Sunday, July 27, 2025

I've got some catching up to do..........Part 2




 We arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale on May 2.  On May 9 we made our way back for our next adventure on the high seas.  The cruise would take us up the eastern seaboard of the US and into Canada on the Holland America Zuiderdam.

There are eleven ships in the Holland America Fleet.  The Zuiderdam is one of their "Vista Class" ships.  It was launched in 2002 and has a capacity of 1,970 passengers, which makes it the third smallest ship in the fleet.  We have always leaned toward the smaller ships no matter what cruise line we are on.  We find them easier to navigate and they still offer the amenities that we enjoy.  

Our cruise departed Ft. Lauderdale on May 9.  It would end sixteen days later in Quebec City, Quebec.  Along the way there would be four ports of call in the US, four ports of call in Canada and some relaxing "sea days" thrown in the mix.  

Zuiderdam Itinerary 



Norfolk, Virgina-Our first port of call was Norfolk, Virginia.  Although we had been up and down the east coast of the US a number of times this was our first visit to Norfolk. Hopefully it won't be our last!
Norfolk has a population of just over 225,000 and is home to the world's largest naval base.  The naval base has over 4 miles of waterfront and can accommodate up to 75 ships.  The city has a long and proud history as a seaport for both commercial and military operations.

Several years ago, a modern cruise terminal was built adjacent to Norfolk's city center.  It is located just steps away from the Nauticus Museum which honors Norfolk's history.  Connected to the Nauticus Museum is the USS Wisconsin battleship.  The Wisconsin has been decommissioned and is now a part of the museum.  The museum(s) were excellent and made even better by the fact they were offering discounted tickets to cruise passengers.

In addition to the museums there is a nice trail (Elizabeth River Trail), city park, Waterside District (shops and restaurants) oriental garden and Freemason neighborhood that are worth checking out.  There was plenty to keep us busy for the day and make us look forward to visiting Norfolk again in the future.

The Nauticus Museum with the Zuiderdam docked in the background

The USS Wisconsin.  It was in service from 1944 (World War II).  It was deactivated after the Korean War.  In 1986 it was refurbished, reactivated and participated in Operation Desert Storm.  It was decommissioned again in 1991.

Oriental Garden

The treelined streets of the Freemason Neighborhood are worth checking out.



I made a new friend in Norfolk!




The USS Gerald R Ford was docked in the naval shipyard.  It's one of our newest and largest aircraft carriers.


Newport, Rhode Island-It wasn't quite summer yet, but Newport was starting to gear up for their busy summer season.  The area has a long history of being a playground to the rich and famous.  There are numerous massive waterfront mansions that were used by wealthy families.   They would show up in the summer, pack up and head out when the temperature started to drop.  The most famous of these mansions is the 70 room (48 bedrooms) "Breakers" where the Vanderbilt's entertained friends and family from the late 1880's until the early 1940's.  

The Breakers and several other mansions have been preserved and are now a part of the Preservation Society of Newport.  Tours are available and give a nice glimpse into a different lifestyle.  We toured several of them on a previous visit and really enjoyed learning about the history of the mansions and seeing what money can buy.

Even if you don't feel like touring the mansions, you can get a nice glimpse of many of them from the Cliff Walk.  It is a nice walking path with great ocean views on one side and the mansions on the other.  There is a local city bus that offers transportation out to the row of mansions.  

The Breakers as seen from the Cliff Walk

The Cliff Walk

The Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport.  You can access the grounds for no charge.  There is an admission fee for the museum.

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church where JFK and Jacqueline Bouvier were married on September 12, 1953.

Boston, Massachusetts-In between Newport and Boston, we had a "sea day".  This meant it took us approximately 36 hours to go between the two cities.  The irony of this is that the drive between the two cities is an hour and a half, or you could even walk between the two in around 20 hours!  I'm not sure if this was because of scheduling or the fact that the ship makes more money when it is at sea with the shops. bars and casinos open than when it's docked and the passengers have taken their wallets and left the ship behind.

One thing we have always enjoyed about Boston, is how compact and walkable it is.  It's a little bit of a walk from the cruise terminal to the Quincey Market/Faneuil Hall area or Boston Commons, but they both can be reached in about 30 minutes.  We enjoyed the walk through the seaport area which is developing rapidly, spending time in the Boston Commons and then going to the Quincey Market area before heading back to the ship.  It was a full day of strolling around one of our most historic, scenic and walkable cities.

Springtime in the Boston Commons
,


No, it's not Paul Revere.  It's George Washington

Quincey Market

Portland, Maine-Our last US port of call on this adventure up the eastern seaboard was Portland, Maine.
The city of Portland is rather small (pop. 65,000), however it is the largest city in Maine.  The cruise terminal is conveniently located near the compact city center which is full of shops, restaurants and bars, most with a nautical theme.  We arrived to chilly, wet conditions but we didn't let that stop us from our doughnut quest or enjoying roaming around the waterfront district.

