They get marooned
St Martin is a surprising mix of France and Holland. The two countries have peacefully and amazingly shared this one island for 370 years.
We didn’t go ashore on TORTOLA, the largest of the archipelago of the British Virgin Islands. But the approach and dock were a nice photo op!
And those are the Pie-rates of the Caribbean.
Together, St. Kitts and its neighboring island of Nevis comprise the smallest independent country in the Americas. Today, mangoes dominate the harvests instead of sugar. White- sand beaches and 18th-century English style buildings.
Once a sugar-producing powerhouse, St Kitts is lush with unspoiled old sugarcane fields.
In 1740, British Admiral Vernon (whose nickname was “Old Grogram” for the cloak of grogram which he wore) ordered that the sailors’ daily ration of rum be diluted with water. The men called the mixture “grog”. A sailor who drank too much grog was “groggy”.
Botanical Garden’s yellow bell flower and an African Baobab tree, nicknamed “Goliath,” was felled by Hurricane “David” in 1979 and has kept on growing all these years. It landed on a school bus which, thankfully, was empty at the time.
Before posting more islands, I need to post some friends who have left.
“A journey is best measured in friends, not in miles.” ~ Tim Cahill
Left to right – Diana, Jo, Kadek, Mega, Didit, Philip, John. I don’t know who enjoys this cruise more, the passengers or the servers. We, the two couples, enjoyed each others stories a great deal.
Sailing around Manhattan Island on a drizzly day. ( I goofed and posted Bermuda before NYC so this post should have been between Boston and Bermuda, we did not travel back to NYC!)
“Why then should I give my readers bad lines of my own, when good ones of other people’s are so plenty?” ~ Benjamin Franklin
Yes, Boston is the birthplace of Benjamin Franklin! He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States with an enormous history of magnificent accomplishments. I learned a new word due him, a polymath. A polymath is a person who excels across a diverse range of areas, just as he most certainly did.
We’ve never been very excited about touring Boston even if we have done so 4-5 times. So we weren’t planning on going into town, but John decided to take the bus tour and got a couple interesting photos.
The John Hancock Tower, the tallest building in Boston, with its reflective glass caught the Trinity Church which is the only building in Boston that has been honored as one of the 10 most significant buildings in the US by the America Institute of Architects.
“He that would travel much, should eat little.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
We are truly trying to eat less as you can see by the following pictures. But since they are so unusual, I have decided to add the menu description. (The smaller the dish, the bigger the description!) Look at this as enlightenment of International Cuisine!! (I have to make it sound worth your while!!) lol Then I’ll try to not send food fotos for awhile.
Most five-course meals open with the amuse bouche, a dish that can be eaten in one bite and should ideally excite and prepare the palate for the dinner to come. Following the amuse is the soup course. (there was a 5th course, but I ate it without a pic! aren’t u glad)
Amuse Bouche – Thai Royal Leaf Wrap – foie gras; tamarind sauce (picture on the left)
Traditionally a delicate, bite-sized savory snack from northern Thailand, served during the rainy season when the wild betel flourishes. Savor complex flavors of aromatic herbs, dried shrimp, roasted coconut flakes and tamarind, elegantly wrapped in a wild betel leaf. (looked like a cabbage leaf to me!)
Soup – Tom Yum Lobster Bisque – lobster croquette; Sriracha aioli (picture on right)
From tom (to boil) comes this signature sour-spicy soup. Traditionally showcasing herbs, delicious hot and sour tastes, and a distinctively Thai cooking technique, tom yum originated in the central region, home of royal cuisine and golden rice paddies, and is possibly the most famous of all Thai dishes. ~ Yes, that “shot glass” is the soup and so tasty with just the right amount of spice that I look forward to seeing if I can find some when in Thailand.
Main Course – Massaman Curry Braised Short Ribs; coconut gnocchi, edamame & orange salsa
Star of southern Thailand, this creamy , mildly spicy curry is heavily influenced by Indian and Malaysian cuisine. Traditionally, this curry includes locally grown cashews and is served with rice. Our version expands on ingredient complexity while staying true to traditional massaman. (I started eating before remembering to take the photo:-)
Dessert – Mango Sticky Rice Spring Rolls; black sesame ice cream; sweet Thai mango (right)
A treat of mango season enjoyed throughout Southeast Asia. Our version marries sweet mango, sticky rice and coconut milk into delicate spring rolls-a sensation in every bite.
