Here, there and everywhere – September – Belfast, Ireland

Botanical Gardens & Palm House

As I mentioned in my blog Taking a look back at 2019, over the coming months I would share some wonderful trips we took in 2018 and 2019.  What I will do today is finish a cruise we took in September of 2018 to several ports-of-call in Ireland and a stop at Ponta Delgado, Azores.

Butler House, Dower House of Kilkenny Castle, Waterford, Ireland

Glendalough Monastic Site

When last I posted about this cruise, we had already visited the cities of Waterford and Dublin and loved them both.  Today we will be visiting the city of Belfast, Ireland.

There was no rush again today so we made our way up to the concierge lounge for our morning coffee before joining Doug and Sue for a leisurely breakfast.

Our tour today, “Leisurely Belfast & Panoramic Highlights” will take us on a bus tour around the city with stops along the way including the Stormont Parliamentary Building, Botanic Gardens, Cave Hill and Belfast Castle.

Belfast is Northern Ireland’s capital city, the largest city in Northern Ireland and played an important role in the Industrial Revolution.  As of 2020 Belfast has a population of 631,000.

The weather conditions for today called for cloudy skies and cool temperatures so we were sure to wear jackets and bring umbrellas.

Parliament Buildings

 

Our first stop of the day was at the Parliament Buildings located on the Stormont Estate area of Belfast and is the seat of the Northern Island Assembly.  The building was quite beautiful but the view was even more impressive.  We only stopped long enough to take a few photos and we were off again.

 

BBC Broadcasting House opened in 1941.

We continued our journey through the town with our tour guide pointing to many interesting sights along the way such as murals adoring many buildings along the way.  In particular, I liked a very large mural promoting peace and understanding.  We also passed the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) building.

‘Beacon of Hope’ sculpture by Andy Scott in 2007

Continuing on, we crossed Queen’s Bridge and caught a glimpse of the ‘Beacon of Hope’ sculpture in Thanksgiving Square.

Titanic Memorial on site of Belfast City Hall

Scottish Provident Building

 

 

As we rolled through the streets of Belfast, our tour guide pointed out many styles of architecture that makes up the city’s character.  The architecture of the city is a mix of Edwardian, Victorian and Modern.

Queen’s University of Belfast – Lanyon Building

We passed the Scottish Provident Institution, the Titanic Memorial on the grounds of City Hall and the Queen’s University of Belfast Lanyon Building.  All were beautiful.

The second stop on our tour was at the Botanical Gardens and Palm House.  I was really looking forward to this stop as I do so love visiting gardens wherever I travel.  The gardens have an interesting history opening in 1828 as a private garden and eventually opening in 1895 to the public. The gardens occupy 28 acres of south Belfast.

I must say the Palm House conservatory was very impressive.  The Palm House conservatory was opened in 1850 and has two wings; the cool wing and the tropical wing.

 We walked around the grounds and through the glass house and enjoyed looking at the all beautiful specimens of flowers, plants and exotic trees.

Huiredach’s Cross (replica) – early 10th century

 

While we waited for our bus, we made a quick dash into the Ulster Museum which is located in the Botanical Gardens.  I only had a few moments but managed to get a look at a few displays.  I wish we had more time to explore but we were off to our next stop.

Grand Opera House

 

As we made our way to Cave Hill, we passed through a number of quiet neighborhoods, caught sight of the Europa Hotel and the Grand Opera House.  One building representing Victorian architecture, the other modern.  Both were very nice.

Looking down at the Cat Garden at Belfast Castle.

Our final stop for the day was Belfast Castle located in Cave Hill Country Park.  What a view!

 

We learned from our guide that the Belfast Castle we were visiting was the third castle to be built.  The first was built by the Normans sometime around the 12^th century in the city center. A second was built on the same site in 1611.  Unfortunately it burned down.

Fire place in Shaftesbury Room

The castle we were visiting today was finished on its current site in 1870.  The day we visited we were only permitted to step into the reception area and roam the grounds as there was an event taking place inside.  Randy did walk inside for just a moment and managed a few shots of the fireplace and staircase after he left the office.

 

We walked around the grounds admiring the Scottish Baronial style and a lovely winding stone staircase that leads out to the courtyard and garden.

The grounds were just lovely.  One of our very favorite attractions at the castle was the courtyard and the Cat Garden.  There were images of cats, a topiary cat, cat sculptures and mosaic cats.  Both Randy and Doug had a marvelous time walking from cat to cat and striking poses petting these wonderful cats.  Too funny!

It had been a lovely day and now it was time to return to the ship.  On our way back to the ship we passed the Titanic Museum.  According to our tour guide, “The museum is located on the site where the Titanic was designed, built and launched in 1912”.  This huge 6-story building, opened in 2012, looked very much like a giant iceberg to me.

We finally returned to the ship and spent the rest of the day enjoying cocktails with friends, a wonderful and delicious dinner and relaxing.

Our next stop is Cobh, Ireland.

Enjoy,

Mary

 

 

Cruising the Great Lakes Part XI – Toronto, Canada Day 2

Toronto sign at night. Beautiful!

What an outstanding day!

Today is our last day in Toronto and we are on our own to explore the city.  Randy, Doug, Sue and I had to make a few decisions; where to go, where to eat lunch and how to get there.

Over breakfast we decided to visit Chinatown, eat in China town, visit the train museum and our mode of transportation would be; walking.

That settled, we asked for directions to Chinatown and we were off.  The first thing that caught my eye as we were walking along was a sculpture of a cable news car crashing through the former City TV building.  I remember thinking, “Well, that’s dramatic!”

