SailorJack

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 1:58 PM, truffles2 said:

 

 

Expand his signature and there are links to his reviews.

I should have scrolled down further...I didn't see where you had already responded...thanks.

Jack

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 1:48 PM, jagsfan said:

I had a hard time finding  you, Sailor Jack!

There’s another guy with your screen name who joined in ‘13 and then nothing. 

I would love to read your “riding camels and walking like an Egyptian” review again, because it makes me laugh like a loon. 

Is there a way to dig deep and find your old reviews? I wish you’d publish them and make the world a happier place!

I was not aware that Cruise Critic programming would allow two names the same! Glad you enjoyed the reviews. Links to my other reviews are in my signature - just expand it.

Jack

Our ship has docked at a very historic location for Halifax and for Canada in general.  This location was sort of our Ellis Island.

Once processed, the railroad to carry the immigrants to other cities within Canada.

This purportedly is one of the railcars used by immigrants and was donated to the museum.

20 hours ago, blueridgemama said:

Have you seen the news about the Viking Sky which has been disabled off the coast of Norway? They are in the process of evacuating the passengers and crew by helicopter one passenger at a time. Very scary videos being shown. Apparently very rough seas making rescue difficult and dangerous.

Yes...but am so glad to see that there was no loss of life.  Reports indicate some injuries occurred, however, such as broken bones and cuts. Kudos to the crew of the Viking Sky and to the passengers who handled it so well - as well as the courageous actions of the helicopter pilots and other first respnders.

Here is a picture of the Sky's sister ship which was docked just ahead of us on this cruise.

Thought I would share some photos of the Pacific Princess we took when we were anchored next door in Iceland.

22 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Pictures taken by drone ?

Elevation off the water and distance factors -

Had to be taken either from another ship or a drone.

 

Nice PIX - more to share ?

I went through my photos last night but did not find any more shots of the Dawn.  If you are interested in more shots of Halifax I have just started posting them on my review over on the RCL board.

Jack

We noticed that all of the flags were at half mast and it caused quite a discussion as people were wondering just what had happened over night while we were at sea.  It was later explained that this was the anniversary of a tragedy that had occurred the previous year.

On a happier note, we all wished we could be sailing in this beautiful harbor on a nice little sailing boat!

This is Georges Island - which is a glacial drumlin. It was originally known as Snowshoe Island but the name was changed when it fortified. During the & Years War two thousand French prisoners were imprisoned here and during the American Revolution British soldiers where stationed here to defend against American privateers. The lighthouse was built in 1876.  The island is a National Historic Site of Canada and is not open to the general public.

On ‎3‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 3:47 PM, John&LaLa said:

Long time coming.

We were booked on this trip but got burned out on Mariner, so we cancelled 

Thanks

There is always next year.  It is a great itinerary - lots to see and do.

Jack

28 minutes ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Pictures taken by drone ?

Elevation off the water and distance factors -

Had to be taken either from another ship or a drone.

 

Nice PIX - more to share ?

Taken from RCI's Serenade of the Seas.  The Dawn beat us to the port so we docked right in back of it.

Jack

Just wanted to share a couple of photos of the Dawn when it was parked in downtown Halifax. I thought the setting was pretty cool.

Jack

23 hours ago, Tom47 said:

You're Welcome.  I have been enjoying your pictures/commentary.

Thanks for following along.  This is the last port, but for  me one of the most interesting.

Jack

Downtown Halifax.

No idea what this was.  As we pulled up next to it people joked that it was the ship equivalent of jetway and we would use it to get off the ship.

I think this is the Angus McDonald Bridge  -also known as Old Bridge.  It was built in 1955 and New Bridge was built in 1970. A third bridge is under consideration.

4 hours ago, Tom47 said:

Explosion WWI.    https://www.britannica.com/event/Halifax-explosion

Great link...thanks.  I hope my history teacher isn't on cruisecritic!

Halifax harbor.  A lot of history here.  It was a major immigration port for Canada - sort of our Ellis Island.  It was in this harbor that the great convoys were formed to take supplies to England and Russia during WWII.  And it was in this harbor that the greatest man made non nuclear explosion occurred  -also in WWII.

