Gorgeous Old City area, rented a car and headed to Ste Anne de Beaupre. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, which was lovely. Then we drove to the top of Montmorency Falls, just gorgeous, and Steve and I crossed the bridge that goes across the top. It was a bit of a nightmare getting the car returned and back to the ship on time, but Québec City is gorgeous, and definitely worth another trip!
Brigid Travels
Updates from The Road
Leaf Peeping - Day 6: Gulf of St Lawrence, Québec [2014]
Today it was raining. First thing in the morning, Steve and I saw 2 whales traveling side by side away from the boat :) I was hoping we would see more, but nope. No other sea life or birds or anything. It was a relaxing day. In the morning I sat up in the Crows Nest, very quiet and serene, very few folks. We all met for lunch in the Rotterdam, our first non-buffet breakfast - nice.
We walked breakfast off by going to deck 6 and walking all around the ship a bunch of times, the Promenade. Still rainy, but most of it is covered.
Later we played cribbage in the Crows Nest and hit up the PEI baked potato bar. Yummy.
Then napping and chilling took up a few hours, followed by dinner in the Rotterdam followed by cribbage in the Explorations library/cafe while we finished the rest of the champagne and red wine in coffee mugs :)
Leaf Peeping - Day 5: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island [2014]
Sunny and warm, though a bit windy. The weather on this trip has been entirely unexpected - temps in the 60s and sunny every day! Unfortunately that means the leaves have not changed completely since they haven't gotten enough of a cold snap to cause the truly dramatic colors, but still it is gorgeous. This morning we went on a bus tour, first to the beautiful Anne of Green Gables Historic Site - Anne is a fictional character but the writer spent lots of time on PEI nearby with her grandparents, and this was a neighbor's house on which a Green Gables was loosely based. Steve, Gert and I got a chance to hike through the woods for a km or 2, while Mom spent time near the house and barn.
After that stop, we briefly went to the cliffs on the beaches of Cavendish - just beautiful: red cliffs, blue ocean and sky, and white sand dunes. Then more driving through the lovely colorful rolling hills of Prince Edward Island and back to Charlottetown while the tour guide regaled us with anecdotes and history. Nice tour.
We grabbed lunch on a pontoon dock on the water, at D's. Lobster rolls for Mom & Gert, veggie burgers for me & Steve, local beer topped it off!
Mom & Gert got back on the boat while Steve & I wandered through the town for a few hours - to the art museum, a coffee shop (fabulous lattes!) and to the provincial capitol building. Founders Hall closed early so we missed it.
Mom & Gert went to mass, and we Started laundry - what a stroke of luck that the machines were empty!! We popped open the bottle of bubbly Julie had supplied (thank you!) and headed on deck to check out the Confederation Bridge in the dark at 8pm as we (barely) went under. We went to a secret spot at the front of the boat on deck 11, that I had discovered out the front of the fitness area.
Then it was time for dinner, and we closed the joint! Mom got her chocolate martini! And the rest if us sampled some fine scotch. Salads, veggie jambalaya, breaded veal, beef cooked rare, chocolate parfaits and hazelnut mousse.
Nite!
Leaf Peeping - Day 4: Sydney, Nova Scotia [2014]
Wow, it has been warm! We docked this morning around 10, after a local pilot jumped on board mid-channel to take us into the Sydney dock. We had met in the Lido pool area god a special breakfast of creeps and flapjacks (with real maple syrup) and some Celtic music accompanying! At the dock (deck 3, so minimal gangway - yesterday the exit was on deck 5 with lots of ramps) we met our guide Tommy by the worlds largest fiddle and he took us around Cape Breton Island, including Christmas Island, Iona with the Highland Village with reenactors and buildings transplanted from surrounding old settlements, Baddeck including the fascinating Alexander Graham Bell museum - what an amazing renaissance man! - and Kelly mountain. He was a ton of fun, and got us back in time!
