HAL: New Foundland and New England Discovery
August 27 - September 9, 2022
Around the end of March, this year, Holland America sent out one of their many cruise brochures and we saw what looked like a short, fun cruise from Boston to Quebec City, and signed up. Since the return date was only 3 weeks from our trip to South Korea and Japan, we checked to see if we needed visas for either of those countries. The answer at that time was "no," so we figured there would be no problems. You remember the Robert Burns line about "the best laid plans of mice and men . . ." Well, in July Japan decided US travelers needed a visa and things became very complicated. In the end it all worked out, but more money changed hands and the blood pressure/anxiety levels suffered, a lot. We did manage to get the Japanese visas 9 days before departure. That made final preparations for that trip more bearable.
At any rate, we decided to fly to Boston a couple days early (to avoid any airline problems/last minute changes) and to stay over a couple extra two days in Quebec City (Marge had never been there) at the end of the cruise.
Trip Map August 25-26-27
August 28
August 29
August 30
August 31
September 1
September 2
September 3
September 4
September 5
September 6
September 7
September 9
Thurs., 8/25 - Tucson to Boston
ArizonaGo drove us to the Tucson Airport so our car could remain in the garage and out of some of the summer heat. Our American Airlines flights to Boston, via Dallas, were uneventful.Fri. & Sat, 8/26-27/22 - Boston
Friday morning was spent in the hotel taking our “medically supervised” COVID tests on-line (tests were negative) and filling out the rest of the VeriFly and ArriveCan forms. Next was a very hot walk to a nearby mall where we found a “Stop & Shop” for a couple of purchases, including a roast beef hoagie for dinner. Lunch was at Wendy’s and we made it back to the hotel shortly before a lovely electrical storm deposited lots of rain.
Saturday morning, we took the 11 AM free hotel shuttle to Terminal B at the airport where we were fortunate enough to get on the “first” shuttle bus to the Black Falcon Cruise Ship terminal. At the terminal we joined the very long queue to enter the terminal building (#1- over an hour) to get in the next queue (#2- at least 20 min.) to go through scanners to get into the (#3-15 min.) queue to check in. Here Gale’s cane qualified us for the short line. Check-in was a snap (2 min.) for us because we were among the few who had successfully completed both VeriFly and ArriveCan. The whole process was a mess. The terminal people were totally unprepared for the 1,800 people who were trying to check in. No telling how long it would have taken if there had been the full complement of passengers (2,600). Finally, we boarded the MS Nieuw Statendam and got into our room (1160) around 1:30. Our suitcases were already there! Immediately, we went up to have lunch in the Lido before it closed. Next was unpacking, touring the ship, and having champagne in a lounge - benefits of our 4-star Mariner member status. After some time to relax, we met Donna and Doug Wigton, our friends from home, for dinner in the main dining room. Sail-away was two and a half hours late, at 7:30 PM because it took a lot of extra time to load the supplies.
HAL: New Foundland and New England Discovery
Sun., 8/28/22 - Portland, ME
The MS Nieuw Statendam arrived in Portland, ME and docked at 7:00 am - right on time.After breakfast in the dining room, we went out for a stroll along the waterfront. There were kiosks where women were selling their arts and crafts. The Maine Narrow Gauge RR museum is on the waterfront and a train was just arriving.
First port-of-call
Weathered building
Harbor
All ready for beginners
Maine Narrow Gauge RR Museum
Maine Narrow Gauge RR
Maine Narrow Gauge RR
Maine Narrow Gauge RR
Our stroll continued around to the “beach” at the East End, and up the hill to the memorials where Ft. Allen once was. Along the way there were lots of old Victorian-style houses to admire.
MS Nieuw Statendam dwarfs local traffic
Eventually, we walked back toward town and returned to the ship for lunch in the Lido.
The afternoon was spent touring more of the large new ship (it holds 2600 but had only 1800 on this cruise) and found a nice spot to sit and read and watch the sailboats on Portland Bay.
Sailing away from the Portland harbor
Portland Head Lighthouse
Portland Head Lighthouse
Boat for the harbor pilot
A nice champagne toast in the auditorium while the captain introduced members of the crew preceded a nice dinner in the dining room with Donna and Doug. They went to the late show in the auditorium and we took our evening stroll the length of the ship and then returned to our room.
Mon., 8/29/22 - St. John, New Brunswick
The Nieuw Statendam docked in St. John, NB at 10 AM.
After the ship was cleared by Canadian Border Control, we went ashore and spent two hours enjoying St. John. The tourist desk in the terminal provided a walking tour map that we followed to several “Uptown Places of Interest” such as the old city market on Charlotte St. It is a National Historic site. The side aisles sold prepared foods and vegetables, meats, fish, and cheeses. The center aisles had more individuals selling handmade items and homemade souvenirs. It was an interesting comparison to markets all over the world.
Flag of New Brunswick
New Brunswick license plate
Saint John High School, founded 1805. The oldest publicly funded school in Canada
Clock commemorating the incorporation of the city on
May 18, 1785.
Canada's answer to Starbucks
Interesting, but not much like the markets we encounter in many other countries.
Across from the market, King’s Square has a 1908 two-story bandstand and a memorial to King Edward VII.
Bilingual sign
Bandstand memorial to King Edward VII
A short walk to Germain St. brought us to the 1877 Trinity Anglican Church. A lady greeted us and she would have given us a tour but we wandered on our own. The church organ pipes were unusual. The clock in the steeple was also unusual and is probably storied. There are nine bells in the steeple, connected somehow to the organ, and can play Christmas and Easter carols. There is a six foot fish at the top of the lightning rod at the top of the steeple. Old, historic, and interesting.
Trinity Anglican Church
Main organ
Pipes for a smaller organ
Trinity Anglican Church
Steeple of Trinity Anglican Church - six-foot fish at the top
Further down Germain St. is the old (1815) Church of St. Andrew and St. David. It is closed and in very poor condition, as in condemned. It would be a shame not to restore it.
Interesting sign
Haven't seen this image in years
Apartments
Church of St. Andrew and St. David
Church of St. Andrew and St. David
Steeple of the Church of St. Andrew and St. David
Next we walked through Queen Square park where a farmers’ market is held on Sundays. There is a monument and statue of Champlain. He came into the Bay of Fundy in 1604 and was the first European in St. John.
Statue of Champlain in Queen Square Park
We walked back down to the waterfront and read the plaque to the Three Sisters “historic navigation lamp.” Legend has it that three sisters would stand there looking out to sea, waiting to sight the ship bringing their husbands back from fishing. At the same park is a memorial to the Irish immigrants who arrived here during the Irish potato famine.
Three Sisters navigation lamp
Nice flower
Next to the ship terminal was the “Container Village” where locals were selling food and crafts out of shipping containers.
Today’s visit gave us the impression that St. John's locals were very happy to see us. Not everyone from our ship went the three miles up river to try to see the “reversing falls” or tidal bore, where the sea tide runs up river with a three to five foot wave. The Bay of Fundy has one of the highest tidal changes in the world at 28 feet.
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