Iceland2019

We had a wonderful view of the city, Plains of Abraham, Chateau Frontenac, and the old town as we sailed into port this morning. After a leisurely breakfast, we waited in the Observation Lounge for our debarkation orders. They were running a little late but that didn't bother us as our train doesn't leave until 1:00. We picked up our luggage and were escorted to a taxi that brought us to the Via Rail Station and the business lounge. We have coffee and tea available as well as a couple of English language newspapers to help us while away the hours from 10 to 1:00. No washrooms here though, we have to mix with the hoi poloi. Thus begins the first part of our voyage home. I really enjoyed my hamburger and chips last night after so much wonderful food. Norma was pretty miserable so only ate half of hers and only managed a few bites of birthday cake. Both of us slept well and woke feeling a little better this morning. We were served lunch between Quebec City and Montre

Last night we went back to the sushi bar for a scallop appetizer that we had enjoyed the night before. We ate dinner at Elements and it was the first poor meal we have had. We both chose the halibut and it was overcooked and really smelled fishy. We picked up some dessert in the Azure Cafe to enjoy in our room. Norma's cold seemed to have gotten much worse and we had an early night. She didn't sleep much as her coughing kept her awake. We have decided to have a room-service meal of hamburger and fries tonight. This morning finds us sailing to Tadoussac where the Saguenay River meets the St. Lawrence and where an abundance of krill mean the presence of whales. The area is designated as a Marine Park. We saw three whale blows last evening but were too far away to tell what species. We are told that we might see 13 species of whales and marine mammals but wildlife sightings are not guaranteed on our whale-watching tour this afternoon. This morning we pack! Hard to

Mingan Archipelago National Park, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec We are docked in this small town on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. We were late getting here as the ship had to proceed slowly as a Right Whale was spotted last night. We are going to Ile Quarry via a smaller boat to meet with a Parks Canada presenter for a 3-kilometre hike. We hope it will be more of an excursion than the last hike which was about the length of a football field. We had dinner at the sushi bar last night where we dined on a variety of dishes - all excellent. We gained an extra hour and a half last night so woke early and went for breakfast at 7:00. When we got back to our room, we discovered that we had ordered room service for breakfast and had a full meal waiting here for us. Talk about scatterbrained, senior moments, and brain farts - and both of us had them at the same time! Our jackets were in the room last night and we found them to be too big so we hope to exchange them tod

Last night we both enjoyed another excellent meal at the Asian restaurant Koko's. We managed not to close the restaurant and actually got to bed relatively early. We had breakfast in our room as we had an early start. We landed at Woody Point where some of the locals gave us a taste of Newfoundland hospitality - handing out all kinds of goodies for those of us going ashore. Here again, the drastic effects of the moratorium on the cod fishery were explained. Most of the young people left. However, these small fishing villages have transformed themselves into tourist destinations. Woody Point and others proudly display signs proclaiming them as Ideal Towns. Newfoundland has experienced much hardship in addition to its climate. WWI took away a generation of young men that might have become future leaders of the province. Their regiments suffered devastating losses. After that, we were told that Great Britain wanted its debt replayed and when it proved impossible, revoked

Battle Harbour was once the salt fish capital of Labrador and today is preserved in the history of that by-gone era. It is a National Historic District of Canada where the history and buildings have been preserved. A local guide will give us an introduction and then let us explore on our own. Norma is hoping to pick up some cough drops for her cold. We took a zodiac to this preserved village that reminded us of Upper Canada Village near Morrisburg and were told that the tour wouldn't be leaving for a half hour. We set off to the general store to see if they stocked cough drops but it was more of a tourist/gift shop so it will be off to the medical centre this evening. We wandered around a bit and talked to some of the other guests - mainly Australians while we waited. We didn't bring our QuietVox and the tour grew huge in numbers so that if we were at the back, we couldn't hear or see so we struck out on our own. Only the commercial buildings and the church were o

I am going to write up the post of the meal we enjoyed at the Chef's Table last night when I have more time to describe it. I will only say that neither of us have enjoyed such wonderful taste sensations - 12 courses - each one unique and flavourful and beautifully presented. Today we anchored off the coast of Newfoundland and had an hour ride in a school bus to Saint Anthony's at the northern tip of the island. There we boarded a small boat for exploration and whale-sighting hunt. The wind had picked up so we were told we couldn't head into the Atlantic but there was a small chance that we might see a whale. As we headed out toward the ocean, the seas got quite rough - I was wondering if I should have taken a Gravol. But, amongst the many diving Northern Gannets (they put on a tremendous show as they climbed to a great height, folded their wings so they were shaped like a missile and dove (they reach depths of 40 feet), a humpback whale was spotted very close to us