Cruising - St Thomas

Our first port of call was St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. We got up in time to be at the bow as we approached the island

and to watch the docking procedure for the first time. St Thomas appeared to be quite hilly with houses going up the sides that must have marvellous views. We docked quite close to the town, right next to an extensive modern marina.

St Thomas, from the cruise dock, edge of marina on the right.

We had a quick breakfast and then walked into town, a mile away along a nice flat harbour side pathway.

There was a boat show for travel brokers going on at the marina so we were able to walk by some beautiful,
big rental catamarans, all decked out with their dining tables set and water toys on display.

Although the island is owned by the United States and residents are U.S. citizens, they drive
on the left just like in the British Virgin Islands.

We walked into the downtown area with its jewellery shops, bars and hawkers all trying to get the cruise passengers to visit their shop (because of course its the best, the cheapest etc). It's a very busy harbour with two cruise terminals, a ferry dock to take passengers to the nearby islands and float planes landing and taking off regularly. There are also plenty of privately owned yachts, water taxis and fishing boats zipping around. We were told that the season had not really started yet and that there would be far more private yacht traffic into December, January and February.

"Pirate ships" awaiting tourists.

The Oasis, a huge cruise ship that holds over 4,000  passengers, docked at the other cruise terminal.

The seaplane dock was at the far end of town, next to the ferry dock.

An inter-island ferry.

The Carnival Dream docked behind us. Taller but not as long. Had a water
slide on the top deck.

We walked around for a couple of hours, probably walked about 5 km. This proved to be too much for George's hip and we were more careful on subsequent islands. Returning to the ship we had lunch, In the Venetian Restaurant and then lazed by the pool until we left port.

The big windows are the Venetian Restaurant and we were often able to get
seated by the windows for views of the port or the ocean while eating, lovely!

Parting view of St Thomas

On to an overnight sail to St Johns

Cruising - Days at Sea

We were on a 14 day, repositioning cruise from Boston to Tampa. We visited 6 islands so the rest of the time we were "at sea". The first and last days were quite rough. Gale force 8 winds, waves 12 to 15 ft was what was posted on the Captains Log which we could see on one channel of the TV. Even in an inside cabin, amidships, we could feel the shudders in the ship and things would creak.
Whatever the weather, we got into a routine that we followed (with some flexibility) each of the days we were at sea.
We would get up at about 8am. We had to set an alarm, as, with no window in the cabin, we didn't naturally wake. Breakfast in the Venetian Dining Room could be any thing from Eggs Benedict or Smoked Kippers to cereal and juice. We tended to be pretty self disciplined; yogurt and fruit for George, egg white omelet, fruit and coffee for me. I did try the kippers once but found it too strong a flavour for breakfast. We would then go up to the gym which was large and very well equipped. I would do yoga for about half an hour and then ride a bike for about 20 minutes. George would use the weights and exercise equipment for about the same length of time, until he found someone to play Knights and Cities with and then he tended to skip out of the gym earlier.

The view as I did yoga in the morning. I would sometimes see flying fish
while stretching and contemplating the water.

We would then head up to the pool area for a hot tub and find a lounge chair to settle into for the day. The 2nd day was surprisingly warm and lounge chairs were hard to find but after a while people found other things to do during the day and we could always find one either overlooking the pool or on one of the decks at the bow. I would spend the day reading and George would play games on the tablet, go in the hot tub or wander around talking to people. We ate lunch at the buffet restaurant on the same level as the pool, restricting ourselves to one plate full. I have a weakness for sweets so my plate tended to be half salads and half desserts. Sometimes there would be a BBQ by the pool and George would select from that. We would always have a bowl or cone of ice cream in the middle of the afternoon, served from the bar by the pool. Usually we would stay on deck, often in the hot tub, to watch the sunset and we had some fabulous ones.

