Seven Mile Bridge Walk

About a week after we were settled in, our Florida son came to stay a night with us. He had a free day and wanted to show us the new park for the Old Seven Mile Bridge that had been finished not long ago. It was quite a drive down to Marathon but it was a nice day for a walk.

The Old Seven Mile Bridge was built in the early 1900s as part of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway's Key West Extension known also as the Overseas Railroad. Henry Flagler played a big part in the history of development in the Keys. When it was abandoned because of extensive damage from the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, Florida bought the rail bridge right of way in 1936 for $640,000 and converted it to vehicular traffic which was quite an engineering feat.

When the new bridge was constructed in the 1980s, the old one was no longer used for vehicle traffic. The Old Bridge which goes to Pigeon Key is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of the significant engineering it took to convert the bridge from railway to vehicle traffic. 

In 2021, the Florida department of transportation completed the rehabilitation of two miles of the Old Bridge to Pigeon Key and it is now a biking/walking path. Along the sides of the bridge are old rails from the original railroad. They were used as guard rails for the bridge when it was converted to vehicular traffic.

The walk was very nice in cooler Florida temperatures that day and with a gentle breeze blowing across the open water. Next to the Old Bridge we could see the traffic on the new one moving freely north and south but we were a bit more interested in the pelicans and fishing boats that passed by. I hear that on occasion you can see turtles and even rays in the water.

If you visit from the north, you need to be careful not to miss the parking lot for the Old Bridge. It's seven miles before you can turn around. There are only about 35 spots to park so people pull in and cruise slowly or just sit and wait for a spot to become available. 

We didn't make the four mile round trip but we did make a one mile round trip. We were getting hungry and the promise of lunch at the Keys Fisheries in Marathon was calling. We have found reasonably priced stone crab claws in the upstairs bar in the past. They were less expensive than the ones we'd found in Key Largo but we opted to get sandwiches and lionfish tacos down at the grill next to the market.

Bob and I were still interested in the stone crab for dinner so we asked if we could get them to go. They sent us back down to the little market and thankfully they did. The market had what they called "brokens" but Key Largo calls "uglies" at about half price. We bought enough for our dinner and packed them in ice for the trip back. 

That night we used a claw hammer and pliers to crack the shells and indulged in a delightful crab dinner. Tasty!

Key Largo 2023

 There are so many things I love about being in Florida for the winter besides not having snow. I love getting up just a little early and watching the sunrise. Now I don't look east for that. The condo faces west but the sky brightens gradually with soft purples and pinks and changes to a pale yellow until finally, if there are any clouds they turn a brilliant white. No clouds? The sky is a deep blue. Of course all of that is reflected in the waters of Florida Bay.

A few days after our arrival the moon was full which meant that there would be the little bioluminescent worms swimming around a couple of nights later.(See Fireworms of Florida Bay).  We found them but there were not as many as in the past. 

A lot of the plentiful marine animals we used to find seemed to be scarce since Irma hit the keys in 2017. There used to be hundreds of upside down jellyfish around the dock and a lot of colorful tropical fish, a few lobster and horseshoe crabs. We did manage to find quite a large sea snail one day.

We were afraid there were fewer manatees but eventually they appeared and while my manatee picture looks more like a crocodile in the water I assure you, it is a manatee. 

Speaking of crocodiles, the word is out that we have one roaming the area. We've seen some in the little lagoon where we've kayaked but never around the shore by the condos. Word is that a little dog got snatched. Bob says it's an urban legend. Whatever the case, there are signs posted to be aware of your surroundings because of alligators. Alligators however are more fresh water animals so I think they mean crocodiles since Florida Bay is brackish water--a mix of salt water and the fresh water flowing down from the Everglades.

We'll continue to look for our lobster around the rocks (hope no one ate him) and keep an eye out for the occasional dolphins that pass by. The osprey is still here and fishing everyday by our dock. He's pretty good and we see him fly by the window with his catch in his claws mornings and afternoons. Yummy.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

The Zuiderdam arrived January 3 in Fort Lauderdale. We ate breakfast in the Main Dining Room and grabbed our suitcase from the room to disembark. We just missed the first sweep of the parking shuttle from Park By The Ports where we had left our car. The shuttles came around every 20 minutes from 7-9 am so we waited for the next one which was right on time. 

Our car was just where we left it and untouched. It always makes me a little nervous when it's obviously packed for a long Florida stay and we have to leave it for a cruise. Add to that the location of the lot which was behind the Dania Beach Casino. All went well however and we were soon on our way to Key Largo.