For dinner, Steve and I took advantage of their offer to give us a free meal at their upscale joint, the Pinnacle, in compensation for he damaged luggage. Just lovely: amuse bouche of a mushroom 'cappuccino'; appetizer plate of grilled asparagus, a dollop of whipped potatoes and some terrific sautéed mushrooms; main course was a roasts pumpkin risotto with a side of brussel sprouts for Steve and baked potato for me; pre-dessert of coconut covered in dark chocolate, espresso cream covered in dark chocolate and pistachios, pecans and dried fruit in a (solid) puddle of white chocolate; dessert for me was a baked Alaska variation: Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia in the center, surrounded by fluffy white cake and covered in toasted whipped cream cover, plus some bing cherries in a sauce and for Steve, a trio of creme brûlée: normal custard, espresso and chocolate. And we decided on a yummy Pinot noir to help up along the way :) a wonderful meal.
Afterwards, we went next door to the Explorations Cafe to see if we could find Mom & Gert. They were there, finishing up their second game of cribbage. They had dinner in the dining room, the Rotterdam, and met some really fascinating well traveled folks.
Off to bed!
Leaf Peeping - Day 3: Halifax, Nova Scotia [2014]
What a sweet city - so much more to see! We must come back. We walked along the waterfront for a few hours this morning, and this afternoon caught a bus tour of some of the city's highlights and did some walking in key spots. First, the cemetery where most of the bodies recovered from the Titanic are buried, then a stroll through the amazing Victorian Public Garden, and lastly the Citadel. Our tour guide wore a kilt - lots of Scottish traditions here. Halifax is very multicultural due to lots of waves of immigration: French, English, Freed slaves, German, S Ottis's and Irish primarily.
Mom had an unexpectedly long day of walking but muscled through it.
As we were shoving off, us girls got together for a drink while Steve hit the gym... And we all met for dinner in the main dining room. Again, the food was a hit - citrus fruit salad infused with Gwerstemiener for all, then tomato fennel soup (wow!) and French onion (guess who) for the middle course and for the entree the meat eaters had turkey+stuffing+veggies in solidarity for Canadian Thanksgiving and us vegetarians had a yummy penne with a bit of basil, etc. For dessert we sampled a fruit cobbler, pumpkin pie and strawberry mousse in a white chocolate cup. And we all had the drink - Violet Beauregard - chambord floating on top of creme de cacao.
By now it was about 9, and we had missed the fiddlers, though we had been serenaded by a bagpipe and drum before we left. So we ambled over to the pianist who played Irish songs for about an hour, followed by some standards and singalongs. Really good stuff!
Our towel animal was a butterfly :)
Leaf Peeping - Day 2: Bar Harbor, ME [2014]
Or should I say Bah Haabah? We pulled in this morning between 7 and 8. We got on the tender to take us to shore, a conscripted lobster/tour boat, around 9. Once on land, we immediately got on the 60' catamaran that took us back out to sea for a few hours!
It was a lovely tour - cruising into bays and around islands, enjoying the craggy rocks, fall colors, lighthouses and posh 'cabins' on shore. Definitely got some leaf peeping in! In the morning it was a bit chilly, but it really warmed up and was only less than pleasant if we exposed ourselves to the wind at full throttle.
Once back on land, we wandered into town, hoping to take a ride on the Island Explorer which is a free bus that loops through Acadia National Park but in the end we didn't have enough time. So we walked back towards the dock, camped out in a bench in a park overlooking the dock area for a while.
Steve and I took a brief walk on the water's edge and then we all got lobster pics :) and took a lifeboat tender back to the ship. Us girls met for a snack in the Lido, then we scattered go a little while. Back together, we had a nice dinner (lamb chops for the Wilkinson sisters, veggie 'spaghetti' with portobello for us vegetarians.
Our first 2 cribbage games were played in the very posh Explorations lounge/library/coffee bar. I won the first, when Mom was skunked, but then Mom won the second. We didn't have proper cribbage board so we devised a new manual scoring process :)
Good night!
