21st September, 2018

We were docked in the commercial port a little further up the St Lawrence River, but only a 5 minute shuttle bus ride to the Lower Town of Quebec. Unfortunately we had arrived on a day when the heavens decided to open, but we set off anyway with our waterproofs on and hoods up and joined the throngs of fellow tourists.

Quebec is the only North American walled city north of Mexico and was founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608 initially as a trading post. It was made up of the Lower Town which was the commercial area and the Haute-Ville or Upper Town at the top of the cliffs. The cliffs of course became very famous on 13th September, 1759 when Wolfe led his men up to the Plains of Abraham where he defeated the French General Louis de Montcalm. Unfortunately both young generals died that day, but it was a day that saw the defeat of France in North America. Interestingly the British sensibly passed the Quebec Act in 1774 that gave the French Canadians recognition of their separate culture, which meant they did not rebel against the King when the Americans did .

Well, enough of the history lesson, back to our soggy sightseeing. We first made our way to the Place Royal in the Lower Town, with its cobbled streets and church to Our Lady of Victories, the oldest standing cathedral in North America. The rain had eased a bit, so I was able to take a few photos.

However, as it started to come down even heavier, we were better off browsing in the innumerable art galleries and craft, jewellery, clothes and souvenir shops. We finally saw a Mountie (well, sort of) and the sort of animal head that you can safely put on the wall (though the angle of the photo makes it look as though the moose has a snowshoe for a tongue!).

It was then up the funicular railway to the Upper Town, where you are greeted by the imposing and enormous Chateau de Frontenac, a hotel built in the late 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and definitely the dominant feature of Quebec. We popped inside to escape the rain and had a look at the busy lobby and the impressive postbox.

It was then out again, a quick walk around some of the nearby streets and then down into the funicular and diving into a bar/restaurant for a ‘comfort break’. In the end, we were tempted by the soup they were serving (mushroom for Val and beef for me) and I had a glass of a local beer called La Fin du Monde, which at some 9% almost lived up to its name. The rain, sadly, was still hammering down, so we decided to call it a day and head back to the ship in the hope that the next day would bring better weather.

22nd September, 2018

We woke up to sunshine! We only had the morning in Quebec, so we got away on the shuttle bus quite early and saw what Quebec can look like when the sun is shining and what a difference. Mind you, it also brought out the hordes of tourists and you also saw what a tourist trap the city is. There were other cruise ships in town and we jostled with Americans, Chinese, French and lots of other nationalities in the Pace Royal.

I wanted to check out the battlefield of the Plains of Abraham and as Val was not so keen we parted company, she window shopping and me heading off for the Upper Town and beyond.

I had a quick look at the bits of the Lower Town we missed the day before and then set off up the hill to the Dufferin Terrace in front of the Chateau de Frontenac which provides a superb promenade and views over the Lower Town and the river.

I had a rough idea of where I had to go, so I started walking along the promenade in a westward direction, passing a toboggan chute from 1884 and passing by the Citadel which is the residence of the Governor-General when in town. I had not appreciated the number of steps needed to get to the end of the terrace (over 300, I was later told), so I was nicely warmed up by the time I emerged from the trees onto the Plains.

There was a useful diagram of the Plains and I decided I would at least view the spot where Wolfe fell. The only thing the diagram didn’t enlighten me about was how far it was! Still, it was a lovely day with lots of Quebecois enjoying their Saturday, running and walking their dogs in the very extensive park. There was also some nice houses and a number of Martello Towers built to repulse the revolting Americans in the War of 1812. I finally made it to the monument after some dodgy French to ask the way, which was good enough to get a long reply the gist of which is that it is down there on the gauche.

The monument is by the impressive Musee des Beaux-Arts and I attach a photo of both and the area where much of the battle took place.

Time was pressing, so it was off again at pace, walking through the park, past the bandstand and a black squirrel.

I made it back to the Citadel, had a quick look at the gate, but decided there was not enough time to go in, and then explored the Upper Town. There is some fabulous architecture there and you really do not feel you are in North America at all, but rather a French city.

I popped into the Anglican cathedral followed by the Catholic one. No prizes for guessing which one is which. Also what I think is the university and a few more street scenes.

The city is awash with interesting and largely unspoiled architecture and I have really tried to cull them for this blog!

Finally it was back to the shuttle bus stop to meet Val. After 30 minutes and no Val I enquirer of the young lady seeing us onto the bus if she could contact the ship to see if Val was already aboard and yes, she was. Panic over and it was just a breakdown in communication.

