Blount Grande Caribe, Portland to Saint John, August 13-23, 2015

I’m down to just a few last minute items to go in my bag and I’ll be off first thing in the morning. Wednesday, August 12 will be Amtrak to Boston, and I’ll board the Grande Caribe Thursday evening, disembarking on August 23 in Saint John, Nbm tgeb ib to Montreal by train and back home after a couple of days with family there.

It’s a warm but very humid evening. Wednesday travel weather sounds good.

I'll be reporting on the trip here, and on a companion blog:

http://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com

Blount does not do a traditional paper "Daily Program". Instead, the day's activities are posted to a whiteboard by the main stairway. I'll post the activities and daily menus at tabs on the blog.

Roy

I set my alarm for 5AM, leaving a generous allowance for the final stages of packing (last minute meds and computer items) and left my house about 6:10 for the 150 yard walk to my local bus stop. The pace of activity seems to have slowed for the summer. The express bus to Baltimore usually gets crowded towards the end of the route but today occupying 2 seats was never a problem. The bus arrived promptly at 6:22 and dropped me in Baltimore a little early. With a trip under 3 weeks and no formal wear my usual 70 pound load was down to about 50 and the 2 block walk to Panera for coffee was a breeze. The light rail shuttle dropped me at Baltimore Penn Station at 8:30.

Most trains were running late. My 9:23 train was originally 5 minutes late but was 20 minutes late when it finally arrived. We stayed pretty close to 20 minutes late the first half of the trip arriving in New York 15 minutes late. We cut that stop from 25 minutes to 10 and left New York on time but spent most of the second half of the trip 5-10 minutes behind. In Boston we were just 4 minutes behind our 4:35 arrival and at 5:00 I was just walking into my Club Quarters room.

As it turns out Club Quarters is pretty much on a direct route between South and North stations, about 1/3 of the way. I took an early evening walk over to North Station to plan tomorrow’s departure for Portland. On the way back I stopped at Panera near Fanuel Hall and will probably stop there again to break up tomorrow’s walk to North Station with a full load. I returned to Club Quarters about 7:30 for a relaxing evening.

Today’s parting shot is kind of an accident. The Panera where I stopped for dinner was on Union Street, a side street separated from Congress Street by a narrow green space. I cut through that green space and discovered it was a Holocaust Memorial. I noticed a quote I had heard before but felt like a reminder is always appropriate:

“They came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant

Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

Let us never forget.

Roy

I left the hotel for a walk soon after 5. Sunrise was officially 5:42 and I was out in plenty of time but did not actually catch a glimpse of the sun for several more minute due to all the buildings in the area. While on my walk I also looked at possibilities for a hotel for my next Boston cruise and thought the Residence Inn Seaport looked good. I chilled at Club Quarters for a couple more hours setting off a little after 10.

As planned I broke up my walk to North Station with a stop at Panera by Fanuel Hall walking a quarter mile and then another .4. By the time I arrived at North Station I was definitely ready for another break.

Business Class on the Downeaster was very pleasant. It took up half the Café Car with 1 seat to the left of the aisle, 2 on the right, and a lot of legroom. One thing I have never seen on a train before; before leaving the station the café attendant came around to take drink orders. The route to Portland is neither fast nor scenic, taking 2 ½ hours to go 99 mile with trees close in on each side. Old Orchard Beach looked very pleasant, although I expect the water would be quite chilly. We stayed pretty much on schedule, reaching Portland a bit after 2. As I walked the length of the train and exited the station, my Number 1 bus was just getting loaded.

My ride was about 20 minutes. I was not 100% sure of my stop but a local named Fred took me under his wing and walked with me about half way to the port before stopping at his office.

Boarding was set for 5. The office had said I could drop my bags off on arrival, but when I went to the appointed place they had no idea about the ship. A quick phone call revealed we were at the next pier down, another .2 mile walk. The guard at the gate called the ship and my bags were soon taken away. With almost 2 hours until boarding I took a long walk in central Portland, stopping for a while at an internet café. It was about 5:05 when I arrived at the actual ship, the last one of many passengers who signed up for the early arrival package.

Some crew people were familiar but most were new to me. Nari, who I have sailed with several times, is now Cruise Director. Andy is the chef and I expect to eat very well. The Captain, Peter deMarco, is new to me although I’ve sailed with First Officer Sean before.

The Grande Caribe has one single cabin, and I normally sail there. I am in a different cabin, an interior double. I think it is the same overall size as my usual cabin, but the wider bed means less cabinet space. I spent most of my time until dinner unpacking.

Dinner was at 6:30, a choice of crab or stuffed chicken. Of the 7 people at my table none are new to Blount; one lived near me for several years. We have a sizeable Road Scholar group on board. For years Portland had daily service to Nova Scotia. I used the service in 1995 and 2000 but it closed down soon after that. A new service has just started and we watched the Nova Star exchange vehicles and leave during dinner. A 1-hour turnaround must be quite a challenge.

Blount entertainment most evenings is a movie in the lounge. Tonight’s was “The Blind Side” although attendance was minimal. I think the travel day has taken quite a toll among arriving passengers.

As a parting shot it’s now just over 2 years since my last Blount Cruise. Things are pretty much the same although I see a few changes. Just before that last cruise there were some pretty big changes with wine served at lunch and dinner and a choice of entrees for dinner. Nothing so dramatic this time, although there are a number of new crew faces. The few changes I’ve noticed are that the activity board is now black instead of white, and the menu board is also black and moved from the galley to the dining room entrance. Not much has really changed, I already feel very much at home.

Roy

Either my IPAD alarm failed or I slept through it but I slept until 6:45, and the lounge was quite busy when I got up for coffee. Passengers who did not book the early arrival package arrived mid-day and there was no real activity in the afternoon.

After our first onboard breakfast there was a trolley tour of Portland. Don and his trolley pulled up right outside the Grande Caribe at 9:30 and we were off for our morning tour. Five of the ports on this cruise are new to me, I last visited Portland, Bar Harbor, and Saint John on the Veendam almost exactly 2 years ago. The city of Portland (pop 65,000) is the closest year round US port to Europe and was extremely prosperous in the 19th century. It was originally founded as a terminus of the Grand Trunk railway which originally went to Montreal, and became the port for Montreal when it closed for the winter. We passed one of the original Grand Trunk buildings on our tour, and continued on to pass a number of lovely mansions from the gilded age. We crossed Casco Bay to South Portland where Don spoke of the building of Liberty ships and how the factory which turned out about a ship every 4 days was all built on reclaimed land.