Leaf Peeping - Day 1: Boston, MA [2014]
Today we shoved off! It was a bit of a rainy day, but we really enjoyed the hotel this morning. So much history! And a nice oatmeal breakfast. We had a few short shopping forays out and about, but were in the cab on the way to the dock by 11am. Since Mom ordered a wheel chair, our check in / security / loading process was quick and painless.
After dropping hand luggage At out lovely rooms, we activated complementary drink cards and headed to the Lido buffet for lunch. A bit busy, but we snagged a window table and sampled the selection.
By the time we got back to our rooms, most of the luggage had been delivered, with the exception of one of my bags. So we settled in before joining the muster drill. Following that, on the chilly promenade deck 6, it was time for the Crows Nest bar so we could get a good view as we pulled out. We finally shoved off just before 5, as we were making our way down to Mass. Holland America is possibly the last cruise line that has Catholic Mass on all ships most days.
We unwound with one of the bottles of wine that Julie had chosen for us, a lovely Chardonnay. That helped significantly. Then it was time for dinner, a lovely meal with a lovely couple.
Back to the room, to be greeted by our first towel animal, a lobster!
Leaf Peeping - Day 0: San Diego -> Boston [2014]
And so it begins! Busy logistical day. Kathy drove Mom to CT where Mom joined Gert for the rest of the drive to our greater-Boston facilitators Kevin and Mary Beth who will keep the car safe for the duration. Kathy took the opportunity to visit with Chris and Rob on the way back home :) Then Mom, Gert, Mary Beth and Kevin went to the downtown Boston hotel, the Boston Hotel Buckminster, a very cool old hotel. Meanwhile, Steve & I were on our transcontinental flight, enjoying our seats in the back of the 'bus' by the lavatory and playing cribbage (Steve won).
Kevin & Mary Beth let Mom & Gert settle in while they picked us up at the airport, and we all had a nice meal in the hotel restaurant.
Meanwhile, our thoughts go to Julie and Jay together at U of K for parents weekend! Football game tomorrow for them!
Idyllwild [2014]
We went to Idyllwild for our 5th Anniversary in August - a cute mountain town with lots of good hiking. It cemented my choice of manzanita as my favorite tree! Restaurants: Gastrognome - yummy asparagus and portobello penne in creme sauce, Nature's Wisdom - ok sandwiches, La Casita - good veggie burritos and veggie tamales, Mile High Cafe - a little out of town, yummy veggie burger and nice salads and great art.
note: a decent number of highly rated restaurants were closed, e.g. Swiss Fondue
Fun place to hang out: Idyll Awhile Wine Bar - they have music on the weekend evenings, and a tasting option which was fun!
Hiking: We did Suicide Rock (~7 miles, on the upper end of difficult just below strenuous) and Ernie Maxwell (~5 miles, moderate). Nice views of the forested vista and mountain peaks, plus both had a decent amount of distance under the canopy of trees so we didn't get too hot. Gorgeous groves of manzanitas.
Walking around town: they have painted deer around town - fun to check out!
New York City [2014]
Steve was camped out for work in NYC, so I decided to come visit and bring him home! We were busy! Museum of Arts and Design, Stanley Jordan at the Iridium, walking in Central Park, drinks at Lillie's, walking the High Line, the Pocket Bar, brunch at Rock Center Cafe, the view at the Top of the Rock, St Patrick's Cathedral, Grand Central Station, the Museum of Biblical Arts, dinner at Turkish Cuisine.
High School Graduations [2014]
Steve and I headed back east to go to Jay's graduation from Salesianum in Wilmington, DE followed by a road trip with Mom, Kristen, Kathy, Julie and Jay to Ben's from Nashoba at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. In between, we made tons of cookies, saw Danielle in the ballet and stopped in Connecticut to visit with Anette and do some headstone searching for Parsons. Found lots of the name, just none I can track back to our branch.
