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Holland America Cruise: Voyage of the Vikings
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Wed., 724/19 - Green Valley to Phoenix
In order to use frequent flyer miles for this trip, we had to fly out of Phoenix because United couldn't get us on the same flight out of Tucson. Then, to save the price of parking at the Phoenix airport for 6 weeks, we drove to the Tucson Airport to pick up a Thrifty rental car, drove back home to park the Subaru in the garage, and then drove to the Phoenix airport area and checked into the LaQuinta Hotel. Quite complicated. Haven't figured out if we really saved money or not. Our flight to Boston was at 6:30 in the morning so we had to go up to Phoenix the day before.
Thurs., 7/25 - Phoenix-Houston-Boston-Portsmouth, New Hampshire
The flights were uneventful. Arrived early in Houston so the very short layover worked out and the next gate was handy so we avoided any rushing through IAH. The Boston arrival was on time and the rental car was waiting for us. The drive to the Anchorage Inn hotel in Portsmouth, NH was uneventful in spite of the rush hour traffic coming out of Boston. Dinner was at the Roadside Diner in a Best Western Hotel. It was a very popular place and the food was good.
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Fri., 7/26 - Portsmouth to Freeport Maine to Boothbay area of Maine
After a rather lazy start, we drove to Freeport ME to “shop” at LL Bean and several outlet stores. We did not find anything to buy - didn't want to carry on on our 35-day cruise, anyway.
For lunch, we drove down to Harraskeet Restaurant on the wharf in South Freeport. Marge had her first Lobster Roll of the trip and I ate pork and beans left over from last night’s dinner.
It was a lovely drive up to Boothbay Harbor and to our hotel at Ocean Point, the Ocean Point Inn. It is a very nice resort type hotel. Our room is nice and the area is a quiet residential area. We are on the bay and away from the crowds.
Dinner was at the Lobsterman’s Wharf where we ate 1 1/4 pound lobsters with corn-on-the-cob, salad, and rolls while overlooking a marina. We got back to Ocean Point to watch the sun set across the bay. It was a huge red ball.
Sat., 7/27 - Boothbay Area
Today we drove into the main shopping area of Booth Bay Harbor, after a detour to stop at the Edgecomb Pottery Gallery. They always have had museum quality items.
In town, we were lucky to find a parking place - it was very crowded with tourists. The BH library was having a craft sale fund raiser. We were enchanted with wood pieces zapped by 12,000 volts of electricity passing through the wood surface and creating unique “Lichtenberg figures.” Instead of carrying an item with us for the next 30+ days, we have the young woman’s card and can order something online when we get home.
Lunch consisted of crab cakes and clam chowder at the Blue Moon Cafe where we sat looking out at the marina.
Dinner was two more lobsters with corn-on-the-cob at the Lobsterman’s Co-op in Boothbay Harbor. We had another spectacular red ball of a sunset.
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Ocean Point Inn |
Tiger lilies and the bay
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Bay at Ocean Point
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Lily pads and flowers in the Resort's lake |
Sun., 7/28 - Boothbay Area
Today was spent at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. The gardens were conceived in 1991 and opened to visitors in 2007. It was a beautiful day in a wonderful place. We started at the native Butterfly House with many adults, caterpillars, and chrysalises of butterflies and moths. One way to tell a moth from a butterfly is that butterflies land and put their wings up together and moths leave them spread open.
We strolled through the gardens, ate lunch at the cafe, and hiked the three trails - Brook, Shoreline along the Back River, and Maine Woods. It was a good workout and very peaceful.
Dinner was at the Lobsterman’s Wharf again. Marge had a 1 1/2 pound lobster and I had a crab cake. It was pleasant on the wharf looking at boats, the inlet, and land across the way.
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The Gardens feature sculptures by local artists
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Mon., 7/29 - Boothbay to Boston
After another nice breakfast buffet - not the usual waffle/scrambled eggs affair, we packed up to head back to Boston. We were lucky to have had such gorgeous weather and beautiful scenery. So different from Arizona!
The drive back to Boston was fine until we got to I-93 from I-95. We drove 5 MPH or slower but got to the hotel (Holiday Inn Express) by 4 PM.
Dinner was at Applebees and was not lobster.