It surprised me how often we had the bow area, or periphery of the ship, to ourselves, very few people seemed to pay any attention to the fact we were at sea. Everyone was focused inside to the pool, band, bar, food etc. Focused on this floating, artificial environment created just for our pleasure and relaxation. It felt rather surreal, looking out at the ocean, seeing the flying fish and sea birds and then looking into the pool area with its mass of baking and floating humanity. Not that I didn't partake of all those luxuries but I found it disconcerting. It was a little like my reaction to the artificiality of Palm Springs, California, last year.
As it got dark we would go back to the cabin, shower and then go to whatever show was on in the theatre. The entertainment was excellent and varied. Then we would go to dinner in the Venetian Dining Room unless it was one of the 3 nights we had booked to try the speciality restaurants. The food was very good and there was total flexibility in what you could order. For instance we quite often had 2 appetisers (perhaps a lettuce wedge and a smoked salmon dish) as they tended to be quite small portions. One side of the menu remained the same the whole cruise with 4 main course choices. On the other side of the menu there were 5 different selections every night. It was often difficult to choose. The dessert menu changed slightly every night but always had a sherbet, fruit plate and cheese plate. We tended to choose one dessert (George fell in love with the cheesecake and ordered it frequently) and shared either the fruit plate or the cheese plate. Service was excellent. Most of the staff were Philippino or Indonesian and all spoke excellent English. There was time to talk with the serving staff at breakfast, as it wasn't as busy or fast paced, and many were coming to the end of their 9 month contracts and looking forward to going home. There was some concern when news of the typhoon in the Philippines came out but we heard that all but one had been able to hear from their families.
By the end of dinner it was usually about 9pm and we would go to the Atrium area to listen to the couple who entertained there most evenings. He was from Montreal and played guitar and they both sang. They had a huge repertoire of songs from the 50s up to present hits and were very personable. We were in bed by 11, tired by the sea air and by doing nothing.
Each night we were greeted by a different "towel animal":

I didn't get a good picture of the towel monkey, hanging from the ceiling, with a note on him reminding us to turn the clocks back.

Cruising novices

George and I decided to try a cruise for our fall vacation. George being George, much Internet research was done and we finally booked it about 2 weeks prior to the departure date. It was just "the luck of the draw" which cruise line we ended up on; Norwegian Cruise Line was it.
We have never cruised before so had no expectations. All we knew was that we would have 14 nights accommodation, food and visit some islands.
Boarding went very smoothly and we were on the boat by about noon and had lunch looking over the empty pool.

The pool area while we were still in Boston

The pool area on our second day at sea, it was already nice and warm.

The pool was salt water and constantly full of people floating. There were 4 hot tubs around the pool, also salt water, but you could always get a seat in one of them. We tended to use the hot tub that overlooked the bow as you didn't have to listen to the noise/music from the pool there.
We had booked an inside cabin and were surprised at the amount of room there was, closet, 2 little desk areas, fridge, drawers, TV, bathroom with a roomy shower

Our "stateroom", yes they're all called staterooms!

We spent the afternoon exploring the ship; which staircases and elevators went where. The ship held about 2200 passengers and was about 1,000 ft long.

The Venetian Restaurant, one of the 2 main, full service, dining rooms. There was also a buffet dining room
 and a 24 hour restaurant or you could get room service, if, after all that, you were still hungry.

The Stardust Theatre. The entertainment was varied and very good. This theatre
was packed for at least 2 shows every night.

This is looking down into the 3 story atrium with elevators that went right up to the
12th floor, from the 4th. There was entertainment in the Atrium every night
too.

We were scheduled to leave at 4:00pm but we didn't and we spent the time watching the sun going down over Boston from the bow. This was to become our favourite area as we watched every arrival and departure from the bow and many sunsets from the bow hot tub.

A magnificent sky to see us off.

Boston - Red Sox and Freedom Trail

Upon the advice of a guy in a liquor store (what better place to get this kind of advice) we went to a local sports bar to watch the 6th game of the World Series. Vito's was an excellent choice. When we got there at 6:30 people were starting to pour in and it was well and truly packed by the time the game started (8:07). It was mostly young people, all Red Sox supporters and loud. There were 6 large TV screens, all tuned to the game. In addition the beer was cheap (George was drinking Dos Equis and Heineken and a pint was $4) and the wings were half price.

Our first order; North End Style, glazed in olive oil and rosemary. We also had Buffalo,
 wow they were hot, and ginger and soy.