 

We finally arrived at our destination; Chinatown.  Toronto’s Chinatown dates back to the 1870’s and definitely is an experience.

 

 

There were so many people milling about the street and inside the stores.  We popped in several of the markets and small shops as we walked along.  Walking along reminded me growing up in New York as a child with all the fruit, vegetable and flower stands outside on the sidewalks.

The Gateway by artist Millie Chen

Another sight that you cannot miss is the dragon polls in the median strip down Spadina Avenue.  In an article in News Region Toronto, “The piece is called Gateway, the four beings seen together from the Chinese character “men” which means gateway”.

 

We came across the Dragon City Mall and decided to stop in and see what was there.  The first thing you see as you enter the mall is a stall that serves Hong Kong egg waffles made fresh to order.  The mall is five stories tall and houses a variety of shops filled with Chinese foods, souvenirs, clothing, medical services and a variety of places to grab a bite to eat.

 

It was nearing time to find a restaurant for lunch.  We walked along looking at a number of menus posted in restaurant windows and finally decided to eat at the Taste of China Seafood Restaurant.  The menu was so expansive I had a hard time trying to choose a dish for lunch.  I eventually choose a chicken and rice dish and it was very good.

Our next destination was the train museum.  We knew that it was close to the CN Tower and were trying to decide whether to walk or catch a taxi.  Most of the taxi cabs were going in the opposite direction.  We could see the tower and felt that it was not that far away so continued walking.

9′ tall Thimble sitting atop a stack of buttons called, Uniform Measure/Stack

Cat on a chair where Chinatown meets Kensington Market

I was so glad that we decided to walk through town today as it gave us an opportunity to enjoy some very interesting grafitti and sculptures along the way.

 

The Audience

 

 

Well, the tower was a little farther away than we imagined but we finally made it.  To get to the CN Tower and the Roundhouse we needed to cross over the Union Station Rail corridor next to the Rogers Center.  We walked across a beautiful cable-stayed bridge lined with beautiful hanging baskets brimming with flowers and a sculpture on the side of the center called, ‘The Audience’.  It was quite a site.

 

The CN Tower is the tallest free-standing tower in the western hemisphere and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

We entertained the thought of going up in the tower but decided against it because it was quite expensive and the lines were long.  Instead we walked around the area stopping here and there to take pictures.

 

Our last and final stop was the roundhouse complex that was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1929.

 

The Roundhouse Park was created in 1997 on top of the southern expansion of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  This lovely area features the original and operational 120 foot-long locomotive turntable and a collection of full-sized railway equipment and, to the delight of visitors, a fully operational miniature live steam railway.

I do believe that Randy and Doug enjoyed this area very much as they walked from train to train.

Also on the ground of Roundhouse Park is Steam Whistle Brewing.  The Steam Whistle beer is brewed in the John Street Roundhouse and was, “named for the inspirational sounds of steam rushing from factory whistles, signaling the end of a fulfilling workday and a time for reward”.

We ordered our beers and found a table outside in the courtyard to enjoy a bit of a rest after so much walking and enjoy the view.  We were joined by a delightful couple visiting from Texas and had a wonderful conversation.

It was time to return to the hotel.  We needed to pack for our journey to the airport and home the next day.  We were back to the idea of walking or taking a taxi.  We decided to walk.  Again, the decision to walk was a good decision until a most unfortunate turn of events.

About three blocks from the hotel I took a crashing fall.  I went down in a heap.  Many people came to rescue and tried to assist.  I assured them that I was okay and that my camera actually took the brunt of the fall.

Our wonderful tour guide, Antoine

I did not discover until I reached home that I had actually fractured my elbow.

Fractured elbow aside, this truly was a wonderful day and one of the most amazing cruises I have taken.  I loved the small ship atmosphere; I loved the tours that were arranged on our behalf and I just loved our Vantage Adventure Tour Leader Antoine.  Antoine was knowledgeable, interesting, always available and very funny.

Until my next adventure, please stay safe and healthy.

View of the CN Tower at night

Enjoy,

Mary

Cruising the Great Lakes Part X – Toronto, Canada Day 1

Nathan Phillips Square

Today is the last day of our wonderful cruise through the Great Lakes.  The next two days we will spend in Toronto, Canada.

We were up very early in the morning for a quick breakfast before preparing to disembark and make our way to our hotel.  On our way to the hotel, we were treated to a lovely panoramic tour of the city.

 

Our first stop on this city tour was the Historic Distillery District.   According to our guide and the site’s webpage, “The Distillery District is a National Historic Site containing 40 Victorian buildings and hundreds of industrial artifacts that collectively recall Canada’s industrial past and the proud history of the former Gooderham & Worts Distillery”.  The distillery was founded in 1832.

 

Love Locks

As we walked around, I found the area to be a beautiful blending of old and new coming together creating a lovely place to shop, be entertained and spend an afternoon or evening enjoying a wonderful meal.

 

Our next stop was the St. Lawrence Market.  What a beautiful market.  I have visited many markets on my travels and loved our walk through this one.  Everywhere you looked was something that was both colorful and tempting.

We then made a very short stop at the Cathedral Church of St. James.  The church was established in 1797 and opened for services in 1853.  Like so many churches I have visited, it was quite beautiful.

Old City Hall

 

We continued our city tour passing many beautiful and historically significant buildings to the history of the city.  On our journey we also drove past Fort York.  I was amazed to see the fort in the middle of the city.  We learned that the fort is an early 19^th-century military fortification used by the British and the Canadian militia for its garrisons, and to defend the entrance to the Toronto Harbor.

