WEEK 8

 

12/09/23 Quebec City Canada

Was a nice surprise to see we were not going to be docking far from town but right in the downtown area. Is just so much nicer and closer to everything. I got off late morning put my nose out of the terminal building and decided I would not be walking anywhere today for was raining and a hectic wind was blowing.

So landed up in the Wi-Fi area and there I sat for a long time cruising the web and was so nice to just be able to use the internet without having a clock ticking next to you. Will be appreciating our Wi-Fi at home that is for sure.

Last night after work hubby asked his colleague to stand in for him so that he could just get off and get some fresh air for a while, has been busy and a new doctor is arriving today. The wind had dropped and was nice to get off and enjoy Quebec City at night. The hotel Chateau Frontenac looks beautiful at night and watches over the city and ocean from the top of the cliff. Early morning, hubby was called out for 3 emergencies, so his day started with a bang en half onderste bo!

13/09/23 Quebec City

I had to be off the ship by 9.30 so after breakfast off I went, the weather was still overcast and did not look promising, don’t think we were going to see any sun today. Was very glad that there was not a strong wind blowing, the port area was busy with people getting off and the next passengers coming to board the vessel.

I did not have a plan and just started strolling around taking photos as I went along, just love all the beautiful shops and clothes, one thing I can say is that the French have style! So many beautiful things, can only look, don’t have any space left in my suitcase, hope I am going to make my 23kg limit as it is.

At about lunch time I popped in at Casse Crepe Breton for a Butter & Sugar Crepe with custard and a glass of wine and espresso, what a combination! But enjoyed all of it. Did not want to order a big meal for was on my own so no back up to help me finish my food.

Next to me were an older couple and my, o my, die ou oom was moeilk hy’t die kelner geroep en gese hyt nog nooit in sy lewe so n slegte crepe gehad nie, dis taai en hard en hy’s seker dis nie vars gemaak nie en omtrent aangegaan!

Die arme kelner het haar cool gehou en aangebied om nog een te bring en gese alles word wel vars gemaak.Hy se toe in Parys het hy net die beste gehad en die kom nie eers naby nie,wel ek sit toe groot oog want myne was alreeds bestel.

Het n busket wheat een bestel en nie eintlik geweet wat dit beteken nie maar toe hy kom is dit eintlik bruin deeg. Was vir my ook n bietjie droog en taai so dink die ou oom het rede gehad om so tekere te gaan maar dis nou net nie ek nie.Persoonlik dink ek dit was te lank op die bakplaat as ek nou kan vergelyk met my pannekoek ondervinding! Teminste was die vulsel, wyn en koffie lekker.

Toe ek buite kom het dit liggies begin reen en ek het wraggies my sambrieel op die skip vergeet moes toe eers stoei om my plastiek poncho aangetrek te kry en terugkeer skip toe.Dadelik op die skip gaan hoor of daar plek is vir die People of the Sea uittappie in Corner Brook maar wraggies weer vol bespreek so weer op die waglys! Het darem nog 2 kanse dan is dit ook daarna toe.

Once back on the ship heard the news that hurricane Ian is on its way in our direction and should reach Nova Scotia on Saturday so we will see how, what where we are going to be doing to get out of its way.! The captain warned us that this year the hurricanes are going to be more because of the warmer sea temperatures, not a very nice thought. So tonight at 20h00 we leave Quebec City and sail to Saguenay.

How I wish I could speak French for all our announcements are in French and English then you know that a lot of the passengers on this cruise are French.  Am going to try and get up early to see the sail in for is a beautiful part of Canada. So, until tomorrow bye.

 

 

14 /09/23 SAGUANAY CANADA

Hubby was called out for someone with a chest pain at about 4 this morning so that was the end of my night, could not go back to sleep so when he arrived at about 5.30 we decided to get up and go for a walk on deck 17.It was just before sunrise and was beautiful to be outside on the open deck with land on both sides of the ship and forest as far as the eye can see.

Here and there are houses next to the water so assume the only way to get to them is by boat or seaplane. The sunrise was also beautiful, and we could watch that from the back of the ship. Last night’s sunset in Quebec City were different colors of pink, blue and orange. Took photos and a video to show what it looked like.

We were greeted in Saguanay by the local school kids with sing and dance they really do go to a lot of trouble to make us feel welcome. I decided to wait for hubby before I get off the ship and spent my morning on a deck chair enjoying the stunning views over the bay. A seaplane took off and was great to watch for that is something that we don’t see in our country maar ek dink hy was swaar gelaai want baie lank gevat om op te styg maar wat weet ek nou van vliegtuie!

