CHERBOURG

Had a chill out day today wandering around parks & city of Cherbourg. We walked miles & both of us are knackered & aching. Still got to pack! Finally ate our premium deserts, Lin had some concoction with key lime pie, chocolate shards & flavoured sauces. I had a Lake Como, vanilla scoops, cream with sprinkles, choc & strawberry sauce, topped with marshmallows. As Lin's mum would say - no calories in this.

The cruise terminal is where Titanic departed from and is nicely maintained in art deco style.

Home tomorrow, I wonder if there is any wildlife to see, on our way out we saw a pod of whales near Canada and on our way back between 50-100 dolphins racing & jumping out of the waves, quite spectacular.

BREST

Foggy, drizzly day when we arrived but turned out fine by the time we left the ship at 11am. Brest is an old walled city that was all but destroyed by the allies in WW2 because it was a vital Nazi submarine port. About the only bit that remains is Rue St Malo a narrow street of old houses. We were in a commercial port so only allowed to exit by Shuttle bus. We took the lovely cable car over the river to the Atelier des Capuchins, originally Franciscan friars, then a major factory, now turned over to a large open display, with local shops, cafes, old manufacturing tools and Napoleon's barge. Cheap cable car, 4.4€ return for the 2 of us that gave a great view of the 2 tier lifting bridge.

We next went to the fort/maritime museum which was very good except that it was nightmare of spiral staircases that you had to go up & down repeatedly. Mrs S - exhausted. While up in the fort battlements we saw several French warships steaming out, Brest is second only to Toulon as a naval port. Later on we saw as we overtook them as we departed that they were escorting a French nuclear Ballistic missile submarine out to sea. One of the ships, Amiral Ronarc'h is a brand new  FDI frigate (Future Defence Intervention) Apparently it has hack proof cyber system, anti air, anti ship & anti submarine missiles and an advanced air defence system along with helicopter and 25 commandos.

ALL AT SEA

Six continuous sea days before we reach Brest in France. Losing one hour per day, although it's not too much strain on sleeping as clocks are changed at midday. Lots of enrichment lectures; a forensic expert who's taking us through, among other things - Jon-Benet Ramsay, O J Simpson, the Golden State Serial Killer & Casey Anthony. Together we worked out who did it. An RAF Group Captain who told us about D Day; A Falklands War para; 

Had some diversions, first we swung north for a Canadian Heli evacuation of an ill passenger & then the Northern Lights popped up. Not very dynamic, but colours fading in & out the clouds.

FUNDAY IN FUNDY

We're in Saint John, New Brunswick which is in the Bay of Fundy. It's a very picturesque area with the greatest tidal range in the world. Over 55 feet which causes the waterfalls to run in both directions.

See the snow! Laid on specially for a new TV series in the second week of filming called Revival. It's a zombie murder mystery set in the US, although all the cast & crew are Canadian.

The Historic district is nice with little local shops. There is a tiny bit of autumn colour going on but not much. Linda met up with her family - look at the footwear. Which Great Grand Kid is that?

That flag on the building is Acadian.

BOSTON BEER PARTY

Nifty bit of parking by the captain between Vision of the Seas & the Volendam.

Met up with some friends who live nearby in Plymouth Ma. Nice to catch up over coffee. Bit chaotic getting off with long queues & the Volendam passenger change over. 

Very lively in town with two October Fest events going on with big crowds of young adults attending the Harpoon Brewery festival nearby the harbour where we are docked. Police strongly in evidence.

Boston has developed since we were last here with this part of the harbour being all new with high rise apartments & offices. Left well behind schedule, 5 hours late but will still be arriving on time in St John NB.

NYC SAIL AWAY

Didn't manage to do everything we wanted to do - missed out on a guided tour of Grand Central Station & also a clothing exhibition at the Historical Society, which is bit like the V&A.

Parked next door to us was the Intrepid, a WW2 aircraft museum that includes Concorde, the Space Shuttle & loads of other exhibits. Didn't get there either!

Pier 90, where we docked was a bit cramped & we had lower 4 of our lifeboats to fit. When we left they had to chase after us like little ducklings to get back on board.

The sail away in the clear weather as the sun went down was stunning.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK.......

Day 2 in NYC. Took the bus down to Greenwich Village & bumped into a herd of Indian elephants. 100 of them that are touring the USA. They are exquisitely made from a rampant weed that is strangling the Indian forest and damaging the wildlife. Their are more wild elephants in this district than anywhere else in the world. Each elephant is a faithful replica of the real elephant and is known by name by the inhabitants. Lovely to see.

Went onto Little Island which is constructed of what looks like giant tee pegs or eggcups built into the Hudson. It is connected by sloping paths or steps up & down each tee peg. Lots of seats and an arena with tiered benches for viewing shows. Nicely planted & looked after.

We then walked a mile or two along the High Line. This a former elevated rail track that has been converted to a public park with artworks & gardens. It's a beautiful oasis in the middle of the city. Got some interesting characters that watch you while you walk.

NEW YORK...

Sailed into New York, docked at Manhattan pier 90 which is level with 50th St in Midtown so fairly easy to get around. Had loads of plans, too many to come to fruition. 

Met up with Kathy, a friend of ours who lives in Connecticut. We used the MTA buses & subway, which like London you use with a contactless card for $2.50 and free transfer to another line. All good, also found & used the express subway that bypasses loads of stations. Went downtown to World Trade Site to see it now it's complete. Very crowded with tourists but a nice area now. 

Had lunch in Fraunces Tavern, the oldest pub in New York. It's got rooms where George Washington planned his campaign & is the site where negotiations take place at the end of the revolutionary war. It was October Fest and it had to be bratwurst and German style lager.

Lot's of Marijuana being smoked, so pretty smelly everywhere.

HALIFAX - A DISASTER

It was National Day of Truth & Reconciliation, public holiday, so Sunday service on buses and museums are free. We used the buses which were good except for a lot roadworks closing the stops & you had to pay cash. The museum was good too.

Disaster early 20th Century, nearly 2000 dead, many unidentified & buried in communal grave. Titanic? no, this was the SS Mont Blanc & SS Imo collision in the harbour. It's a long story but the Mont Blanc was full of explosives & the collision started a fire & the whole lot went up in the biggest man made explosion to that date. Huge pieces of the ship were found 3 miles away. It looked to be the Imo's fault to me but the inquiry did not find it so. They blamed the guy lifting the anti-submarine net!

The Titanic passengers were brought here & they are buried in the same cemetery. The grave stones take the form of a ships bows in their arrangement. Many of the dead were unidentified but following the meticulous record keeping of the coroner, little Sid Goodwin was finally identified. Bless.

The public gardens and the boardwalk on the waterfront are really great. You see Cunard was a Nova Scotian.

Failed to sample a Donair. Lin enjoying a Titanic deck chair