I’ve been home a week and I wasn’t going to write anything else about the Sojourn cruise, but I thought I should add something about sailing into New York harbor. I’ve done it before but each time it is thrilling and moving. As I passed the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island I thought of what it must have been like for some of my ancestors to see that sight as they began a new life here in the United States. This country was one of great promise to them and I hope it still is to us today.
It’s Saturday, September 13 and tomorrow I’ll have to say goodbye to the Sojourn for the last time. She has been sold and I won’t be on her again between now and when she’ll be turned over to her Japanese owners. That makes two Seabourn ships I’ve said goodbye to.
Yesterday Katie, Stan and Alfred came on for several hours when we were docked in Boston. It was very nice spending time with them. I especially wanted Alfred to have a chance to see a ship and to know where his grandmother has spent so much time. We went from top to bottom but unfortunately we didn’t have the opportunity to visit the bridge. Boston was the Sojourn’s first US port of the season so there were all kinds of Coast Guard and other federal inspections that had to be done and a visit to the bridge was impossible. (A little aside is warranted here. Yesterday evening everyone on the ship was commenting on how pleasant, friendly and accommodating all the US Customs and Immigration personnel who came on the ship and with whom we dealt were. If one paid attention to some media outlets, one would think they were all grizzly bears with teeth bared and guns drawn.)
 |
| Isn't my grandson a cutie? |
 |
| Katie, Stan and Alfred |
We had lunch in the Colonnade and then played cards out by the pool until it was close to time for them to disembark. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and I think we all had a nice time. Alfred said he would like to go on a ship, but I told him he would probably be happier on one with water slides, bumper cars and kids’ programs which this one doesn’t have.
I had a drink before dinner with my new friends Jenny and John in the Club and through the windows we could see that there was going to be a lovely sunset so I went out to the stern and got some shots of the sun going down behind the Boston skyline. Jenny and I had dinner together because John wasn’t feeling well and then I went to see a magic show. I’ve seen this magician before and he’s very good but it was so much more low key than the previous night that I think it was a little of a letdown.
Today we’re anchored off Newport. I decided not to go ashore because I really need to pack. The choices of excursions all involved drives along Bellevue Avenue (Millionaires’ Row) and truthfully I am not that interested in seeing that. Additionally this weekend is the Newport International Boat Show so it will be absolutely packed. Maybe I’ve developed a fear of crowds but I just don’t like being in the midst of throngs of people anymore.
Looking back on what I’ve written about this voyage I realize it doesn’t sound very exciting and I guess that’s true. The fun part is meeting new people and getting to learn how they think about things from their perspectives whatever they may be. My contact list is getting bigger as I make new friendships and I expand my understanding of people from different cultures and places. That’s my favorite part of cruising. Seeing new things and everything else that goes into a cruise is like the whipped cream on top of a sundae but the people part is the best.
Tomorrow will be a long day. Sailing into New York Harbor past the Statue of Liberty is pretty spectacular so I’ll have to get up early. Cabins have to be vacated by 8 AM to give the hard-working crew time to get ready for the next lot of passengers. Seabourn has arranged for me to be taken to a hotel to have lunch and spend a few hours before a car will take me to the airport. Hopefully all will go according to plan - United Airlines won’t have any glitches out of Newark and I’ll be home before dark. I had been a little worried about crossing the North Atlantic at the peak of hurricane season, but Mother Nature cooperated and it has been a lovely cruise. I guess that’s it until the next time I sail away. Bye for now.
Today is another of those catch-up days when I don’t have anything significant to talk about. On September 10 we docked in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I’d been there last year and my friend Kathie picked me up and gave me a tour of the island. This year it was my intention to go ashore and walk along the boardwalk in downtown old Halifax. I looked out from the stern of our ship and I saw two huge ships tied up next to us and a horde of people on the sidewalks. Downtown here isn’t very big and I decided to stay aboard. I just didn’t feel like fighting crowds to see someplace I’d already seen. Maybe I’m getting jaded. Who knows? Instead I had a lovely day talking with friends, answering emails and generally relaxing. In the evening I went with two new friends, part of our lunch group, for dinner at Solis the alternative restaurant. We had a good time and in fact closed the place down. We went from dinner to the Club where we danced and laughed a lot.
 |
| That's just one of the ships docked near us. You can just get a tiny glimpse of the other one on the far left. |
Yesterday was our last sea day and there were the usual sea day activities. I’m happy to say that our team, the Smartinis, won the cumulative trivia contest. I won some more Seabourn swag which I will dispose of before I get off on Sunday. The show last night featured one of my favorite entertainers in the world, Sam Bailey. She won Britain’s X Factor, the equivalent of American Idol. Besides having a fantastic voice she is one of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet. I stayed up late after the show talking to one of my new friends Joyce. Among other things we talked about a not so happy subject, the senseless killing of Charlie Kirk. I don’t watch or read much news here, but that popped up on everyone’s phone. I don’t care what one’s political persuasion is; everyone should be revolted by such an action. People who have been celebrating it must be evil in my opinion.