Beautiful lobby.

We finally arrived at the Sheraton Centre Toronto and had a chance to get our room, rest just a bit then we were off to meet Doug and Sue to look for a place to eat lunch.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Quinn’s Steakhouse.  My lunch included a wonderful, soothing cup of Irish coffee.

Later that afternoon we joined Doug and Sue and took a short walk in Toronto’s underground. PATH Toronto  is an amazing underground complex of shops, restaurants and connecting paths to other hotels, office buildings and Toronto’s subway.

By now, it was nearing dinner time. It was a lovely evening to be out and about so we approached the concierge desk and asked for a recommendation to a restaurant within walking distance.  The concierge recommended several but highly recommended a restaurant called The Golden Thai.  We were off!

Wonderful Panang Gai: Chicken Curry. Chicken breast in a red coconut curry sauce with vegetables. Delicious!

 

 

What a wonderful recommendation.  I loved the small, intimate atmosphere, the service was wonderful and the food was delicious.  As soon as we returned to the hotel, we made sure to thank the concierge for his recommendation.

 

View of the Old City Hall from the Nathan Phillips Square

When we left the hotel for dinner we exited by the back door. On our return we decided to walk around to the front entrance and the walk over to the square across the street from the hotel.

The Nathan Phillips Square is a beautiful open space that was created to enjoy all year round.  During the spring, summer and fall the square becomes a large water fountain and pond with a large TORONTO sign as backdrop.  During the winter months the fountain turns into an outdoor skating rink. Like any good tourists, we decided to take pictures at the sign.

 

It had been a long and very enjoyable day but it was time to return to the hotel for a quiet evening.

Tomorrow we are off to explore Toronto on our own.

View of the city from our room.

Enjoy,

Mary

Cruising the Great Lakes Part IX – Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, Ontario

Beautiful view of both the American and Canadian falls.

What a lovely, colorful and fun day!

Today we are docked at Port Colborne, Ontario situated on the north shores of Lake Erie near the Welland Canal.

We were up early and greeted this morning with a bright blue sky and temperatures that promised a very nice day indeed as we boarded a bus for a ride through the beautiful Niagara Peninsula.

Me and Lana getting ready to board the Mais-of-the-Mist

Lana. Barry, Randy and me having a delicious dinner at the Skylon Towers

 

Visiting Niagara Falls again brought back fond memories of a wonderful motorcycle trip we took in 2007 with our friends, Barry and Lana.  On that visit we were on the Maid-of-the Mist. Later that day we enjoyed a delicious dinner high atop the Skylon Tower.  What a view and what a meal! Fun, fun, fun.

Today we will board the Hornblower catamaran and sail up close and personal to Horseshoe Falls.  Our bus left us off a few blocks from the entrance to the falls.  It was mid-morning and still there was a long line waiting to board the funicular for the ride down to the dock and board our boat.

Riding the funicular was wonderful as it afforded us a great view of both the American and Canadian falls and the city skyline.  We only had to wait a short time and then off we went.  We donned our red, hooded rain ponchos, and with great anticipation found a spot on the top deck of the boat and enjoyed the ride.

Look at this beautiful rainbow!

 

I love this sail to the falls so much.  We spent our entire time laughing, squealing and trying to protect our cameras/cell phones as we were constantly being covered with sprays of mist from the falls.  So much fun!  Fortunately, the day was sunny and warm and before long we were dry and ready for the ride to our next stop on this lovely excursion.

It was not easy to keep the camera lens dry try as I might.

From the falls, we stopped at the Niagara Whirlpool.  The whirlpool is located along the Niagara River along the Canada-US border between New York and Ontario.  I don’t believe the last time we were here that they had a cable car crossing high above the whirlpool but I have since learned that it was first put into service in 1916 and is the only one of its kind in the world.  WOW!

From here we continued our journey on the Niagara Parkway to visit the famous Floral Clock north of the Botanical Gardens.  According to our tour guide, “The intricate designs on the face of the clock are created with up to 16,000 carpet bedding plants and are changed twice each year”.

Our next stop was the beautiful Chateau des Charmes winery for lunch.  Oh my, what a beautiful setting for a lunch and wine tasting.

We were escorted out to a large white tent with a lovely view of the vineyard.  The tables were set beautifully and the buffet was a feast for the eyes.

W enjoyed two lovely salads, a variety of sandwiches and absolutely yummy desserts.

As we enjoyed our lunch a resident sommelier introduced us to several wines produced at the winery.   We tasted 3 wines; a rose, a Riesling, a Cabernet Sauvignon that are grown and bottled on the estate and a very interesting wine called Vidal icewine that is bottled on the estate.  The icewine is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. All the wines were tasty but I especially enjoyed the icewine.

Elliott, a cruise friend of ours who lives nearby, stopped by the winery while we were there. The tour was over and we were preparing to reboard the bus so we were only able to spend a few precious minutes with Elliott but what a nice surprise.

The drive to the next stop was quite eye catching as we passed through a lush landscape of trees, beautiful homes, park by the lakeside and a lovely marina.

We finally arrived at a town that evoked such words as lovely, picturesque, quaint and so very welcoming.  My first thought as we drove through Niagara-on-the-Lake was, “How wonderful.  I have never seen so many flowers anywhere I have visited. Lovely, just lovely”.

Designed by Toronto architect Charles Wilmott, it was unveiled on 3 June 1922

Our first sight entering the town was a beautiful clock tower.  I learned that the clock tower is dedicated to the memory of Canadians who died in the service of their country during World War I.  I thought it was quite lovely.