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Our first view of downtown Halifax - a very pretty city.

Looks like the Norwegian Dawn beat us in.  But Halifax is big enough to easily handle two ships.  We did not encounter any crowds anywhere.

Our first view of the Halifax harbor.  As a Western Canadian, Halifax has been on my bucket list to visit and this cruise has made that possible.

Obviously, a prime location for homes.

Around a million dollars?

This is St. Patrick's Church  -the oldest Roman Catholic one in Cape Breton - dating to 1828.  It was actually pretty small but had a really unique feature.

The roof is actually the bottom of a boat.  Carpenters laid down the keel of a boat and then turned it upside down to make a roof for the church!

A last look at the Sydney harbor and boardwalk as we sail for Halifax, Nova Scotia.

This is Cosit House - built in 1787 and turned into a museum depicting life over 200 years ago.

Each of the major rooms - like this kitchen - had a docent explaining how the room was used.  Really kind of interesting.

A spare bedroom?

A small eating area.

Outside, tour guides in period costume talk about life in the village 200 years ago.

The Wentworth park area had a unique history.  Markers were placed around the area that is now the park and villagers were forbidden to cut down the trees as they were being saved to use as masts on His Majesty's ships.

The lake had a nice walking path around it  - it made for a nice stroll.

Also a very nice cupola area.  Here a couple were having a picnic,

This church marks the end of the "downtown" area and from here to the park at the end of the road are houses that have been remarkably upkept. 

Examples of the houses along this very beautiful stretch homes.

The park at the end of the road.

Just down from the church is a little park with a statue dedicated to F.W, Desbarres - a past lieutenant-governor of Cape Breton and later of PEI.

A little street art.

I had no idea what this was supposed to be.  Note the chairs on the sidewalk - there were several of these on every block and on both sides of the street.  Perfect for taking a short break and doing a little people watching.

Downtown was an easy walk to the main street. One of the first buildings one comes to is the Anglican church.  It is the oldest building in Sydney and dates from 1765. Visitors can tour the church and even play the organ.  Inside the church is a chair purportedly donated by Lord Nelson from his ship.  Also is a picture of Queen Elizabeth taken when she visited.

Inside a delightful docent gave us a tour.

Another old building a little down the road is this old Bank of Montreal building.  It is now a nice little museum and entrance is free.

There are also a couple of new buildings in town - but not many.  This one is a bank - of course.

On ‎3‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 8:10 AM, SailorJack said:

We are off the ship and heading out to view the town.  We have actually docked within a four minute walk from the town's main street, so it is an easy walk to town.  Obviously the first thing we saw when we got off the ship was the giant fiddle.  You actually have to walk by it to go to town.  It looks a lot bigger standing in front of it than it did from our balcony.

 

 

The next thing you pass is Mariners Park.  Nova Scotia is one of the Maritime Provinces and it has a long heritage in seafaring.  The province also played a critical role in forming the convoys that sailed to Europe and Russia during WWII.

 

 

The memorial honors the Merchant Seamen who lost their lives in WWII

 

 

 

 

We are off the ship and heading out to view the town.  We have actually docked within a four minute walk from the town's main street, so it is an easy walk to town.  Obviously the first thing we saw when we got off the ship was the giant fiddle.  You actually have to walk by it to go to town.  It looks a lot bigger standing in front of it than it did from our balcony.

The next thing you pass is Mariners Park.  Nova Scotia is one of the Maritime Provinces and it has a long heritage in seafaring.  The province also played a critical role in forming the convoys that sailed to Europe and Russia during WWII.

The memorial honors the Merchant Seamen who lost their lives in WWII

On ‎3‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 1:12 PM, DavyJoneses said:

 

 

Well, I guess Paul Bunyan could play it.

LOL...I think even Paul Bunyan would have trouble with that one - it stands a little over 60 tall.

Brightly covered bikes are brought out for disembarking passengers.  They proved a real hit as they were all gone when we came back to the ship at lunch.

Besides bikes you could buy just about anything at this kiosk.

The harbor had a beautiful board walk that provided great views and some nice places to eat. The glass windows in front were for a nice upstairs restaurant.