Enough about that. Today we’re in Boston and my family is coming to visit me on the ship very soon. I’m looking forward to that and I’ll write about how that goes soon.
I entitled this “Rainbows and Red Moon Rising” because two friends sent me photos they got in the last few days of both, and I thought I’d include them. As we sailed away from Baie-Comeau, Chester, my favorite Bar Manager saw a beautiful rainbow across the water and managed to get some pictures of it. We didn’t find the pot of gold at the end unfortunately.
Last night my friend Joyce went out on deck and got some pictures of a red moon rising in the sky. It’s truly amazing how many things one can see in the night sky when at sea where there’s no ambient light to interfere.
 |
| Hard to see here, but the moon looked really red. |
Katie et al are coming aboard shortly so I'd better go and get ready to meet them. TTFN.
Only 5 nights left on this cruise. Where has the time gone? Since my last entry I’ve had two sea days and a stop in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. I guess I’ll start with the visit to PEI.
Last year when I came to Charlottetown I went to learn about birds of prey; this year I took a tour entitled “Anne of Green Gables and a lobster bake.” Prince Edward Island was the birthplace and home of Lucy Maud Montgomery who wrote the famous book Anne of Green Gables among many others. First I should write a little bit about the island. PEI is named after the fourth son of King George III. It’s approximately 141 miles long and about 60 miles wide at its widest point. It lies in the Gulf of St Lawrence west of Cape Breton Island, north of the Nova Scotia peninsula and northeast of New Brunswick. It was here in September 1864 that representatives from other colonies in British Canada came and drafted the articles of confederation which created modern day Canada. Interestingly PEI didn’t find the terms favorable so they didn’t join until 1873. In the years before that the islanders had entertained various other options, such as becoming an independent country and they even met with delegates from the USA to discuss becoming part of the United States. (As an aside, I find that I am seriously lacking in knowledge of historical events having to do with Canada and its interaction with my country.)
Prince Edward Island has a population of around 180,000. It has evidently exploded in the last few years. That growth has caused problems with increasingly higher housing costs as the available places to live have become scarcer and it has caused a strain on the infrastructure, particularly availability of doctors. A medical school program has just opened at the local university so hopefully that problem will be alleviated.
My tour guide and driver were Cheryl and Leigh, both senior citizens and both PEI islanders. They were very engaging and full of knowledge and they also seemed to know everyone on the island. We drove first to the north coast which has pretty dramatic red cliffs and a few beaches. The cliffs are red because the soil here is mainly red sandstone. The island is completely dependent on ground water so everyone has a well. The primary economic driver is agriculture. The countryside consists of low rolling hills with the highest point only being less that 500 feet. Looking across the inland part of the island it looks like a patchwork quilt of greens. The crops grown include soybeans, corn, and potatoes. Cheryl told us that Prince Edward Island is the largest producer of potatoes in North America. I don’t know if that’s true; I always thought it was Idaho. What I do know is that they are one of the biggest exporters of mussels along with New Zealand. As we rode along the coast we passed forests of pine and some hardwoods especially birch trees. Many looked dead and Cheryl told us that a few years ago PEI was severely damaged by Hurricane Fiona. Many trees were lost and lots of homes were damaged or destroyed.
 |
| A little fishing harbor we passed on our ride through the countryside |
 |
| The red cliffs of Prince Edward Island |
 |
| The rolling terrain with lots of varying shades of green |
From the north shore we drove to the small community of Cavendish which is the largest seasonal resort area on the island and also the home of Lucy Maud Montgomery. In fact, despite the fact that she died in Ontario her remains were returned to PEI where she was born and grew up and she’s buried in a cemetery near the house she lived in. Lucy was actually quite a tragic figure I think. Her mother died when she was very young, she didn’t get along with her stepmother, and she had an unrequited love. She married a Presbyterian minister with whom she evidently didn’t have the best of relationships. In her writings she idealized parts of her life probably as a means to escape the reality of her real circumstances as she saw them. She died at the age of 67, officially from a coronary thrombosis, but a granddaughter in 2008 revealed that Lucy had left a note decrying her life leading the granddaughter to believe she took a drug overdose and died of that instead.