Tues., 7/30 - Beginning of another adventure - Depart for the Voyage of the Vikings
After another nice hotel breakfast, we googled our way under Boston Harbor and found the Logan Airport rental car return, left the car, and then shuttled over to Terminal A baggage claim for Delta and “mustered” for the transfer to our ship, Holland America’s MS Zuiderdam. We boarded a bus with our three suitcases stored underneath and rode the ten minutes back under the Boston Harbor to the Cruise Terminal. Since we are now “4-Star Mariners” some of our check-in process was expedited. (To be a 4-Star Mariner we had to sail on HAL ships for 200 days and now we get free laundry done on board! That’s the main motivator to become a 4-star.)
We boarded, found our stateroom, 8128, on the Navigator Deck (8th up), port side, very aft, and went up one deck to the Lido “Market” for lunch. Then we walked around decks 2 and 3 to get acquainted with this HAL ship. After that we unpacked for our 35-day stay and gathered our laundry that will be washed free of charge. At 4:30 we had our mandatory life-boat drill.
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MS Zuiderdam
Our cabin, indicated above, was not our choice. HAL changed ships and the cabin we had selected on the main deck, mid ship, was not available, so they "upgraded" us to deck 8, very far aft - we call it the rock and roll section - which it did!
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Main street in Bar Harbor
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Nice sculpture atop the building |
Thurs., 8/1 - At Sea
Sea days mean programs on board. Gale participated in an excellent arts and crafts gathering and we attended a couple of lectures concerning Canada, and the Basque whalers and cod fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Fri., 8/2 - Sydney, Nova Scotia
Today seemed like the first day of our vacation. Sydney, NS has a charm all of its own and we have not been here before. Sydney may be the largest town on Cape Breton Island but it appears to be a quaint coastal village with amenities, friendly people, unique arts and crafts, and is known for fiddle music. At the dock (no tenders necessary) was a terminal building with free WiFi, booths selling crafts, three kids playing fiddles, and a four-story high violin.
We strolled (not much aerobic advantage) along the well-maintained boardwalk and read the information signs. Sydney is a steel manufacturing town and was a major convoy port sending steel and coal to Europe in both World Wars. They were “slow convoys” of old merchant ships and many were blown up by German U-boats.
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Flag of Canada
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Flag of Nova Scotia |
Nova Scotia license plate on a fancy car
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Welcome to Sidney,NS |
Neat little houses |
Large fiddle at the port
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Marge stopped to get a photo of a Nova Scotia license plate. A member of the local “First Nations” tribe asked if she wanted to see a more unique license plate. His pick-up had a First Nations plate with the logo of a petroglyph of a compass. He was quite proud and interesting. |
First Nations license plate
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Canada's Starbucks - Tim Horton's Coffee and Donuts
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Fri., 8/3 - Corner Brook, Newfoundland
Marge was a bit" under the weather" this morning - something in the dinner didn't agree too well. So Gale went off to the pier to find her souvenir spoon and take a small peak at Corner Brook.
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Flag of the Province of Newfundland-Labrador
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License Plate
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Lumber mill
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Sun., 8/4 - Red Bay, Labrador
The Zuiderdam anchored at the lee of Saddle Island. After a few tenders took some passengers to shore, the fog dropped in and tender service was suspended shortly after it was started. The fog was so thick the tenders could not see the ship or shore and the wind was sending ice “growlers” our way. Eventually the fog cleared and the captain resumed tender service at 11:30. After a light lunch we went ashore in the rain.
Red Bay has red rocks at the shore line. The port was used by Basque fishermen and whalers in the 16th c. In 1978 underwater archaeologists discovered a well-preserved 16th c. chalupa whaling dory and a Basque galleon, the San Juan.
We walked to the temporary visitor center but declined to pay $6.55 Canadian each to wander the small museum. Instead, we browsed the souvenir shops. Things were understandably expensive. Then we walked to the United Church on a hill to look around and across to Saddle Island. We decided not to take the trip across to the island because of the rain. Red Bay must smoke fish in wood log teepee-type structures.
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Welcome sign
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Fish drying/smoking rack and wood for the fire |
Butterflies on the wall - we first saw this in Nova Scotia many years ago and bought a couple for our house
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Local United Church
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Church's cemetery |
Back on board, we went to another talk, this one by an Australian, Dr. Craig Cormick, on Viking Settlements in North America. He added humor to his talk. Five expeditions by Norsemen from Greenland began around 1000 AD. There were two Sagas written about these endeavors, 200 years after they occurred. So far only one Viking settlement has been identified - L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.
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Huge ice berg in the distance
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Since it was another sea day, we attended three lectures about Norse voyages and our first two Greenland stops at Paamiut and Nanortalik. Gale went to another craft class and started a cross-stitch project.