Needless to say when the Red Sox won the place went wild. I have a video but its just basically noise, so I'm not going to post it.
We set out this morning to walk some more. We started just north of our B and B and explored some of the river front. Some old commercial buildings converted into businesses and residences. Very upscale. We saw an advertisement for a one bedroom, renting at $9,500 a month.

Cormorants are everywhere.

After a quick coffee at Starbucks we found the red line of the Freedom Trail again and walked another section of it.

The steeple of the Old North Church. This is where the lanterns were lit prior to
Paul Revere's ride to warn of the British troops movements "One if by land,
two if by sea". At the time it was the highest point in the Boston area.

Paul Revere's house, supposedly the oldest house in Boston and the one to the left
the oldest brick house. However we saw a number of buildings claiming to be the
oldest. Either way these two are pretty old.

We walked back down to Feneuil Hall where there was a tent set up selling T-shirts announcing the Red Sox win, a group of "break dancers" entertaining  and a huge crowd of people who had just taken their American citizenship - quite a busy place. We walked through Quincy Marketplace which is a huge, amazingly diverse, food court. Then back to Mike's pastry to pick up dessert for dinner.

This box contains an absolutely delicious Boston Cream Pie slice and
a divine slice of Carrot Cake.

We drove out of Boston in the rain to the hotel that we will leave the car at and pick it up in 2 weeks. We had less than 48 hours in Boston but found it to be a very pleasant and friendly city. We only really thoroughly explored "our neighbourhood" of Little Italy and walked about half of The Freedom Trail. We found the subway to be easy to use but its also an easy city to walk in.

I love the juxtaposition of the old with the new.

There are so many examples.

Statues and sculptures all over the place, including quite a few
taking up bench space.

And just strolling around.

We will come back.
I gather the internet is expensive on a cruise so I probably wont be posting on the blog for a couple of weeks.

Boston - Fenway Park

We woke today to a dull, dreary, drizzling sky.

Entrance to La Cappella Suites, our B and B.

We planned to walk the Freedom Trail so set out for the Boston Common to start the trail. This took about 20 minutes. We are so used to Toronto, there is no frantic pace here, no rushing in and out of doors or along the sidewalks. There are a lot of young people on the streets as there are a number of Universities and Colleges within a short radius.

Boston Common is a nice green space, close to downtown. It was literally common space, when the
city was first started and farm animals were grazed there by everyone. This was banned after Beacons
Hill became an affluent area and no longer wanted cows in front of the homes.

Marked by these directional plaques and red brick or red painted lines
on the sidewalks and roads.

First place on the trail is the Massachusetts State House. Note the Red Sox banner. 

At this point we had walked quite a bit so stopped for a coffee and to dry off and rest a little. We got chatting to the young woman sitting next to us (University student studying English and Education) and she had tickets to tonight's game (World Series, Game 6, 3 to 2 for the Sox, tonight could be the final). She convinced us we had to go to Fenway Park and feel the tension in the air. Like the State House there were support posters and banners everywhere and we were getting caught up by it all. So, change of plan, we took the subway (the "T") to Fenway Park. Met more people who had tickets (from Oregon, Los Angeles, San Francisco ....) and when we got to the park found that people were lined up in the hope of buying late release, standing room, tickets.

Lined up and hoping.

We decided to take a tour. Chris and Teri had done and recommended it. We were told that the next tour might be a little longer than most because there were some sound checks going on. Well the sound checks were for the Dropkick Murphys who were doing some opening songs and the national anthem, so we got a mini concert. Hope the video below works:

The tour was excellent. I am not particularly interested in baseball but enjoyed the history of the place and also all the preparations going on and the excitement in the air.

This logo had just recently been cut into the field and was being groomed. They were drying the field
with leaf blowers as it had finally stopped raining.

Well after the walking and stair climbing we were pooped so took the T to the station closest to home and walked up Hanover to Mikes.

I had an espresso cannelloni and George had a chocolate one.
They have a crunchy outside and are stuffed with a ricotta cream

We are just resting at home now and then setting out to find a sports bar to watch the game. Should be fun.

