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Live from Veendam; Montreal to Boston

Copper10-8

By Copper10-8,
in Holland America Line

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hpf

hpf

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Gee I've learned more about Eastern Canada from your posts than I ever learned in school; and to also having been to all these places multitude of times and you are better schooled than I. I bet I will even learn a thing or two about Halifax that I don't know.

A wonderful report and keep enjoying yourselves.

Helen

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Copper10-8 "Live from...." Rare

Copper10-8

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Day 5 – 07/06/16; Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada; Sydney is a population center and former city in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Situated on Cape Breton Island’s east coast, it belongs administratively to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British; it was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolved on 1 August 1995, when it was amalgamated into the regional municipality. It served as the Cape Breton Island colony's capital, until 1820, when the colony merged with Nova Scotia and the capital moved to Halifax.

 

Sydney was founded in 1785 by British Colonel Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres, and named in honor of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, who was serving as the Home Secretary in the British cabinet. Lord Sydney subsequently appointed Col. DesBarres lieutenant-governor of the new colony of Cape Breton Island. The site DesBarres chose for the new settlement was along the Southwest Arm of Sydney Harbor, a drowned valley of the Sydney River, which forms part of Spanish Bay. Between 1784 and 1820, Sydney was the capital of the British colony of Cape Breton Island. The colony was disbanded and merged with neighboring Nova Scotia as part of the British government's desire to develop the abundant coal fields surrounding Sydney Harbor.

 

Sydney Harbor played an important role during World War II once a Royal Canadian Navy base, HMCS Protector, was established to stage supply convoys bound for Europe. These convoys tended to be slower and had the prefix “SC” for Slow Convoy. Convoy SC 7 typified the dangers inherent with the German Navy U-boats patrolling off the coast of Cape Breton and Newfoundland during the Battle of the Atlantic, when 20 of the 35 merchant cargo vessels were sunk on their journey to England.

 

Forced to diversify its economy after the closures of the steel plant and coal industries, Sydney has examined a variety of economic development possibilities including tourism and culture, light manufacturing and information technology. Sydney is situated on the east bank of the Sydney River where it discharges into South Arm of Sydney Harbor. Elevation ranges from sea level to 217 feet above sea level.

 

The majority of properties within the former city limits have been impacted by development and an extensive urban road network. The central business district is located on a peninsula extending into South Arm formed by Sydney River on the west side and Muggah Creek on the east side. The largest park in the former city limits is Wentworth Park.

 

Distinctive neighborhoods include Whitney Pier in the north east end next to the former steel plant site, Ashby in the east end, Hardwood Hill in the south end and the "North End" located on the peninsula which contains the Holy Angels convent and the Sydney Garrison known as Victoria Park, headquarters of the Cape Breton Highlanders reserve infantry regiment. The former city completely encircles the Membertou First Nation.

 

After departing Charlottetown, VEDM was back in the Strait of St. Lawrence on a north-easterly course eventually rounding the top of Cape Breton Island and heading south for Sydney harbor, the Canadian one, not the Aussie one! VEDM picked up the pilot and slid in following the leading light and then making a 180 to go starboard side alongside the cruise terminal. The weather wasn’t great upon arrival this morning; light rain and wind.

 

We had our breakfast in the Lido bright and early since we had a shorex with a 0815 meeting time scheduled. That shorex would last seven hours and would take us up the Cabot Trail, both a highway as well as a scenic roadway in northern Victoria and Inverness Counties heading up Cape Breton Island.

The route measures 185 miles in length and completes a loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the scenic Cape Breton Highlands. It is named after explorer John Cabot who landed in Atlantic Canada in 1497. Construction of the initial route was completed in 1932.

So off we went with our first stop coming after about an hour and twenty at the community of St. Anns, home of the world famous Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts. Founded in 1938, its focus has been on the perpetuation of Highland Scottish Gaelic culture. The college received permission from HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 2013 to use the prefix ‘royal’ in its name, but does not employ it in day-to-day usage.

