (well, actually a river day) with no port calls, so the next posting won’t be until Saturday at the earliest. Ciao for now!
The Saguenay RiverSunrise on the SaguenayHhmm (Approaching Saguenay as Viewed on the In-Stateroom TV with the Room Orchid in the foreground)Elaine Greeted at Saguenay DockElaine Working with a LumbermanJoe with the Local IndiansSaguenay CathedralA View over ChicoutimiA Mig-25 at the Air Force MuseumA Canadian Air Force Voodoo and ElaineThe Pyramid de Ha! Ha!
Dinner Tuesday night was in the Marina Grand Dining Room. We shared a table with a couple from Vancouver. Elaine had chicken tangine and I had beef tenderloin.
After beach weather in Montreal (mid-80’s), today (Wednesday) was, as Warren Harding would have said, a return to normalcy (mid-50’s). And it was overcast and windy.
We docked in Quebec City before 7 AM; we were off to explore by 9:00 AM or so. We walked around the Place Royale for awhile taking pictures of this historic section of Old Quebec. There are a couple of exceptional wall murals, a pretty church (Notre Dame des Victoires), and quaint old streets. Then we took the Funicular to the upper town which terminates right at the historic Chateau Frontenac. A lot of years ago we stayed there for three nights on one of our road trips.
Outside the Chateau Frontenac we boarded the Quebec Hop-On Hop-off (HOHO) bus and rode the 90-minute circuit. We sat on the open-air second deck and shivered through most of the trip. The guide was fun, and we enjoyed it. At the end we went into the Chateau Frontenac to have a look around but mainly to get warm.
Then we re-boarded the HOHO base to ride to the first scheduled stop which just happened to be near MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) to buy a new pair of binoculars for Elaine. She forgot hers, but she needed a new pair anyway. She is now the proud owner of a yellow set of Nikon Aculon binoculars.
From there we walked back to the ship, stopping for pictures of bridge support murals, the railroad station, and the poetic chairs.
Pictures tell the story (click on pics to enlarge in a separate window)
The FunicularShop Here, Girls!A Mural near Place RoyaleRiding the FunicularJoe at the Chateau FrontenacElaine on the HOHO Polar ExpressThe Bar at the Chateau FrontenacA Happy FrogBridge Support MuralThe Poetic Chairs . . .. . . All in a RowAnother Mural back at Place RoyaleA Final Mural
It’s Tuesday in Trois-Rivieres, a delightful town about midway between Montreal and Quebec on the St Lawrence Seaway. Last night we had a casual dinner on the ship in the informal (but very good) Terrace Cafe. Gimlets and cosmos before dinner in the Martini Bar. And after dinner Amaretto in Martinis as well. At dinner we met a man who graduated from Tufts in 1963 – fellow Jumbos forever!
Today after breakfast we were off the ship at 8:15 am for a walkabout the delightful downtown area. Everything opened at 10 AM, so we walked to our most distant destination first, Borealis, a newly opened and very informative museum about the paper industry. Trois-Rivieres was the paper capital of Canada for a long time, and it is still a major industry.
Then we walked back downtown for a visit to the small but different Musee Quebecois de Culture Populaire. This is not a normal museum, and the exhibits are constantly changing. The highlight at this time is a collection of old toys that bring memories of childhood for us oldies. The museum is paired with the Old Prison that was in use until the 1980’s. We got a guided tour of the Prison and quickly learned that it would be a mistake to go to prison in Quebec.
Then it was back to the ship for rest, relaxation, naps, drinks, and preparations for dinner.
Future posting will be spotty depending on wi-fi access in the various ports we will be stopping at. We sail tonight at 11:59 for an 7:00 AM arrival on Wednesday in Quebec City.
Marina in Trois-RivieresAt the PortrPretty CityIn the MuseumHat Exhibit (Next Year’s Derby Hat?)Toys and Dolls in the MuseumThe Prison and a Tree
Monday morning weather is absolutely beautiful. Bright sun, no clouds. It is supposed to be 84 today. By Wednesday the forecast is for the temperatures to be back to a more seasonal 65. But we will be gone by then.
Today is embarkation day. We can board the Marina at noon, and we can actually walk to it from the hotel, schlepping our rolling suitcases. The ship doesn’t sail until midnight, so we could settle in and then get off and have a little more time in Montreal, should we choose to.
Dinner last night at La Bocata was wonderful. It is a typical French bistro, and the food was delicious. Elaine started with an Old Fashioned while I had a Bloody Gobelin. While that sounds like a tomato-based drink, it was not: gin and other stuff (I forget!) and sort of like a gimlet. For appetizers Elaine had two Quebec cheeses, tomme (a goat cheese) and douanier (with a signature line of ash running through it), while I had six succulent Quebec oysters. For mains, Elaine had cabillaud (black cod) and I had canard magret (duck breast). Oh, and a bottle of wine, of course: a Côtes du Roussillon Villages. No desserts. (Oh, the restraint!)