The Doughnuts at Portland's Holy Doughnut are a little pricey, but well worth it.  The top one is Maple Bacon, and the bottom one is Key Lime.

Downtown Portland on a chilly, wet morning.....


Nomads.........our kind of store!

Lobster season was just about to start......the boats are ready


Halifax, Nova Scotia-We had paid close attention to the weather prior to leaving from Ft. Lauderdale.  It appeared as if spring had taken hold all the way up to our final destination of Quebec City.  Well.......we were wrong!  The cool, chilly day we experienced in Portland followed us up into Canada.  We had packed for "spring like" temperatures, but a late season cold front had settled in making it not quite spring like, especially for a couple of Floridan's.

Halifax is a fantastic city that we have enjoyed several times before.  It has a beautiful waterfront area that stretches for several miles.  It also has an amazing public garden that is easily accessible by foot (although it is a little uphill).  It was downright cold and windy along the waterfront.  We enjoyed the walk anyway and warmed up with a cup of Tim Hortons coffee along the way.  Once we reached the public gardens, we were a few blocks off the water and protected from the wind by the surrounding buildings and trees.  We enjoyed several peaceful hours in the gardens enjoying the sites and sounds before making our way back to the Zuiderdam.
    
A blustery day along Halifax's waterfront!

Halifax City Hall

St. Paul's Anglican Church

Halifax Public Gardens

Sydney, Nova Scotia-It was Monday, May 19 when we were in Sydney.  In addition to being our sweet daughter Sarah's birthday it was Victoria Day which is a Canadian Federal Holiday.  Sydney is a rather sleepy town, but it was really sleepy since it was a holiday.  We walked around a bit, gawked at the world's largest fiddle and called it a good day.

Happy Victoria Day from Sydney!

There is a nice waterfront walkway in Sydney.

It's billed as the World's Largest Fiddle.  I certainly haven't seen one that is larger.
Wentworth Park

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI)-Charlottetown is the capital city of Prince Edward Island.  Although it is small, it is a fun and lively place to visit.  There is a nice waterfront that is adjacent to the city center.  Outside of the city is Prince Edward Island National Park which is easily accessible by car.

On a previous visit to Charlottetown we had seen the play "Anne of Green Gables".  The play was based on a novel written by L. M. Montgomery in 1908.  The main character, Anne was an orphan who was mistakenly sent to a family who were expecting a boy who would be able to help on the family farm.  The setting is Prince Edward Island and of course there are twists and turns and tears and laughter along the way.  We enjoyed it very much and were excited to be able to follow Anne's adventures in the play "Anne and Gilbert".  In this play Anne is now a young woman who is reluctantly falling in love with her friend Gilbert.  The talent in the play was outstanding and it was a great thing to do on a cold, windy and damp day on PEI.

If you're going to be in Charlottetown, try to catch either "Anne of Green Gables" or "Anne and Gilbert".   Note: We purchased our tickets in advance directly from the theater at a considerable discount over the ship's excursion price.

The smiles were frozen on our faces!

St. Dunstan's Basilica


I felt right at home in Charlottetown

A really fun thing to see in Charlottetown


Quebec City, Quebec-After a couple of days of cruising on the St. Lawrence River we arrived at Quebec City, our final destination of this cruise.  The cold weather that we found in Portland, Maine had not only stayed with us but was now considerably colder with windchills around freezing.  I don't know if the local folks in the cruise terminal were trying to make us feel better, but they kept telling us how unusually cold it was for this time of year.  It may have made us feel a little better, but it didn't warm us up at all.

We took the complimentary shuttle bus from the terminal to an area near the city center.  We stepped off the bus, felt the temperature and hopped right back on.  We spent our last day in the cozy (warm) confines of the Zuiderdam.  We weren't too disappointed, we knew we'd be back in Quebec City soon!

Quebec City by day...........

Quebec City by night..........either way, it was cold out there!

California Dreaming-From Quebec City we flew to California to spend some time with Sarah, Joey, James, Emma and Hank.  It's always a blast seeing them and this was no exception.  The time passed quickly but it was a fun filled 8 days!


MiMi and Hank......all smiles

Daredevils at the school carnival!

Sharing a snowcone............

sharing Hank!

Spending the night with MiMi and Pop at the hotel.


We wore them out!

They wore me out!

At the beach.

We think he's always smiling.  Sarah and Joey beg to differ.

On the ferry to San Francisco


Still smiling!

Fun times!