 

The early years of the college's history were dedicated to the instruction of the Scottish Gaelic language, which, in the 1930s, was under significant threat of dying out. It had once been spoken by over 100,000 Nova Scotians until the advent of modern transport and communications in the early 20th century began to force English assimilation on Cape Breton Island and in Nova Scotia. Thousands of students from all over North America and around the world attend both summer sessions and courses held throughout the year.

 

Back on the road and passing the rugged north-east coast of Cape Breton Island, we climbed Smokey Mountain to eventually arrive at our destination, the community of Ingonish and the Keltic Lodge resort where an engraving at the entrance, in Gaelic of course, reads “a thousand welcomes”. We were given time to explore the impressive grounds and then drove a short distance to an appropriately named establishment; ‘Coastal Pub and Restaurant’ for a buffet lunch. The weather had cleared up nicely and our final stop was a short one to walk on Ingonish Beach, before starting the two-hour drive back to Sydney and Veendam. A long but enjoyable excursion to a place you don’t get to see too often while on a cruise ship!

 

Veendam was off a little before 4:00 pm and retraced her route from this morning to once again reach open sea. The remainder of the day and Thursday morning was spent following the Nova Scotia coast line south-west towards Halifax, the largest city in the province.

 

Dinner was at 7:45 pm in the Rotterdam dining room, catching up on travels and stories with our six table mates. Maria had the Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Pesto while I chose the Turkey Roast with Giblet Gravy and Cranberry. After dinner we attended the comedy of Jimmy Carroll who was, well, funny! He made us and many other laugh. Finished off the night in the Crow’s Nest. Tomorrow, we’ll be in Halifax, Nova Scotia, our last Canadian stop. See ya then!

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holacanada

holacanada

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Day 2 – 07/03/16; Quebec City, Quebec …

The city's famous landmarks include the Chateau Frontenac, a hotel which dominates the skyline, and La Citadelle, an intact fortress that forms the center piece of the ramparts surrounding the old city. The National Assembly of Quebec (provincial legislature), the Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec (National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec), and the Musee de la civilisation (Museum of Civilization) are found within or near Vieux Quebec…

 

Hello Copper and all of you fellow New England / Canada Cruisers,

Let me inform you of the opening of a new museum in Quebec City. He is fantastic !

Take the bus or taxi to get there. Three blocks from the Grande Allée. Not so far from Château Frontenac.

 

Museum of Contemporary Art / Pavillon Pierre-Lassonde

https://www.mnbaq.org/expositions/actuellement

 

Holacanada from Quebec City !

Had cruise twice from Boston < — > Quebec onboard the Veendam.

I agree that the Veendam needs some renovations. And I hate the close cut Aft with it's ugly «lazy river». Also from the time that I was there the Jumbotron doesn't work and always looping the same «Penguins from Antartica» movie..!

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Copper10-8 "Live from...." Rare

Copper10-8

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Day 6 – 07/07/16; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Halifax, legally known as the Halifax Regional Municipality, is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia. The metropolitan area had a population of 414,400 in 2014, with 297,943 in the urban area centered on Halifax Harbor. The regional municipality consists of four former municipalities that were amalgamated in 1996; Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford and the Municipality of Halifax County. The municipal boundary thus now includes all of Halifax County except for several First Nation reserves. Since amalgamation, the region has officially been known as the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), although "Halifax" has remained in common usage for brevity.

 

Halifax is a major economic center in Atlantic Canada with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Major employers and economic generators include the Department of National Defense, Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University, the Halifax Shipyard, various levels of government, and the Port of Halifax. Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas of the municipality.

 

The first permanent European settlement in the region was on the Halifax Peninsula. The establishment of the Town of Halifax, named after the 2nd Earl of Halifax, in 1749 led to the British colonial capital being transferred from Annapolis Royal. December 1917 saw one of the greatest disasters in Canadian history, when the ss Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship carrying munitions, collided with the Belgian Relief vessel ss Imo in "The Narrows" between upper Halifax Harbor and Bedford Basin. The resulting explosion, known as the ‘Halifax Explosion’, devastated the Richmond District of Halifax, killing approximately 2,000 individuals and injuring nearly 9,000 others. The blast was the largest artificial explosion before the development of nuclear weapons. Significant aid came from the city of Boston, Mass., strengthening the bond between the two coastal cities, one Canadian and the other American.