We sailed down the St Lawrence in glorious sunshine past the city, yachts and lovely colonial style houses and, in the distance, the Montmorency Falls.

Very impressive, Quebec and well worth the visit and probably worth a second one, especially later in the Autumn when the leaves change colour. We were so lucky to have the sunny weather.

20th September, 2018

Another day at sea, steaming very slowly North over the Gulf of St Lawrence (it is the whale season and shipping has to slow down) and then overnight up the Saquenay Fjord. Our first inkling that we had arrived and berthed was the sound of music at 0730 coming from the quayside. We took a guarded look from our balcony only to see some very enthusiastic locals dancing to French Canadian folk tunes, all done in ye olde costumes and the freezing cold with a jolly leader calling the steps through a megaphone.

This gave us an idea of the sort of welcome to expect from Saquenay and we saw more of it on the quayside where you could have a go at sawing logs, try some blueberry pie and suck on a maple syrup toffee stick – all for free. Indeed, Saquenay has been awarded the best port welcome award a number of times and it showed. They could not be more helpful and that applied all over the area as evidenced by a lady who asked us out of the blue if we were lost and can she help – and all that in broken English. Most impressive.

Saquenay is spread out along the fjord and is made up of three boroughs – La Baie where we berthed, Chicoutimi, about 20 kms away and Jonquiere, an area around the local aluminium plant. We hopped on the hop-on-hop-off bus to Chicoutimi where we walked along the not all that enthralling shops, though we did drop in on the cathedral and were suitably amused by a series of dancing fountains that also seemed to steam. The river/fjord glided past and the whole area looked pleasant enough.

We ‘hopped’ onto the bus again and they drove us to what is known as La Petite Manson Blanche (The Little White House), which was the only structure that survived a really major flood in 1996 and has now become a tourist attraction. A little further and there was the remains of La Pulperie or pulp mill, that was one of the most successful in the world until it declined and eventually closed in 1930.

I had a walk around La Baie as Val returned to the ship, but it didn’t take too long, though there were some nice looking buildings.

It was then back to the ship and a lovely evening sail down the fjord back towards the Gulf of St Lawrence. I include the obligatory seabird photo, some, what I hope, are Canadian geese, a seaplane, another cruise liner and a guy in a canoe.

And here is the fjord!

Next stop Quebec!

15th September, 2018

A more sedate start to our visit to Halifax, the capital city of Nova Scotia, based on a wonderful 16-mile long natural harbour. The city was founded in 1749 and named after the Second Earl of Halifax, the then president to the Board of Trade. It rapidly became the Atlantic headquarters for the Canadian Royal Navy and Army. Queen Victoria’s father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (after whole Prince Edward Island is named) was very energetic here between 1794 and 1800 and the town was much enlarged with the citadel and a Martello Tower built to defend it. Halifax has never been attacked, but there was one disaster in 1917 when a French munitions ship, the Mont Blanc rammed a Belgian ship, the Imo in the harbour. It caught fire and drew many onlookers to see the sinking ships. Unfortunately it then exploded with a force that has been claimed to be the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb. Some 2,000 people were killed and 9,000 injured and a large chunk of the town flattened. Some bits of metal were found about two miles away.

Once again we were greeted by the friendly natives and, armed with a map and a suggested route round the city we set off into the warm sunshine. The whole cruise terminal was one big craft centre, so it took a little while to get going, but we walked on, admiring some of the older buildings and stopping at the Old Burying Ground (closed 1849).

It was then through the main shopping street where we managed to find a shoe shop with Chris Benn’s sizes.

Next on to the very attractive Public Gardens, a good example of Victorian municipal gardens.

Getting a bit warm by now, but, undaunted we made our way to the Citadel, an invigorating walk up,the hill. It is in a star-shape with low, solid walls, plenty of cannons and many locals wandering around in 18th and 19th century clothes and uniforms reenacting the old days. All very good with a comprehensive Canadian army museum, so comprehensive I did not have enough time to view it all.

Val proved to be a big fan of one of the guards!!

Finally we trekked down the hill again, past Province House, the oldest legislative building in North America, I believe (or is it Canada?) and on to the waterfront which has benn developed with shops, bars, restaurants and other amusements in old buildings. The water looked fabulous in the autumnal sunshine.

Eventually, after a longish walk, we made it back to the ship. I had one more stop though and that was the Centre for Immigration, where a very nice lady and her computer looked up my grandfather, William Wade Denbigh, who, if we have got the facts right, arrived in Canada, via Portland, Maine in 1912. She could not have been more helpful and it was a pity I didn’t have more time to explore my grandmother’s arrival and, possibly, my mother’s departure for England in 1943.

