2008 Montreal Disembarkation & Schwartz's

2008 17 May Saturday 18 May Sunday

To view Montreal pictures from the past you can click here

2008 MAY 17 Montreal

We enjoyed our final meal at the Lido, usual breakfast stuff, and waited in our cabin for our color/number to be called. A little after

9:30, we were off the ship to find our luggage and thru customs and into a cab on our way to the Holiday Inn Select next to Chinatown, the same hotel we stayed at a year ago. Fortunately, we were able to check in early. There is a large revolving door and Opal was able to get it started, but only enough to get trapped inside; I could see her leaning into the door but no movement at all. Then she turned around to look for me and I could see the whites of her eyes and the beginnings of a panic. So I pushed it to get it going but she could not maintain the movement so I went in and rescued her. This had happened another time and I had pointed out the side doors for children (and Opals)….but I guess she forgot.

Stella unpacked and diddled about for awhile, and then we headed out for a walkabout in Quartier Chinois. Everything seemed pretty much the same from last year except now it was much warmer….a beautiful day with clear blue skies and a few tufts of innocuous looking white clouds. We went to the Metro station (just across the street from the hotel) to take the subway (rubber wheels but the same or more noise than the steel on steel of Japan) to Sherbrook, which was just a couple of stops away.

At Sherbrook we waddled over to St Louis square, a small park surrounded by some pretty neat old, restored houses. I took some pictures there a year ago but this time they seemed brighter – so I took some more, also a couple of girls having a used clothes sell in front of their house. There are plenty more in the 2007 Montreal album.

We wasted time, walking languorously in the warm sun and enjoying the beautiful day, wandering in and out of shops ranging from kitchen/hardware to a small grocery store. The whole time our mission was to arrive at Schwartz’s around 4. Last year it was about that time we first tried this Alan-Sasai-recommended- establishment and it was not that crowded in the off hour between lunch and dinner. In my blog last year you might recall that Opal fell in love with Schwartz’s and their great smoked meat. In fact, ever since we booked the cruise 9 months ago and she knew that we would be back in Montreal, she’s had smoked meat on her mind. It’s been rising and rising like a small noise to a big noise to a cacophony driving her to almost run down the street with open arms and purse to buy and consume a smoked meat sandwich.

However, to her credit she restrained herself and kept a modest waddling pace as we walked along Boulevard Saint-Laurent towards her sandwich. I attempted to tempt her with other choices as we walked along, Thai places (normally her favorite), with Italian places (her second favorite)….but she stayed the course. Perhaps it was the combination of the almost end of the long wait and the distraction of other eateries, but when she saw the sign, it was as tho she went external and floated over the crowded sidewalk, the last half block flashed by as we got to Schwartz’s. Even tho the plan was to wait until 3 or 4, and it wasn’t even 2 yet, there was just no stopping her at this point. I swear she was blind to the length of the line, she just got in it and stood, stoically and determined, as we inched forward, with the warm sun blazing down on us and feeling hotter by the minute. People kept coming and queued up behind us. As I am not as heroic as she…I mean, the sandwiches are awesome, but not like a double brat at the Charcoal Grill in Sheboygan, WI…. I wandered away and found shady spots to stand in. At one point I kidded her, saying we should not be suffering in the sun and how about going to the glace place across the street (I had looked in and they had great flavors of wonderful Italian ice cream). She only laughed, happy as a lark to be so close to her beloved smoked meat, and shook her head, like “are you crazy? bug off dude!”

My last joking around was to tell her I was not that hungry after standing out in the sun and could we go somewhere else – or I can’t eat a whole sandwich, so let’s share one. She’s normally happy to share, in fact that’s what we did the last time we came, but today, in a no-nonsense tone, no more happy as a lark and laughing, with the same steel gleam of an executioner, she said “I’m eating my OWN sandwich and you eat what you want!”

Turns out we were inside at a table in less than 30 minutes. We ordered a medium fat for me, a lean for Opal, a side of coleslaw and fries, and orange juice and a diet Coke. Believe it or not, we got the same guy who waited on us a year ago—the one who was so helpful bringing us extra bread and not rude as some of the books said to expect here….and again he was as nice and helpful as could be. If you make it to Montreal one day, this play is truly worth a visit – you will be amazed – it’s a small room with several picnic type tables (about 8) that seat 8 and they are all constantly full. In the front is a counter for take out orders --- there is another line for that (tho not as long as eat-in line) and constant activity from customers there! It is a bustling place--the definitive definition of a totally successful mom and pop operation – for about 70 years I think!

Stella and I were seated side by side, with another couple sitting across from us, and then another couple at the end, facing each other. With some people, you feel comfortable striking up a conversation right away. After all, you are in close quarters, looking at each other. But I didn’t like the looks of the lady who sat across from me…I pegged as being the snooty type...and sure enough, after I dutifully took a picture of our lunch for the dedicated readers of my blog and put my camera away, she leaned over to her husband and whispered, “He took a picture!.....it’s ONLY a sandwich!” Fortunately for her, I was momentarily distracted and did not pay attention to her as i was already aware of her rudeness..... as you all know, I have a charming way with cranky old ladies and would have told her i was observing the native eating habits as she was good at knocking their fries off the plate and dropping around the table and when eating other things she disdained the use of the fork - and he had catsup all over his polo shirt, but I restrained as there was a nice French couple to my right (and probably lots more).

Some advice: 1) If you can, go shishi BEFORE you go in – there is only a single seat BR!! 2) We like cole slaw that’s creamy with mayo and if shredded carrots or raisins or pineapple bits have been added, all the better. The kind they serve here is straight cabbage, kinda vinegary..in fact, looks like it’s been pickled and flavored with herbs. So if you like creamy cole slaw, do NOT order it here. 3) Order the medium fat. It is juicier and tastier than lean, even tho it may not be as healthy. After all …how often are you going to have it? 4) The French fries here rival the smoked meat….it great! So be sure to order some. 5) No matter how tempting it is to jump over into the shorter take out line, stay the course and eat in. There is nothing like having the freshly sliced beef, still warm, placed in front of you. Last time, we shared a sandwich and consumed it right away. But this time, since Stella decided she wanted the WHOLE thing, she learned that the quality of the meat diminishes once it gets cold….just like a malasada. You gotta eat it hot, or it’s not very good. By the time she managed to munch away on the first half of her sandwich (well, she’s kind of a slow muncher), the meat on the other half had gotten cold. The fat had congealed…and it didn’t look or taste as appetizing. 6) If there’s 3 of you (or 2 big eaters), consider ordering a plate of the meat and a side of bread. Then you can make your own sandwiches, and it will cost less than ordering 3 sandwiches. Now if you ever go to Schwartz’s, you’ve got all the information you need!