Back to Florida and then back on a ship-From California we flew back to Florida and enjoyed a little visiting time.  On June 7 we headed back across the state to Ft. Lauderdale for another cruise adventure.  This time we would be on the Holland America Volendam for a 14-day cruise.  If you look closely at the itinerary below, you'll see it looks very similar to the previous cruise.  It's a nice itinerary at a nice price and we have to sleep somewhere!  Also, as I've stated before, at this point it's more about the journey than the destination.


Volendam Itinerary

The Volendam is the oldest and smallest ship in the Holland America fleet.  It was launched in 1999 and has a passenger capacity of 1,432 passengers.  It was refurbished in 2022.  It was comfortable and being so small I didn't have to go far on our morning coffee runs!

Newport, Rhode Island-Similar to our last visit, we enjoyed the Cliff Walk.  With the ocean on one side and the historic mansions on the other side, it's a walk we could enjoy over and over.  After the Cliff Walk we explored a little further along Thames Street, which is the main street through the downtown area. Newport was noticeably busier as the summer season was kicking off.

Warm and wet beats chilly and wet!


Boston, Massachusetts-Once again, we enjoyed the walkable city of Boston by walking!  We basically retraced our steps from our last visit. 

Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park

Another good bench!

We enjoyed a Lobster Roll from James Hook & Co which is located on Atlantic Avenue near the city center.


Portland, Maine-It was incredibly tough, but we fought off the temptation to pay another visit to Holy Doughnut.  We enjoyed taking the short ferry ride from the ferry terminal (adjacent to the cruise dock) to Peaks Island.  The small island is a great place to visit for a walk or bike ride (bikes are available to rent on the island).  We opted for foot power instead of pedal power and enjoyed the walk around the perimeter of the island.  

Off the ferry and ready to explore Peaks Island.  The island, which has around 1000 permanent residents, is very popular for day trippers.

Peaks Island Historical Museum

The museum wasn't open, but they invite you to enjoy the incredible views from their wrap around porch at anytime.

Great scenery all the way around the island.

Gilberts Chowder House!

Don't forget the blueberry pie.  After all, blueberries are a "super food"!

Eastport, Maine-Eastport has two unique distinctions.  With a population of just over 1,000 it is listed as the least populous city in Maine.  It is also the eastern most city in the United States, meaning they see the sunrise before anywhere else in the country.  
We had a very nice visit with a local gentleman who had lived in the area for a number of years.  He was very knowledgeable on the history of the city and area.  He was also appreciative of the 12-15 cruise ships that visit Eastport every year.  He told us that most of the ships visit in the fall and it has been very beneficial for the merchants by extending their "retail season" by 6-8 weeks.


I'm not sure if they count Mermaids when they do their census..............

............or larger than life fisherman!

A local civic club was hosting a lobster dinner fundraiser by the dock.  It was $30 for one lobster, mussels and corn on the cob.  For $10 more you could add a second lobster!  We were happy to support their local causes.

The aftermath!

Halifax, Nova Scotia-The weather for our day in Halifax this time was much better than what we had the previous month.  We had a tough decision to make.  We could either stay in Halifax and enjoy the waterfront area much more so than the weather had permitted on the previous visit, or we could head out of town on an excursion to Peggy's Cove and Lunenberg.  Quite honestly, we couldn't go wrong with either choice.  We ended up doing the excursion.  Peggy's Cove is a tiny, working fishing village known for its incredible scenery.  Beth took so many pictures, and they were all amazing.  

After some time in Peggy's Cove we traveled to Lunenberg, which is a small town along the shores of the appropriately named Lunenberg Harbor.  We had spent a couple of nights here a few years back and enjoyed seeing it again.  After departing Lunenberg we stopped briefly in Mahone Bay before returning to the ship late in the afternoon.  We missed spending the day in Halifax but were pleased with our choice!

A few of the many photos from Peggy's Cove






We made a new friend in Lunenberg!  The last time we were there we had the pleasure of meeting Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut.  

Mahone Bay

Beth made another friend in Mahone Bay!

Sydney, Nova Scotia-It was sunshine and blue skies for our day in Sydney.  Like our previous visit we enjoyed walking along the waterfront and around Wentworth Park.  We even did a side trip to the public library.........planning for more adventures down the line.

Greetings from Sydney!

Sydney sail away!

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island-When we were in Charlottetown the previous month we put a car rental on hold for this visit.  We used a local company called PEI Car Rental.  They have an office in one of the hotels near the cruise terminal which made picking it up convenient and quick. Driving around Charlottetown and Prince Edward Island is easy and fun.