Steamboat Springs - Day 5 [2014]
Started off with another fantastic meal at Winona's, this time breakfast. Highly recommended. The we wandered a bit, got a belt at a cool store - Urbane. Then we were off to Fish Creek Falls for a hike! The trail was hard packed snow, if you stepped off the trodden path you go down a foot or so into soft powder. The falls were completely iced over! So Steve did not hike just to the base of the falls (which is where I stopped) but went halfway up the falls' icy face! It is magical with powdery mounds over tinkling ice streams.
Picked up a few groceries and we are home for the evening, probably check out more Olympic coverage :)
Steamboat Springs - Days 2-4 [2014]
Sunday we drove into town in time to see the end of the Winter Carnival on the main street that was covered in snow, in addition to it snowing. Kids going over jumps on skis pulled by horses, guys 'riding' shovels pulled by horses and a small town parade with high school marching band on skis/snowshoes, local businesses in wagons pulled by horses or snowcats, pulling people on skis hanging onto ropes! Very unique and fun to watch!!
Afterwards we waited to get lunch at Winona's. Fabulous, definitely worth the wait. The we headed over to Howelson Hill to watch the last 2 rounds of ski jumpers! I was lukewarm on standing in the cold to watch, but I'm glad we did - very fun to watch, and seem like a great group of guys that really support each other.
Grocery shopping rounded out our afternoon. That night we headed to Mc Knight's Irish Pub for dinner. Yummy - great celery root/fennel soup, grilled veggie sandwich, mac & cheese. Oh, and Guinness, of course!
That night the tv and Internet and hot water heater all were out. Not thrilled with this place. But it's not terrible.
Monday we hit the mountain. Powder!!!! It was really snowing pretty much all day, so the visibility was very poor - it was hard to see whether the run was smooth or choppy, shallow or steep... So I got tired pretty fast.
We stuck to the right side of Steamboat, where it was impossible to get lost, or wander onto a double black run. Lunch on the mountain was baked potatoes with veggie chili at the Rendezvous Saddle. Good stuff.
That night we stayed home and cooked and watched Olympic coverage. We found out that Steve's cousins decided not to come - they were going to drive from CA and the roads were just too treacherous. So they went to Lake Tahoe instead where there have been a few big dumps of snow, finally.
Tuesday we shuttled to the mountain and in the morning it was overcast and a bit snowy but there were patches of sun mid day - just a fantastic long day of boarding :) Powder or corduroy and fun tree runs for Steve to get stuck in! Quick lunch was had at Rendezvous Saddle when I tried the portobello sandwich - also very good!
That night we went out to grab some Mexican. By this time it was snowing pretty hard again. Ended up at the Cantina. Pretty good food, no complaints on the margaritas!
Today we will take a break from snowboarding. My legs are feeling it, and I want to be able to hit the mountain Thursday and Friday! It's supposed to snow pretty steadily on the mountain through Friday, so visibility will probably be a challenge. But it will be a blast :) and it is so gorgeous!!
Steamboat Springs - Days 1 & 2 [2014]
We had a bit of an adventure getting here - we had booked a flight starting in the tiny airport near our house, CLD, and they canceled the flight to LAX. So we were driven up, luckily he had a van as we had snowboards!
Got up there with ease - an accomplishment considering how the traffic can be! - and hung out in the United lounge til the flight. Posh! Now I get why people like to be members!! Flight to DEN uneventful. Oh, Steve beat me at cribbage :)
After a 45 minute wait for luggage and 40 minute bus/wait for the car we were on the road. The car guy said good luck getting to Steamboat - it will take you. 6 hours because it is snowing!!! Ugh.
The I-70 wasn't bad, tho it was a parking lot going east. The 9 at Silverthorne was ok, a bit of snow and ice but not terrible. The last 60 mile on US40 was very slow and slippery - all either hard packed snow or ice. Saw a number of cars that slid off the road into snow banks (all were being helped out). Oh, and did I mention there was a blizzard going on? Steve did a fantastic job driving, especially considering he didn't grow up in snow.