After Schwartz’s we caught a bus back to our hotel and readied for a short afternoon siesta. Opal was going to read the paper and her book first – but before long, I heard soft purring noises drifting over from her side of the bed that meant she was already in Z land.

When we woke up the sun was gone and replaced with clouds and rain. Boooooo! But by the time we stepped out for dinner, it had stopped raining tho the ground was wet and it was a bit chillier. We found the Cantonese restaurant a block away that we had enjoyed a lot during our last visit. The place was full of locals, and like any good Chinese restaurant, the din was deafening! We had beef with chow fun, and eggplant with chicken. Both were very good! Now we’re back in our room, getting ready for bed.

2008 May 18 Sunday

Montreal

I went looking for coffee around 10 and we were ready to go around 11 after Opal was pau with her hair washing, etc. It was another beautiful day…great for a casual walkabout. We first took the bus up to the Italie Petit area to find a place called Wilensky’s that is supposed to have “to die for” fried bologna sandwiches on a bagel. Drats! It was closed. A couple of young girls were parked in front of the doorway, taking advantage of the location to hold their version of a garage sale. So we wandered the neighborhood and found a delightful little neighborhood café with about 4 tables on the sidewalk and one was empty = our rule = we were meant to eat there. They had excellent café au lait and a simple breakfast menu of omelets, bagels, and crepes. We both settled on crepes with cheese, ham and eggs (the two eggs were laid on top of the crepes with the ham and cheese folded inside – sunny side up, like two eyes smiling at us). On the side were some tossed greens and herb spiced home fries. We both agreed that it was excellent breakfast…in fact, we were so hungry that we dived right in and were halfway done before we remembered the camera! So sorry, no picture…oh well…..

When we left I asked about Wilensky’s and the cook agreed, “to die for” fried bologna sandwiches and but not open on Sunday.

We then waddled a bit more thru what used to be (50-60 years ago) one of THE neighborhoods of French money, not the rich rich, but upper middle class. Very beautiful, tree-lined, fully leaved huge old trees and large grand houses, maybe a bit frayed from age but still grand in terms of design and architecture. I was able to snap one of them (it was actually hard to get a clear picture thru all the leafy trees) and one of a neighborhood church that spoke of a once monied neighborhood, in the shadows of Mont Royal.

We ended up on Lauier Blvd – a once grand shopping street. It still had a few stores of its old glorious days, but most others were sorta nothings, a casualty of the downtown underground malls and the suburban malls. We jumped a bus for downtown.

At Sainte Catherine we got off and got ready to see what was described in Fodor’s as another fine shopping street . . . .alas, it too had fallen on hard times. A very few nice stores but mostly seedy places in between now. We hastened into the Hyatt and the mall that was housed within. We found a few delightful stores, including a large food court area. At one kiosk, I found my Beavertail! What a pleasant surprise, after the disappointment in Quebec. And it was soooo ono! …a warm, paddle-shaped pastry covered with maple syrup. After visiting a few more stores, we started back for the hotel which was very close. Lucky for me, Opal had her bearings (she is usually good about finding our way back), otherwise I would have blindly led us “up the hill” in the opposite direction to Italie Petit!

Back in the room I shut my eyes for a bit while Opal was kept busy with the last minute packing.

Then it was up and out the door to a Chinese buffet that we found last time. It was full of local, Chinese families eating Sunday dinner. So it had to be good, right?!! We would give it an “A” for their a huge selection of dishes, but as for quality and taste, only a “C.” By the time we finished eating and headed out the door, it had started to rain. Good thing our hotel was just on the next block. Back to the room and off to bed. Tomorrow’s an early up for our flight to Wisconsin.

The blog is now pau…..latest pictures posted. Thank you for keeping up with our adventures!

Opal and Earl

2008 16 May Quebec City

2008 16 May Quebec City

There are many of my pictures taken in Quebec about one year ago at

http://travel.webshots.com/album/559071351ChzdDU

and also at

http://travel.webshots.com/album/559072692jwoPzR

We arrived on time and were alongside the pier right below the Hotel Frontenac….truly a beautiful hotel.

We had breakfast at the Lido and headed immediately to the Rue Le Petit Champlain, our favorite 4 block shopping area in all of Quebec City from last year. We were not disappointed as we were also able to spend a more leisurely time in the shops on this visit.

At about 1220 we boarded a bus for an excursion to Montmorency Falls and Island of Orleans. There is a linkage between this Orleans and the New Orleans LA area Cajuns. Cajuns is a (over time usage change) end name for the Acadians who moved there from the Quebec area and although the French is quite different the two groups can understand each other. The falls are higher (270’) than Niagara Falls but not nearly as thunderously dramatic nor wide…by a factor of 10 for the width of the falls. Nevertheless it was pretty and interesting.

We were able to walk on a suspension bridge across the top of the falls looking down, although Opal went about 5 steps and beat a hasty retreat to solid ground. (Heights over 5’ make her feel weak-kneed. Ever since she fell thru the bleachers at a circus at the age of 3 or 4, she’s had a fear of heights and it’s not getting better with age.) We had tea and cake at a manor near the top of the falls. We also stopped at a maple making farm and sampled “maple toffee” – it’s maple sap that been boiled down to more than 1/50 of its original consistency (for pancake syrup alone, it takes 40 liters of sap to produce 1 liter of syrup) – the thick syrup is poured over ice and then you roll it with something akin to a tongue depressor until you have a ball of “snow frozen” maple toffee the size of a large marble – at least mine was; Opal had a much smaller one, lack of technique. Did you know that the maple trees can only be tapped for sap when they are least 25 years old and can live for up to 250 years? They will give sap for about a month in the spring. During the winter, the sap goes down into the roots and freezes. When it starts to get warm, the sap thaws and begins to move upwards. That’s when the growers drill a little hole in the tree and insert some special spout from which a bucket is hung to catch the drops of sap. After the sap has been collected, the spout is removed, and the hole in the tree closes up.