Our one stop on the tour was at Portland Head. The former Fort Williams was an active military base until 1964 and still has the foundations of massive gun batteries. It was a very busy port for sending military people and supplies for World War II. The lighthouse there is fairly unique with a white band midway up; it is stone below the band and brick above. The stone section was built and demolished several times in the life of the lighthouse.

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We were a bit late getting back from out tour as we stopped several minutes while the Asphalt Star required opening the draw span for passage, but were still back at the dock well before noon.

There are not many times I will pass up a Blount meal but I’m not really a fan of the embarkation buffet. Canadian by heritage, I was introduced to Tim Hortons by my cousin in Saskatchewan many years ago and they are pretty strong in Maine. I took the bus back across Casco Bay to South Portland for their Chicken Noodle soup and baguette. It’s a lunch favorite but on this trip there won’t be many Blount lunches I’ll be willing to miss. Their wifi was also very good. I decided to walk the 2 miles back to the port, and got a reminder of how much we miss while just driving. I’ve been over that bridge many times and never noticed a ramp leading down as we were approaching the barrier for the draw span (in fact almost precisely where we waited for the Asphalt Star). It led down to the town of Knightville, established in 1850 by a ship builder and now quite a nice looking little village.

This time there were no ships approaching and my walk back to the ship was pretty easy. I was back at the Grande Caribe about 4. Soon thereafter we were joined in the port by the American Glory and Independence. Although they would be classified as very small ships they really dwarf us.

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I dined with 6 others who had joined the ship this afternoon. Blount has a very loyal following and everyone at the table were repeaters, anywhere from 2 to 20+ prior cruises. With the American Glory and Independence so close, 4 of my tablemates had sailed with American Cruise Lines before. The unanimous opinion was that while they had nicer facilities the Blount crews were vastly superior and more than overrode the disparity in physical facilities. I can’t compare but for me it is the great crews that keep me coming back. I suspect much of the difference is the New England work ethic. The choices were steak and swordfish and my steak was perfect, along with a great pineapple upside down cake. Our assistant cook has been very diligent about posting the menus. Our Saturday menu was posted before the safety briefing started.

Blount handles muster a little differently. On embarkation day there is a safety video and orientation by the Captain in the lounge while the actual drill is the real thing, unannounced while under way. After the video Captain deMarco made a few comments and fielded some questions. Nobody at my table recognized this captain and someone asked how long he had been with the company. It turns out he started out as a deck hand 30 years ago and has been here most of that time. His usual position is Port Captain working behind the scenes but gets out on the ships a few times a year. He also mentioned that Fleet Captain Dave Sylvaria had just had his second son. Congratulations Captain Dave.

The evening entertainment was singer and guitar player Don Campbell. He was very good. The style was basically country ranging into pop, and I think every song was associated with a different artist including one of his own.

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Today’s parting shot is a sad one. I’ve long said I have 2 favorite cruise lines, Blount and Crystal, and they are polar opposites. I was on Cruise Critic’s Crystal forum and learned that one of their cruisers who was quite active on Cruise Critic was laid to rest today. I never actually met Andrew (Caliber35), but we exchanged a few posts when he sailed a voyage to Antarctica. I have been to Antarctica on an expedition ship and was concerned about going there on a ship that is too big to offer landings there. Andrews comments helped me gather the courage to return to Antarctica next year even though I will not be able to step ashore. Sadly, Andrew left us too early in life; today would have his 62nd birthday. Andrew, rest in peace.

Roy

Once again the alarm did not wake me but I was up at 5:30 and rewarded with a lovely sunrise at 5:45. We were tucked in quite tightly between some tugboats on the shore side and the 2 ACL ships on the bay side but at 7:00 the bow thruster pushed us squarely away from the dock until we were clear of the other ships and we headed out into Casco Bay. The route out of Portland takes us to the south and we passed a number of light houses as well as a gray framework as a monument to the Liberty ships built here, something I had never before seen from either the land or the water. Once we reached Portland Head Light we were out of the harbor and turned north.

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A swell came up in the wrong direction and we spent the next couple of hours (including breakfast) with a significant roll. Breakfast is sort of a combination meal with a buffet for fruits, juices, and cereal while the hot entrees are served family style. Bath sits about 12 miles up the Kennebec River and we left Casco Bay and started up the river about 10, with the ride calming greatly at that time. The Kennebec is pretty narrow but fully navigable and is home to Bath Iron Works, a shipbuilding company which both builds and maintains destroyers for the US Navy.

We pulled into Deering Pier a little after 11. It’s a small pier and tying up to two freestanding posts was a challenge. The forward post required a couple of throws while the aft one was attached using the skiff.

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We were docked just outside the Maine Maritime Museum, just over a mile down river from the town. My walk into town was pretty hot and tiring; I didn’t see a lot, but spent some time recovering at the visitor center in the former train station. There are 2 bridges across the river. The first one was built about 1920 and originally had railroad tracks on the lower level and a highway above. When a modern highway bridge opened in 2000, the former highway approach was simply demolished leaving the end of the highway level dangling over the tracks.

The Maritime Museum is quite a large, sprawling complex. The main building is modern but a number of former shipyard buildings are incorporated into the displays. These buildings include part of the former Percy & Small shipyard which built wooden ships in the early 20th century. A former slip is adorned with a sculpture representing the 426 foot schooner Wyoming with sculpture representing the bow and stern and 6 flagpole “masts”. I spent about an hour at the museum before returning to the Grande Caribe.

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The Captain’s welcome party was held along with the Welcome Aboard dinner. Unlike big ships where only department heads are introduced Captain deMarco introduced nearly the entire crew; just a couple were missing who were asleep before overnight watches. The choice of lobster stuffed sole filet or tenderloin was two winners.

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The evening program was a video shown by producer/musician/historian Sumner McKane from a collection of photographs by Isaac Simpson, a blacksmith who photographed the lumber camps he visited on his rounds in the early 20th century.

As today’s parting shot, while this is a great trip a part of me will be back in Maryland Sunday. One of the scouts where I serve, Chris J earned the rank of Eagle scout a few months ago and will be receiving the award Sunday evening. This young man comes from a family distinguished in scouting with an older brother who became Eagle a couple years ago, a younger brother well on the way, and a very supportive family. He represents the best values of the scouting program and it has been my privilege to watch him mature over the past several years. Chris, congratulations and well done.

