Happy Birthday Kos – October 7, 2011

 

Today we enjoyed  a day at sea although I did have a visit to the medical center.   I seem to have a rash that may be shingles or some sort of allergic reaction.   Never a dull moment.     Seas were a little rough today –

10-12 feet, but we had the wind behind us so we were able to walk the deck.   Temperature was cool, but enjoyable.   Captain said the heavy seas were remnants of Hurricane Ophelia which was on it’s way out to sea.  

Although Kos didn’t want any fanfare for his birthday, the waiters remembered and surprised him with a chocolate cake.    Dinner was great again – lobster, scallops and shrimp.   This ship has had excellent food each and every night.   The menu changed each night but you could order off a standard menu as well which offered a very nice selection --   shrimp cocktail, onion soup, escargot, Caesar salad, steak, salmon, etc.   So if you didn’t care for the menu of the night, you could always get something good from the alternative menu. 

Show “Sirens” was great too.   Our entertainment for the most part has been exceptional.   Except for the comedian and the juggler.   :)   

A Fantastic Cruise

Another great cruise comes to an end.   Arrived late in Cape Liberty on Sunday, October 9th because of change of itinerary.   85 degrees and sunny
Some cruise facts -

Celebrity Summit
Captain Panos Mantzavinos
Distance Traveled
Cape Liberty, Bayonne
Boston – 386 miles
Portland Maine – 92 miles
Bar Harbor Maine – 118 miles
Halifax, Nova Scotia – 266 miles
Quebec City, Quebec – 709 miles
LaBaie, Quebec – 160 miles
Cape Liberty – 1356 miles
Cruise total – 3087 nautical miles
1 nautical mile – 1.15 land miles

La Baie, Quebec – October 6, 2011

 

Arrived during the night to beautiful LaBaie.    Temperature only to be 45 degrees as a high.    Coldest we’ve been.   But, the sky is clear and the sun is shining.   This port is absolutely beautiful. 

La Baie is a borough of the city of Saguenay, Quebec where the Riviere a Mars flows into the Baie des Ha!Ha! a bay of the Saguenay River.  Formerly an independent city its population in 2006 was 19,639.   LaBaie was created by the result of the merger of the towns of Bagotville, Port-Alfred and Greande Baie in 1976.   In 2002 it became Saguenay.   Saguenay is located on the edge of the majestic Saguenay Fjord.  Seventh most important city in Quebec, born of the merging of seven municipalities in 2002.   It is divided into three districts:  La Baie, Chicoutimi and Jonquiere.   La Baie opens onto the only navigable fjord in North America. 

 

We took a tour after lunch called “Greater city of Saguenay Heritage Route”.  In this tour we learned about the importance of the Saguenay Fjord which is deeply chiselled in the Laurentians Mountains, a natural trading route for the First Nations people of the area.   Continuing to Chicoutimi, we drove along its main street, rue Racine, and its Old Port.   We made a stop at the Cultural Quarter and the Little White House which miraculously survived the flood of 1996 and also at the Pulp Mill of Chicoutimi, which was founded in 1898 and played an important role in the development of the area.    We then drove through Arvida, “The Washington of the North” which is a perfect example of a 20th century company town.   We drove over the world’s first aluminum bridge, built to display the strength and diversity of aluminum.   Alcoa Aluminum has a large plant in the area and a great number of employees live in the “company town”.  

   

Above is an example of some of the homes that were built for the employees of Alcoa Aluminum.

After we returned to the ship, we enjoyed sail away through the Fjords.

Here is Kos with Ni Putin – our fabulous cocktail server.  She found us wherever we were and made sure we always were taken care of.   She even reserved us a table each night next to the window.

Sea Day – 10/5/11 – sailing Bay of St. Lawrence

 

Today we’re at sea – sailing the Bay of St. Lawrence – back and forth – killing time until we get to LaBaie, Quebec.    At about 3:00 we made it to the Fiords – which were breathtaking.    Went to a lecture with the captain this morning.  Very informative.   Today is sunny and maybe 55 degrees.    Walked the deck for 2 miles.   Octoberfest luncheon – brats and kraut.   We had lunch in the spa restaurant, but found the brats later.  Had lunch a 2nd time.    This afternoon – classical piano concert with Brooks Aehron.   This pianist is so great – animated – a real showman.   He explained each piece of music including the history of the composer.   Loved it. 

Captain said that the beluga whales were migrating and we might see some – but we didn’t.  Some of the passengers said they saw the water spouts, but didn’t actually see the whales.    Maybe tomorrow.     

    

Quebec City – Day 3 Oct. 4, 2011

 

Today we have another day in Quebec City due to the storm in Nova Scotia.  The captain decided it would be safer for us to stay in the inland rivers than sail in rough seas and high winds to Prince Edward Island and Sydney.   Since we were leaving port at 11:00 AM we didn’t have a lot of time to go out.   It was cool and cloudy, but better than the 2 previous days.   The wind seems to have died down.     I went out into the lower town area for a walk, while Kos stayed on board to talk to the future cruise consultant.  

Above you can see a photo with steps and a handrail.   This is very common in Quebec City since the hills are steep and during the winter it’s difficult to climb the hills and steps in the snow and ice. 

Below are some photo’s taken on the ship, including the dining room – which is at the back of the ship.  You can see the large window at the back of the dining room.

Here’s a photo of the Soduko champ – me

The evening show was a pianist named Brooks Aehron who was fantastic.   He’ll have another classical concert tomorrow while we’re at sea.

We’ll be sailing the Bay of St. Lawrence very slowly making our way to LeBaie.  Tomorrow is another sea day.