We also stopped at a house (referred to as a manor) that was the best on the island 300 years ago (btw, Quebec City is celebrating its 400^th anniversary this summer, July 3) . . . . owned by a surgeon, land speculator, and pharmacist amongst other “skills”. The island is a sort of living museum as it still retains a life style of living and homes of a time gone by and the setting is one of the loveliest anyway, pastoral with tracts of strawberries, raspberries, corn, beets, turnips, etc, . . . it is the ‘fresh market’ for all of Quebec’s residents and restaurants. There is a boulangerie (bread baker) that leaves bread out in a protected box from which you can select what you need and leave the money, should you arrive too late to shop inside.

We were back at the cruise terminal a little after 4:00. Stella went aboard to finish packing and cleaning up, while I headed to the upper city (used the funicular) inside the fort walls to get a beaver tail – think a huge flat malasada the size of a large ping pong paddle. Alas, they were closed after the long trek…what a disappointment! Do you think I got any sympathy from Opal when I returned to the ship? Not in your life…she didn’t want me to go in the first place! I settled in for a short nap before our final dinner while she busied herself around the cabin.

For our last dining experience Opal chose grilled lamb chops and I had the braised short ribs. I had a Mille Flieur (sp) . . . by any other name, slices of fresh beets with a herb flavored layer of crème cheese between. Opal had two soups: a duck and sausage gumbo, and a sweet potato crème . I had Southern pecan pie ala mode and Opal had a kahlua crème brulee. Another fine dining experience.

On the funicular I managed to see a dove nest more or less right on the edge of the rail – and snapped a picture. There are a few other pictures on the webshots site in addition to the ones from a year ago.

It’s early up tomorrow for disembarkation. Stella usually dislikes the ending of a cruise, but tomorrow she is looking forward to Montreal and going back to Schwartz Deli for their world famous smoked meat. We tried it during our visit last year and she got hooked.

2008 15 May St Lawrence River, Canada

2008 MAY 15 At Sea

On the St Lawrence Seaway

The gentle rocking of the ship lulled us to sleep like babies so we made good use of that extra hour gained last night. It was 10:30 before we stirred, and noon by the time we made our way out of the cabin and up to the Lido deck for the buffet lunch. Today it was partly cloudy and tho we could see snow capped mountains off in the distance, it was pleasantly warm, so we took a table outside by the pool.

The selections on today’s line weren’t in the gourmet range, but my eyes widened at the sight of home-style favorites like macaroni and cheese, and fish (battered cod) and chips. The pizza station had the pineapple and ham that I favor. I also broke down and ordered a grilled bacon, tomato and cheese sandwich. Stella had pasta with her usual combination of marinara and meat sauce, a piece of fish, half a bowl of cream of onion soup, and a chicken fajita salad that she concocted. If it sounded like I had lunch for 3 people, you’re right! The old saying “eyes bigger than your stomach” was never more true here! Even as I laid out the plates on the table in front of me, I was thinking about what I would have for seconds…other stuff that I couldn’t manage to fit on my tray. J Stella glanced over at my selections and tho she didn’t utter a word, I knew what she was thinking….she just has that certain “Opal-ish” look that is obvious only to Earl.

I know I’m repeating myself, but everything was good. The fish was fresh cod, and it tasted better than most fish-n-chips I’ve had. The batter was a bit on the thick side tho. Stella cut away all of hers…I used to think she was crazy to discard the good stuff…but to her it’s the bad part…she says it’s only empty calories….full of oil and besides, it takes up valuable tummy space. I have to agree with the latter, as sometimes at the tail end of a meal, when I’m starting to fill up, I’ll focus on having just the fish in the middle. If the batter happens to be light and tasty and to her liking, i.e., “worth” the calories, Stella will relent….but only AFTER taking a napkin and blotting all the excess oil from the deep fried item. (See what I put up with?)

As it turned out, I decided against seconds, and opted to make room for dessert. When I passed the bread pudding table, I saw that they had just put out a fresh tray of warm raisin bread pudding (my favorite!), and it beckoned me. So I had some of that, along with the other choice, peach bread pudding, and smothered both with warm vanilla sauce. The traditional raisin was clearly better. Stella had dreams of making herself a turtle sundae….ice cream with caramel or butterscotch sauce, dark fudge and chopped pecans or walnuts…but today wasn’t her day. Instead of dark fudge, there was regular chocolate syrup. Instead of caramel, there was blueberry topping, and chopped peanuts instead of walnuts. She comforted herself with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream, but as you would agree, it just wasn’t the same!

After lunch, we moved inside so we could have access to an outlet for our laptop. (The battery was fully charged and available, just in case, but power makes for a brighter screen and clearer images.) Stella read her novel while I diddled with the pictures I had taken. It was smooth sailing along the St. Lawrence…so idyllic to look up at the waters and the land off in the distance….

we were, after all, cruising!

I walked around going up and down the stairs instead of outside on the promenade where it had turned downright hostile, even tho the sun was sort of shining. The seas had gone from basically smooth to wavelets with small whitecaps…the sure sign of a fresh breeze getting stronger! We were now closer to land on the starboard side, the north side. Okay, the reason for the walk was to show a small part of the promenade deck, our seat in the Rotterdam Dining room, the Rembrandt theatre, Explorations lounge, Lido/Pool area, the basketball and tennis courts and the aft swimming pool….the casino and other odds and ends, all posted at my WEBSHOTS site.

Before going to the dining room we went by and listened to a string quartet playing light classics – very enjoyable to sit in a comfy chair, lean back (even if dressed like the penguins) and enjoy good music. Somehow, it made me hungrier ??