Mr. F

Enjoying your writings about this trip. Love going with Blount because you aren't just one of the herd!

Your menu mentions make my mouth water since know Andy's chef skills. Hadn't seen who was assisting him but they're usually super, too!

So glad you have Nary on board. One of my favorites and missed her on last Blount trip since she was on other ship.

Wish Blount would do another Lake Superior trip since that one enabled us to see parts of US we wouldn't have. Still would like to go down east coast with them some time.

Looking forward to next installment!

Today I did hear the alarm, although it wasn’t very loud. As the room is arranged the IPAD is in the opposite corner of the room and in a tote bag, and I haven’t heard it very well.

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The sun came up on the opposite side of the river from us but was very beautiful. Getting the lines off the forward mooring post was a challenge; after several tries the line was handed up to the pilot house and the extra height gave them a chance to work the line free.

We departed Bath at 6AM. Captain deMarco did an excellent job of edging away from the pier while using the Grande Caribe’s very noisy bow thruster for only an instant. I hope people in the forward cabins appreciated his good work.

The trip to Rockland was pretty uneventful. The sea swells were about the same as yesterday although they were more behind us than from the side making the ride significantly smoother. We did see some dolphins along the way and our photographer ran a session on effective cropping to highlight the desired subject.

Rockland was in sight by 11:30 and we were approaching the dock around 12. There is a boat show in town and dock space is tight. We are in a space near the Coast Guard dock, in the bottom of a U with about 10 feet forward and maybe 20 feet clearance aft between us and a pilot boat. We needed to enter directly sideways until we were past the Coast Guard cutter and then move forward enough to clear the pilot boat. Docking was not quick. Rockland has a history of shipping and ship building but today the main sustenance is lobstering.

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The Rockland tour was a trolley tour of the town. When I went to sign up the tour was full. A larger bus was substituted at the last minute but I still decided to go out on my own. I actually did not find a lot of interest in Rockland. The highlight of the trolley tour was an art museum; there were no maps to carry and I missed it. I saw nobody present at the visitor center/lighthouse museum, and walked around the town for about 30 minutes before retreating to the cool spaces of the Grande Caribe.

I enjoyed the chicken marsala and carrot cake with ice cream. The evening entertainment was the movie “The Illusionist”. I skipped it and took another little walk into the now cooler town.

Today’s parting shot comes from dinner. Somebody at my table mentioned that we hadn’t seen much news with no tv. While various people had heard of a California shooting, a plane crash and a man overboard on QM2, while all agreed we had heard little or nothing of the presidential campaign and were greatfull for that. Amen

Roy

Enjoying your writings about this trip. Love going with Blount because you aren't just one of the herd!

Your menu mentions make my mouth water since know Andy's chef skills. Hadn't seen who was assisting him but they're usually super, too!

So glad you have Nary on board. One of my favorites and missed her on last Blount trip since she was on other ship.

Wish Blount would do another Lake Superior trip since that one enabled us to see parts of US we wouldn't have. Still would like to go down east coast with them some time.

 

Looking forward to next installment!

Thank you. Unfortunately, the Lake Superior cruise happens only occasionally. It is the source of one of my classic Blount stories. I’ve been to Mackinac 3 times, on a Lake Michigan cruise, the Superior cruise in 2005, and Warren-Chicago in 2008. In 2001 I fell in love with the stately hotels on Mackinac, and the Lake Superior cruise had an overnight there. I called the office to verify that I could get off and spend a night in one of those hotels, and they said “no problem”. I had a lot of trouble getting a reservation but did eventually get one. It was not THE Grand Hotel but the Iroquois was grand.

When I boarded the ship in Duluth, Mackinac Island was crossed off and Mackinac City was pencilled in. The reason I’d had trouble getting a reservation was there was a big boar race that week, and besides high hotel occupancy and also the Coast Guard was using our usual dock. The plan was to overnight in Mackinac City and use the ferry to tour the island the next day. The problem was we would arrive after the last ferry left for the island and it was too late to cancel my reservation.

I told the Cruise Director about this, and she and the Captain accepted ownership of the problem and scratched their heads for the next week about what could be done. Right after desert on that day they paused the ship just off Mackinac Island, readied the skiff, and ferried me ashore. After watching the Grande Caribe sail away without me, I checked into the hotel for a lovely evening and took the ferry to Mackinac City with everybody else the next afternoon.

If you haven’t run across them, the full menus are posted here:

https://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com/menus/2nation/

The east coast trip is excellent. One oddity when I did it (2006) is that our stop in Baltimore was on election day. I went home and voted.

We don’t have an assistant Chef as such. Luarie, one of the Stewardesses, is helping in the galley; she wanted to learn. My taste buds tell me Andy is a good teacher.

Roy

Wifi is very scarce in this corner of Maine and possible will continue that way until Saint John. No access at all this morning and on board; just finished my tour and am at the Eastland Pevey Library.

At this time of the year sunrise should be getting a little later each day but by moving east both sunrise and sunset are gradually getting earlier. While we were preparing to leave at dawn, the lobstermen were just coming back after a night in the bay. I was really amazed that we were able to extract ourselves from our slot at the dock without resorting to the bow thrusters, and we headed to sea very quietly.

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Just under an hour out of Rockland we paused to provide some fuel to a stranded fishing boat. Just before breakfast we passed between the islands of Vinalhaven and Northhaven, 2 fair sized islands with fishing villages and summer resorts. For much of the morning after breakfast we were passing through fog; when the fog cleared it was apparent that we were passing through prime lobster grounds with pots just about everywhere.

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Bar Harbor is a small resort town on Mount Desert Island with the primary attraction being Acadia National Park. We docked at the town pier during lunch at the pier in the heart of town. The tour today was a drive around the park, but I had more mundane plans. I had set a coffee cup on the shelf of my closet think it was empty. It was actually a quarter full and tipped over. There was not much mess on the shelf; my shirts wicked up all my spilled coffee. A search indicated 3 laundromats. I looked for the 2 on main street, there was no trace of one and the other appeared permanently closed. The third was at the other end of town but was open, the next hour plus was spent to undoing the damage caused by my own carelessness. I think a little stain remains but the shirts are at least wearable until I get home. I did a bit of shopping on the way back to the ship but retreated to the cool Grande Caribe for a while. I went out again about 3:30 for another stroll around town. I have mostly been to Bar Harbor in the fall, it was rather crowded today, even without a big cruise ship in town. It is nice that the “Island Explorer” bus service in town is free.