A Helicopter was also picking up tourists all through the morning and taking them on short rides, I assume it was to fly over the Fjords. Just after we got off the ship the line to get back on was crazy for, they only had one gangway open I think it was to do with the docking area, they call it a floating gangway that goes up and down with the tides so was crazy just got off and decided to get back into the line to get back on.

Did not even go anywhere for was scared was not going to get back in time and did not feel like walking around knowing this was waiting for me. Took me more than an hour to get back onto the ship. Going to get complaints about this that’s for sure. So was not a very successful day but at least it was a stunning sunny day with no wind or rain. The hurricane is on its way, is going to be downgraded to a tropical storm but still trouble for us.

The locals had young people on the dock doing all sorts of circus tricks so that kept the people entertained, their faces were painted, had circus clothes on, opgedress!!! Ook n man wat op daai hoe stokke loop, n ander een op n een wiel fiets, juggeling en so aan. Ons het die middag ons verlore slaap ingehaal en toe ons wakker word is ons uitsig uit ons porthole seker omtrent 2 of 3 meter hoer as vanoggend, weet die gety hoogtes hierso rof , groot verskil tussen hoog en laag water.

15/09/23 @SEA

I slept like a log and only woke up late this morning, we had a good laugh for hubby said when the alarm went off and I did not move, he knew this was his chance to sleep late and skip the gym so just quietly turned over and slept. Some days you just feel tired and today was one of those days, did get to the gym but that was also a hopeless story!

The sea has not been too bad, and the captain said we still are planning on docking in Corner Brook tomorrow morning early. I was so excited when I got to our cabin and got a message on the phone to say that there had been a cancellation and I have a spot to go on the tour People of the Sea tomorrow.

So very excited and something to look forward too, will also try again on our next trip to Quebec to get in for the Countryside of Quebec. This trip takes you to Lake Beauport area and coast. You make a stop at the Montmorency Falls where water cascades down an 83m cliff, is one and a half times as high as Niagara Falls. Visit an authentic sugar shack as they are called around here to sample a piece of sugar maple taffy!

16/09/23 CORNER BROOK NEWFOUNDLAND CANADA

The weather was miserable, windy, cold and raining so not a good day for an excursion but here the tours are always on unless it is dangerous. This port does not have a terminal building, so you must wait outside to catch the bus, so we all had our warm jackets and umbrellas with us while we waited to board our coach.

The trip to Cox Cove was all along the beautiful landscape that surrounds Corner Brook. We stopped on the way to admire the ? Mantel a piece of earth/mountain/rock that geologists from all over the world come to see, that did not mean anything to me so will have to visit google to see what it is all about.

Our tour guide gave us lots of information about Newfoundland and to me the saddest part was telling us about the wiping out of all the indigenous people that lived here long before we arrived, even told us that the children were thrown off the cliffs, that I found extremely upsetting. Know these terrible things happened all over the world, but I prefer to not go there, will never understand how humans can be so cruel to each other. We arrived in the cute little town of Cox Cove, only has about 600/700 permanent people living there and their main source of income is fishing. Had beautiful bright boat houses all along the seashore and wooden poles that they launch the boats onto when out of the water. I think I would be able to live in a place like this, so ongerep en mooi.

Ook vir ons vertel dat in 1962 is baie van die klein dorpies wat orals langs die kus was verskuif na ander dele en haar familie was een van die gesinne. Daar was omtrent 900 sulke klein dorpies en hulle is toe verminder na 200.Dit was vir hulle vreeslik traumaties en my skoon hartseer gehad om na haar stories te luister sou graag n boek wil kry wat meer inligting verskaf oor hulle geskiedenis.

Ons is ontvang in die dorpie se kerksaal en daarso het hulle vir ons van hulle local kos voorberei vir middagete en liedtjies en danse gedoen.Dit was vir my baie spesiaal en ek het vir die eerste keer in my lewe bear wors,moose roast en rhubarb jam geeet. Dont really know how to describe the taste of the bear sausage, but the moose tasted like our kudu or springbok meat.

The different jams were raspberry, blueberry, cherry, mashberry, rhubarb and partridge berry. Die vrouens het my laat dink aan ons VLV vrouens van die boere and the locals involved in the hall were older folk, felt like you had been invited into their homes. On our way back we stopped at a mountain with a rock formation that looks like an Indian Chief face and legend has it that he watches over the buried treasure on a small island! It is called Breakfast Mountain!