Getting into a suit and tie three times in two weeks was more than enough for me, so I’m glad tonight was our last formal night…the farewell dinner. Ironically enough, things reversed itself at tonight’s meal. Up to now, the food’s been better on this ship, but tonight, for the same stuff, the Statendam was better. It was still good…but Stella and I would rank the experience 3 star instead of 4. I started off with escargot, followed by chilled strawberry soup. Stella had a Mexican chipotle soup and Caesar salad. For our entrees, I chose the surf and turf…lobster tail and filet mignon while Stella had the slow roasted rack of veal. It was a little overdone for her taste….more like medium-well instead of the medium that she likes, tho still pretty good. My steak was the same way, and the lobster bordered on being overdone…just slightly rubbery in texture. As we recall, both the veal and the lobster were perfect on the other ship. Maybe our expectations have been raised too high now!

With tonight’s farewell dinner was the baked Alaska parade. So you know what we had for dessert. We’re back in our cabin now and will be cutting the zzz’s as soon as today’s blog has been posted.

2008 14 May Prince Edward Island, Canada

2008 May 14 Wednesday

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

After dinner last night, (13^th) we went to the Rembrandt Theatre to check out the late show featuring a former Broadway actress/singer named Jeri Sager. She came on stage dressed in a simple black gown that glittered and sparkled…but also showed off a figure that was getting a little chunky…obviously she’s been enjoying life! Her voice was still in good form tho….she turned out to be a great songstress with a powerful voice. Over the years, she’s had roles in such shows as Cats, Les Miserable, Evita and Fiddler on the Roof, to name a few. She sang hits from some of those and others, e.g., Memory, I Had a Dream, Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, and Cabaret….all that Broadway stuff that Stella loves. I’m not particularly keen on them but went just to keep her company, and had to admit that the lady could belt out the tunes and was deserving of the standing ovation she received. Of course afterwards, Stella was one of those in line to purchase her CD and got it autographed.

Overnight there were some semi rough seas as we made our way around the north point of Nova Scotia before heading west and south to our destination. But we Micmac’s are hearty adapters, taking the shaking and shuddering of the ship in stride.

As we began our descent down the stairway towards the gangway this morning, we felt a rush of cold air around us and it kept on getting colder the closer we got to the gangway. But given yesterday’s experience in Sydney, we were prepared. Stella had pulled on the pair of flannel-lined pants that she has been saving for a “really cold day” (and probably should have worn yesterday) and layered herself with thicker tops as well, so there was no whining.

We were docked at the foot of downtown Charlottetown so it was not that far away from the churches, confederation square, the downtown street mall and several restaurants. It was 43 degrees out, but thank goodness not as windy as yesterday and the radiant heat from a gloriously sunny day helped also. We skipped breakfast this morning with plans to lunch onshore.

There were several interesting shops (including the inevitable tourist traps) along our route to the main part of the city. We had been looking forward to checking out a place called COWS – sounding much like a Ben and Jerry with not only good ice cream but supposedly a lot of neat t shirts and cow-related stuff. They had a few cute ones but at nearly $30 for the shirts, the Canadians must like them far better than we did! And their selection of ice cream flavors was less than impressive – maybe in the summer it gets better. We found a “mall” in a renovated full city block of shops on the outside but gutted on the inside and then turned into more shops and a food court….the mall was maybe three floors……hardly Ala Moana but a really big deal here. Opal found a loon shop …. one loon = one dollar….. but she said it was a bust.

One of the major sights in the town center was St Dunstan, the most dominating Catholic church in town, with three spires no less! As we approached the church with Opal walking several steps ahead of me, a sudden gust of wind almost literally swept her off her feet! There she was, stumbling around on the sidewalk like a tumble weed in the desert! Perhaps we should have had breakfast after all! The church was beautiful inside with a multiple domed blue ceiling ornately in a semi-rococo style, covered with gold painted carvings of flowers and figures…held up by huge marble columns.

After checking the menus of several possibilities, we settled on the Olde Dublin Pub right across the street from St Dunstan’s for lunch. It turned out to be a winner! We started out with fried sweet potatoes. It arrived piping hot, light and crisp on the outside, sweet and soft on the inside….delicious! Then Stella had an Irish chicken stew pie while I had the steak and Guinness pie. There were other favorites on the menu, like shepherds pie, haddock and fries, and bangers and mash, but we decided to try something new. It sits better with Stella this way. She thinks that when you go on a cruise, it’s a waste to spend money eating onshore, because you’ve already paid for all your meals on the ship….UNLESS you end up eating something new or unique to the area that you can’t get on the ship, or if the food on the ship is bad, in which case eating ashore is justified…at least in her mind. This must be a Chinese thing or something. Well, in this case, it’s not the latter, as the food onboard is great. So it’s got to be the “new” or “unique” factor.

We’ve never had steak and Guinness pie, nor Irish chicken stew before. And they certainly were unique “pies.” Instead of baking the pie with the crust on top together, the crust was baked separately and simply laid on the top of the “pie” like a rectangular lid. It worked…the crust was light and crispy instead of soggy on one side as it usually is, and we used it like a biscuit, breaking off small pieces to eat with the stew. Both dishes had an abundance of vegetables, leading us to fool ourselves into thinking that we weren’t really indulging. So when the waitress came by and raved about their homemade desserts, encouraging us to order, it didn’t take much for us to cave in and further honor the Irish by having a piece of their famous cake – the carrot cake! Boy, was it good! Especially the cream cheese frosting!

The walk back to the ship seemed shorter and much warmer than in the earlier part of the day going to town. The warmth also resulted in some unpleasant smells tho. Just like in Quebec City last year, Stella checked the bottom of her shoes and looked around to see if she had inadvertently stepped into some poop along the way. Yes, there were a few horse drawn carriages in the street and their droppings may be part of the reason, but I think the smell was largely due to the manure compost that had been strewn about the plants in the parks and church grounds as spring is just now starting in this frigid part of the world J The assault to her nostrils sure helped to hurry her along.

There are many well cared for old houses along the way to divert our attentions from the malodorous environ – so says Opal. And it was another clear day… no clouds in the beautiful blue sky…the wind had blown them all away. As we neared the pier and water’s edge, the temp dropped and the wind took on a bitter edge, but we hurried along, we didn’t want to be found in the morning, sitting on a park bench, frozen Micmacs!!