Dinner was an excellent choice of Rack of Lamb or Scallops. I splurged a bit after dinner and went into town for some of their blueberry pie. Delicious When I left home sunset was around 8:15. When I walked down the street in Bar Harbor at the same time, the only light was from the street lights. We are now on the Eastern fringes of Eastern time zone, Wednesday we will move to Atlantic time, and sunrise and sunset will get much later.

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The evening program was a talk by naturalist Rich McDonald on his kayak trip along the eastern coast.

As a parting shot, I noted the official opening of the US embassy in Havana. Is there a Blount cruise to Cuba in my future?

Roy

I quite happily slept through our 2AM departure from Bar Harbor. When I went on deck a little after 5 there was a pea soup fog that lingered for most of the morning. Internet service was also very limited, there was a short window as we passed one island around 7AM, and another window mid-morning that lasted long enough to see I had an email but not long enough to retrieve it.

Joe Restuccia ran a photography workshop at 9:30; the fog was starting to burn off by the end of his program. By this time we were sailing around Campobello Island, part of Nova Scotia. There was one big change of scenery; lobstering is seasonal in Canada and there were suddenly no traps out. We rounded the tip of Campobello Island late morning, returning to US waters and omnipresent lobster post, and pulled up to the dock a little after 11.

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Eastland bills itself as the Easternmost city in the USA. That must be a technicality because Lubec is the easternmost town, and a nearby lighthouse is the easternmost point. I say city must be a technical definition because a place with a population of 2,500 (3,000 in summer, and 5,000 in it’s heyday is not my image of a city. There isn’t really a lot here but they put on a big welcome. A map was printed especially for us, an information tent was set up at the dock, and local residents offered rides in a classic “Woody” and a 1972 VW Beetle.

In it’s past the city has been the second busiest eastern port after New York and has many shipbuilding, fishing, and seafood processing plants. While a fishing fleet still exists, it is all lobsters, and there is just a small lobster facility; all the canneries are gone.

We had a short afternoon bus tour of the area. We are nearly surrounded by Canada, with the river defining the land border just a mile away, and Canadian Islands just off the shore. We stopped at the lobster plant. It is very close to Campobello Island, looking directly across to the “cottage” where FDR summered as a boy and caught his polio. In the plant we saw a large tub where the water is kept cold enough to make lobsters dormant, allowing for them to be safely stored for several months. We saw how they are sorted, and the bait used in the traps. We drove around to some plants where projects are exploring the use of tides to produce electricity and visited a mustard factory.

Raye’s Mustard was a thriving business when salmon was canned as it has some part in that process. When the canneries closed the plant became more of a family business, producing special flavors of mustard in small quantities. We stepped into the plant (no photos allowed), where mustard is produced by fine stone grinding of the mustard seeds with no cooking or additives involved. The 4 huge grinders now run just a day or 2 per week, while the product is bottled on the off days.

We ended our tour with a loop around a high point overlooking the “Old Sow”, a massive whirlpool when the tide is right. On the loop we passed Fort Sullivan from the War of 1812. The only reminder is a cannon which may be for the best since the Americans were seriously outnumbered and on seeing the arriving war ships immediately raised the white flag. My walk included a reminder of the power of nature as a pier is being rebuilt after getting ripped apart by a winter storm.

This was little or no wifi on the ship today, even once in Eastport, so I walked a block to the Peavey library where it was free and excellent. After going online I took a walk around town. Nothing real big, but the city hall was an interesting former high school and I noticed 3 churches, Methodist, Episcopal, and Congregational.

Dinner was served as a buffet with a selection of lobster, various mussels, and filet mignon, followed up with key lime pie.

The evening program was a celebration of the arts with wine and deserts at a gallery. It sounded great although I did not partake. The bad news is that we must set our clocks forward tonight as we head to Canada and must meet with immigration at 730 (new time).

As today’s parting shot, we seem to have connections to 9-11 everywhere. On docking I noted a huge statue of a fisherman in front of our dock. The statue was part of a set for a reality show several years ago which also included a contest. Most of the show set was removed but the statue was kept as it seemed to fit the town. The winner of the contest was a New York firefighter who won $250,000 the first week of September, 2001, only to perish in the World Trade Center a week later. The statue is now dedicated to his memory.

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Roy

I left my IPAD on Eastern time overnight and did not wake until 6. When I went on deck about 6:40 sunrise was imminent but I could only tell by my GPS as the fog was pea soup dense. We pulled up to the dock at St. Andrews very close to our 7:30 estimate and while we finished breakfast the Cruise Director and Captain met with Immigration Canada in the lounge.

There were 2 tours today. I passed on the morning catamaran tour to Campobello Island and spent the morning on my own. There was still no wifi on the ship (may never be in Canada) and I got directions to the town’s Tim Horton’s. I have a bit of a fondness for Tim’s starting just before my first Grande Caribe voyage in 2005. I started that trip with a road and rail trip to western Canada, flying to Yellowknife for a couple of nights. I rented a car in Yellowknife, to be followed by an overnight bus to Edmonton, train to Winnipeg, and the Grande Caribe Duluth to Chicago. The bus left Yellowknife at 1AM; I needed to return the car early evening. When I bought the bus ticket I asked the agent about the evening and she said “Go to a bar but don’t come here drunk”. That didn’t sound very appealing, but I had the rental agent drop me at Tim Hortons where I whiled away the evening taking a steeped tea every couple of hours and reading. I don’t know how else I’d ever have gotten through that evening and have been pretty loyal to Tim Hortons ever since. The menu also called for a seafood lunch which I don’t eat so I took my chicken noodle soup back to the Grande Caribe.

The second tour was a walking tour. St. Andrews dates to 1778 as a shipbuilding city and was also developed as a resort, much like Campobello Island. The original settlers were British Royalists and all the streets are named based on the Royal family names from the era. Our guide pointed out a house, 1 of 3, that had been moved to St. Andrews by some loyalists who misjudged where the border would be and built their houses in Maine. These 3 houses were loaded on barges and towed to a new home in St. Andrews. On our walk we found a number of churches, Presbyterian, Baptist, Anglican and Catholic. We stopped at the Ross Museum. Mr. Ross was an American preacher who married into wealth and fell in love with St. Andrews. He purchased a mansion and willed it to the town along with providing funding for a library. He lived outside of town but the house he bequeathed to the city was filled with furnishings from his collection.