And then, there were the flowers.  There were flowers down the median, flowers hanging on lamp posts, flowers adorning every building.  It was just amazing.  I loved it.

 

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada and sits on the southern shores of Lake Ontario.  As I mentioned before, Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes in surface area and second smallest in depth.

We set off walking down the main street first on one side and then down the other.  As we walked we would pop in and out of many of the stores.

One building that definitely caught my eye was the Prince of Wales Hotel.  The original hotel was built in 1864.  According to the history of the hotel is that it had three previous names. Its current name was chosen, “To honor the 1901 visit of the Duke and Duchess of York, who were later crowned King George V and Queen Mary.”

 

We decided take a short walk through the hotel. What catches your eye as you walk into the entrance is a large, beautiful stained glass window featuring the Greek goddess Athena.  I wanted to see where afternoon tea was served and found it to be a very comfortable drawing room all set up for tea.  I could just imagine myself having tea there with my friends.

We eventually returned to our bus for the ride back to the ship.  The rest of our evening was a bit quiet.  We enjoyed a very nice dinner, attended a presentation by our shore excursion specialist, Wendy about our final disembarkation and retired for a quiet evening in our cabin.

Tomorrow we dock at our final destination, Toronto, Canada.

Enjoy,

Mary

Cruising the Great Lakes Part VIII – Cleveland, Ohio

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

“There’s no better way to get your  point across than to put it in a beautiful song.”          Ed Sheeran.

What a wonderful day!

Today we docked on what some call, “America’s North Coast” to visit the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

Today we are on Lake Erie which is smallest of the Great Lakes.  It is the fourth-largest Great Lake in surface area, and the smallest in depth.  Legend has it that Lake Erie is the home of a 30-40′ monster named Bessie.

We were up early to enjoy a full breakfast before heading to the dock and go through immigration.

Our plans for the day included a visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a trolley tour around the city.  There was a bit of a chill in the air as the skies were gray and there were impending storms in the forecast.

After going through immigration, there was a trolley waiting to shuttle us over to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but frankly, it was only a short walk from the dock so we elected to walk. The Rock & Roll Hall of fame opened on September 2, 1995 followed by a benefit concert at the Cleveland Municipal Stadium that featured such music notables as James Brown, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Booker T. and the M.G.s.

To say that I love music would be such an understatement.  I grew up listening to classical, gospel, rhythm and blues, big band, country and rock and roll and loved it all.  So, I was very excited to be visiting a place that honors and preserves the artists stories and their wonderful music for future generations.

 

You walk into level zero and what do you see?  Hanging high above the entrance is the Phish Hot Dog Stage Prop that flew above the audience at the 1994 Boston Garden New Year’s Eve concert while singing “Auld Lang Syne”.  Too funny!  “Well,” I thought “this is definitely setting the tone for what we will see as we walk through the exhibits”.

There are six levels of this amazing building with each level having a distinctive theme.  Each level was jammed packed with things to see, things to read, things to listen too.  I loved it!

We started in the Stewart Gallery chronicling the of history and the roots of rock including blues, gospel, R&B, country, bluegrass and folk music.  As I walked around I found myself remembering how many hours of my youth I spent listening to many of these artists on display.

There were so much memorabilia on display that it was hard to choose what to take photos of.  What to do, decisions, decisions. So, I shared a few of my favorites.

We came upon a room filled with pinball machines. I had a blast playing the “Who’s” pinball machine and, if I say so myself, I believe a score of 26,339,090 was pretty good.

Eventually, we needed to make our way back to the ship for lunch and prepare for our trolley ride around the city.  So, with souvenirs in hand we left with a commitment to return one day.

By the time we boarded the bus, droplets of rain started to fall from the sky forecasting a very wet afternoon.

The Consummation of the Divine Promise

As we drove through the city, our tour guide talked about the history of the city and shared that we would be stopping at the Lake View Cemetery to see the Jeptha H. Wade Memorial Chapel and then proceed to the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The Jeptha H. Wade Memorial Chapel was absolutely beautiful.  The building of the chapel was commissioned by Jeptha Wade II in memory of his grandfather Jeptha Homer Wade, a founder and first president of Lake View Cemetery in 1869.  Commissioned in 1896, the chapel was completed in 1900.

We were ushered into the chapel and were astounded at the beauty of the interior.  We learned that Louis Comfort Tiffany and his studio staff created the entire interior, called “The Voyage of Life”.  The chapel interior is illuminated by the stained glass window, The Flight of Souls, by which the consummation of the Divine Promise is depicted.

“The Law and the Prophets” of the Hebrew Scriptures – Seven oarsmen – the Pillars of Wisdom of Proverbs – bear shields with the names of the ancients who foretold the coming of the Messiah: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, David, Hosea and Micha.

Tiffany artist Frederick Wilson designed the mosaic glass walls, and Clara Driscoll and her staff of women artisans’ executed the creation.  Our photographs could not do justice to what we saw as we were not allowed to use flash photography.  But that is fine as I need only to close my eyes and see all the beautiful images and colors in my mind.

“The Fulfillment and Enlightenment” of the Christian Scriptures – Seven oarsmen – the gifts of the Holy Spirit – bear shields with the names of the Champions of Christendom: Saint Anthony, Saint Denys, Saint James, Saint Patrick, Saint David, Saint Andrew, Saint George

Our next stop was the Cleveland Museum of Art.  We were very fortunate as we pulled up to the museum as there was a temporary respite from the rain.