After leaving Charlottetown we went under the Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island with the mainland province of New Brunswick. I was able to only get about 1/3 of the bridge....it's the longest bridge in the world that goes over water that freezes.

When the food is good but not great, you get to a point where you start skipping meals, going to the Lido instead of the dining room, or just having a hamburger or a sandwich or a taco in the late afternoon. . . . lots

of walking, etc, so you avoid becoming a weather balloon. However, when the food is continuously excellent, as it has been on this cruise, it’s hard to find a night that food is not enticing to let you skip. I think we got to the point where the food last night, even tho sounding good, was not enough to keep us from breaking rank and going to the Lido. Plus, we knew we would be walking miles today to and from the ship, etc. Good rationalizing, yeah!!??! Anyways, it’s back to the trough tonight….and perhaps laps around the deck tomorrow.

We’re back from dinner and the special late night chocolate extravaganza. To avoid the same boring approach about dinner, I’ll start with dessert – a luscious crepes Suzette again with orange flavored caramel sauce and no sugar added (NSA) vanilla ice cream. We’ve had these before on other ships, but can’t remember any that were better prepared. Preceded by chicken cordon bleu for me and grilled halibut for Stella; starters included duck spring roll (both) and a calabaza (pumpkin and bell peppers) soup for Stella, and beets and tomato salad for me. The cordon bleu was moist and very tasty; the halibut was moist and cooked to perfection tho the sauce lacked personality; the beets were grilled just right but cut too thin for my taste; the tomatoes were ripe and tasty, the mixed greens fresh and went well with the vinaigrette dressing.

We didn’t get to the dessert extravaganza until after 11 as Stella busied herself doing laundry after dinner. Besides a big variety of desserts, the chefs created awesome decorations and carvings, e.g. a dragon out of bread. We were their last customers…as soon as we went thru the line, they began to take away the trays of goodies. We were actually quite full from dinner, but Stella wanted to try the black forest cake and I the cheesecake. Our full tummies must have caused our taste buds to go on strike, because neither of us were impressed with our selections, tho everything looked good! The best part was the hot green tea! See the many pictures on the webshots page. We even saw Earl and Opal!

There is a picture of Lido showing about 1/8 of its total size. Opal plans to take some more pictures of the public areas tomorrow.

Time for bed now. Thank goodness we will be getting back the hour we lost a couple of days ago…we get to turn back our clocks tonight. Tomorrow is a sea day and then it’s Quebec City on Friday and disembarkation in Montreal on Saturday. The days are flying, as they tend to do on cruises.

2008 13 May Sydney, Nova Scotia

2008 MAY 13 Tuesday Sydney, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton

We set the alarm this morning in order to get up in time to try the sit down breakfast in the dining room – something we haven’t done yet. There really hasn’t been any incentive, since the offerings at the breakfast buffet on the Lido deck have been very good (they have stuff like eggs Benedict, banana bread French toast, and strawberry waffles, which the Statendam didn’t have, along with “standard” fare: eggs and omelets made to order, breakfast meats, hot and cold cereals, fruits, cheese, cold cuts, freshly baked breads and pastries). Plus the hours are longer (great for sleeping in J). To justify getting up earlier and make it worthwhile, we tried to order items not available upstairs. I started off with Kadota figs, orange juice and the special omelet: tomato and Gouda cheese; Stella had Eggs Messina (similar to eggs Benedict but without the Canadian bacon and with nacho cheese sauce instead of Hollandaise sauce) and hot oatmeal with raisins and cranberry juice. It was all good, but that will probably be the first and last time we’ll do it on this cruise as I doubt very much that I will be able to persuade Opal to sacrifice her zzzz time again just to eat. Between sleeping and eating, I know what’s her priority!

After breakfast, we went back to our room so Stella could change for our day ashore. You’d think we were going to visit Siberia instead of Nova Scotia. She put on her sweat pants and 3 layers of shirts, plus her down jacket with gloves, woolen scarf, and cap. As we approached the gangway and the North wind swept in, even I decided it would be a good idea to zip up – brrrrr!!! Apparently it had been snowing there on mother’s day and a chill was still in the air.

With an abundance of new customers sailing into the town, the natives took the opportunity to set up a craft fair inside the cruise terminal. There were about two dozen tables mostly staffed by women selling their goodies: hand knitted sweaters, caps and scarves, jewelry, dish towels, trivets, wood ware, and other one-of-a-kind crafts. I stopped at a table displaying beautiful miniature schooners….the biggest of which was a 3-footer, made of pine wood, everything to scale down to the last detail….with hand sewn sails and brightly painted. A far cry from the models I used to build as a young boy. The guy at the table said it took him 400 hours to make, and he was asking only $650 for it. What a bargain! In my younger still-working days, that neat model might well be on its way home to me, but alas! given the many joys of retirement, dropping that much for a toy boat (you could even lift the hatches!) is NOT one of them.

Sydney is a cute little town (pop. 26000) with friendly natives. Except for the chilly wind that made us feel naked from the waist down, it was a beautiful sunny day with blue skies and fluffs of white clouds. We found the local sights highlighted on the town map (St. Patrick church was one of them) and leisurely strolled through the residential area looking at some of the more quaint houses. In the church reception hall, there was another craft fair going on. I think the arrival of the Maasdam was a big event (they even brought out the big fiddle and set it up on the dock) for the locals. BTW, the locals here are mostly scots and yankee's running from fighting in the revolution and/or the war of 1812....and of course the Micmac's - you heard from a couple of them yesterday in Halifax.

We walked to downtown Sydney just a few blocks away, looking into the few stores that lined the main drag and checking restaurant menus on the off chance that one might be serving oyster stew, but no such luck. First we walked on the shady side of the street, checking things out, then crossed over to the sunny side to do more of the same. Both Stella and I fully expected the sunny side to be considerably warmer (as it was yesterday in Halifax) but we didn’t figure in the wind chill factor. Apparently the shady side protected us from the wind. Just a few feet across the street, it felt like 10 degrees colder! (Opal looked like a mummy with her scarf wrapped around her head under her cap and only her eyes showing.)

By noon, we were done checking out the town and headed back to the ship for lunch at the Lido. I had a BLT and tomato Florentine soup. Stella had some soup, too, and went back for more. She said she needed to get warmed up from the inside out. Afterwards, she had a small salad.