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Our walk continued on to the Courthouse and the jail next door. The area has lovely pink granite quarries but gray granite was imported for the jail, and the cells, very primitive, were used until 1979. Our final stop was Kingsbrae Gardens where we started with a festive tea and then were given a tour of the gardens. On the way back I stopped at the Ross Library with excellent free wifi. I will return in the evening for a final internet check. The library will be closed but a picnic table in front has good reception.

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Dinner was barbecue, a choice of ribs or chicken and Pecan Pie was offered for desert.

Local musician Keith Facey performed in the evening, primarily music from the area but he also played folk and took requests.

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Today’s parting shot is a bit of a mei culpa. At the end of the cruise I will be taking a train to Montreal and spending a few days with my family there. One of my cousins leaves today (8/19) with her daughter for 2 weeks in Britain. We will sadly miss each other but this is a trip she has long looked forward to. Evie and Lorraine, while I will miss you and missed saying anything before you left, I hope you will see this. Have a wonderful time in Britain.

Roy

I set my alarm for 5AM, leaving a generous allowance for the final stages of packing (last minute meds and computer items) and left my house about 6:10 for the 150 yard walk to my local bus stop. The pace of activity seems to have slowed for the summer. The express bus to Baltimore usually gets crowded towards the end of the route but today occupying 2 seats was never a problem. The bus arrived promptly at 6:22 and dropped me in Baltimore a little early. With a trip under 3 weeks and no formal wear my usual 70 pound load was down to about 50 and the 2 block walk to Panera for coffee was a breeze. The light rail shuttle dropped me at Baltimore Penn Station at 8:30.

 

Most trains were running late. My 9:23 train was originally 5 minutes late but was 20 minutes late when it finally arrived. We stayed pretty close to 20 minutes late the first half of the trip arriving in New York 15 minutes late. We cut that stop from 25 minutes to 10 and left New York on time but spent most of the second half of the trip 5-10 minutes behind. In Boston we were just 4 minutes behind our 4:35 arrival and at 5:00 I was just walking into my Club Quarters room.

 

As it turns out Club Quarters is pretty much on a direct route between South and North stations, about 1/3 of the way. I took an early evening walk over to North Station to plan tomorrow’s departure for Portland. On the way back I stopped at Panera near Fanuel Hall and will probably stop there again to break up tomorrow’s walk to North Station with a full load. I returned to Club Quarters about 7:30 for a relaxing evening.

 

Today’s parting shot is kind of an accident. The Panera where I stopped for dinner was on Union Street, a side street separated from Congress Street by a narrow green space. I cut through that green space and discovered it was a Holocaust Memorial. I noticed a quote I had heard before but felt like a reminder is always appropriate:

 

“They came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant

Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

 

Let us never forget.

 

 

Roy

I hate to go back to your first post but I have to say that that quote is one of the most memorable for me and so true.

It bears repeating and not forgetting. Smooth seas Roy :)

reading and enjoying and sorry to go back to the first one.

sorry you missed Campobello Roy. I prefer it to St. Andrews, but maybe it's because I have been to St. Andrews too much?

The house there and the gardens are incredible.

I cannot believe that you still don't have wifi on the ship. It must be very frustrating and means you are spending a lot of time in ports doing your wonderful posts and blog. thank you :)

sorry you missed Campobello Roy. I prefer it to St. Andrews, but maybe it's because I have been to St. Andrews too much?

 

The house there and the gardens are incredible.

 

I cannot believe that you still don't have wifi on the ship. It must be very frustrating and means you are spending a lot of time in ports doing your wonderful posts and blog. thank you :)

Thank you. I really was skeptical about wifi in Canada; it's based on the cell phone network and was never promised for Canada.

I expect if they spent more time in Canada they would have a Canadian plan, but they don't. I'm tickled that at least my cell phone has some service in Canada; it didn't a couple years ago.

This will probably be my last time online until Saint John. Options look really limited during the day tomorrow in Grand Manan.

Roy

This morning I chose to ignore the alarm and went back to sleep until after 6. When I went out on deck about 6:30 I had just missed official sunrise, but it was another pea soup fog morning. We had left St. Andrews about 4AM and our crossing of the Bay of Fundy was silky smooth.

Naturalist Rich had a talk on the natural history and ecology of the area but I left about 9:15 as we started pulling into Digby. The last 2 ports we have been moored to floating docks but Digby is a fixed pier. The Grande Caribe is designed to go under the low bridges of New York’s Erie Canal, and in canal trim it is only 23 feet from the keel to the mast. It is a bit higher now, but is still no match to a 29-foot tide. A bagpiper was waiting for us on the pier; he was completely invisible unless he stood at the edge of the pier and we craned our heads upwards.

Our deckhands normally step off the ship at pier side and handle our lines but the dock was a good 10 feet above our highest deck and we had to throw lines up to shoreside assistants. Even placing steps on the deck to add some elevation, the climb up the gangway to the pier was quite steep at low tide.

Digby was among the oldest settlements in North America, settled originally by the French who were forcibly evicted by the British in the 18th century. Many of the French relocated to New Orleans, the origin of American cajun culture. The population was swelled in the late 18th century by loyalists relocating from New England. The main activity today is scallop fishing, and the population is about 2,500.

There were 2 tours in Digby. The morning tour was a walking tour; our guide met us on the pier and we walked basically along the waterfront. Most of Digby is early 20th century architecture. There was a fire in 1899; at the time one end of town was blocked by a train and the other by a snowdrift, hampering efforts to get help to the scene. Central Digby is pretty sleepy; there are a few specialty shops and several cafes but none was really open all day, opening up for lunch and then closing until dinnertime. There are a number of gaps along the waterfront street giving nice views of the harbor.

Along the way we passed a memorial to the 2 world wars and Korea, and another to a ship that sailed from Digby in 1947 and was lost at sea. A “tidal clock” at one point did not give the time of day but the time until the next high or low tide. We made one significant stop on our walk; the Trinity Anglican church dates to the late 18th century and was beautiful both inside and out and had an impressive organ. The official walk ended at the church. We were free to return at our own pace and vouchers were given out for seafood tasting at a local restaurant. I returned by the outer fringes of town making a bit of a circular walk. Two of the local churches, a Baptist church near Trinity Anglican and the United Church had lost their steeples which seem to be quite expensive to maintain in this climate.