Finally got here, checked in, popped in a Mexican restaurant 2 minutes before the kitchen closed (yummy!) and collapsed.
Still snowing, and expected to continue through tomorrow afternoon. Good news for snowboarding but not good news for Steve's cousins that were going to join us, driving from Sacramento. TBD whether they will risk the trek.
Today we will get our bearings, explore the town and grocery shop!
Lake Tahoe - Alabama Hills - Trona [2014]
There wasn't much snow in Tahoe, but it was still fun. On the drive home we stopped overnight in Lone Pine, staying at the Dow Villa Motel, so we could explore the Alabama Hills and take a gander at Trona and the Pinnacles.
Panama Canal - Facebook pics [2013]
Here's a link to the 120ish pics I posted on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201175487846382.1073741825.1145839372&type=1&l=d36804f6d8
pulling into los angeles [2013]
its 6am and we are pulling into our disembarkation port.
awesome photo by Mom
it was supposed to be 8am so i wonder if they will let us off early. need to pick up our rental and figure out where to go to church before heading home to see yin yang and the rest of the family this afternoon.
it's been a wonderful trip. i'll do another post later with thoughts on the cruising experience in general. it has been so wonderful to spend two whole weeks with mom and gert. and share such adventures :)
yesterday was a sea day and our last progressive trivia session - we didn't come close to winning but learned so much and had a blast.
our progressive trivia team – Team YinYang!
yesterday was also a final art event. i've been a bit of an art auction junkie... but only ended up with the piece i won in a raffle. some of those peter max paintings were calling out...
Cheers to Dad on His birthday!!
and last night was a show where lots of the staff was brought on stage for a thank you... the housekeeping staff all had towel animals in their hands! so cute!! we had collected an adorable menagerie but they were all taken this afternoon so i suspect some of ours were in their arms.
Our towel menagerie!
off to do the final pack and have the final breakfast!
leaving cabo san lucas... [2013]
had a lovely day today - boat ride to the famous arch then bus to a spot where the view was spectacular. shopping followed, then steve and i got a margarita at senor frogs (complete with balloon headgear) while mom and gert headed back to the ship.
tomorrow is a sea day and then its all over :(
puerto vallarta [2013]
just about to leave port... mom and gert did a city tour that looked really interesting. steve and i did a boat to snorkel to kayak to great margaritas and lots of boobies (the blue footed bird, get your mind out of the gutter) .
the water was pretty murky and there were tons of snorkelers on the marietas islands but it was sill an amazing spot. and steve said when he dove down 6 feet or so he saw rays and other great fish. i cant dive that deep with the snorkel plus the required life jacket tethered to my wrist.
but it was a woderful excursion and the staff was incredible - doing a big gangham style number as well as a kiss number. they put themselves out there!
i didn't realize puerto vallarta was so big. our excursion was the whole day so we didn't get to see the town.
pushing off ! we did see a few dolphins and a momma and baby whale earlier :)
tomorrow is cabo san lucas. no plans yet...
just 3 more days !
in huatulco [2013]
great 3g signal here on my kindle! there was none in puntarenas and it was flaky in chiapas. puerto chiapas was very small, so if you didn't go on an excursion the only place to go is the port center which is built like a huge thatched roof hut with shops all the way around the outer edge and a pit in the middle where they had dancers in local costume all day - very sweet. they all gathered on the dock to sing, dance and hoot us away, telling us they love us and to come back. tourism is a pretty new thing to the area and we got the impression that they are still getting their bearings. but it was nice.
we had a great dinner last night at the summer palace dining room, which takes its decorating inspiration from czar nicholas's summer place (st petersburg?). and then mom and gert came to see our room. we all agreed that the few dozen extra square feet in their cabin makes a big difference.
this morning steve and i got up as we were pulling into port and dawn was breaking. then off to the 7:30 stretch class, followed by me on the rowing machine and a walk while steve worked on the elliptical. followed by breakfast where we have discovered muesli! yummy.
