Money laundering

If I spent 70 USD, that I bought when the Canadian dollar was equal to 1.05 USD, and won 77 USD on the slot machines,  when the American dollar is worth 1.25 CAD, does a tree fall in the forest?

For Wickie

Guess where we are today!

Nova Scotia

In Halifax yesterday.  Without any pre-planning, we called our friends, Leslie and Bill, who dropped everything to meet us for a drink.  Nice visit!

In Sydney today.  Lovely harbour walk.

Popcorn in the bed

Stayed up late, very late, last night watching the first US presidential debate.

Ahhhhhhh  ...  nice to be Canadian   ...

Lobster rolls

It was the perfect fall day in Saint John.   The air was crisp, the sky was blue, and our dear friends, Linda and Brian, met us at the dock.

Linda and I went to high school together,  but in different grades, and met up at our high school reunion several years ago.   Since then we've cruised with her and Brian a couple of times and, it looks like, maybe a couple more in the future.

Linda and Brian drove us out to St-Andrews-by-the-Sea to a restaurant they knew that made the best lobster rolls.  No disagreement here!  (Tom says that the rhubarb pie was pretty fine, too ...)

Bar Harbor

We almost didn't go into Bar Harbor this morning.   We've been there before, and my recollection of it was a steep uphill street full of t-shirt shops.  Besides which, it was only 6C, and there was a north wind blowing.  But I was trying to get in touch with a friend to arrange our get together in Saint John tomorrow, and had no cell service on the ship, so onto the tender we went.

We had discussed the need for gloves and toques, but decided they weren't necessary.  We were wrong - it was freezing!  So we hightailed it up that steep street, past all the tourist traps, around the corner and out of the wind.   What a great decision that turned out to be!   It was sunny and warm(er), I got cell service, and there was the most fabulous store  ...

We left with a much more favourable impression of Bar Harbour, a bag full of linens, and a date for tomorrow.

Boston

Much different weather today in Boston from that in Newport yesterday:  had to dig out the long pants and sweaters. 

There was a great outdoor market on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway that occupied quite a bit of our time (and, we must confess, we made several purchases there), before we wandered over to the Faneuil Hall and Quincy Marketplace  (where we bought nothing!).

Newport

We were waiting at a crosswalk and a car with Ontario plates stopped and waved us through.  I waved at him, and he rolled down his window and gave me a "What's up?" gesture.  I yelled, "British Columbia! ", and he said, "Great place  but it's nice to get away sometimes!", and we all went on our ways.

The last time we were in Newport we went on a tour of its mansions.  It left me with an impression of old perfume and ostentatious wealth.   This time we left the mansions to others and walked the city.  Here we saw old New England buildings of the more traditional kind.

Several people mentioned how glad they were that the temperature had dropped.   Hah!  To us Icelanders,  the warmer the better!  We had a lovely lunch on the balcony of our room, watching the sailboats go by ....

Tum around

We sailed under the Verazzano Bridge into New York about 5 this morning.  Shortly after, about 2,800 people disembarked from the Caribbean Princess and the crew started preparing for an influx of new passengers. 

We had to change cabins, unfortunately (long story), but our "packing" was significantly less onerous than those who were leaving the ship - it's just 5 doors away.  The only complaint about our new cabin is that it's backwards from our previous one.  It'll take some adjustment!

We have a wonderful view of New York from our room - the Statue of Liberty,  Governor's Island, Manhattan.   

Pizza and beer

We arrived in Boston this morning to  ... warm  and humid weather!

Because we're back in Boston in another 4 days, we decided to stick close to the seaport this time and just walk around and enjoy the fresh air.  After the first few blocks, off came the sweaters.  We passed a brewery and numerous bars on the Harbourfront Walk, none of them open.   We must have walked about 3 klicks all told.

By the time we got back to the ship we were parched. 

(Would I be considered an uncool traveller if I complained that the humidity makes my hair go flat?)

Temperature rising

We haven't worn shorts since we left Rotterdam,  but the temperature is going up as we approach Boston.  Today is a balmy 19C, a far cry from the 4's and 5's we experienced in Iceland.  And yesterday and today,  finally,  the wind has let up enough for the crew to open the Promenade Deck to strollers.  It's still blustery,  but very energizing.

Forecasting 28C (!!?) in Boston tomorrow.

It's a hard life

Didn't like the show in the theatre last night, so spent some time in the piazza listening to the Elegy Duo (Tom's favourite), with martinis on the side.

Water, water, everywhere

We are approaching Newfoundland!

We're not finding that sailing the Atlantic Ocean is much different from sailing the Pacific Ocean.   Granted, it's cooler travelling from Iceland to Boston than it is from LA to Hawaii, but some of that could simply be timing.  We're still hoping to get some balcony time before we reach North America.  In the meantime, our daily walks are limited to indoor spaces.  That's not much of a problem  given the size of the ship.  Take a  look at Deck 9, starboard side:

Princess pictures

Weather woes

Our poor Captain must be tearing his hair out.

First, we couldn't go ashore in Lerwick,  then high seas delayed our arrivals and departures in both Akureyri and Isafjordur.  Delays and no-shows mean that the Shore Excursion department has to rejig all its trips ashore, the Culinary department has to add more stations for the extra people aboard over lunch, and the Cruise Director has to find more things to keep us busy so we don't complain. 

Then, last night, the Captain told us that the wind was too high for us to leave our berth in Reykjavik.  Apparently it was pushing us hard against the dock, making it difficult for the ship to maneuver out of her berth.  He anticipated a couple of hours delay, but reassured us that it would not affect our arrival in Boston five days hence.  Imagine our surprise to wake up this morning in ... Reykjavik  .... still!

A few minutes ago, the Captain told us that the wind is still too brisk to allow us to leave our berth safely.  Weather reports anticipate a lessening in the wind sometime mid-morning,  so we should be on our way then.  Stay tuned  ....

As one of the other passengers said to us at breakfast,  "Better to be stuck in Reykjavik, than in the middle of the Atlantic in a big storm."

Amen.

UPDATE 11:00 am - With two tugboats assisting the ship's engines, we are finally on our way!  Only 17 hours behind schedule  ...

Reykjavik

Windy, cool and drizzly in Reykjavik today.

Reykjavik is the most northern capital and one of the most technologically advanced societies in the world.  The city's hot springs function as a geothermal heating system!   It also tops the list as the most peaceful country in the world.  With a population of 325,000, it's about the size of Victoria. 

We took the bus into town and browsed around. 

We have loved visiting Iceland; it has really been an amazing experience.

Tomorrow begins the first of five sea days as we cross the Atlantic to North America ...