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The afternoon bus tour went to the historic sites of Annapolis Royal and Port Royal. I took another long walk in town ending at Tim Hortons for wifi and chicken noodle soup. The library and Tim Hortons are each over a mile walk from the ship, the closest wifi appears to be at the visitor center about 3/4 mile away.

At low tide the gangway was a steep climb from the sun deck. At noon it was nearly a level walk from there to shore, and when I returned from my walk at high tide, the gangway went to the lounge level a deck below.

The original schedule had an evening lecture by Naturalist Rich, but it was replaced at the last minute by a musical combo, the Fundy Jazz Pop Band.

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As today’s parting shot it was a day for celebration on board. One of our couples observed 21 years of marriage today. Congratulations! One gentleman had a milestone birthday, 90 years young. You would never know it; if all people that age were so lively and spry it would be wonderful. Wishing you many more great years, Bob.

Roy

The word of the day was fog. When I got my first coffee it was clearly foggy and I returned to my room for a while going on deck about 6:30. The sun had once again risen without a trace. We had left Digby about 4AM and had another smooth crossing of the Bay of Fundy, arriving at Grand Manan about 9:30. At breakfast this morning Andy made custom omelets.

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Grand Manan looks like it should be part of the US; it is well south of Eastport ME. The island is about 20 miles long and 9 miles wide and has a permanent population of 2,400. There is some tourism but the main activity is fishing.

We set off on our tour of the island immediately on our 9:30 arrival. Our port is at the north end of the island and we toured down to the south, viewing whatever was within sight through the fog. Our first stop was at a farmers market with some nice wares, especially jam and jelly. We spent time at the town museum, quite extensive for a 2400-person settlement, with emphases on marine activity and geology.

Our guide explained that for such a small settlement a series of schisms have produced a plethora of churches, usually 3 competing denominations right next to each other. There are 18 active churches to serve the area’s small population, mostly because they are unwilling to work together. With the damp weather he had secured the hall of his own (Anglican) church for our lunch, a picnic prepared by the ship. The church staff had also prepared hot coffee and tea for us.

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We stopped at a small shipyard where fishing boats were built and repaired. The boats cost about $1,000,000 each and equipment and a fishing permit double that outlay. At the south end of the island we saw Southwest Head light house and a cliff where we could barely see the ocean just 100 feet below our feet.

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On our return trip we made just one stop, at a plant where seaweed is processed, ground up to various consistencies and used at a food additive. A slightly longer tour of Grand Manan had been planned but with the Bay of Fundy’s tidal extremes we had to leave promptly at 1:30 to dock in Saint John during slack tide. We got a brief view of the sun on the last mile of our journey but the fog quickly overtook us as we left our dock.

On the way to Saint John Rich gave a presentation on the history of fisheries. We picked up our pilot about 6:15 and were midway through dinner when we backed into our dock.

The evening program was another talk by Rich, but I walked into the Tim Hortons in town for tea and internet.

Today’s parting shot is a sad one. Blount is one of a very few cruise lines that will allow visitors to a ship. A friend from the Holland America forum of Cruise Critic had planned to join me on the ship for coffee, and the request was approved by Captain deMarco. When I checked my email, I found that it will not happen due to emergency surgery on one of the family dogs, and constant attention to the dog is needed. Wishing a speedy and full recovery to Kazu, and the least possible amount of stress to Jacqui.

Roy

Surprise, another foggy morning. The core of Saint John has public wifi and I briefly got a connection from the top deck . Canadian stops all require security guards so we were unable to open the gangway until 7AM when the guards arrived. I took a pre-breakfast over to the Maritime Bus Station which will be my departure point from Saint John. It’s about a kilometer walk from the dock, close enough to be walkable but not with luggage since there’s some uphill involved.

During breakfast the Carnival Splendor arrived. The 3,500 passenger monster was only about a football field away but it was kind of a ghost ship through the fog. I took another walk over to Tim Hortons after breakfast for a large coffee and internet, and explored a bit of Saint John on my way back.

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When I returned to the ship the Captain wanted a little chat. General disembarkation is at 9AM Sunday while my bus was at 7. Blount routinely has passengers with early transportation leave when ready, but Saint John is a bit different. While the deckhands normally take care of all bags it must be done here by the port’s baggage handlers. To get my bags off at 6:30 they need to bring in 4 baggage handlers for an extra 2 hours. It would be cheaper for them to hire a car to drive me the 2 hours to Moncton. We did look at the options and the most reasonable option would be to change to the 10:30 bus. I had hoped to attend a church service in Moncton but it just wasn’t practical. A return to the bus station to change my ticket finished off the morning.

After final lunch on board there was an afternoon tour of Saint John. I did most of what was on the tour on my last visit here and went over to the main cruise terminal where wifi was very good, then took a look at the nearby New Brunswick museum (photography prohibited). A lot of the first floor was devoted to maritime history but there were significant displays of logging operations and the second floor was birds and mammals with a number of whale skeletons and a very complete skeleton of a mastodon. The Carnival Splendor and Grande Caribe were more or less bow to bow; the Grand Caribe was obstructed by the dock at low tide but there was a nice contrast at high tide and could be viewed from near the Hilton Hotel.

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The farewell dinner was bittersweet, a final get together among new friends. I think both the lobster tail and prime rib were well received.

The evening concluded with a talk by Rich on Antarctica.

As today’s parting shot, some memories last a lifetime and hearing about them can bring them front and center in an instant. I visited Antarctica (by expedition ship) in 1997 and Rich mentioning the smells brought them right back. The timing for Rich’s talk was perfect as I am now looking forward to a return in February (but no landings from the Crystal Symphony). Adventure is forever and also on the horizon.

Roy

Thank you for a comprehensive and interesting trip report.

Thank you, HDS.

After 5 straight foggy mornings the skies today were about 50% clear and 50% cloudy. I still did not actually see the sun due to a combination of a hill and buildings to the east, but there was a nice color to a small patch of open space where Princess Street came down to the dock.

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A sign on the table said “no gangway until 8AM except in emergency”, but it was out about 7:30. I took a short walk down the street to the start of the Saint John Public Wifi zone, returning just as breakfast (sausage and eggs) was starting. The Road Scholar bus arrived about 8:30 and people started leaving. Once they were gone, a Blount bus loaded up and soon there were just a few of us left.