Boston - arrival

We stayed overnight at Mum and Dads last night ( Fort Erie) and left by 7:30 this morning. The Peace Bridge was no trouble and in a short time we were on I 90 and heading East. Upper New York State was rolling farmlands glistening with the overnight frost that did not burn off until about 10am. We crossed the Erie Barge Canal a number of times and thought about how much fun it would be to traverse it in a sailboat as some of our sailing friends have done. We also crossed the Hudson River which the canal enters and boats then make their way down to New York. As we drove further east and into Massachusetts it got more wooded and higher hills. Most of the trees have lost their leaves but what is left are lovely deep copper colours and the occasional yellow of silver birch. I tried to take pictures from the car but the quality wasn't great so I am not going to post them.
We were in Boston by about 4pm and relied on our newly downloaded GPS App (on the tablet) to guide us in to our Bed and Breakfast and Alison (the voice we chose, slightly British, clipped) did a great job. We came into town on I 93 and then went underground through the tunnel that goes right under downtown Boston. Until completed it was known as "the Big Dig" and it is quite amazing how it helps the flow of traffic in what could be a very congested city with its narrow streets, laid out in no logical pattern. The highway took us under downtown and across the bridge pictured below and then we doubled back across another bridge to get back across the river to La Capella Suites.

Looks like a couple of huge sculptures but its the ends of a striking bridge
across the Charles River.

We also passed the Boston Bruins Gardens. The Bed and Breakfast that we found on the internet turned out to be lovely and in a great location. We are a block from the river in Little Italy. Although we had to walk up 4 flights of stairs we have a nice room with a balcony and a kitchen that we share with one other room.

The balcony, looking into the room

Shared kitchen

We are only here for a short time so relying heavily on the guidebooks for suggestions. We ate at Pizzeria Regina just a few blocks away and it lived up to what the books said. Small, noisy, great thin crust pizza for a reasonable price.

Ours had all the traditional toppings: sauce, cheese, green peppers, mushrooms, onions and anchovies.
They guaranteed 3lbs of toppings and I believe it!

All the guidebooks also mention Mike's Pastry shop

But we were too full so will have to indulge tomorrow.

On a final note the 6th game of the World series is being held here, at Fenway Park, tomorrow. We anticipate it will be a crazy evening and plan on going to a local sports bar to watch with the Boston fans.

Even Paul Revere is getting in the mood.

Long Point - signs of fall

After Thanksgiving, Long Point really empties out. We begin to get a taste of the isolation that winter brings down here. At night the coyotes howl as they move closer to the cottages when there are fewer people around. Turkey vultures and Canada Geese are regulars on the beach chased away when someone walks a dog. There was even a Bald Eagle surveying the lake from the beach one morning.
We do different things in the fall too. The sun sets into the lake, starting early October and, if its a nice evening, George and I drag a couple of chairs out onto the beach, to watch. Sometimes there is a glass of wine and a beer involved. Sometimes there is a blanket too as it gets quite cold as soon as the sun dips but some of the best cloud colours come after the sun has gone down.

The beach grass looks red in the setting sun

When we have visitors we tend to take them to the Bird Studies Canada banding station. I enjoy it whenever we go and am quite amazed by the confidence of the volunteers, often University students studying ornithology and birders from other countries, when they handle the birds.

I think this was a yellow throated warbler and you can see how small it was,
being held in the bander's fingers.

We, like everyone else with a garden, have a ton of fall gardening chores but its been a wonderful, warm, late fall so there's no hardship in it. The tomatoes, peppers, chard and beans all produced until the second week in October and then got ripped out and composted. I bought the Thai peppers and Jalapeno peppers inside in pots to give them some more growing time. The one big vegetable garden failure was the brussel sprouts. They grew big leaves but not a single sprout and then something started eating the leaves in October. I wont try them again.
Its lovely to see the trees that we have planted, thrive, and prepare for winter. The sumac that we planted this spring all did well and went a beautiful red colour. The High Bush Cranberry has berries ready for the cedar waxwings to eat next spring. The two oak trees, one a black oak and one a red oak, turn different colours.

Every time we take a drive off "The Point" we are struck by the huge number of pumpkins that are grown in Norfolk County. We must supply the whole of North America for Halloween.

They are rolled into rows and then a tractor pulls a wagon between the rows, workers throw
the pumpkins up to others on the wagon, who pack them into the huge boxes we see
in the supermarkets.