The museum’s opening in 1916 was made possible by Cleveland industrialists Hiniman B. Hurbut, John Huntington, and Horace Kelley.  Jeptha H. Wade II donated the Wade Park property for the site.

Randy, Doug, Sue and I walked around taking in and enjoying several exhibits.  I loved the Ames Family Atrium very much.  It truly was a beautiful space.

The Ames Family Atrium is called, The Gathering Place. and is an integration of sound, sculpture, and textiles.  Ámà:The Gathering Place was created by Nigerian born Emeka Ogboh.

Wild men and Moors Tapestry about 1400

We  enjoyed walking through several exhibits.  One exhibit that was very unusual was called, “Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens and Monsters.  Several of the tapestries in this exhibit were quite thought provoking.

All too soon it was time to meet our trolley for the journey back to the ship.

 

The evening seemed to go by very quickly as we enjoyed a presentation by our shore excursion specialist, Wendy about our visit to Niagara Falls, a farewell cocktail party sponsored by Captain Kerr, dinner and an evening of music.

 

Once again, we had a busy, wonderful day.  Tomorrow we dock on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

Enjoy,

Mary

Cruising the Great Lakes Part VII – Windsor, Ontario, Canada

What a wonderful day of discovery!  Today we are off to the Henry Ford Museum and the Greenfield Village in Detroit, Michigan

We were up early this morning as we needed to eat breakfast, collect our passports from the purser’s office.  The weather prediction for the day was partly cloudy with temperatures ranging from 68-80° so; we thought it prudent to take along light jackets.

We needed our passports as we would be boarding a bus to make the trip across the Ambassador Bridge to the American side on our way to the museum located in Dearborn, Michigan.

Our tour guide gave us a little history lesson about the bridge and the city of Detroit as we rolled along.  We learned that the bridge is an international suspension bridge that connects the cities of Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario and is one of the busiest border crossings with over 10,000 vehicles crossing the bridge every weekday.

Once across the bridge, we stopped at the border to have our passports scanned as we entered the U.S.

 

We finally made it to the museum.  We were given our tickets to enter the museum and the village and $20 in ‘fun money’ to be used at any of the dining options available in the museum or village.  And then, we were off on our own.

 

 

1858 Rogers wood burning locomotive. It was renamed “The President” in honor of President Herbert Hoover when it was selected to pull the specially built cars used in 1929 during the ceremonies marking the opening of the Henry Food Museum and Greenfield Village and the 50th anniversary celebration of Thomas Edison’s invention of the First practical electric light bulb.

The museum was started in 1928 and was originally started for educational purposes.  The museum opened in 1929.

Ford Branded Rolex Clock

As soon as we entered the museum I thought, “How in heavens name are we going to be able to see it all and where do we start?”  We decided to start in Driving America and, oh my, I was in love with everything I saw.  We saw trains with their engines, cars and in some cases a caboose.  Can you image how large the space had to be to accommodate these trains?

We spent the next couple of hours walking from one exhibit after another stopping here and there to examine an exhibit.  It would take much too much to describe everything we saw so I will share a few of my favorites.

1914 Detroit Electric Model 47 brougham. Henry Ford’s wife Clara drove this car into the 1930’s.

We moved on to the many cars that were on exhibit.  The first one that caught my eye was the 1914 Detroit Electric Model 47 brougham.  Evidently, Henry Ford’s wife Clara drove this model.

1902 Brougham. President Teddy Roosevelt was not fond of automobiles preferring instead to attend pubic parades and outings in an old-fashioned style of the horse-drawn carriage.

I was fascinated at the number of presidential vehicles that were on display including a 1902 Brougham horse-drawn carriage preferred by President Teddy Roosevelt for public parades and outings.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1950 Lincoln Bubbletop

I also liked the 1950 Lincoln that was first ridden by President Harry Truman. President Eisenhower  later had the car modified with a removable Plexiglas top that allowed him to see and be seen even in bad weather. I thought this was very clever indeed.

1914 Ford Model T Touring Car

 

I then stopped by to admire a 1965 Mustang, a 1914 Ford Motel T touring car and a 1943 Willys-Overland Jeep runabout.

As we were walking around, we came upon an exhibit displaying various pieces of Americana that brought back so many wonderful memories.  There was a classic 1946 New England diner, original signs for McDonald’s, A&W Root Beer and White Castle hamburgers and a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible.  “Wonderful, just wonderful,” I thought to myself.

“Exploded” Model T

Then we came upon a most interesting exhibit called, “Exploded” Model T.  I believe in today’s vernacular we would call this deconstructing a Model T.

English Revival Dollhouse

 

Before we made our way to lunch we stopped at a few more exhibits that included farm equipment, doll houses, an interactive exhibit on Star Trek.  Randy enjoyed this one as he stepped into transporter and said, “Beam me up Scotty”.  Too funny!

By now our attention had turned to enjoying a bit of lunch.  We made the decision to walk over to the Greenfield Village and enjoy something to eat at the Eagle Tavern.

This was very nice and tasty choice.  The country tavern was run by Calvin Wood in the village of Clinton, Michigan in 1850.  The inside of the tavern was candle lit and filled with long tables.  We were seated next to two lovely ladies who said the food was not only delicious and plentiful; and it was.

 

Working farm

 

Pressed for time, we decided we did not have enough time to walk around the village and decided instead to take a train ride and see what we could see.  By now, the sky had decided to send along some droplets of rain so the train ride felt like a good idea.

