Month: September 2024

Emerald Princess at Quebec City

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We arrived at the cruise terminal early which is something we’ve done many times before. The plan was to drop off our checked baggage then park the car. I guess we were too early for this port. We were directed to an area to drop our luggage but could not access it. The security people either looked at us and shrugged or refused to acknowledge English. As a last resort we found the parking lot, a four level garage, where we found a spot on level three. A full investigation found no elevators. Thankfully. wheels on luggage has been invented so we pretended to be a vehicle and rolled back down the same ramps we just used.

We headed for what appeared to be the terminal nearest the ship. As we got closer we indeed found a couple of dock workers loading luggage onto the familiar dollies. These are palettes with three sides off heavy wire mesh. Luggage is loaded through the one open side. Once loaded it can be moved on its wheels or picked up by a fork lift and staged near a loading door win the ship’s side. Now we joined a second queue to await the opening of the checkin area. Much of the confusion was due to our early arrival but once the boarding process got underway we were on the ship in less than 30 minutes.

The weather in Quebec City is overcast and breezy with occasional rain. Since we have visited the city on several previous occasions we decided to not wander the streets. Perhaps the weather will be better when we return in three weeks. So we have used the time to explore the ship and catch up on laundry.

It took a while to get internet access set up on the ship so I’ll post this without additional photos then add photos and publish again on our trip from Charlottetown to Sydney while we are at sea.

Randy Komisar

And then there is the most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want Lawrence Block on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.

Lévis, QC, last stop before embarkation

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There were two words for the day. First was Pohénégamook, the interim destination to avoid the construction on Autoroute 85. Second was rain. We awakened to rain which varied in intensity culminating in a torrential downpour as we approached Quebec City and Lévis. As a result, there are no new photos today. The traffic approaching Lévis was reminiscent of Burlington.

We decided to make a trial run to the cruise port to get an idea of what tomorrow might look like. A few things are not yet clear but I expect there will be traffic control at the port. I just need to drop off our checked luggage and park the car. The rain continued until we returned to our hotel in Lévis.

The rain has now stopped and the forecast for tomorrow is cloudy with sunny periods until late in the day. We board the ship around 11 AM. You can find the Princess Bridge cams HERE and we will be on the Emerald Princess

Next post from the Emerald Princess.

Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression, ‘As pretty as an airport.

Moncton to Grand Falls

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Once again we turned a 3 hour tour into a 6 hour tour. We took on fuel and visited a car wash to get rid of the red dust we had accumulated on yesterday’s off highway experience.

I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the Bay of Fundy before heading to Grand Falls. I set the GPS to point to New Horton, just a name on the map, and I think I asked for the shortest route. The route took us across the Petitcodiac River notwithstanding a sign clearly labeled “Fundy”. We were directed along a rural road. Several times we read the label “Fundy” on signs and each time we were directed to a different route.

We eventually found ourselves on a Provincial Highway 114. A very decent road. Suddenly the GPS directed us to Caledonia Mountain Road. It appeared as if we would be on this road for about 18 km (8.5 miles). It started out a little rough then it became an 18 km rollercoaster. The road was basically a collection of asphalt patched. Many of the patches had patches. Near the top of the mountain we were rewarded with some spectacular views of the Bay of Fundy. Soon after we completed the mountain road we again found ourselves on, you guessed it, Highway 114.

We had begun using paper maps on our Cabot Trail trip so we were using a New Brunswick map to supplement the GPS. Gail spotted an off path viewpoint called Cape Enrage we began searching for it as we drove. Thinking we might have passed the turn off we stopped beside the road. A woman traveling the opposite direction stopped to make sure we were not in need of assistance. We assured here we were simply lost looking for Cape Enrage and someplace for a bathroom. She told us we would see the Cape Enrage road soon and that Alma would be the next place to have public toilets.Her advice was perfect.

The road to Cape Enrage was tortuous with steep climbs and descents. It was worth it as today’s photos will prove. Services at the top were closed for the season so we returned to Highway 114 and continued through Fundy National Park. With that excursion complete we pointed toward Fredricton and ultimately, Grand Falls.

Tomorrow will be another short day to Levis. The challenge will be to avoid the construction on Quebec Highway 85.

Eric Weiner

Conventional wisdom tells us… we take our baggage with us. I’m not so sure. Travel, at its best, transforms us in ways that aren’t always apparent until we’re back home. Sometimes we do leave our baggage behind, or, even better, it’s misrouted to Cleveland and is never heard from again.

Antigonish to Moncton

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It is only about a 3 hour trip directly from Antigonish to Moncton but we turned that into 6 hours. We took the coastal route by heading to Cape George then along the coast to Pictou. We continued toward Tatamagouche eventually returning to highway travel to Amherst via Oxford. Ok, get out your Nova Scotia map and chart that trip. Finally to our Moncton hotel where it turns out we had earned a free night. The receptionist upgraded that to a small suite as an anniversary gift..

The trip was really nice, through rural communities and small towns. Sometimes we were right on the coast. I had intended to get a photo of something we found a bit mysterious but by the time I thought of that I had no opportunity. The mystery is why there are reasonably large fishing boats dry docked in back yards. I’m guessing it has to do with some forced change in occupation.

Another short day tomorrow. Let’s see what we can conjure.

Aldous Huxle

To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.