The high quality of the food on this ship is presenting us with a problem that we hadn’t encountered on the Statendam – the battle of the bulge! We came back from Asia relatively unscathed. But on this cruise, my jacket seems to be shrinking and it hasn’t even been washed yet! It’s easy to say to yourself when you go to bed “I won’t eat so much tomorrow!” but as we pass the dessert bar at the Lido, they call out VERY loudly to us…eat, Eat, EAT!!!

There’s always bread pudding that Holland is famous for…the traditional that is available every day and then another version, like Apricot bread pudding…and of course, accompanied by warm vanilla sauce. Also, every day, there is some version of fruit cobbler…like berries crisp, or peach crumble, or apple brown betty…served warm (and always good!). and cookies 24/7 up at the lido. Today, there was also dark chocolate cake, brownies, several pies, mixed fruit tart and mini-eclairs. At each end of the dessert bar, there is an ice cream counter with at least 6 different flavors, including one or two sugar free choices, and fat free yogurt. You can have a regular sugar cone, a big waffle cone, or make a sundae with the array of toppings. And next to that will be a large platter of big cookies that are irresistible here (ho-hum on the other ship). How can one say “no” to all that? Once in awhile, but not all the time! Add to that the terrace bar from 2pm to 6pm – hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, potato and mac salads, tomato's, and all the fixings for taco’s….and 24 hour room service – sheesh.

Tonight we decided to try the Lido for dinner as they only have coq au vin, prime rib, and other such normal things at the dining room. So, we went to the lido and suffered with some thai eggrolls and a fruit medly and some coconut crusted scallops and roasted pork medallions....ho hum.

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2008 12 May Halifax

2008 MAY 12 Halifax, Nova Scotia

and somewhere in the Atlantic sailing towards Sydney, Brunswick Island, Canada

We were alongside in Halifax by 830; the skies were overcast and there was a chance of rain. Nevertheless, undaunted, your intrepid pair of Nicmac Indian folklore storytellers got up early (9) and were breakfasting by 1000, feeling as tho we could have used a roaring fire and a windbreaker to fend off the chilly winds. We were ashore by 11 and walking, briskly, face into the biting wind on an unknown path along a frigid body of water on one side and very large “tepees” and “wigwams” (stores and shops) on the other. The historical district was marked on the map with two treasure locations indicated with stars, some 10 distances away.

After about 15 minutes, and a look at cute little tug boat, much moaning from the squaw Opal and frozen ears and noses, we eased into a shop selling strange otherworldly things, things that one wonders why on earth one would buy them only to turn around and have to carry them, or buy more things because you need room to carry them. We resist the lures and baits of the shops and wander up a hill of large wigwams. Nearly frozen we enter one of them to thaw. Squaw spotted a small tepee (otherwise known as “bowteak” or some such) with posters on every side, announcing a sale of 5 items for one wampum. She immediately rushed in to join the other squaws in the tepee, convinced that she needed those trinkets and clothing. I found myself a comfortable log to sit on to wait for squaw. She was in the bowteak long enough for the afternoon sun to peek out, and tho it did little to stop the howling winds from the north, nevertheless the warmth it brought was much appreciated as I waited icily in the outdoors.

Soon, she waddled out and we rode a moving stairway into the bowels of a multistory village, leaving one wigwam and entering another, and another, and then another. I am tiring, and in protest, I tell squaw I will sit and wait, meet her in front of the tepee selling burgers and beer made from roots! It was more fun to watch the natives scurrying around in seemingly endless circles. More time passed. But the gods are good as the sun shone even brighter as we decided to return to floating longboat and walked along the path between towering wigwams….one side of path was like a February morning and the other like a June afternoon. We chose the June side. On the February side, buffalo skins would be forced on me by squaw (without the sun, it was darn cold!). Yet across the path just a few feet away, it was necessary to take the buffalo skins away…it was that much warmer on the side that the sun reached. All the while, the squaw busily exercised her tongue and I longed for the peace and quiet of the long boat. Soon we see it further down the path, across several meadows of smaller teepees.

But alas, in the boat terminal itself the natives have set up many little teepees to sell their wares, blocking our entry with their infernal array of this and that and always something to carry things with, but later have to throw away…what a cycle! Squaw Opal saw more things she thinks she must have. She picked up one and said, “This looks neat and sounds useful, but I don’t know if I will remember to use it after I put it away in the drawer.” To which Chief Earl said, “No! you no buy!”

Back on the long boat, I had to rest and recover from the anguish and stress of the day, and to regain strength for the walk up the mountain to the dinner fire. Tonight the dinner fire was good to us again. Our head cook has traded for much good food from the natives. Chief Earl started with an antipasto salad of prosciutto, duck pate and shaved beef and then a bowl of chilled cranberry soup. Squaw Opal had baked brie with hazelnut sauce and a salad of seasonal greens with apples, followed by sautéed salmon and pineapple mashed yams. Chief’s entrée was crown of sole stuffed with bay shrimp. The best part of dinner fire, besides dancing, was dessert. Squaw had a slice of Snickers pie…first there’s the crust with peanuts and caramel sauce on it, topped with a layer of chocolate cheesecake, then a layer of regular cheesecake, covered with a thin layer of chocolate, and sprinkled with more peanuts and caramel along the edges. It was a winner! Chief had strawberry-peach under streudel with a scoop of vanilla ice cream…..yum-yum g-o-o-d!

Now we are back in our own little teepee, trying to send smoke signals to members of the tribe at home and other friends who may be following the adventures of the Chief and his squaw as they cruise thru Canada. Next stop is Sydney, Nova Scotia tomorrow.

So far wood is very wet and fire won’t start; maybe tomorrow.

2008 11 May Bar Harbor

2008 May 11 Sunday

Bar Harbor and on the way to Halifax

Got all the stuff ready and uploaded to the blog, then we off at 930 to get our tickets for the tender. No breakfast this morning….I’m saving myself for a treat on shore. After a short ride, we found ourselves at quaint, picturesque Bar Harbor by 10. It was a perfectly glorious day for such a fun spot and because it is, after all, MOTHER’S DAY! Nothing but blue skies and green vegetation everywhere tho it’s a bit nippy at 55 degrees.