“The actual bus from Montgomery, Alabama where Rosa Park refused to give up her seat igniting the Civil Rights Movement”.

We hurried along back to the museum and found we had a little extra time to see a few more exhibits as we made our way to the meeting point for the return to the ship. Pictured is the chair President Lincoln was assassinated in; a 1,017 sq. ft. house made of modern materials that came out of the aircraft industry; the original Wienermobile and a replica of the Orville and Wilbur Wright ‘Wright Flyer’.

 

Once back on the ship, we enjoyed a nice dinner and then gathered in the lounge for a lively evening of music and dance with special local guest artists, The Diversity Group.  This lovely husband and wife team of entertainers kept the dance floor and the entire room rocking to Motown hits.

What a day.  It had been a long, fulfilling and fun day.  As I made my back to the cabin to settle down I thought to myself, “I must come back sometime and finish exploring the Henry Ford and the Greenfield Village“.  Nice, very nice.

Tomorrow we will dock in Cleveland, Ohio.

1965 Ford Mustang Convertible.

Enjoy,

Mary

 

 

 

Cruising the Great Lakes Part VII – Sailing Lake Huron

I woke this morning looked out the window and thought, “It is going to be a beautiful day”.  The sky was a beautiful deep blue with just a few wispy white clouds; the lake was a rich royal blue with just a whisper of a roll.

Today we are sailing on Lake Huron.  Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes with a surface of 23,000 square miles and the third largest freshwater lake in the world.  It is also home to a huge variety of marine life.  Another fact that I read in today’s newsletter if that, “If you count Lake Huron’s thousands of islands, the lake actually has the longest shoreline of any of the Great Lakes”.

I was so looking forward to a leisurely day sailing along and enjoying some of the activities on the ship.   But first, we were off to meet Doug and Sue to enjoy another tasty breakfast in the dining room.  We talked about the activities being offered today and settled on several we thought would be fun.

The first activity we choose was a bridge tour.  Randy and I have been on many bridge tours on the larger ships and thought it would be fun to see if there was a significant difference on a smaller ship.

Truth is that they are not really that different.  Ship’s officer, Adriano, gave us a delightful look at just what makes the ship run.  I must say he was very informative and very funny.  We enjoyed his talk very much.

He also let everyone take turns at the controls.  It was a silly and fun photo opportunity and we took great advantage of it.

When the tour was over, Randy, Sue, Doug and I walk around the deck a bit looking at the lifeboats and other things around the deck.  What caught my eye was a brass bell.  We learned that the ship had had three previous owners.  The bell I was looking at was the original bell for the ship’s last owner; Cape May Light.’

Then it was on to the lounge for a lively game of trivia.  The game was based on general knowledge and, I must say, we did pretty well.

A quick lunch then back to the lounge for a presentation by Josh called, “Detroit: America’s Motor City”.

And then it was finally time for the event I had been waiting for all day; the Viennese Afternoon Tea.  What a treat.  The servers were dressed in powdered wigs and lovely 18^th century attire.  The lilting sounds of famous Viennese waltzes filled the tea room creating a most pleasant atmosphere to enjoy our teatime.

There was a beautiful selection of classic Viennese cakes, sandwiches, tarts, strudel, swan crème puffs and, of course, a variety of teas.  Everything was presented beautifully and looked absolutely scrumptious

We were in for another treat this teatime as the hotel director’s son, Bernardo, was sailing with us and just happened to be a pianist.  After introducing himself he set about to entertain us with several Viennese waltzes.  Bernardo played so beautifully.

The rest of our day was filled with a little reading, cocktails, a short presentation about our next port-of-call, dinner and then finally retreating to our cabin for a little relaxation before settling down for the night.

Tomorrow we will be visiting the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

Enjoy,

Mary

 

 

Cruising the Great Lakes Part VI – Little Current, Ontario

The Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception

Today was a very nice, informative and colorful day.  Today we docked at Little Current on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron.  Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world.  The name Manitoulin means “Sprit Island” in the Ojibwe language of Anishinaabemowin.

Today we will visit the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation and witness a powwow.

 

But first, we were up early to meet Doug and Sue for breakfast in the dining room before heading to the lounge to attend a talk by First Nations guest artist, James Simon Mishibinijima.

From what I have read, “James Simon Michibinijima is one of Canada’s foremost native artists taking stories he heard from generations of Elders and translating them into a moving collection of pictographs“.  He presented several of his pictographs explaining the meaning of the various images in each pictograph.  They were all lovely.

Our tour did not start until the afternoon so we decided to take a walk around the town of Little Current.  As we approached the main street of the town I thought it looked very much like many of the towns I had visited out west.

We walked along and stopped in several of the storefronts.  Our first stop was in Turners.  What a fun store to visit.  The store was filled to the rafters with goods and history.  The downstairs was filled with general store merchandise while upstairs housed two museums.  One museum area was filled with many pieces of artwork the other contained many Turner family personal photos and documents telling a story of the early days of the Port of Little Current. It was all very interesting.

We then turned our attention to walking around the town a bit.  We eventually decided to stop for a bit to eat and perhaps a local beer.  We stopped at the Anchor Inn Hotel and found a table outside.  There was a chill in the air so we decided to order a nice hot soup.  Chilly or not, we decided to order a local beer.  Sue and I had the Manitoulin, Randy enjoyed the Split Rail.  Both beers are local brews coming from Split Rail Brewing and Manitoulin Brewing.  Both the soup and beer were just perfect.

After enjoying our light repast, we decided to walk around just a bit longer before returning to the ship.  Sue, Randy and I walked down to the marina while Doug decided to take a walk to the swing bridge.