We were regular yearly visitors to Montreal back when we lived in Boston, usually driving up for the long Columbus Day weekend every October. And we always had a good time. It was nice to back once again. The weather was perfect, almost too warm at 75. We never expected such temperatures here this time of year. And tomorrow it will be in the eighties! As we sail up the St Lawrence the temps will go down and be back in the fifties.
Anyway, over the years we have seen most of the usual Montreal sights, so we decided to take the Metro and visit the rather new Montreal Holocaust Museum. It is small and very well done. After going through the museum we took the Metro back downtown and walked up Rue Crescent. It’s filled with bars and restaurants. One restaurant we had many meals at over the years is gone: La Troika, a Russian themed place. But our favorite watering hole, the Sir Winston Churchill Pub is still going strong. I was going here 45 years ago! We sat outside on the balcony. Wine for Elaine with her crab cakes; Creemore Springs Premium Lager for me with my chicken Caesar salad. All good!
Then we took a rather long casual walk down Ste Catherine’s Street, Montreal’s main shopping street, back towards the hotel. It was bustling! We stopped to buy some water and wine before nap time. After naps, it was wine and snacks on the balcony.
Dinner tonight will be Bocata, a wine bar specializing in tapas or small plates. It looks excellent. Reports tomorrow.
As always, click the pictures for larger views in a new window.
Ah, a Hated SquirrelWinnie’sThe Important Part of LunchThe Holocaust Museum is in This BuildingLilacs in Bloom (everywhere!)Notre Dame du Montreal (Near the Metro Stop)
Kudos to Air Canada. Nice flights to Toronto and then on to Montreal. It was our first time on this airline, and we give it two thumbs up. Both flights on time. Flight attendants very nice. Good meal en route to Toronto. Business class helps, of course.
The airport in Toronto (Pearson) was not so great. We had to claim our bags there to clear Canadian Customs. No surprise there as it the same in the USA (clear customs at first stop in country). Line at Immigration. Long wait for bags. Long wait to recheck bags. Long slow line to reclear Security.
We didn’t arrive in Montreal until midnight. It was one AM before we exited our taxi and checked in at the Marriott SpringHill Suites in Old Montreal.
Sunday morning now. Weather looks good and it will be warm.
We leave tomorrow (Saturday) morning for our cruise. We’ll fly Air Canada (first time) to Toronto and change planes for the short flight on to Montreal. No direct or non-stops from Phoenix to Montreal. We don’t arrive in Montreal until midnight, so the first post on the trip will probably be Sunday night. We board the Marina on Monday, sailing late at night up the St Lawrence River to our first stop at Trois-Rivières.
Stay tuned!
Air Canada Rouge Airbus 319Oceania Cruise Lines – Marina
In two posts below we describe two 2014 vacations. This is a trip planned for 2015.
It’s not often we plan more than a year ahead. But there was an incentive to do so right now. In Trip Planning (Two) we describe our transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Miami. We are always loathe to use the airline tickets that the cruise line provide. (As a little aside, Oceania advertises “free airfare” as part of the cruise fare. That is a little disingenuous since you can get a serious reduction in the cruise fare if you opt out of their air arrangements.) Anyway, cruise line air connections are often inconvenient and may involve long stopovers. For European connections Oceania normally uses charter flights to or from a US gateway city to Europe with connections to the gateway on schedules flights. Charter flights can be just awful with even less room than on normal scheduled flights. (Yes, it is possible to be even more crowded!) Oceania offers business class upgrades at an exorbitant price. (Sometimes they will offer reasonable business class upgrades on some cruises when they are trying to boost sales for those particular cruises). OK, so we don’t like cruise line air arrangements.
So why not just book our own flights? Well, you need a one-way ticket to Europe since you will be cruising in the other direction. It’s easy to book one-way flights within the US nowadays at half the round trip fare. Not so to Europe. International regulations still make one-way fares prohibitively expensive.
So, we decided on a unique solution. We are beginning our November 2014 cruise vacation by flying to London. So we are buying round-trip tickets on Virgin Atlantic from Las Vegas to London. The first leg will be used in November to get to Europe. The return flight will be used in June 2015 to return from London to Las Vegas after the next cruise we have booked. And that’s why we have booked a cruise for May 2015!
The vacation begins when we fly from Phoenix to Montreal where we will spend two nights at our favorite Montreal hotel, the Marriott Springhill Suites in Old Montreal, just a short walk from the port. The we will board the Marina, the sister ship of the Riviera on which we sailed from Barcelona to Miami in November 2014. Again we will have a Penthouse Suite, this time located on the starboard side so as to be south facing (to get full advantage of the sun).
