Gallivanting Grandma

Monday – August 7, 2017

A thin light squeezed through the opening between the curtains so I suspected the sun wasn’t shining.  It was a gray rainy morning.  The ship had traveled all night long and anchored off the tiny town of Red Bay, Labrador.  At 8:15 AM it was 59 degrees with eight knots of wind blowing.  According to the captain’s log, we’ve traveled 1107 nautical miles so far.

This was a “tender” port, which means the ship drops anchor off shore and we have to ride in the ship’s tenders to get to land. These are actually the ship’s lifeboats which can hold up to 120 people (according to the sign) but as tenders they are “full” with about 50 passengers.  They’re covered fiberglass boats with uncomfortable bench seats and life jackets suspended from the ceiling.  I couldn’t imagine having to spend much time in one of these tenders for any length of time or in an emergency situation.

After the last tender port fiasco when we had to wait an hour and 40 minutes to get on a boat, we didn’t rush to get our shore tickets.  We had a leisurely breakfast and then made our way to the gangway.  This time there was little waiting and no crowds, so we surmised that people must have complained about the last time.

It was raining lightly as we boarded the tender for the ten minute ride to shore.  From a distance Red Bay, Labrador looked very small and barren.  There were no trees and all the houses were wooden clapboard structures – some painted in bright colors – randomly strewn along the rocky shore. I wondered how and why Holland America chose this location to stop. Red Bay is in a remote location, far from civilization. Many wild flowers were in bloom and despite the gray weather, it was a beautiful place.

Friendly local greeters stood in the rain smiling and welcoming us as we arrived at the dock.  They passed out maps of Red Bay (really!) and an information brochure.  I could see the entire town from where I stood.  Red Bay has a population of 230 people and many townsfolk turned out to welcome us and serve as guides and interpreters in their three public buildings which serve as museums and a Visitor’s Orientation Center.

Red Bay is an ideal natural harbor because it’s sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by a large offshore rock called Saddle Island.  According to legend, Viking explorers came ashore 1000 years ago and called the local sandy beach the “Wonderstrands.”

According to a brochure from the Canadian Parks Service, Red Bay is “World Renown” and is a UNESCO Heritage Site to pay tribute to whalers who came from the Basque region of Spain during the 16th century.  The fishermen hunted for whales and processed whale oil on Saddle Island for the European market.

As we explored Red Bay, rain began to fall heavily.  We walked up hill for a panoramic view of the town and to see the Basque “chalupa” which was used to hunt whales.  The boat was well exhibited along with whale bones.

It was a wet walk back to the tender dock.  The wind had picked up along with the rain and we stood in a building with a hundred other cruisers waiting for transportation back to the ship.  The tenders were running late because the seas were getting rougher and they had to go slow.  Our ride back to the Rotterdam was more like an amusement park ride in the choppy water.  Between the rain and the leaky tender, we were soaked by the time we got back to our cabin.

Now I can say, I’ve been to beautiful Red Bay Labrador!

A hot shower, dry clothes, and a large cup of hot tea warmed me up for the rest of the afternoon.  We’re enjoying this cruise company much more than the Princess Lines which had constant sales pitches everywhere: photographs, booze, art, clothes, jewelry, excursions, etc.  The Rotterdam seems to be low key and relaxed.

We decided to go to the Dining Room for dinner and we shared a table with two couples; one from Ontario Canada and the other from Utah.  They were about our age, and pleasant conversationalists, and politically liberal so we had an enjoyable evening.  After dinner, Jeff and I went to the theater to see a comedy show by Mike Robinson.  He was an excellent ventriloquist and quite funny.

Sunday – August 6, 2017

I had trouble sleeping last night because the ship pitched and rolled as it crossed into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence on its way from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Corner Brook, Newfoundland.  This morning the sun was shining brightly at 7:40 AM and it was a brisk 59 degrees.  According to the captain’s log, we’ve traveled 905 nm since leaving Boston.

Corner Brook, located on the western side of Newfoundland, is the second largest city after St. Johns’ with a population of about 22,000 people.  The Rotterdam was docked when I awoke and outside our balcony there was a new multi-level apartment complex.  The city looked prosperous probably due to the large paper mill just off our starboard bow.  When the wind shifted, pungent odors wafted over the ship from the mill’s smoke stacks.

After breakfast, Jeff and I were walking down the gangplank at 9:20 AM.  Recorded Celtic folk music played a welcome song as passengers disembarked.  At the end of the dock there was a woman sitting on a bench holding the leash of a huge black dog, a ‘Newfie” or Newfoundland Retriever, named Satchie.  They have been greeting passengers for many years.

The city was built on hills rising above the harbor, so we were glad to catch a school bus shuttle into the main part of town.  The driver took the long way around Corner Brook giving us a scenic tour and then let everyone out near Village Hall.  Local people had set up tables outside and were selling a variety of arts and crafts.

We hadn’t booked an excursion because they didn’t interest us.  We looked up the main street.  It was Sunday and most of the stores were closed.  I suggested a walk to Tim Horton’s to take advantage of their wifi.  This chain is the Canadian version of our Dunkin’ Donuts but with better coffee.  We had a couple of “Timbits” and coffee while I checked my email and wrote to my family again.  There wasn’t much to do in Corner Brook, although people greeted us and locals said “Welcome” as they passed us on the street.

We rode the shuttle back to the ship and ate a light lunch in the Lido Cafe.  Our cabin happens to be across the hall from one of the few Laundry Rooms on board.  Lucky me!  So I did a quick wash & dry during lunch.  In the afternoon, we had time to explore and take photos of some of the authentic art objects displayed all over the ship.  The Rotterdam is the flagship of the fleet and proudly exhibits its museum quality art collection.