A friendly volunteer in the cruise terminal confirmed our basic route was a good one and even offered a few suggestions.  Not long after docking we were in our rental car and on our way out of town.  We enjoyed exploring the Central Coast Scenic Drive from Cavendish to Gran Tracadie.  We stopped at several beaches in the Prince Edward Island National Park, had a great lunch at the Blue Mussel in North Rustico and Ice Cream at Harvey's Dairy Bar in Gran Tracadie.  One easy way to describe our day is PEI..........Oh My!  It's a great place to visit!

Entrance to Prince Edward National Park

One of the many beaches in the national park

Fresh halibut at the Blue Mussel!

The Blue Mussel is small and unassuming on the outside with delicious food on the inside

Lupine is a wildflower.  We said it was Canada's version of Texas's bluebonnets.

Harry's Dairy Bar is a bit off the beaten path but worth tracking down.

After Harry's Dairy Bar be sure to check out the beach and dunes

PEI.......OH MY!

Quebec City, Quebec-Quebec City is incredibly beautiful, however, the weather for both our visit in May and return visit in June wasn't so great.  The one nice thing about this second visit is that although it was another rainy day, it was about 30-40 degrees warmer.  

There is a free shuttle that will deliver you from the cruise terminal to an area near the city center.  From the drop off point you can either walk up a fairly steep incline or take a funicular.  We chose a different option.  We took a taxi from the terminal to an area near the parliament building.  From there we enjoyed exploring the city center and walking downhill to the cruise shuttle drop off and pick up point.  Rain or shine, Quebec City is a fantastic city to explore!

Liquid sunshine to make the flowers grow!

Quebec City Center has several pedestrian only streets that make exploring by foot even better.


The Chateau Frontenac is believed to be the worlds most photographed hotel.


Montreal, Quebec-Our cruise on the Volendam ended in Montreal.  We were happy to have booked two nights here before moving on.  Montreal is the second largest city in Canada (Toronto is the largest) and there is plenty to see and do here to keep you busy for many days.  We made the most of the limited time we had enjoying the area around Old Montreal.  We walked so much the first day that when we ended up in Chinatown on day two we made an impromptu stop for a refreshing foot massage!

Place Jacques-Cartier a great place to eat, shop and people watch in Old Montreal.

Jardin Nelson Restaurant-Nice food and live music on the patio


Plaza near the Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal.  Throughout the day there are talented buskers performing.

The Volendam sailing away without us!

We were out exploring early.  There wasn't much action in Chinatown yet.......

but the masseuses were ready to relieve the tension in our feet and legs.

After our hour-long foot massages Chinatown was coming to life.  There was a long line outside this noodle shop, so we joined right in.

We can't recall what we ordered,

but it was yummy!

 New York State of Mind-After our two days in Montreal it was time to head south, back to the US.    We took the Amtrak train from Montreal to Saratoga Springs where Ben met us.  The train ride was an adventure in and of itself.  It was a really hot day which from what we were told meant the trains had to run at a reduced speed.  This would not have been so bad, but the air conditioning seemed to be working at a reduced speed as well.  We arrived at Saratoga Springs a few hours late, but we made it in spite of Amtrak's best efforts.  

We enjoyed looking around Saratoga Springs the next day before heading back to Ben's area for a few more days.  The good news was that when we went to leave, Ben left with us and was able to spend a couple of days in Florida for our annual beach house reunion.

We hope to return to Saratoga Springs

Congress Park

There are amazing "summer cottages" in Saratoga Springs

The Museum of Racing is dedicated to the horses, riders and trainers of horse racing.

The Center Courtyard of the Museum of Racing is dedicated to horse racing's most famous champion.  We learned that every horse in this years Kentucky Derby had a bloodline that could be traced back to Secretariat.

Allie enjoys her walks in Binghamton's Ostiningo Park, but we think her favorite part is when the walk is over.


Not only was Ben able to come down for a few days, Debbie's daughter Kimberly was able to come down from Kentucky as well.  Here's Debbie, Kimberly and NaNa enjoying a visit and of course a snack.

As much as Beach House is a tradition so is breakfast at the Manatee County Public Beach. 

Sunrise on the bay side of Anna Maria Island

First cousins minus one.......Sarah, you were missed!

Beth, Kimberly and Debbie enjoying the pool during an afternoon rainstorm.

Beach House is a family tradition on Beth's side of the family that goes back around 100 years.  It's an incredible tradition.  There were four generations represented and SO many little ones!

Well, that about catches me up for now.  But it's a safe bet that I'll be behind again real soon.  Beth and I will be leaving Florida on Monday, July 28.  Our destination is California for some time with Sarah, Joey, James, Emma and Hank.  We'll then visit Mammoth Lakes for the first time before heading into Oregon and on to Washington.  In Washington we'll be catching up with some dear Texas friends.  After that it's "north to Alaska".   We won't be alone on our Alaska cruises, but that's a story for another day!