At 9AM I was absolutely the last one to leave the ship. Captain DiMarco said a 10 AM departure was planned; they needed an appointment with the pilot. He said the tide would not be a problem; it’s a lot easier going from a confined space to an open harbor than the reverse. The port agent Sean dropped me at the Maritime Bus station where I had about an hour to read before the bus loaded about 10:15. The 80-mile trip to Moncton took about 2 hours with several stops. Their stop in Moncton is at the VIA station so I soon had my big bag checked and my overnight bag stashed until later.

If I had been on the 7AM bus as planned I would have attended services at Saint John United Church, about a half mile from the station. I decided to go over and have a look at it. In Grand Manan we had heard how the churches could not get along together and it seems to be equally true in Moncton. Within 2 blocks of the church were 3 others, including one other United Church. As Rodney King said, “can’t we all just get along”.

I stopped for lunch soon after passing the church and swung past the Petitcodiac River on my way back to the VIA station, still with a little over an hour until my train. The station had no wifi but did have power outlets (both 120V and USB) and I got some writing done on the computer. The Ocean has a definite class structure. At the bottom is the Economy Class with just a seat. The opposite end is Sleeper Plus which includes a bed, meals, and access to the observation car and lounge. There is also a basic sleeping car which has the same accommodations as Sleeper Plus but no meals or access to the observation car.

Moncton is apparently a service stop where operating crews change and an oncoming crew member appeared about 4 (½ hour before our departure) to take reservations “for sleeping car passengers”. I think people with regular sleeping car tickets could pay in the dining car but those of us in Sleeper Plus got blue wristbands which served as meal tickets and gave access to the observation car. We were given dinner choices of 5, 6:30, or 8. I would normally have taken 6:30 but decided on 8 since we were about to gain an hour making it more like 7.

Originally listed as on time “The Ocean” dropped to 10 minutes late and was actually 15 minutes behind at the gate. Our 15 minute stop also doubled, leaving us 30 minutes behind schedule departing. My attendant Ryan came by, introduced himself, and explained the features of the car. It has some good points but I’m not really a fan of the new design. There’s a bath in each compartment, fairly reminiscent of the bath I had on the Grande Caribe. The seat is a wide bench and there’s a little table that folds out from the wall, but when the table is down the bathroom door will not fully open and it’s impossible to enter. Just a bit awkward. The room was just a bit smaller than my room on the Grande Caribe but the Grande Caribe provided a lot more useful storage.

The ocean is quite a long train. I walked just about to the end of the platform to board, and from car 36 it was 4 cars back to the observation car and 8 forward to the dining car. Knowing it would take a while to get to the diner I left my room at 8, but seating didn’t start until 8:30 and I saw my first food (a roll) at 9. I think if I had known that I would have reserved 6:30. Dinner was very nice and I retired shortly after returning to my cabin.

As a parting shot I will touch a bit on my future plans. One of the disadvantages with Blount is they are typically late releasing their itineraries. Retirement has given me the opportunity to cruise a lot and I tend to make bookings way in the future. I am already booked on Crystal’s 2016 World Cruise and Blount just released their 2016 schedule. I have extensive plans and there’s only one 2016 Blount cruise that works at all with my schedule. In August I am booked on a Crystal Adventure from Vancouver through the Northwest Passage to New York, and there’s a Lake Michigan cruise in late July that could work as a sojourn on the way to Vancouver. I absolutely love Mackinac Island and will try to work that in. Time will tell.

This concludes the Blount portion of my journey. I am working on a formal review and will post when that is published, and will try to answer any questions.

Roy

Please alert us here to when and where your formal report is published. I like your way of exploring; it seems very similar to ours. I intend to read your report again with a good map beside me as my knowledge of eastern Americas geography is scanty. We have looked with great interest at cruises in that region and also the north west passage since Silver Explorer completed it last year.

I have resumed posting on http://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com and hope to submit a formal review to cruise critic very soon. Presently in my Montreal hotel leaving for the train station in about an hour.

Roy

I have finished my member review and am in the process of submitting it. On publication I'll post a link:

"A ‘family’ experience–Grande Caribe ‘2 Nation Vacation"

Background have long said I have 2 favorite cruise lines which are polar opposites, Blount and Crystal. The line is not for everybody, but does have a very loyal following which I consider myself part of.

Ship info: Luther Blount was involved in many businesses. He started in the Oyster business and branched out into shipbuilding. His entry into cruising came from taking family and friends on his personal yacht and the demand grew until he expanded into building and sailing small cruise ships. His signature journey was through New York’s Erie Canal and he designed his ships with that journey in mind with shallow drafts and a pilot house that retracted to allow the ship to pass under the canal’s 17-foot bridges. Other trips went to the Caribbean and he added a patented bow ramp which allows the ships to ground on a beach and the ramp to run either to shore or to shallow water for snorkeling. A Captain once quoted one of Luther Blount’s mottos, “Give them everything they need and nothing they don’t”. When I first sailed with the line in 1996 I described the creature comforts as “somewhere between basic and spartan”. The current generation of ships is a bit bigger and better equipped and following Mr. Blount’s 2006 death daughter Nancy has added some woman’s touches bringing things closer to the upper end of that scale. I don’t think the vertical restrictions required for passing through the Erie Canal would permit having the machinery required for an elevator, but the current ships all have stair chair lifts on the main stairways.

Dining: Meals are served in a single dining room on the lower deck of the ship. Meal times are set, usually 8AM, 12:30PM, and 6:30PM although there may be a slight variation to fit into port and activity times. There is a daily set menu which is posted each evening right outside the dining room door. If something on the menu does not work for a passenger, a quick word with the chef will result in a substitution. A number of passengers were gluten free and were very well taken care of. Seating is first come first served and over the course of a cruise one can share a meal with virtually everyone else on the ship. Breakfast begins with a buffet table with hot and cold cereal, fresh fruit, toast, milk, and juice. Breakfast entrees are served family style at each table. Lunch is also served family style (without the buffet table) but the stewardess individually serve the dinner entrees. Until recently there was a single dinner entree each day but in the last few years there has been a choice (usually a meat option and a seafood option) as well as a special desert of ice cream. Passengers are asked to select their dinner choices at breakfast. I think everybody meeting in the dining room 3 times a day enhances the bonding of passengers

Blount generally does not sell alcohol. The basic policy is BYOB, but within the last few years wine or beer have been included with lunch and dinner, and there is an open bar one night at the beginning and end of each cruise. There is a cooler in the lounge where passengers can keep their bottles chilled.