Gets its name from being the point reached by those going up the Humber River and stopping for a rest and breakfast (before the advent of engines). Legend has it that Shell bird Island lying at the foot of the mountain was the location that pirates buried treasure and is watched over by The Old Man. She told us that in the summer the river is full of people floating down the river on all sorts of things, tubes, Lilo, swimming, kayaks ect, must be lots of fun.

Our last stop was at Captain James Cook lookout point that had stunning views over the town and landscape. I wanted to do a bit of exploring on my own but decided against it for I was scared I was going to get lost on the trails and that the bus would leave without me.

The captain sidestepped the hurricane during the night but did warn us about high swells of about 10 feet 4/5 meters high so that was not very nice to hear, so right through the night I had myself praying for a safe journey to our next destination. Did not have a peaceful night of sleep and sure enough this morning we were told that we would not be stopping in our next port Sydney due to the rough seas and high winds it was too dangerous to enter the channel to get there.

Today has not been too bad but must say this is not my thing, has me on edge all the time and can’t wait for calmer seas. We have been hanging around and sailing in circles to pass the time, get to our next port of Halifax early tomorrow morning, don’t know why we can’t just sail in and dock for the night but anyway must go with the flow, what can you do, can’t say stop, I want to get off!!!

Daar is glo n probeem met my naam wat nie op volgende week se cruise lys is nie so ek hoop nou maar vir die beste dat hulle dit more uitgesorteer kry anders moet ek in New York afklim en oorbly tot hulle weer terugkom van Bermuda.Altyd iets wat krap!! Ons het n familie grappie kuier nie meer lekker nie, wil nou huis toe!!

Don’t know if we are going to make Bermuda next week for another 2/3 hurricanes brewing in the Atlantic and the one is going to pass Bermuda but are predicting rough seas so that won't work in those dangerous waters with all the reefs. It was very scary to watch our SA coastline being battered by die rough seas and here we are at sea, and are wrestling with very strong wind, thank goodness coming from the front of the ship and sailing into the wind.

All the inside lounges are full and no seating space, so I ended up on deck 16 outside in a corner out of the wind but o genade die skip rol en stoele het begin rondwaai so hulle het al die loungers opgepak en vasgebind. Klink vir my die medies ook maar besig en woelig en met die gewieg gaan daar beslis n hele paar mense seesiek voel ek so dankbaar ek is dit gespaar. So tot more.

Die week se passasiers is ouers so dit is goed soos uriene rentensie, duiseligheid, nog n enkel fraktuur, bloeiende maag ulkus noem maar op!! Baie van die gaste is oorgewig en n hele paar ry rond met elektriese karretjies hier is dit die norm.Ek voel baie tuis so tussen die klomp grys koppe! Die bestemming bepaal beslis die ouderdomme van die passasiers so volgende week is dit weer die jong spul met klein kinders want ons gaan Bermuda toe en dink daai kort trips is goedkoper en hulle soek die son en see vakansie.

 

18/09/23 HALIFAX CANADA

We sailed into port at about 8 this morning and were docked by 9 another of our fleet’s ships were docked in town today so they were also hanging around at sea until we could come into dock. I got off early to go and do shopping for our supplies are running low and then went back to leave the stuff on the ship and meet hubby.

Today we stayed in the port area and tried out a local brewery’s beers, just a pity did not have any food to go with the beer, so we ended up eating chips and popcorn with the beer tasting! The sun was out and was a beautiful day after all the rainy days, rough seas, high swells and wind, I was very glad to see the sun. Managed to post my week 7 blog today and will post again in New York. Tomorrow we are at sea so not much will be happening.

20/09/23 @SEA

The sea has been very rough we could hear the waves crashing against our porthole window all night long, rocked this way and that way. I took a video to show you how bad it was. We seemed to leave the rough seas behind us the neared we got to New York.

Yesterday while typing my blog, I had 3 interesting people next to me and could not help but to hear their conversations, traveling tips I will call their information, best thing in a new city is to go on the Hop on Hop off busses then you get to see most places of interest and saves time especially if you don’t have lots of time.

Also told each other of people on trips that latch onto you, and you can’t get away from them or you don’t like them and don’t want to be rude! Another topic was one needed some pep talk about his self-image, must pull his shoulders back and walk and talk with confidence, my genade this lady was divorced, retired had older kids and travelled all over the world on her own. Was nogal n mooi vrou,so dit was my geselskap gister middag of moet ek se intertainment.

More middag vertrek ons weer na Bermuda op my laaste besoek aan die eiland. We will have about 4000 passengers and after our trip up north to Quebec again I will be flying home, so very excited about that both of us looking forward to that,missing home.