By 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon, the temperature was a comfortable 75 degrees with the sun peeking out from behind clouds. We relaxed for the afternoon and at some point went up to the “Crow’s Nest” for a Trivia game.  We didn’t lose too badly and it was fun!

The ship pulled away from the dock punctually at five o’clock.  We went up to one of the top decks and watched the men on shore cast off the lines.  The Rotterdam blasted its horn and we were sailing away from Corner Brook.  The weather was beautiful so we sat for a while to watch the beautiful scenery of Newfoundland pass by.

We had pizza and salad for supper at the “New York Pizza” station.  It was decent pizza, but it definitely was NOT New York pizza!  Not even close to the ‘olive oil dripping down my hand and arm’ New York pizza of my youth!  It was pizza at sea!

We kept ourselves busy with several activities: blogging, trivia contests, walking around the ship, etc.  And time moved quickly.  Later at night, we stopped by the B. B. King Blues Club to hear some music.  At ten o’clock, we went to the second show of the Not Really Three Tenors comedy act with singing.  They were two tenors and a baritone and they were funny and very good singers!

Saturday – August 5, 2017

The moon was barely visible last night as dense fog enveloped the M.S. Rotterdam.  I slept very well despite the ship’s fog horn blaring intermittently through the night.  When the purring engines stopped this morning at seven o’clock, the stillness woke me up.  We had docked alongside the harbor in Sydney, Nova Scotia.  It was a bright gray day with a soft breeze blowing – 66 degrees F.  We’ve traveled 678 nautical miles from Boston.

Sidney, Nova Scotia is located on the easternmost tip of Cape Breton Island off the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia.  It boasts a rich history of Gaelic heritage and British Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution.  The Scottish-born inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, lived and worked here.  His house and museum are impressive and fun to visit.

At eight o’clock an announcement stated the gangways were in place and people could disembark.  Jeff and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the Lido Cafe.  We took our time leaving the ship because we had planned to walk around and explore on our own.  Sydney is a small town with a few historical sights near the cruise port.  I stuffed my daypack with a rain jacket and umbrella (just in case), Off insect spray & wipes (someone mentioned black flies), a “head net” (another black fly deterrent), and my camera.

As I walked down the gangplank, I heard bagpipe music.  Passengers were greeted by a bagpipe player fully dressed in formal Scottish attire, playing tunes.  A giant 30 foot fiddle, known as Fidheal Mhor A’Ceilidh, was built near the cruise terminal to commemorate the unique musical heritage of Cape Breton.  It’s a local tradition to have your photo taken in front of the fiddle.  A Tall Ships Festival was being held this weekend and several historic sailing vessels were in port.

We walked up the hill to St. Patrick’s Church and Museum, the oldest Roman Catholic church in eastern Nova Scotia. It was a small stone white-washed building with an array of tombstones out back. Inside there were folding chairs and cabinets with historical artifacts.  An older man sitting on a raised platform played a guitar and sang sea chanties and lovely folk songs. He had a lovely voice which echoed across the stone room of the former church.

Well maintained colonial wooden houses overlook the harbor.  We continued walking to the Jost Heritage House Museum built in the 1780s.  A youthful costumed guide gave an informative tour and talked about life in Sydney during the past two hundred years.  A family lived in the house until 1991 when it was given to the city of Sydney to become a museum.  Historical tool and artifacts were donated to the museum and the original kitchen was uncovered in the basement.

Across the tree-lined street was the Cossit House built in 1787.  The young woman dressed in a colonial costume who greeted us at the door immediately began to tell us about her passionate interest in finance and the NY Stock Market. There was another young woman in the colonial kitchen telling the story of the family who lived in the house.

Down the street was St. George’s Anglican Church which is the oldest building in Sydney.  Several volunteers told tourists the history of the church but we didn’t stay to hear stories.  We were enticed by a sign pointing to a “Craft Sale” behind St. George’s.  On the next street we noticed loud music and many people with Rainbow flags and banners.  As we watched, two local vendors from the craft market began to talk to us and we learned that the people were preparing for the Annual Gay Pride Parade which was planned to start soon.

We walked back to the main street which was closed to traffic and decorated for a festival.  Each intersection was painted with large swatches of Rainbow colors, vendors had set up tables to sell crafts, and several food trucks had long lines of people waiting to buy snacks.

Families, men, women, children, and crowds of people lined the parade route.  Many wore rainbow face paint or colorful outfits and carried balloons and banners.  It was a lively celebration!!

Afterwards, we returned to the cruise terminal.  We had heard about the free wifi available in the building on the dock.  We entered to find a couple hundred people quietly sitting and staring at their mobile devices.  I guess I wasn’t the only cruiser suffering from wifi depravation!  I joined my fellow passengers and crew members and sent emails to my family.  I miss communicating with everyone.

We went up to the highest deck to watch the Rotterdam slowly pull away from the dock at five o’clock.  In a few minutes the ship was in the channel and chugging out into open waters.

Later in the evening, Jeff and I went to dinner in the dining room.  We were willing to share a table and sat with four people who had homes in Florida.  Dan and George lived in Tampa year round when they weren’t sailing on some cruise ship.  Dan logged 207 days on cruise ships this  past year.   Linda and Bill spent summers in New Jersey and winters in Delray Beach when they’re not cruising.  Holland America has a star merit system which awards frequent sailers.  We learned there are 400 Five Star Cruisers and 500 Four Star Cruisers aboard this ship for the Voyage of the Vikings.  That’s a lot of frequent cruisers on a ship with 1,400 people!