 

Halifax has numerous National Historic Sites, most notably Citadel Hill (Fort George). Just outside the urban area, the iconic Peggy’s Cove is internationally recognized and receives more than 600,000 visitors a year. Cruise ships visit the province frequently. In 2015, the Port of Halifax welcomed 141 vessel calls with 222,309 passengers.

 

Halifax Harbor is a major port used by numerous shipping lines, administered by the Halifax Port Authority. The Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard have major installations along prominent sections of coastline in both Halifax and Dartmouth. The harbor is also home to a public ferry service connecting downtown Halifax to two locations in Dartmouth. Sheet Harbor is the other major port in the municipality and serves industrial shippers on the Eastern Shore.

 

The Halifax Port Authority's various shipping terminals constitute the eastern terminus of Canadian National Railways’ transcontinental network Via Rail Canada provides overnight passenger rail service from the Halifax Railway Station three days a week to Montreal, Quebec with the ‘Ocean’, a train equipped with sleeper cars that stops in major centers along the way, such as Moncton. The Halifax Railway Station also serves as the terminus for Maritime Bus which serve destinations across Atlantic Canada.

 

VEDM picked up the Halifax pilot and then started making the approach to the huge port of Halifax. We were assigned Pier 22 so Capt. Eric first by-passed his berth, then made a 180 and went starboard side alongside. Weather conditions were not great for the second consecutive day with gray, overcast skies and light drizzle for a summer day in July. We had breakfast in the Lido which was good and then got ourselves squared away for our shorex which, today, would take us one-hour south of the city of Halifax to Peggy’s Cove and its lighthouse.

 

Once outside the terminal building, the biggest tour bus I’ve ever seen, one of those “extended jobs”, was waiting for us, as was our tour guide David, Scottish kilt and all, plus the knowledge of 30 yrs. as a Halifax schoolteacher so we were all set! Off we went towards Peggy’s Cove, the small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margaret’s Bay and famous for the Peggy’s Point Lighthouse, established in 1868.

 

Peggy’s Cove is situated 26 miles southwest of Downtown Halifax proper and comprises one of the numerous small fishing communities located around the perimeter of the Chebucto Peninsula. The community is named after the cove of the same name, a name also shared with Peggy's Point, immediately to the east of the cove. Today, Peggy’s Cove is primarily a tourist attraction, although its inhabitants still fish for lobster, and the community maintains a rustic undeveloped appearance. Upon arrival, we spent roughly one hour and a half to inspect the site and lighthouse which, for us, also included a lunch at the No’ Westerner restaurant located within a stone’s throw of the lighthouse. Even though everyone was dealing with a somewhat chilly wind (the drizzle had stopped) it was an enjoyable visit (haven’t been there for over ten years).

 

On the way back to Halifax, we drove by one of the memorials to Swissair Flight 111, a sobering experience! On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed into St. Margaret’s Bay with the loss of all aboard. One of two memorials to the victims of the disaster is located at The Whalesback, a promontory approximately 1 km northwest of Peggy’s Cove. The other is located at Bayswater, Nova Scotia, on the Aspotogan Peninsula on the western shore of the bay. The two monuments and the actual crash site are at the vertices of a roughly equilateral triangle across the bay.

 

The monument at Whalesback reads in English and French: "In memory of the 229 men, women and children aboard Swissair Flight 111 who perished off these shores September 2nd, 1998. They have been joined to the sea, and the sky. May they rest in peace." The three notches represent the numerals 111. The sight line from the three grooves in the stone points to the crash site, while the markings on the facing stone point to the memorial at Bayswater.

 

Back at Pier 22 in the port of Halifax, All Aboard was at 3:30 and exactly 29 minutes later, VEDM was humming back to sea with a course set for Bar Harbor, Maine, our last stop on this seven-day itinerary.