It was a welcomed contrast to the weather we encountered during our last visit here (overcast, rainy) more than 13 years ago, when we came on a similar cruise with Stella’s family. At that time, we rented a car and toured Acadia National Park, but this time, we thought we would spend our time wandering the town. It’s early in the tourist season here. Most of the stores just opened up this weekend, probably because our ship was coming in. The t-shirt stores all have varieties of moose, lobster, etc, logos and themes and many of them were running some form of ‘get rid of last year’s leftovers’ sales. You could also see they had lots of boxes of incoming stuff on the floors waiting to be put on the shelves.

After poking in and out of many shops, we wandered into Jeannie’s a special place for Maine breakfasts. I had been dreaming about a lobster omelet ever since I knew we were headed here…and there it was on the menu! It was even better than I had hoped. The 3-egg omelet was literally crammed full of fresh lobster meat from end to end and more in the middle and on top. .covered with a luscious cheese mornay sauce. Too bad Opal is allergic to shellfish….it was SO ono! Breakfast included their specialty: homemade oatmeal bread toast and strawberry rhubarb jam. The home fries were also very good. Opal opted for oatmeal-n-walnut pancakes with Maine maple syrup which were good, but not in the same league as the lobster omelet.

Up towards the top of Main Street is a pretty little park and there were a few people out sunbathing!! Many of the shops sell ice cream and fudge but not all of them had their inventory ready, having just opened . . . there was one, however, that not only had a variety of ice cream…. they had LOBSTER ice cream! It was vanilla ice cream with little chunks of lobster in it. (This is, after all, Maine.) I had a little sample, of course, and darned it wasn’t pretty good. I could never eat a whole cone of it but it’s pretty cool that they even thought to make it. It was fine for little tastes anyway.

Bar Harbor has many little restaurants that offer lobster (bisque, whole, omelet, bake, and of course the roll), clams, mussels, and again in all sorts of variations. The oyster options looked might tempting but try as I might, I could not work up the appetite to have oyster stew (another favorite) after that chunky omelet.

As we were getting ready to go down to the pier to catch a tender back to the ship, I at least managed to work up enough of an appetite for an ice cream cone (cherry chocolate bits). I offered a taste to Opal but that may have been a mistake…I had no idea she would enjoy that flavor so much….she whittled down my double scoop to almost a single in a flash. She handed it back to me after seeing the look of anxiety on my face, saying saucily, “Well….you gotta get your licks in when you can! ” and chuckled at her own joke. Oh well….I let her get away with that….today was, after all, Mothers Day. Having a special breakfast and sharing an ice cream cone on a sunny, glorious day, surrounded by greenery and glistening waters off the bay, seemed like a very fitting way to say HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, OPAL!

We dropped off our things in the cabin when we got back on board, and headed off to get – you guessed it – a bite to eat! (That’s what all good cruisers do!) We weren’t altogether decadent tho, as we knew we needed to pace ourselves for another great dinner tonight, being that it’s Mothers Day. Stella put together a chicken avocado salad for herself at the salad bar, while I got myself a BLT with chips. Afterwards, I worked on the blog while Stella took a walk around the deck. She came back after only completing one lap, complaining that it was colder here than in the China Sea last month.

An observation: Cruises are usually dominated by retirees/senior citizens but often there will be a few families with young children. We saw some kids on the Asia cruise. However, we have not seen ANY children on this cruise. In fact, Stella is one of the younger ones. And there are so many “Opals and Earls” around…constant reminders of ourselves as we overhear conversations and familiar behavior. Today one of the senior couples from our ship entered the shop that we were looking around in, bickering are prone to do, and prompted the salesclerk to ask humorously, “Do I need to separate the two of you?” To which the lady responded, “Yea, get him away from me!” Sounds like something MY Opal would say! And everywhere around the ship, couples are arguing about where they are supposed to be going….as we often do. More than one husband has been heard to say tartly, “Well, they haven’t moved the elevators since we got on!” Or the wife saying, “You can go that way but I’M going this way!”

What can I say, dinner was yet again a culinary delight! Starting off with the appetizers, both Stella and I had the Greek eggplant with olives and feta cheese. Instead of soup or salad, Stella had two more appetizers – the bay scallops and chicken brochette while I had the chilled raspberry soup. For my entrée, I chose the chef’s recommendation of roasted beef strip loin that was fork tender and accompanied with root veggies (potato, beet, and turnip). Stella’s entrée was the veal medallions which were also very tender. They sure know how to cook meat and fish on this ship! We toyed with the idea of skipping dessert but gave in to our weak side. I ended up ordering the no sugar added tiramisu and Stella the caramel custard.

Tonight we have to turn our clocks forward by an hour so that means our night will be an hour shorter. Time for bed.

2008 9 May Newport and 10 May at sea

2008 MAY 9 Friday, Newport, Rhode Island

I was so excited to have connectivity in Bar Harbor, to upload all the Newport pictures, fast and free, that i may have duplicated some. Oh well, maybe that will make up for the ports from her to Montreal. More on that laters.

It’s rainy; it’s overcast, it’s cold; so we slept until about 9 and then leisurely made it up to the Lido for coffee, tea, juice, and freshly baked raisin buns. The ship was anchored off shore so we were down one the tender (motorized life boat) for our ride ashore around 10am. Both here and at our next stop Bar Harbor we’ll be anchored instead of docked.

As we got off the boat and left the pier, we were greeted by an unexpected sight - a large cherry tree in full bloom – even in the rain it was beautiful. Besides the rain, it was also a bit windy and cold (50) as we walked around town. Stella’s umbrella was nearly flying away; mine was tucked in my pocket as I’d as soon not use an umbrella and just make do with my hat. I could hear her grousing behind me about getting wet. Doesn’t she understand that YES, it’s necessary to walk in the puddles instead of around then and NO, I don’t really care if my shoes and hair get wet? I am, after all, a grown man and this is the kind of mature behavior Opal should expect of Earl!