In Cavendish we stopped at the Green Gables National Historic Site which is owned and operated by the Canadian government. The grounds include a house that has been refurbished to look like what is depicted in Montgomery’s novels, gardens and a small barn with some old farm implements. The gardens are quite lovely and the house is a white-shingled building with only green trim. The interior is furnished as it is described in her books.
 |
| This contraption is a turnip pulper and seeder |
After our visit to the house and garden we went for a lovely lobster lunch at a nearby what used to be a farm producing butter. We each had a whole lobster, which we had to work to open (but we were given all the right implements). We were entertained by a very exuberant Islander who played a keyboard and sang local folk songs.
 |
| Looks good, doesn't it? |
 |
| Our entertainer while we ate |
After the lobster we had a yummy raspberry and whipped cream pie. To work off some of our lunch we had time to walk in the lovely garden called the Garden of Hope along the banks of the Clyde River. It was a beautiful, peaceful and pastoral place. Then it was time to board our bus and return to Charlottetown and our ship. It was a really enjoyable and informative tour.
 |
| Scenes from the Gardens of Hope |
Now what have I been doing on these two sea days? Mainly, as I entitled this post, we girls have just been having fun. There are a group of us who close down the Club every night around midnight (confession – sometimes we stay even later). We sit in a semi-circle in front of the bandstand and essentially we have our own private and individualized concert because we make requests and the band and trio very kindly play them for us. We dance a little, laugh a lot and have a really fun time.
Today we had lunch together in the restaurant, which is only open for lunch on sea days. We were joined by two of the loveliest officers, Jennifer and Mara, and by the two great singers from the Trio and Band, Melody and Rylin. I had arranged for a special menu a few days ago with the restaurant staff and Chester, my favorite Bar Manager in the world, brought us my favorite after dinner drink which is a dessert all by itself. Most of us have sailed together in the past and we all just like having a good time. Things like this are why I love to cruise. The friendships we make are as they say “priceless.”
 |
| The Girls at Lunch |
 |
| From the other end of the table |
So there is how I spent the last three days. I haven’t watched TV, read the news, or thought much at all about anything happening outside my little world here on the Sojourn and it’s absolutely wonderful. I will be sorry when the next five days have flown by, but there’s always another cruise waiting in the wings. Ciao for now.
We’re docked here today and the weather is still lovely, but I’m having a sea day in port. I stopped here last year and there was nothing to speak of then and doesn’t look much different this year.
 |
| The locals decorated the dock for us. They are getting ready for the fall you can see. |
Yesterday we stopped again in Saguenay where we docked just last Saturday. That’s where I tasted cheese and all things blueberries. Instead this go round I walked into the little town, La Baie, looking for a shop I’d heard about where a woman does silk screen printing. I found the place and bought a very pretty scarf. I’m getting a world class collection, but they don’t take up much room and they weigh practically nothing. I continued walking along what I think is the main street and came across a little place called Restaurant Opia. On the board showing daily specials they listed Poutine, so I decided to go in and have lunch. Poutine is a Canadian dish (primarily eaten here in Quebec) which consists of French fries topped with cheese curds and some kind of gravy. It has never sounded very appealing to me since I don’t even like ketchup on my fries, but I’ve been determined to try it at least once while in Canada.
 |
| This is La Rue Victoria, the main street here in La Baie |
The restaurant had a nice little balcony with a few tables so I sat out there and ordered a glass of some house sauvignon blanc and “poutine of smoked meat,” the daily special. I was expecting something like pulled pork barbecue for smoked meat. I was wrong. What came was a bowl with French fries at the bottom, some cheese curds on top, and then basically undercooked (not crispy at all) bacon topped with a mustardy sauce which included some pickles, a few green onions and then a few pieces of lettuce to top it all off. In fairness, it wasn’t awful; the pickles in mustard tasted really good. The undercooked bacon, the very salty cheese curds and the poor soggy French fries buried far below left something to be desired. The wine tasted very good and the balcony was pleasant. Now that I’ve tried poutine my curiosity has been satisfied and I don’t have to do it again.