All in all, very impressed with Halifax and again, sad we didn’t have more time to explore further afield – but that is the nature of cruising.

14th September, 2018

We arrived fairly early in the morning in St John, NB and moored alongside the quay. Val and I did not have anything particular booked so we made our way down the gangplank to the terminal (no lengthy queues here) to be greeted by delightful immigration staff and volunteers who assisted us in what to do and how to do it. What a contrast to NY. Even the weather was fantastic with the sun shining and all lovely and warm. So off we set into town, a short walk away.

First up we walked around the Trinity Royal Preservation Area, some 20 blocks of old buildings and wonderfully quiet streets, another marked contrast to New York. New Brunswick was effectively captured by the British in 1758 during the Seven Years War and though the fort was destroyed in 1775 by the American Revolutionary forces, it was rebuilt and in 1783, about 3,000 Loyalists settled from the USA. Today Greater St John is about 128,000 and very British/Scottish. There was a terrible fire in 1877 when much of the city was destroyed so much of what is there now is Victorian.

We did visit one house, known as Loyalist House, which is a wooden clapboard building built in about 1817 and a delight to visit as I hope the photos show. Oddly, I forgot to take a picture of the outside…

We then dropped into the very cheerful covered market, had a coffee and caught up with the wifi. We also strolled around the Loyalist Graveyard and the local park with its unusual two-tiered bandstand. The whole city has a very nice community feel to it. Even the pigeons looked lovely!

It was time now for some lunch. I am still sticking to my 5:2 diet, so it was Val’s treat to have a whole lobster to herself. And it was delicious she tells me! A very happy bunny!

Not much else to report other than I managed to get my glasses fixed (an arm had fallen off) and we had to be back on board by 3.30 prior to setting sail for our next destination, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Very impressed with St John, though. Sadly we did not have time to see the Reversing Falls, where the very strong and rapid tide forces the St John River to flow back up stream. It is the main claim to the city, but time, as ever, was against us. Maybe next time.

Val did get tempted by some vintage fur coats at the kiosks in he terminal, but managed to resist. As you can see from the photos, it was a lovely sunny day with a very pleasant sail away past another cruise liner. Still time for a game of table tennis!

12th September, 2018

Our last day in New York and the weather still looked a bit iffy, but it held out ok and while still overcast and drear, it didn’t actually rain.

The day did not get off to the best of starts as we tried to board the bus for the Downtown Tour, this time really near the pier at which we were docked. This seemed excellent as it meant we did not have to walk all the way to Times Square. Unfortunately, whilst we had our VIP lanyards, which had been all we had needed for all the other times we had boarded the bus, this time the guy seeing us on insisted we show our tickets, which were, annoyingly, on the table in our cabin. No amount of pleading and arguing seemed to move him, so it was off back to the ship for me and back again. And then they showed us onto the wrong bus! Luckily they spotted the error and we transferred to the correct one and then sat there for 30 minutes. We were not very happy bunnies, despite what this photo of Val would imply!

Well, eventually we were off, again visiting Times Square and then on down Broadway heading south. We passed the Empire State and Flatiron Buildings (the former being built in an astounding 410 days) and lots of examples of the cast-iron architecture that is typical of NY. Effectively they were made off-site and flat-packed and built. The one with the clock was the first commercial building in the world to have a lift and people would queue around the block to have a go on it.

Our first stop was Chinatown and Little Italy, where we found a Chinese restaurant and Val was able to stock up on some Asian grub. We didn’t feel the Chinatown in NY was as impressive as in San Francisco and lacked a bit of charm. Little Italy is just across Canal Street and it was odd to walk from one culture to another in a few steps. Little Italy has been shrinking over the years and we only walked along one street, but you certainly got a feeling that Al Pacino was going to come out in a large overcoat, sharp suit and hat and give you a hug and a couple of kisses – and possibly an offer you can’t refuse!

We then walked on down Broadway past the Woolworths Building (above) to our next destination, which was the 9/11 memorial. The first thing we saw was the Oculus, a building designed by an architect from Valencia in Spain and very reminiscent of the modern development in that city. From a certain angle, it looks a bit like a bird.

The main building on the site is the One World Trade Centre, the tallest building there, but nothing has been built on the actual sites of the twin Trade Towers that were destroyed on that fateful day in 2001. Instead there are two square holes with water pouring in and another hole in the middle. All around the edge are the names of those killed. Every now and then you see a flower sticking out from the names and those are put there on the birthday of the person concerned.