The walk around the marina was quite nice.  From the marina we could see the Little Current Swing Bridge.  I read that the bridge was constructed in 1913 and was originally a railway only bridge.  The bridge stayed open until a train needed to pass.  Over time, the bridge was improved and allowed both rail and vehicle traffic.  Currently only vehicle traffic crosses the bridge. 

It was time to return to the ship and prepare for our afternoon tour.  We enjoyed a pleasant bus ride to our first stop, the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception.  This small church was built to represent a tepee and is just beautiful.  I especially loved the beautiful paintings of the Stations of the Cross by local artist Leland Bell.

We settled in as a member of the church explained that the church combines aboriginal traditions and Catholic beliefs.  We learned that the carvings in the church represent both Christ and the Great Spirit Kitche Manitou.

Just a short walk from the church was the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.  What a lovely place.  According to the foundation’s website, “The Ojibwe Cultural Foundation was created to preserve and revitalize the language, culture, arts, spirituality, and traditions of the Anishinaabe People of the Mnidoo Mnising (Manitoulin Island) and surrounding areas. We dedicate ourselves to nurturing the expression of Anishinaabe culture in all forms, so our art, language, stories, songs, and teachings flourish now and remain strong for future generations.”

 

Our first stop in the center was the Healing Lodge where we learned about a traditional smudging ceremony used to purify or bless people or places.

 

Our next stop was in a studio where many artists were creating a variety of beautiful things from beads, leather, porcupine quills, birch bark, sweetgrass and more.

 

We spent the remainder of our time in a lovely museum filled with, “The authentic expression of the Anishinaabe language, culture, and spirituality. Visitors can also see the timeless and beautiful heritage art forms of skilled Anishinaabek artisans including, porcupine quill boxes, ash and sweetgrass baskets, and antler carvings”.  Like any museum, there is never enough time to read and appreciate every exhibit but what I was able to see and read was very interesting.

From here, we were escorted outside to an amphitheater to witness a demonstration of music and dancing by a local dance troupe.  How wonderful!  The drummers were wonderful and the dancers dressed in beautiful and colorful clothing was just a treat for the eyes.

The moderator introduced each dancer and explained the meaning of each dance and mode of dress.  At the end the drummers and dancers were kind enough to pose for a souvenir photo.

 

I must say that I just loved this tour.  I am a history buff and love to learn about the people, culture and history of the places I visit.

We returned to the ship for another lovely dinner and a quiet evening.

Tomorrow we will enjoy a day of scenic sailing along Lake Huron.

Monument to the – Heroes of the Great War 1914 -1918

Enjoy,

Mary

 

 

 

Cruising the Great Lakes Part V – Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

We were up early today as we were anxious to witness our northward bound transit through the Soo Locks taking us into Lake Superior.  Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes and the largest body of fresh water on earth.

We had planned on going out on deck for the experience but it was too cold and rainy.  We contented ourselves with watching through our window.

The Soo Locks are a set of parallel locks, operated and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers enabling ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.

We would only be transiting through the locks this morning, first northward and then southward before docking on the Canadian side at Roberta Bondar Place, named for Canada’s first female astronaut.  Sault Ste. Marie is located on the shore of the St. Mary’s River connecting Lake Huron with Lake Superior.

We enjoyed a late breakfast with Doug and Sue and then made our way to the lounge to engage in a match game with the entertainment team.  The game was a great deal of fun.

We had a late lunch before preparing for our tour of the day.  Today is unique as we hadthe opportunity to participate in a tour at one of the twin cities of; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan or Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.   Option 1 would take guests to visit the viewing station downtown to see the locks working in real time then on to the Valley Camp Museum Ship on the American side.  Option 2 would take guests to the Bushplane Heritage Centre & Ermatinger Historic Site on the Canadian side.  We chose option 2.

I really enjoyed visiting the Bushplane Heritage Center.  The center is housed in a 64,000-square foot hangar containing more than thirty aircraft.  It was founded in 1987 by a group of local volunteers to preserve the province’s history in bush planes and aerial firefighting.

Randy and I enjoyed walking and inspecting each plane, reading all the accompanying material and, once in a while, being able to climb into one of the planes to see the insides.  I learned that a bush plan is a general aviation aircraft used to provide both scheduled and unscheduled passengers and flight services to remote, underdeveloped areas.

But, what I enjoyed most of all was watching a movie called, Wildfires! A Firefighting Adventure in 3D.  This incredibly intense, special effects movie takes the viewer along with a group of firefighters battling a forest fire both from the air and on the ground.  Wonderful!

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was the Heritage Discovery Center.  At this stop we visited exhibits depicting the history of the community, heritage landscape,  gardens and artifacts related to the site.  On the site are two of the oldest stone buildings, located northwest of Toronto – the Ermatinger Old Stone House and the Clergue Blockhouse.

 

The Ermatinger Old Stone House has been restored to depict the domestic and professional life of Charles Oakes Ermatinger and other prominent residents and visitors of the House between 1808 and 1870.

The Clergue Blockhouse was originally a powder magazine.  The property was eventually purchased by American industrialist F.H. Clergue who transformed the blockhouse into a living space from 1894 – 1908.   The Clergue Blockhouse, was relocated to the historic site in 1996.  From what I read, “Clergue recognized the potential that the areas natural resources possessed and capitalized on it, developing multiple industries in Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding area leaving a lasting impact on the community”.