 |
| The balcony of the Restaurant Opia |
 |
| Poutine of smoked meat. It looks pretty good but the taste was so-so. |
The highlight of the lunch was my conversation with a lady who came and sat at the table across from mine. This trip I seem to be meeting some really unusual characters. Today it was 81-year-old Joanne from Montreal who was just visiting Saguenay for a few days. Joanne told me she likes to travel a lot so we began talking about where her travels have taken her. She said she’s ticking things off her bucket list and I must say her list is different from what mine would be if I had one. Last year she spent four months in Peshawar, Pakistan. I read lots of spy kinds of novels and Peshawar features frequently as a place where lots of bad guys from the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other not so friendly groups hang out. (Mind you, Joanne isn’t a Muslim as nearly as I can tell.) Earlier this year she went on a tour that spent five days in Afghanistan and two weeks in Iran. I asked her why she would want to go to those places and she said the former just so she could see it and the latter because she wanted to see the tombs of Xerxes and Darius the Great. Next month she’s heading out to Beirut, Damascus and someplace in one of the Stans. I told her she was a lot braver and more adventurous than I am but what I was really thinking was that she’s a little crazy. Maybe she figures she’s 81 and she’s lived a good life so “what the heck” if something happens to her. We said our goodbyes and I wished her well.
I got back to the ship in time for trivia (we didn’t do well today) and to get cleaned up for an ABBA sailaway party. I think for the first time I can recall, John, our cruise director, didn’t have rain for an outdoor event he’d planned. I’m not the biggest fan of ABBA (I can take a couple of their songs at a time, but not lots of them) but I get up and dance anyway because it always brings to mind my friend Helga who loved ABBA parties. I dined in Solis, the alternative restaurant, with a new friend, Susan from Massachusetts, and then went to listen to some music and eventually dance a little more. For the first time I successfully wore one of my new big hand dyed silk scarves tossed over my shoulders and I felt very chic. It was a fun day which I shall remember for a long time.
I mentioned in my last post that I had a couple of interesting cab rides and so I did. From the lower city I rode to the hotel for tea with a cab driver named Sameer. As I try to do usually, I sat in the front seat so I could have a conversation with him. Doing this has afforded me the opportunity to get to know the perspectives of people from lots of different countries which I would never have gotten otherwise. Just by happenstance the same cab driver was first in the taxi line when I finished with tea so we continued our conversation on the way back to the ship.
I asked Sameer where he was from and he told me originally from Afghanistan but he’s lived in Canada for 7 or 8 years and he’s married to a Canadian woman with whom he has a few kids. I asked if he still has family in Afghanistan and he said he did – a mother, some sisters, brothers and other extended relatives. I then asked how things were for them there. His responses floored me. He told me that things were good there now that the war is over and the Taliban have taken over. Wow! I asked what his mother and sisters thought about things now. Sameer said that they know that things have to settle down and that life will be good because the old regime was corrupt (I can believe that) and that the Taliban are more honest and fair (really?). As our conversation progressed he said his mother used to be a nurse and one sister an ultrasound technician, but they can’t do that now and that’s okay. The fact that women can’t go to high schools or universities is also okay with him. Sameer said that it will take time to really get sorted out, but that he is hopeful that in a few years Afghanistan will evolve into a country like what he said is the most successful country in the southwest Asian area – Iran! He proceeded to tell me what a model that country is in terms of every aspect of governance, economy, education and life in general. I just listen in these conversations and don’t make any comments or voice opinions. I have to confess that this time I was really floored. I don’t think I’ve ever personally talked to someone who thinks like this man did. I’m guessing his Canadian wife must be Muslim and must at least outwardly agree with him. I can’t imagine a westernized Canadian woman would be able to relate to his thinking. I do have to say, Sameer was very pleasant to me and treated me respectfully.
Anyway, I just had to write about this because it was a pretty eye-opening experience for me. I’ve only read about Muslims who believe these things so to talk to one was very educational.
On this, our fourth day in total in Quebec, I’ve taken a day off. I was pretty tired from yesterday’s activities and between last year’s stop here and this one I’ve seen quite a lot. If I liked traveling on land by myself, Quebec would definitely be a city I’d consider spending a few days visiting. Tomorrow we’re going back to Saguenay and in just a week and a half this cruise will be over. The time has really gone by fast!
Back in Quebec for two more beautiful days. The weather has been absolutely glorious! Once again we’re at the crummy port next to the grain elevators. There was a big (!!!) Celebrity ship at the good port right next to downtown old Quebec.