It is truly moving and Val was particularly affected as she did not know that this was what the Memorial consisted of. We would have liked to have visited the museum, but the queue was very long, so we went instead to the 9/11 Tribute Museum, a bit down the road, which was also very emotional and brought back the memories of what the city and the world went through.

A few more sights to see from our bus including the Wall Street Bull and the Chrysler Building in the distance.

We also passed the UN Building and the now infamous Trump Tower and some pretty typical NY streets….

We were both pretty knackered now, so it was back on the bus and back to Times Square. We would have like to have seen St Patrick’s Cathedral, Grand Central Station and Macy’s, but we had run out of energy, so it was one final cab ride and a collapse in our cabin. New York had been fun, but like all big cities, we needed more time. So we shall have to come back!

The next day, 13/9, was a sea day and we caught up with our table tennis, gym and reading and prepared for our first stop in Canada, St John, New Brunswick.

11th September, 2018

As you may have gathered, this was 9/11, the 17th anniversary of the attack in 2001, so not really the day to head downtown as various dignitaries and a great deal of security were descending on the Memorial, so instead we climbed aboard the Uptown Tour. Interesting photo of Val, looking a bit like Barbara Streisand in ‘What’s Up, Doc?’

Times Square is located at roughly 45th Street (streets run east-west across Manhattan and Avenues north-south) and we headed North up 8th Avenue along the west side of Central Park. The latter is huge and runs some 2.5 miles long with 5th Avenue running down the east side. Lots of very expensive apartment blocks run its length including the famous Dakota Building outside of which John Lennon was killed in 1980. Apparently Yoko Ono still lives there.

We were taken as far as Harlem which is now becoming quite trendy apparently. We past the famed Apollo Theatre, which still has Amateur Night, where many stars of the future were first discovered including Jimmy Hendrix and James Brown and where Buddy Holly played, which it seems was a bit of a surprise at the time as they didn’t know he was white when he was booked!

We then headed down 5th Avenue and hopped off at our first stop, the Guggenheim Museum of Art. This is a truly amazing building, designed by Frank Lloyd-Wright with a central atrium and a slowly ascending walkway going around it a bit like a white orange peel assuming you are able to peel an orange like that. I am not sure you will relate to that analogy, so here are some photos!

The main exhibition which ran along the edge of the walkway, was of works by Giacometti, who seemed to specialise in tall thin statues, a sample of which can be seen in the photos. There were a few other galleries, one of some works by Impressionists and Cubists et al and some more experimental stuff by some Chinese artists in an exhibit called ‘One Hand Clapping’, the most notable aspect of which, in my opinion, was the title.

It was then off again on the bus, but not far, as our next stop was more culture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is a combination of the V&A, the British Museum and the National Gallery and is really good. There was far too many rooms here to see in one visit and we plumped for Asian art, with some stunning exhibits of Indian, Chinese and Japanese art. We started with some sculpture…

Then some Japanese works…..

We also had a look into the main exhibit which was rather incongruously based on fashion and the Catholic Church, but which looked rather exciting, but unfortunately we had limited time (and energy) and we had one more port of call a bit further down 5th Avenue at the Frick Collection. Rodin’s Burghers of Calais were also spotted…

The Frick is the collection of art in the original home (mansion) of Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919) who was a very rich magnate of the 19th and 20th centuries who decided to collect and display only the very best in his home. It only takes about 30 minutes to go round, depending on how long you like to dwell, but you can see a whole room of Gainsboroughs, Constables, Reynolds and other British artists, with Rembrandt, Vermeer, Titian, Turner, Ingres, Goya, Watteau, Frag, Holbein, Manet, Renoir and many others also displayed. And all in a lovely interior. Sadly no photos allowed other than the central courtyard.

It was time to ‘hop’ back on the bus and make our way back to Times Square passing the typical high rise architecture of New York.

We were now exhausted, so we hailed a cab and collapsed back at the ship. At least it stopped raining!

10th September, 2018

We are just waiting as we dock at Pier 88 (I think), in the Hudson River alongside Manhattan prior to starting our 2 night stay in New York. Unfortunately the weather is distinctly dreary with low cloud and drizzle, so the journey in under the Narrows Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline was less spectacular than hoped, though a few photos were taken and I hope they give you a feel for our grand entrance. This included an armed escort on both sides of the ship.

We have booked a 48 hour hop-on-hop-off bus tour, so we are hoping the weather improves. At least I can confirm that my new waterproof jacket lives up to its claims.

