Halifax, In Town

After we got back from Peggy's Cove, we wandered around town with our bus pass. Bud's always a good sport when I say "Go stand over there."

We were serenaded by this bagpiper.

This is Halifax's beloved clock tower.

And here is the "guard" at the Citadel.

Halifax is known as the City of Trees and has many parks. This garden is a 17-acre tribute to VIctorian beauty.

This swan was posed so lovely until...

it mooned us!

A statue in the park

The last of the roses before winter

On our way back to the ship we saw this very tall guy. Check out his shoes.

And this one is for Stacey.

Halifax, Peggy's Cove

Sunrise on day four. We're now in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Maybe saying Nova Scotia is unnecessary, but until I went there, I had no idea where Halifax was. So if you're like me, I'll leave it in so you'll know. By the way, Nova Scotia is on the eastern side of Canada, but you knew that, eh? (See, I can speak Canadian).

Lobster traps. It costs over a quarter million dollars to buy a start-up outfit to catch lobsters. And that's only in the not-so-busy areas of lobster catching.

It is said that Peggy's Cove was discovered by artists. One such artist who lived here (William deGarthe) sculpted this granite rock to depict the life of the fishermen who called this place home. He died before finishing the monument.

The village is quaint and quiet.

The lighthouse was originally built in 1868. The present lighthouse was completed in 1916 and functioned until 1958. Now it's used as a post office.

Peggy's Cove got its name either being called after St. Margaret's Bay since Peggy is a nickname for Margaret or if you prefer a more romantic version, it's named after the sole survivor of a 19th century shipwreck, and was washed up on the rocks during a hurricane. She married one of the local fishermen that helped rescue her and they lived happily ever after. You decide.

It was bitter cold the day we visited. I'm intentionally NOT showing you the picture of me that Bud took because there's probably icicles hanging from my face.

Even though it was ccccccold, I still had fun running around snapping pictures.

Isn't this place so stinkin' cute?

From a distance (no that wasn't a cue for Bette to start singing).

These last two were taken from the bus window as we drove by.

Nice colors.

Sure am glad I went on this excursion. Sure was glad to get back to the ship for some hot chocolate. Or was it another ice cream cone? I can't remember now.

Sea Day #1

This was "formal" night on the ship. It turned out to be the only night I dressed up. Man, did I overpack for what I ended up wearing.

Gerrie and Walt

Shanna and Tom

LynnEl and Andrew

Mike

Cheryl and Kim

Patti and Bud

The whole gang

No spouses

I didn't get the memo to wear black black black.

First Stop, Boston

Throughout the historic part of Boston you will see bricks laid out like this. It marks the Freedom Trail and if you stay on it you'll see many of the sites of the American Revolution.

Our first stop was the church made famous by Paul Revere's ride and hanging lanterns here.
This is the coolest bridge in Boston. If you have questions about it, ask Kim.
A significant battle took place here at Bunker Hill. The monument is 221 feet tall and I foolishly thought I could climb it in the few minutes we stayed there. Silly me. This is where it was said "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." That was because either the Colonists were lousy shots or they had lousy guns.

This building is near Harvard. The Harry Potter movies were filmed here during the dining hall scenes.
Do you recognize these heads? They came alive in the movie.
Here's what we were looking for! Fall colors!
These are photos from the Auburn Cemetery.


Still at the cemetery, an overlook of the city.
And lastly, the Old State House. John Hancock was inaugurated here as the state's first governor.
We didn't get to go out to Lexington, but it was still a pretty good day! Boston is a cool town. Oh, and we didn't eat any beans. Baked or not.

Sail Away

The first thing we did when we got onboard the ship was head for the buffet, of course! A certain person (should he remain nameless?) made his wife (who may or may not be pictured here) an ice cream cone. It was so pathetic looking we started cracking up with laughter. This photo does not entirely show just how crazy this cone was.

But let's get outside and see the city as we pull out of NYC.

It was amazing to see the statue. We'll get up close and personal with her later.

Here's a few of the folks who came along for the ride. Meet my brother, Tom, his wife, Shanna, and my sister, LynnEl.

Here's my mother, Gerrie, and her husband, Walt.

Previously not pictured- Andrew, LynnEl's husband.

This is pretty much what Tom, Cheryl and I did the whole trip. Click, click, click.

Could this be the maker of that ice cream cone shown earlier???

Here we all are at our first dinner together. Previously not pictured, my other brother, Mike.

Oh, and Bud is in there somewhere too. 11 of us all together.

First day done. It was done well.

A Wicked Trip

We just got home from our cruise and trip to NYC. The best thing about New York was getting to see Wicked, the musical. It was so deliciously awesome! I completely loved every second of it. Such a fabulous storyline. Loved it!
My review of New York- the sights are fabulous but the people could learn a thing or two about being kind. Central Park was gorgeous this time of year, the Statue of Liberty was majestic, the Empire State Bldg. views were breathtaking (but not quite as good as the views from the Eiffel Tower).
The cruise was great. We went to Boston, Halifax, Quebec, Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island), Sydney, and back to New York. We had a super time with my family. We might even do it again someday, although my mom says she's had enough traveling and this was her last trip. I'll get pictures up soon. Boy, do I have a lot of pictures!
I guess it's back to reality now. Ho-hum.