On Wednesday, the 3rd, it was the day for my long-anticipated time to go to high tea in the famous Château Frontenac. That’s the Fairmont hotel I posted pictures of the other day with its distinctive roofline and architecture. I didn’t think traffic would be nearly as bad as the other day when we here, but I decided to leave lots of time. I took a cab to the Petit Champlain, the historic neighborhood in the lower town of Old Quebec. This is an area of cobblestone streets lined with cafés, art galleries, souvenir shops, handcrafted items and lots of gelaterias. Looming over it is the escarpment atop which is the upper old city and the Chateau.
The streets here look so much like a village in France that , in fact, some movie scenes that were supposed to be in France were filmed here. One of the shop clerks with whom I spoke told me that parts of the movie “Catch me if you can” were filmed here. On the wall of one of the buildings, the Hôtel du Vieux-Port is the Quebec City Mural spans more than 1000 square feet and depicts important figures, landmarks, and moments in the city’s history. Peeking out from windows or standing on balconies in the mural are Samuel de Champlain and Louis XIV, who was king at the time of the city’s founding. There are nuns and priests who were an integral part of the settlement. And of course, there are some kids playing hockey.
 |
| These next few photos are of the mural |
I’m not sure who he was supposed to be (he looked too modern to be Champlain) but there was a man walking around dressed in what looked like colonial garb talking to a group of tourists. It reminded me of Colonial Williamsburg. I walked in a few shops and bought a couple of small handcrafted things. I was taken by some of the signs outside the stores. There were lots of flower boxes on balconies and hanging baskets on building walls. It’s a truly charming place. Above everything I could see some of the Château Frontenac at the top of the cliff.
 |
| The mystery reenactor |
 |
| A few street scenes in lower Vieux Quebec |
 |
| a little park |
 |
| This was kind of a startling shop name and sign! |
 |
| Hign up on the escarpment |
When I was ready to go to the upper city a café called a cab for me. There is a funicular but when I went by it had a sign saying “fermez” and I didn’t see anyone around. I’ll write more about this interesting cab ride later but first I want to tell about high tea.
The Château Frontenac is one of Canada’s grand railway hotels built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was the template for those magnificent buildings. It was opened in 1893 and is now managed by Fairmont Hotels. It stands atop the promontory of Quebec and its design is derived from that of medieval châteaux in the Loire Valley of France. It has steeply pitched roofs, gables and dormers, and circular and polygonal towers and turrets. High tea is supposed to be an event here, so of course I had to try it.
 |
| I didn't take this photo but I wanted to show the intricate architecture so I lifted it from the net |
I was a little early so after looking in a few of the shops in the shopping arcade I sat in a bar and had a very nice glass of a Canadian Riesling and had a good conversation with a couple from Toronto celebrating their 35th anniversary. At 2 PM I took the elevator to a lower level (the Château has 18 floors) to the Place Dufferin where tea is served. My table was by the windows overlooking a promenade high above the St. Lawrence River. A pianist was playing lovely music in the background and the chairs and carpet were all very plush. Evidently when I booked this some time back I booked tea with a few wine pairings to be served. I promised a couple of people I would describe the event so here goes.
 |
| The Place Dufferin tearoom |
 |
| My table and view |
First came a glass of non-alcoholic Japanese sparkling tea, which honestly tasted like a very light prosecco to me. But then I’m not an oenophile. Next came a triple tier stand with sweets on the top, traditional cucumber and tomato, cheese and basil finger sandwiches in the middle and a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich and goat cheese tart on the bottom. Next to that came a serving tray with a scone, a kind of honey and maple pound cake and an absolutely divine hazelnut cream tart. I was served a glass of French champagne made specifically for the Château. Oh, I forgot to mention tea. There is a menu with perhaps 20 different teas. I chose one specially made for the hotel, a black tea flavored with maple and blueberry. It was exquisite with just the faintest hint of maple and a more prominent blueberry aroma. After the champagne came a glass of Spanish white rioja, which was a very nice dry and crisp wine. There was way too much food and I couldn’t try everything despite purposely skipping breakfast and lunch. The waitress asked if I would like the leftovers boxed up to take with me. Maybe I should have, but I didn’t. There’s so much food here on the ship it just didn’t make sense to me.
 |
| Just to prove I was here. |
It was a lovely experience and if I come back here I would do it again. It’s definitely not a cheap event, but between the view, the food and wine, and the ambiance it was as the commercial says “priceless.”
After settling up I went to the entrance of the hotel and the doorman summoned me the next taxi in line to take me back to the ship. That driver just happened to be the same one who brought me here from the lower town. I’ll write more about him and my conversations with him in my next post. For now I have a few other things to do and I have to get up and stretch my legs a little. À bientôt.