Regardless of the weather we set out to see the Touro Synagogue, an Artillary House and the Trinity Church. The first two were okay but the Trinity, with its beautiful Tiffany stained glass windows and front ‘square’ was more worthy of our time. Opal amazed me by wandering, in the rain, to look at some of the tombstones in the cemetery next to the church.

Along the way we ran across some neat old houses in the Historical District as well as other buildings and flowers and flowering trees. One of the streets we wandered along seemed to be all, or nearly all, B & B’s – all lovingly restored.

At about 1230 we were wet and cold and starved so we went down to Bannister’s Wharf and a restaurant called the Wharf Pub – a place noted for having some of the best clam chowder and fish and chips in town. They also had oyster stew, clam strips, lobster bisque, lobster and prawn salad rolls, and many other great sounding foods! We settled on a bowl of clam chowder, fish and chips (lightly beer battered cod – ono!), onion rings and chili (a bit on the hot side) and a Hebrew National hot dog for Opal. We almost devoured everything leaving only some of the fries and onion rings. . . . and the coleslaw which had a strong bit of horseradish in it, yuck!

As we continued to have a lively discussion on the merits of umbrellas and hats and puddles, we went in and out of stores looking for something unique, something worth buying and not just buying to be buying. Did we find anything? No….but it was fun just to look anyway. After an hour or so, me soaked (but who cares?) and Opal still yakking, we ducked into a little restaurant-coffee shop for some hot tea and shared a pecan bun. Now, see if you can follow this logic: they did not have sugar–free vanilla or caramel syrup so I couldn’t have a coffee latte – but I CAN have half a pecan roll, or more, because with all pastry and bread products, Opal only eats the center, never the crust, so I get the best part!!

We made our way back to the pier around 330 and onto the tender. Opal was happy to be back aboard to shower and wash her windblown-rain pelted hair while I uploaded the few rainy pictures and started today’s entry for the blog.

It’s after dinner and we’re headed east and a bit south so we can go around Cape Cod and directly north to Bar Harbor, which takes us out in the Atlantic – and we’re feeling the effects of the rough seas already. They have placed barf bags near all the elevators and everyone, including the crew, are weaving about. At times you are noticeably walking uphill or downhill – if not, you then weave either left or right. It’s kinda funny to watch! Knock on wood, but so far neither Stella nor I have felt any ill effects either during or after dinner.

We enjoyed another four star dinner – my roasted pork loin was moist and the garlic infused mashed potato’s were tasty; the apricot sauce was divine; it was preceded by a chilled apricot soup and for desert an apricot sundae with chocolate fudge drizzle. My appetizer was a “game, wild country pate” with an apricot and cranberry drizzle. Stella started with southwestern grilled scallops and followed that with a chicken, papaya & avovado salad, followed by seared cod for the entrée. For desert she opted for the Austrian dark chocolate cake. All in all, it was another excellent dinner….particularly impressive since the seafood was cooked to perfection.

After dinner, we watched a DVD that we had brought - A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (from 1966, winning 6 academy awards or so) during which time we also ran back and forth to the laundry room down the hall. (Opal is weird about not wanting rain soaked clothes lying around.) After going for the final load of dryer clothes, I wandered out on the lower promenade deck (soaked from the many waves that occasionally crash up that high – 4 decks above the water line – but they hadn’t closed the deck as yet, so I knew I’d be okay). Walking out on a soaked deck in the middle of the night with howling winds and rolling seas would probably be dumber than walking in puddles on a cold and rainy day, for goodness sake . . . so I did! It was cold and very windy but watching the waves crashing against the ship and the white caps further out as large rolling waves crashed against each other, was mesmerizing. The captain’s log reported seas of 15-18’.

I went back inside after walking the length of the ship and waddled up to the Lido deck to look at the late night oriental snacks but was still too full from dinner so I just got some hot tea for Opal’s going to bed ritual and finished watching the movie. Good night all.

2008 MAY 10, Saturday

Somewhere in the north Atlantic rocking and rolling

We finally went to sleep around 2 and now, at 11, we’re up and getting ready to wander out. It’s too late for breakfast, but we went up to the Lido to wait for lunch. The luncheon menu in the dining room didn’t look particularly exciting, and besides, the rocking and rolling of the ship seems to have affected Opal’s appetite, so she opted to pick at the buffet offerings. Maybe later we’ll check out the casino (that does snatch your money) or the library for some last minute reading about Bar Harbor. Looks like today we won’t do our usual mile around the deck tho, I might, but no way Opal will go out there . . . if she did her whining would drown out the winds and the tempest of the ocean.

We both ate lightly….a rotisserie chicken drumstick and raisin bread for Stella, a bit of pasta and a slice of meatloaf with FF and baked beans for me. After lunch we settled into the comfortable leather loungers in the Crow’s Nest. The sky was grey – no sign of the sun - as were the waters and the waves were thrashing about. I leaned back in my chair – almost horizontal – and spent two hours intently studying the back of my eyelids while Stella curled up in the chair next to me reading her book.

Tonight was our second formal night. I thought maybe I had a chance to miss the ritual of getting into my suit and tie when Opal decided to lay back against the pillow and give the ceiling a thorough study…. I actually wouldn’t mind if she fell dead asleep and we missed the formal dinner. But no such luck… she got up and laid out my clothes and barked orders in her usual way and we were off to our 800 seating.

Dinner turned out to be well worth the effort. For appetizer I had a Trio of Salmon (smoked, raw and with roe) followed by conch chowder and then Azteca Shrimp (so big they had to have the shells removed, like a lobster) on a bed of polenta, and one for after (the shrimp were huge! – like mini-lobsters – and oh so ono!). Opal had a large Mediterranean chicken salad followed by an excellent cut of prime rib (perfectly roasted to a juicy and tender medium) accompanied by a baked potato. We shared a key lime pie and a rum raisin soufflé with vanilla sauce for dessert. Both were very good. In fact, the entire meal was superlative!

After dinner, we’re back in the room and I’m out of my formal attire, yea! We watched another movie “Becket” starring Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole.

Soon we’ll be off to bed so we can get a good start going ashore at Bar Harbor tomorrow. The seas have calmed down a bit this evening….the ship is doing less rocking and shuddering. Supposedly the weather will be a little better tomorrow…..fingers crossed for a good day in port.