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| Halifax, Nova Scotia |
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| Life-size artwork in St. John's |
Saint John, New Brunswick. Canada.
This was my least favorite port. The city has charm and the people were kind. But we picked the Pink Bus Tours and I'll never do that again. It was a hop-on, hop-off style ride with three different runs in three different directions. We did all the runs which included the Reversing Falls
http://www.new-brunswick.net/Saint_John/reversingfalls/reversing.html (not a big deal in my mind), a park on the edge of town (where my husband and I hopped off the bus and walked a couple miles around a man-made lake before we hopped back on to continue with our tour) and the downtown St. John's. What irritated the bejeebers out of me was that in between runs, you had to stand in line in the port parking lot. First it misted, then started raining. A bus returned, but even though there were seats, the attendant wouldn't let us board.
"We need to have room for people wanting to hop back on and return to the port," the lady said. But that didn't make sense. It was before noon and most people were not ready to return to the ship. The bus had only returned half-full. To make matters worse, when we finally were able to board a bus--one that was supposed to arrive in 3 minutes but instead took 30 minutes--(I'm not sure whether the attendant was misinformed or thought spouting a shorter time period would keep us happy) we were soaking wet. Once we completed that run, we realized, since we are able-bodied, that we could have walked the route faster. Live and learn.
So now that I've gotten my complaint out of the way, this town still had charm. There were these unique, life-size characters planted throughout the city blocks creating perfect-picture moments. There was a fish market, a mime, a cemetery park, sculptures, and clocks and more lobster. Would I go back? Well, only to walk around the town. The rest of the Pink Bus Tour was a bust and I wouldn't do it again.
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| John and the Mime |
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| Fountain in city park |
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| Before the fog lifted |
Halifax, Nova Scotia. Canada. As irritated as I was in Saint John's, I was absolutely giddy over Halifax. We started the day with a ship tour to Peggy's Cove. All the magazine pictures, calendar pictures, postcards of this place depict it accurately. The weather in the morning cooperated with fog. By the time we left, the fog lifted and we saw Peggy's Cove warmed in sunshine. This tour did not disappoint. There was a young woman playing the bagpipes near the lighthouse. Colorful boats were tied to the small working docks and the waves crashed angrily against the rocks. Peggy's Cove is a photographer's dream come true.
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| Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove |
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| Bagpiper at Peggy's Cove |
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| Bagpiper's loot |
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| After the fog lifted |
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| Colorful shop in Peggy's Cove |
In the afternoon, we wandered the streets of Halifax by bus for awhile, then disembarked and finished on foot. The town is close enough to the port for people who like to walk (like us) to explore on foot. There are gardens and churches and fountains and trails and The Citadel and more.
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| Huge Public Gardens in town center |
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| Paths throughout Public Gardens |
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| One of the many fountains in the Public Gardens |
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| Sailboat in Halifax |
We were in no hurry to return to the ship, so we explored every nook and cranny we could find. We discovered a wooden boardwalk and strolled along the ocean front. John pointed out to sea. A sailboat whipped across the water, a white lighthouse with a red top sat in the background. I snapped a couple shots and they quickly became two of my favorites from this trip. (the one at the top of the blog and the one to the right.) The boat and the lighthouse combination just seemed so New England-y to me.
Docked back in New York City, we had several hours before our flight departed JFK. We hired a shuttle to give us a quick glimpse of the city. It was the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The first sight we came upon were firemen remembering/honoring that horrifc day. I was all choked up when I saw them.
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| NYFD |
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| Thanks for your sacrifice. We will never forget. |
With minimal time in the city, we could only visit Times Square and John Lennon's Memorial in Central Park.
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| The Empire State Building |
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| Fountain in Central Park |
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| John Lennon's Memorial - Central Park |
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| Times Square |
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| Carriage ride in Central Park |
The New England/Canada cruise was well worth it in our book. We hope to go again as there is more to see. Besides, I need to enjoy another lobster roll before I die. For a full album of pictures of this cruise visit:
https://picasaweb.google.com/111690110195132086556/NewEnglandCruiseSeptember2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHhpeDJ5_rntAE#
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