 

Dinner was in the dining room at 7:45 pm with Maria and I both choosing the Pan-Seared Barramundi. This was in fact a second Gala night on a seven-day cruise which kinda surprised us. We had come prepared with suit/second shirt/second tie and second top and skirt however, we kinda expected there to be only one Gala night. The chairs were once again decked out with the white cloth coverings. A quick look around estimated about 90% of the gents to be wearing some kind of suit/jacket/tie combo (didn’t see any tuxes in our vicinity) and the vast majority of the lady folk looked nice.

At 10:00 pm, the second production show of VEDM’s cast, known simply as “Heat” started which we enjoyed. Lots of dancing, singing and energy. As has been our custom, we took the elevator to the Crow’s Nest but tonite, probably due to no live music (the band was accompanying the cast show and Karen was given the night off, there was not much activity up there so we called it a night.

 

Tomorrow is our only tendering port of Baaah Haaabaaah, Maine. See ya then!

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lazey1

lazey1

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Thank you so much for doing this blog. This has me reliving our Boston/Montreal/Boston cruise in 2012.

I only wish that we could have had all the historical information that you are provided now.

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65 Gator

65 Gator

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John...

Thanks so much for taking the time to post all of this. Hope you had a great time and a safe journey home. We really enjoyed the Veendam a couple of months ago and have booked it again in 2017...

Leon

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Copper10-8 "Live from...." Rare

Copper10-8

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Day 7 – 07/08/16; Bar Harbor, Maine; Bar Harbor is situated on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, as well as on Frenchman Bay. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. The town is a popular tourist destination in the ‘Down East’ region of Maine. Prior to a catastrophic 1947 fire the town was a famous summer colony for the super-affluent elite. Bar Harbor is home to the largest parts of Acadia National Park, including Cadillac Mountain, the highest point within twenty-five miles of the coastline of the Eastern United States.

 

Bar Harbor was founded on the northeast shore of Mount Desert Island. In early September 1604, French explorer Samuel de Champlain’s ship ran aground on a rock ledge believed to be just off Otter Cliffs, and when he came ashore to repair his boat he met local natives. Champlain named the island “Isle des Monts Deserts”, meaning "island of barren mountains"—now called Mount Desert Island, the largest in Maine.

 

The community was first settled by Europeans in 1763 by Israel Higgins and John Thomas and incorporated on February 23, 1796 under the name “Eden”, after Sir Richard Eden, an English statesman. Early industries included fishing, lumbering, and shipbuilding. With the best soil on Mount Desert Island, it also developed agriculture. In the 1840s, its rugged maritime scenery attracted the Hudson River School as well as Luminism artists with journalists, sportsmen and "rusticators" in trail. Agamont House, the first hotel in Eden, was established in 1855 by Tobias Roberts. Birch Point, the first summer estate, was built in 1868 by Alpheus Hardy.

 

Recreational activities abound in Bar Harbor. The downtown is particularly alive in the summer and autumn months because Bar Harbor is home to many outdoor enthusiasts. Acadia National Park is a couple of miles from the downtown area. Outdoor activities in Acadia include hiking along trails or carriage roads, biking along the carriage roads, bird watching, and mountain climbing, in view of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the Atlantic seaboard.

 

As stated, Bar Harbor, Maine is a tender port. It does have a pier, known as the Town Pier, but it can never accommodate a large cruise ship. So that all means tendering operations from one of the two anchorages in Frenchman’s Bay. Bar Harbor has two general anchorages for cruise ships; “A”, approximately one half mile east of the tender landing at the Town Pier and “B”, north of Bar Island, approximately one mile from the tender landing. VEDM first picked up a Frenchman’s Bay pilot and, once at the “A” anchorage at 0727 hrs., her crew started preparing for tender ops by lowering and rigging the starboard side forward platform and lowering and the “splashing” her four tenders.