Self service coffee, tea, cappuccino (new since my last visit), and soda as well as granola, fresh fruit, and baked goods are available in the dining room 24 hours per day as well as a second soda machine in the lounge and morning coffee in the lounge.

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Activities and entertainment: This was a port intensive cruise and there were not a lot of onboard activities. We had a photographer who gave presentations on how to take good pictures (no, he does not hound you for pictures in the dining room or at ports like happens on some ships; he does sell a CD with photos of the trip for a nominal price), and a naturalist who gave talks on wildlife, fisheries, and local history. The small crew does not include entertainers as such, several local groups came on various evenings and performed, where we had neither local entertainers nor a naturalist presentation a movie would be shown. Where there are “sea days” the Cruise Director will organize some games in either the lounge or the dining room.

Fitness: There are not a lot of facilities but they are improving somewhat. A walkway circles the deck with the lounge. It is narrow and short, something like 15-20 laps per mile, but it is available. The lowered pilot house prohibits walking around this deck on the Erie Canal, but then there are ample opportunities to walk on shore. There are also bicycles available to rent and a new addition, 2 stationary bikes aft.

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Children: Blount is really an adult oriented operation and children are not encouraged. A minimum age of 14 is the usual rule although children may be accepted on a case by case basis.

Service and Crew: This is one area where the “Everything you need, nothing you don’t” has it’s greatest impact. Our crew of 15 was pretty typical, We had 3 officers, a chef, cruise director 5 stewardesses (occasionally, as here, one of the stewardesses who is experienced and outstanding gets the title of hotel director), and 5 deckhands. There is a lot of self service, such as the coffee bar between meals, and rooms are made up only once per day. The emphasis is on quality of service rather than quantity. Blount has several American flag competitors. I have not sailed them but others I talked to on the voyage have. The consensus was that while the others have more upscale facilities, Blount stands head and shoulders above the others in quality of service. All the staff are engaging and friendly and will do anything that they can fit into their limited duty time. It may be the New England work ethic but the staff are truly outstanding. In times of rough seas anybody, officially on duty or not, is ready to help anyone who needs it with a steadying hand.

Disembarkation: Disembarkation is pretty straight forward. The extra cost services are very limited (shore excursions, logo clothing, and transfers is about it). All of that is handled by one person, the cruise director. Midway through the cruise she will collect disembarkation plans and credit card numbers. There is typically a bus hired for passengers headed for the airport, and plans will be made to secure other transfers as appropriate. Bills will be processed the day before disembarkation. Bags are left outside rooms before breakfast on the morning of disembarkation, and following a leisurely breakfast people will be called as their transportation is ready.

Summary: Blount is not for everyone. If you need “luxury” and pampering, Broadway style shows, and an array of specialty restaurants you will need to go elsewhere. For good, well prepared food, friendly service, and a family atmosphere you have a home here.

Ratings:

Embarkation - 4

Public rooms - 3

Cabin - 2

Fitness & Recreation - 3

Enrichment - 5

Rates - 4

Dining - 5

Entertainment - 4

Service - 5

Shorex - 4

Value - 5

Overall - 5

Portland: A small cosmopolitan city with great museums. Portland Head light is a great visit.

Bath, ME: We docked next to, and the Bath Maritime Museum (using parts of former shipyards) had an expensive collection of Marine History.

Rockland, ME: Probably the least attractive port of the cruise, the highlights were an art museum and a lighthouse museum. It would have been a good town for walking but was pretty hot the day we were there.

Bar Harbor: We docked for stay almost where the big ships drop off their tenders. The big attraction here is Acadia National Park where Cadillac mountain is wonderful, the rugged coastline has great views and interesting waves, and there is an extensive network of carriage and hiking trails. The town has small versions of normal stores and lots of outdoor provision stores. A fee is required to enter the park but there is free transportation to and within it.

Eastport: Eastport did not have a lot to offer physically but was the friendliest town we saw. It is at the entry to the Bay of Fundy and has some interesting whirlpools when the tide is right. We toured a mill where mustard is stone ground.

Saint Andrews, NB: It is close to Compobello Island, summer home of FDR, and the Ross Museum had an interesting collection of colonial furnishings and elegant Kingsbrae Gardens.

Digby, NS: Another fishing village, Digby is home to a unique tidal clock which tells the time to the next high or low tide instead of the dime of day. Saint Andrews church is elegant with a beautiful organ. Nearby are UNESCO World Heritage sites of Annapolis Royal and Port Royal.

Grand Manan: Once a summer getaway, the Island has a small museum and great vistas. I am not a birder but birders in our midst were impressed by a room in the museum with specimens of birds usually only viewed with binoculars.

Saint John: A small, cosmopolitan city with the unique “Reversing Falls”, museums, and an array of services.

Cabin 12c: A traditional Blount interior cabin with a fixed double bed and combined bath, basin, and shower. It is tiny but very well laid out with a surprising amount of storage.

Roy

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=511600

Sadly, port reviews are done from a drop-down menu and most of the ports were not included in the choices. The missing port reviews are:

Bath, ME: We docked next to, and the Bath Maritime Museum (using parts of former shipyards) had an expensive collection of Marine History.

Rockland, ME: Probably the least attractive port of the cruise, the highlights were an art museum and a lighthouse museum. It would have been a good town for walking but was pretty hot the day we were there.

Eastport: Eastport did not have a lot to offer physically but was the friendliest town we saw. It is at the entry to the Bay of Fundy and has some interesting whirlpools when the tide is right. We toured a mill where mustard is stone ground.

Saint Andrews, NB: It is close to Compobello Island, summer home of FDR, and the Ross Museum had an interesting collection of colonial furnishings and elegant Kingsbrae Gardens.

Digby, NS: Another fishing village, Digby is home to a unique tidal clock which tells the time to the next high or low tide instead of the dime of day. Saint Andrews church is elegant with a beautiful organ. Nearby are UNESCO World Heritage sites of Annapolis Royal and Port Royal.

Grand Manan: Once a summer getaway, the Island has a small museum and great vistas. I am not a birder but birders in our midst were impressed by a room in the museum with specimens of birds usually only viewed with binoculars.

Roy