We docked at Pier 88 on the west side of Manhattan on the Hudson River at just after midday and eagerly set off down the ramp to the infamous US Immigration. The system requires that every passenger must pass through immigration and no one can board again until everyone has been through. We queued patiently for an hour and then set off in a light drizzle for Times Square, which was about a 25 minute walk away. We picked up our tickets for the Night Tour and then had a walk around the Square. The shops and eateries are a bit similar to Piccadilly Circus with lots of souvenir shops and fast food restaurants. We only wanted a snack, so popped into Applebee’s for a couple of sides and then queued up for our bus tour.

The weather, sadly, had not improved so it was on with the ponchos and off we went, heading south down 8th Avenue, past the Flatiron Building and on across Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn then back up Broadway until we arrived back at Times Square. The rain was, by now, coming down pretty heavily and Val had to retreat downstairs, but your correspondent stuck it out gamely. A few pics to prove it.

Ok, I am typing this on the balcony of my cabin as I can just pick up the port wifi! But only just! So publishing now, while I can. More when able.

3rd to 9th September, 2018
Well, here we are again, all at sea on the P&O cruise liner, Arcadia, having left Southampton on our way to New York and the Canadian Atlantic or Maritime Provinces. We have a 30 day round trip ahead of us ending up back in Southampton on 3rd October.

This is our second P&O cruise and the difference is noticeable as this ship is just under 3 times the size of the Adonia, the last P&O vessel we were on and we keep getting caught out in thinking we are already where we want to get to on the ship only to find we have half a ship to go. To give you some scale, she is about 80,000 tons and has just over 2,000 guests, so not huge by some cruise standards, but a bit bigger than we have been used to. I would add that there are ships out there that come in 3 times the size of this!

Our cabin, or stateroom as it is sometimes rather optimistically called is fine, with a balcony and is the usual well-designed conglomeration of cupboards and drawers, so everything is stowed away shipshape and Bristol fashion. Everything works well and we are well settled in for our trip.

There is lots to do each day and Val has so much to choose from she has had to make a schedule to ensure she makes it from shuffleboard to quoits to table tennis to a fitness class. I have been enjoying the table tennis and going to the gym and the chance just to sit down and do basically not very much. This is all crammed in between eating, though we are trying to be good here. Val has an early morning snack so she can take her pills and I make my way down to the dining room for a served breakfast (as against going to the self-service restaurant), which is all very civilised with porridge, orange juice, a cooked breakfast and some toast and coffee. I suspect some of you are thinking ‘so that is being good, is it John?’, but I do forego lunch.

The dinners are remarkable with a wide menu available and the chance to try something later in the cruise if you don’t choose it first time. There is a choice of starters, soup, a salad, main courses, dessert, cheese and biscuits and coffee, so you can see now why a trip to the gym is needed. That said, they do not overload your plate and we do not always have every course.

Of course, one of the most important moments in a cruise is who else is sat at your table as these will be your dining companions for the duration. We are on a table of six and the other two couples are pleasant and the conversation has flowed well so far. I have written before about the strange inability the British have of actually asking you any questions about you. For example, at breakfast this morning, I was sat next to two gentlemen and I can tell quite a bit about where they live, the jobs they had, how much of a pension one of them has, the fact that his wife has claustrophobia and won’t travel on the Tube, where their son lives and where they went on holiday this year. They on the other hand never once asked me where I lived, what I used to do for a living or whether I have been on a cruise before. It is bizarre. Idon’t understand why they don’t ask me back. I am going to continue to experiment at breakfast (you sit with different people each day) to see how long before someone actually asks me a personal question.

We usually go to whatever entertainment is available in the Palladium theatre after dinner and saw an excellent band yesterday who covered many great rock and roll tracks which went down well. I should add that I have it on good authority that the average age of guests on board is 78, so Val and I are feeling very young. I hate to think how many hip and knee replacements there have been! Sadly the level of the obesity crisis is high among the guests and a great incentive to us to keep to our fitness regime. I would put the percentage at at least 50% obese and another 30% overweight. What has happened to us? Where is our self-control?

We have had two Black Tie evenings where everyone gets dressed up. All very easy for the men, though I think the ladies enjoy the opportunity to put on their best frocks. I have stuck to my 5:2 diet, which seems to be holding out, much helped by a daily visit to the gym, so there is an outside chance I will come back thinner than when I left, which I suspect doesn’t happen often on a cruise!

Ok, as ever, I am posting this many days later, so more on the ship, passengers, table tennis triumphs and eating, fasting and exercising soon. Next stop – New York!