By Jerry Davis on September 21, 2011
Today Irene and I hosted the full day Ensemble excursion in Quebec and we had a wonderful time. Our group included 41 guests from Ensemble agencies all over the US and Canada.
We started from the pier in the morning and made the short drive to National Battlefields Park, aka the Plains of Abraham, where the famous battle between British and French forces was fought in 1759, deciding the future history of Canada as a British possession. We stopped on the way at Cap-Diamant for an amazing view of the St. Lawrence River, the Lower Town, and the sweeping landscape on every side.
Our next stop was the Chateau Frontenac Hotel, which is on an awe-inspiring height 200 ft. above the River. This is where French explorer Samuel de Champlain constructed his first fort in the early 1600s. This Frontenac is the world’s most photographed hotel—easy to see why! It was built in the 1890s in the classic style of a French castle and dominates the Quebec City skyline. From there we went to Place-Royale, the market square in the Lower Town that has been restored to highlight its beautiful 17th and 18th century architecture.
Time for lunch! Quebecois cuisine is delicious and interesting, French but definitely Canadian. We had a wonderful lunch at Restaurant Les Ancetres, good food and a beautiful riverside setting overlooking Quebec on the Island of Orleans. From there we traveled into the Quebec countryside to visit the basilica of Saint Anne de Beaupre, Canada’s most famous pilgrimage church. Originally it was a simple chapel for sailors, but it evolved into a large basilica which has a long tradition of healing various illnesses and disabilities. The pillars at the front are covered with crutches left by people who claimed to be healed here.
We came back toward Quebec City along the scenic Avenue Royale and finished up the tour at Montmorency Falls, a fabulous waterfall half again as high as Niagara that plunges down a 270-plus foot cliff to the St. Lawrence. A great finale to our excursion.
Posted in New York to Montreal on the Crystal Symphony |
By Jerry Davis on September 18, 2011
Irene and I decided to take a Crystal excursion to Peggy’s Cove, about an hour drive from downtown Halifax. On the way we stopped at the deGarthe Gallery. This was a charming gallery of paintings and sculptures by one of Nova Scotia’s best-loved artists, William deGarthe. The highlight is his Fisherman’s Monument, a 100-foot long relief carved into an outcropping of granite rock, dedicated to Nova Scotia fisherman.
Peggy’s Cove is a typical, picturesque fishing village, with a striking lighthouse—a photographer’s paradise: light house, fishing nets, lobster traps, tiny fishing boats—it’s hard to imagine it could be any prettier. It makes me wonder how much money visitors paid for slides and prints before we all went digital.
Posted in New York to Montreal on the Crystal Symphony |
By Jerry Davis on September 17, 2011
Yesterday, the Symphony docked in Boston. Irene went ashore to take a tour of Boston and Cambridge, while I stayed aboard to get some work done. Then today we reached Bar Harbor, Maine, which is a favorite of ours. We always enjoy spending time in Acadia National Park.
We decided to take the Crystal excursion with a small group, a hike up Goreham Mountain. We’d read that it was somewhat strenuous, but decided to do it anyway. It was very beautiful but rocky (after all, this is Maine), which made for difficult walking. Afterwards, we stopped in Bar Harbor for clam chowder, a real treat. There’s nothing like local cooking done the right way.
This afternoon Irene and I hosted the Ensemble cocktail party for guests from Ensemble travel agencies in the US and Canada. It was a beautiful afternoon, and we all marveled at the sunset and sailed away from a very special place.
Posted in New York to Montreal on the Crystal Symphony |
By Jerry Davis on September 15, 2011
We had not visited Newport, Rhode Island in over 30 years. We decided to take the Crystal excursion to The Breakers, the famous Vanderbilt mansion, and then a drive around the other mansions and coast.
The Breakers was fabulous. Spacious bright rooms and incredible furniture. The grounds are exquisite, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. We walked to the Touro Synagogue, which is the oldest in the United States, the building dating back to the 1750s. The congregation was founded in the late 1600s! We had a fascinating tour of the synagogue, and enjoyed listening its the history and the story of its founders.
Posted in New York to Montreal on the Crystal Symphony |
By Jerry Davis on September 14, 2011
After living in and around NYC all our lives, we became Big Apple tourists for the day. It was a beautiful Indian summer day so we took the complimentary Crystal shuttle early in the morning that dropped us off near Times Square. First stop: the discount Broadway ticket booth where we got tickets for the musical Memphis, the matinee performance.
We then walked to the Museum of Modern Art, and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours seeing the exhibits. One of our favorite things about MOMA, is the outdoor sculpture garden. If you close your eyes and just listen, you’d think we were in a foreign country—we hardly heard a word of English. There are so many foreign tourists in New York! We walked back to the theatre and enjoyed the show. It turned out to be a little stressful, in that the show ended at 4:45—and no empty cabs to be found—and we had to run back to the ship on 12th Avenue on the Hudson River, as the Symphony was sailing at 6 pm, all aboard at 5:30. We made it, but Irene wound up with blisters on her blisters.
Posted in New York to Montreal on the Crystal Symphony |
By Jerry Davis on September 13, 2011
Having been on so many cruises, it surprised many of our friends to learn that Irene and I have never been on a New York to Canada sailing. Well, we’re off on Crystal Symphony, volunteering as Ensemble hosts for this New York to Montreal itinerary.
Crystal Cruises is one of my favorite cruise lines and I’m sure this cruise won’t disappoint. The ship is absolutely spotless, and the crew, in my opinion, is just about the best at sea. The food is fabulous, both in the main dining room and at the specialty restaurants, Prego and Silk Road.
One thing that sets Crystal apart from other lines is their range of activities during days at sea. The lecturers are excellent! I’ll take several courses in digital photography, and anxious to learn more about Adobe Elements 9. This, in itself, is very worthwhile, and courses like this are free. Crystal has bridge teachers on every sailing and we plan on taking lessons and playing duplicate bridge several afternoons.
I love the ease of getting to the ship. We live in New Jersey and a car is taking us directly to the terminal. No airports, no change in time zones. Absolutely great!
Posted in New York to Montreal on the Crystal Symphony |
Time for lunch! Quebecois cuisine is delicious and interesting, French but definitely Canadian. We had a wonderful lunch at Restaurant Les Ancetres, good food and a beautiful riverside setting overlooking Quebec on the Island of Orleans. From there we traveled into the Quebec countryside to visit the basilica of Saint Anne de Beaupre, Canada’s most famous pilgrimage church. Originally it was a simple chapel for sailors, but it evolved into a large basilica which has a long tradition of healing various illnesses and disabilities. The pillars at the front are covered with crutches left by people who claimed to be healed here.
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