 

We had our breakfast in the Lido, then like all of our fellow passengers, we had to be seen by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) since this was our first U.S. port after coming from the land of our neighbors to the north (our schedule time was at 0810 hrs. and this is done by deck). VEDM’s crew does this every week and they do it well. Step-by-step instructions had been delivered to the staterooms the night prior and the path to CBP (Explorations Café) was marked by staff positioned along the way. The actual “face-to-face” with one of two CBP officers took all of about 30 seconds (looks at passport; “where were you born?”, “how long have you been a U.S. citizen?”, “where do you live?”, and “Welcome home!”) and was a piece of cake.

 

Next up or us was our 2 hour and 45-minute Shore excursion “Historic Lighthouses and Acadia National Park by Sea” which would depart from the Town Pier at 0900 hrs. The tender ride from the ship to that Town Pier took all of ten minutes. We then boarded the ‘Bay King III’, a 90-foot jet-powered catamaran with two decks, partly enclosed. Play-by-play commentary was by a local historian with lots of inside knowledge and “stuff” to say. We saw the following Maine lighthouses: Bear Island LH (established 1839), Great Duck Island LH (established 1890), Baker Island LH (established 1828), Winter Harbor LH (established 1856) and Egg Rock LH (established 1875) as well as the Little Cranberry Life Saving station. We also saw part of ‘Millionaire’s row” and the Ford, Rockefeller, High Seas and Pulitzer Estates; plus the spectacular coastal mansions owned by Dick Wolf (Southerly) and ex-con Martha Stewart (Skylands). Overall and despite of the somewhat misty and chilly summer weather were experiencing today, an interesting tour, especially if you are into lighthouses!

 

We went straight from the boat and Town Pier to Paddy's Irish Pub & Restaurant, part of the West Street Hotel that faces the waterfront, and located at the corner of West and Main Street where we had a nice spot of lunch. We followed that up by walking up Main Street to do some window shopping in always nice Bar Harbor. The reason we like this itinerary so much are places like Bar Harbor, Montreal, Quebec City, Charlottetown and Halifax, cities and towns that just feel good and have so much to see and experience! Poor Sydney is kinda like the ‘ugly duckling’ in this group.

 

Last tender back to Mum was at 4:30 pm and VEDM was outtahere at 5:00 pm, setting a sea course to Boston, Mass where this seven-day voyage would come to an end for us on Saturday. VEDM herself is done with Bermuda so will continue with her seven-day Canada/New England cruises all the way until 08 October.

 

Dinner tonight was a very special event for us in a very special location. After that, it was packing and saying goodbyes to some good people. We then called it a night with a 0500 hrs. wakeup call.

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cccole

cccole

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I have so enjoyed reading this "live from." Great history and descriptions of your ports and on board activities. Is the weather you experienced on this cruise typical of summer cruises on this itinerary? Was your 5 a.m. wake up because you had an early flight? Thanks again for a very enjoyable "live from." Cherie

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Copper10-8 "Live from...." Rare

Copper10-8

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I have so enjoyed reading this "live from." Great history and descriptions of your ports and on board activities. Is the weather you experienced on this cruise typical of summer cruises on this itinerary? Was your 5 a.m. wake up because you had an early flight? Thanks again for a very enjoyable "live from." Cherie

 

Afternoon and thanks! Weather was fairly typical, we think; we landed in Montreal just after a thunderstorm had passed. Quebec City, the only sea day, and Charlottetown were nice sunny days. Early morning rain showers in Sydney, overcast skies in Halifax, Bar Harbor and Boston but it tended to clear up with the sun coming out in the early afternoon

 

We had a 2:10 flight out of Bos-Logan so elected one of those ship shorex offered "scenic tours, then drop-off at the airport by bus" deals that left at 0830, rather than sitting in airport terminal chairs for the entire morning and early afternoon. Worked out great! Boston is a very nice city!

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cccole

cccole

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Thank you for the details. Yes...Boston is a fabulous city. Our daughter went to BU and after a year on Maui was transferred back. I just love that city.

 

I was asking about the weather because I think am becoming a bit cranky with not so nice weather during summer vacations. I like warm weather. A couple of the cities you visited are on my bucket list!!! Thanks again for your "live from" and additional info. Cherie

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