Nova Scotia ~ The Fourteenth Colony – Almost!
The title of a Historical lecture that emphasized the conflicts, treaties and friendships between the French, British and Colonialists. The people of Nova Scotia lived with almost continual warfare for 200 years as France and Britain fought to control North America using Nova Scotia as a base.
We took a bus tour around the city and the tidbit that stuck with me was as we passed the Citadel National Historic Site, the guide pointed out the mote around the walls of the Citadel was empty. No water ever was kept in it. They referred to it as the ditch, leading to the reason why when the enemy fell into the ditch, the fort’s soldiers could shoot or drop on top of them, making it their “last ditch” effort to win. That use of “last ditch” was coined and is still used today.
Some of the tourists visited Peggy’s Cove, a most beautiful area that we had visited 12 yrs ago. Don’t you expect Popeye or Olive Oil to walk down the dock??
On the brighter side, we enjoyed a wonderful sunny day walking down the boardwalk, walked through the Maritime Museum (where I got the above stats) and ate some Poutine that we shared with the birds! Anyone know the children’s program Theodore Tugboat?
We are meeting many interesting people with interesting stories everyday. Most of whom are very well traveled. Shanghai, Brunei, Cuba, Cartegena none of those places will we be seeing! However, we sat next to a couple from Rockford, IL where we happened to have lived for 8 years, so that was a fun reminiscing visit.
Ed found John and I playing backgammon, felt sorry for our misunderstanding frustrations of the game and stopped to teach us how. I met his wife Kathy who had just had her first book published and I’ve already read and enjoyed it. I hope she writes more.
A couple from Dover, England boarded in Montreal and Venesse (with an “e”) told us of her granddaughter who after making an ancestry search, found information about her great-grandfather, Vanesse’s father, who had left Vanesse and her mother when she was 3 yrs old, never to be heard from again. Venesse tells me he was not a nice man from what she found out. Womanizing, gambling and drinking himself to death. However, she has a wonderful half sister, half brother, nephew and maybe more. What a wonderful reunion she had in Quebec City with the family she didn’t know she had. A beautiful ending to her story. They are disembarking in NYC in 2 days and she wants to see if I told her story correctly or not! So I had better get this published!!!
Vicki, our cruise director, puts on a funny, clean show titled Ship Happens. The entertainment band and singers and dancers are greatly multi talented, surprising us with new and creative acts.
The whole town of Saguenay gather to put on a fantastic performance of their rich history titled, La Fabuleuse Histoire D’un Royaume. They performed in English for us and have been performing this since 1989. The role of children in the first years are now being played by their grandchildren. No photos allowed.
Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer and cartographer best known for establishing and governing the settlements of New France and the city of Quebec in the early 1600’s.
“Quebec” means “where the river narrows” in the Algonquin Indian language. In our many lectures on history, I also found out that “Canada” is an Iroquois-Huron word meaning “settlement” or collection of huts. Jacques Cartier named and claimed Canada for France around 1535.
This is definitely a city that I would like to revisit and stay at least a week or two. The old town is lovely to walk around, quaint buildings of old, cobblestone streets, Dufferin Terrace is a popular boardwalk overlooking the St Lawrence River on one side and the most photographed hotel in the world on the other side.
We walked around the corner and saw this beautiful painting on the end of a building showing a scene from the past. One of Quebec’s wall gates into the fortified city centuries old. Quebec City is the only walled city in North America north of Mexico.
It is Canada’s largest church and claims to have one of the largest domes in the world. Renowned for its exceptional collection of creches from all over the world, it offers a treasure of religious, historical and artistic heritage from Quebec and abroad. The history behind the magnificent Saint-Joseph’s Oratory is one that draws 2 million visitors each year.
In case you missed it, I helped out and did my part!
Some lobsters can live to be 100 yrs old. Even though we consider them a delicacy today, that wasn’t always the case. In colonial times, the lobster received very little culinary credit. In fact, the pigs and goats ate more lobster than the well-to-do.