It had been a pleasant afternoon but it was time to return to the ship and prepare for dinner. As we were entering the customs building, my eye caught sight of several carved wooden bears in funny poses.  I had to take a look.  There were several bears fishing off a bridge with what looked like a very large fish on the hook and another taking pictures.  They were a wonderful treat for the eyes.

Dinner was delicious again.  Randy definitely enjoys the cuisine on the ship as they were always preparing wonderful dishes using local foods and there was always some kind of fish or seafood on the menu.

After dinner, we returned to the lounge to listen to a lovely talk about our next port-of-call and an evening music.

Tomorrow we dock at Manitoulin Island, Canada.

Enjoy,

Mary

Cruising the Great Lakes Part IV – Mackinac Island

What a wonderful day!

Today we arrive at a place that has always been on the top of my bucket list; Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Mackinac Island is located in Lake Huron in the eastern straits of Mackinac which is located in northern Mackinac.  According to what I read, “Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes with a surface area of 23,000 square miles.  The lake got its name from the Huron people who lived along its shores. It is between the Upper and Lower Peninsula and is east of the famous Mackinac Bridge that connects these two peninsulas together.”

Even the UPS man uses a wagon to deliver his packages.

 

I was blown away once we were on the island; it was like drifting back in time.  There were bicycles and horse drawn carriages everywhere! The information provided by the ship is that the island is only about four square miles in length and an area approximately 8 miles in circumference.

After a few moments of waiting at the pier, our own carriage arrived and we were on our way for a short tour around the island and then on to the Grand Hotel for lunch.

Post Office

As our carriage rolled across the streets, our guide gave us a history of the island, its inhabitants and the Grand Hotel.  The ride was just lovely.  We passed beautifully landscaped buildings, homes and churches.  There were so many flowers, truly a gardeners dream.

Our first stop was a photo opportunity at the limestone geologic formation called, Arch Rock.  The arch sits 146’ above the water on the Lake Huron shoreline.

 

Our next stop was Fort Mackinac.  The fort had a mixed history first being built by the British in 1780, taken by the Americans in 1796. At the beginning of the War of 1812, the British seized the island and built Fort George.  The Americans reoccupied Mackinac Island in 1815 and renamed Fort George, Fort Holmes.  Troops occupied Fort Mackinac until 1895.

 

We spent a considerable amount of time walking the grounds and stopping in many of the buildings learning what we could about fort life.  It was all very interesting.  The first building I entered was the Post Schoolhouse.  I thought this building was for children housed in the fort.  What I learned, however, is that the school was actually a, “School for the instruction of enlisted men”.  According to the information on a plaque inside, “Following the Civil War the U.S. Army placed new emphasis on educating its soldiers…men studied spelling, reading, grammar, arithmetic, geography and U.S. history.”  I thought this was wonderful.

I was very impressed at the condition of this piece of our history.  There were reenactors throughout the fort giving demonstrations and explaining life in the fort over the years. And, the view from the fort’s ramparts was lovely, just lovely.

 

 

Our next stop was at the Surrey Hills Carriage Museum.  Here we would have a souvenir picture taken, grab a bite to eat, enjoy walking through the gardens and watch a blacksmith at work.

Then we were off to our most awaited stop; The Grand Hotel.  Randy and I had planned to visit Mackinac Island back in 2012.  We were on a motorcycle trip following the entire Natchez Trace from Natchez, Mississippi and had plans to continue our travels northward to Michigan.  As we traveled along, it became apparent that we would not make it to Mackinac Island as that year the state was experiencing extreme weather.  My one and only goal for our visit to Mackinac Island then was attend an afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel.

A view of the Mackinac Bridge

As we made our way from the museum to the hotel, our guide gave a very informative history of the hotel and becoming one of the world’s premiere vacation destinations.

Lobby

According to our guide, the hotel opened on July 10, 1887.  The hotel is built of Michigan white pine and features 397 rooms with no two rooms alike.  The Grand Hotel is the world’s largest summer hotel and features the longest porch in the world.  According to Wikipedia, “Grand Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation”.

 

The hotel was absolutely everything I expected it to be and more.  The first thing that catches your eye as you roll up to the hotel is the length of the porch and all the flowers and topiaries around the grounds.

 

We were escorted to the dining room.  We had to wait a few moments until a table became available.  As we waited, my eyes were filled with a buffet line that seemed to go on forever.  There were cold foods, hot foods, a variety of salads, cheeses, sliced meats, seafood, and an array of desserts that were very hard to choose from and so much more. I found myself thinking, “It will not be easy to make choices”. Each of us returned to the buffet several times, everything was delicious.

 

 

View from the porch.

We had some time before we had to board a carriage to make the trip to the historic downtown so we decided to walk around a bit.  This hotel is so colorful.  And, of course, we had to take a stroll along the longest porch in the world and take a picture.  The view from the porch is just breathtaking.  As we walked around this lovely place I made a mental note to return someday for a vacation.

All too soon, it was time to board a carriage for the short ride back to the historic downtown.  And, once again, we noticed the lovely, colorful flowers adorning each and every home and garden.

We walked around the downtown area and discovered that this small town was peppered with one fudge shop after another.  Well, of course, we had to stop in one and try the fudge.  It was very good.  We did a little souvenir shopping and finally returned to the pier to re-board our ship.

The rest of our day was spent relaxing in the lounge, preparing for dinner and enjoying country hits by the ships band.

As we finally retired for a good night’s sleep I found myself reveling in all the memories I would take home with me about this historic, quaint, picturesque place.  I loved every moment of this beautiful day!

Tomorrow we will be in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Enjoy,

Mary