The owner of the condo graciously said it was ready for us and we could arrive early. It was a beautiful sunny day and we found most everything in Key Largo to be as we had left it two years before. A few new restaurants but our favorite store for extras, K Mart was gone and half demolished. 

The condo complex was as lovely as ever and our condo sported new appliances and flooring. What a treat! We were soon unpacked and headed out for a late lunch. Groceries stocked after lunch, a meet and greet at sunset with friends and we were off to get dinner at our favorite restaurant for French onion soup and Mahi sandwiches--Skipper's.  

We slipped into bed and fell asleep quickly. Home at last--well at home away from home.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

 After spending New Year's Day at sea, we arrived at our favorite private island, Half Moon Cay. It is a beautiful crescent shaped beach that faces tranquil turquoise Caribbean waters on a perfect day and this day was perfect. 

Bob is a bit sensitive about sitting in the sun so we had reserved a clam shell which looks much like sound of its name--like one half of an open clam. It does a great job offering shade and comes with two lounge chairs. We took the nice big tender that the island uses to transport passengers to the beach. There's a dock and a little "town" area where you exit and walk through to the beach. The area has a few shops and refreshment areas.

We found our favorite spot on the beach which is near a large pirate ship structure where drinks and some snacks are sold and found a clam shell. Bob went to where you had to check in to say you were there for the shell. Usually someone hustles over and sets it up but that's not much more that pulling the canvas up and setting the plastic pole in place. Bob handled it. We dumped sand off of the loungers and settled in.

A little reading, a little swimming (for me) and a nice refreshing drink before lunchtime. Lunch was at the large food area where they barbecue hamburgers, hot dogs, beef ribs and a slew of other things to go with them. Since there was another ship there as well it was a little crowded but not so much that you couldn't get your food in reasonable time and find a place at a picnic table under one of the small shelters to eat. 

We got back to our clam shell and took a little walk along the beach. One more little dip in the water for me and we headed back to the ship. Half a day on a beach is plenty for us and the day had been perfect--our last day of the cruise.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

 Can't resist just another picture or two from our fun excursion to Monkeyland in the Dominican Republic. It was so much fun!

Posting the video as well. Please, no butt jokes.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

 

And now for the really fun part of our excursion in the Dominican Republic, the monkeys. 

After we were through our sample drinks, our guide led us down a path to a caged area where the squirrel monkeys were eagerly awaiting our arrival. MonkeyLand is a lot like Monkey Jungle near Miami only you are let into the huge fenced in area (read cage) where the squirrel monkeys live and interact with them. 

It was explained that the squirrel monkeys are not native to the Dominican Republic but rather they came from South America. This was a sanctuary for them although it was never clear the reason they needed a sanctuary far from home. I drew the obvious conclusion. Wouldn't you?

The guide for the monkeys ushered us all to an area behind the gift shop where we received instructions. Nothing could be taken into the monkey area but cameras and phones. He cautioned that earrings were a favorite thing for the monkeys to pick at especially if they thought they were seeds. I tucked mine in my purse. 

I wanted to leave my phone in my purse that is a little bag with a cross over strap but it wasn't allowed so I had to stick my phone in one back pocket and my wallet with my credit cards in the other, hold onto my camera and hope that the monkeys weren't as clever as the capuchins we'd met in Costa Rica.

Lockers were provided for a fee for those who wanted to stow valuables but a bin was also provided where you could leave things as well. We put my purse there since anything valuable was in my back pockets.

The guide led us to a small caged area where we gathered and closed one door behind us before opening the door to the big cage where the monkeys were. It was just like at the zoo where you have a foyer-like entry before you enter an aviary so the birds won't fly out through an open door. All along the wall and the top rail of the fence inside, monkeys eagerly awaited the opening of the door and the treats they knew were in the plastic container the guide held.

Once he entered and we followed, the monkeys were all over him eager to be treated with some seeds. He led us to some benches where we each took a seat on either side of the walkway. Once seated, the guide began to gently shower each of us around the circle with a few seeds. Of course this sent the monkeys scrambling to get them and they started climbing all over the guests.

To my surprise, there was no squabbling among the monkeys for the seeds. They would perch for a time on a head or shoulder and wait to see if some seeds would come their way. At times however it was a toss up between what was more fun to watch, the monkeys or some of the reactions of the guests. One lady let out a scream every time a monkey jumped on her head or shoulder. I don't know what she expected since we were told ahead of time what would happen.

As time went on we snapped more and more pictures. There were quite a few mom monkeys with babies clutching their backs. I was amazed at how they stayed on with mom jumping all around. The only time I saw one off the mom's back was when he picked up a seed. He scrambled back on quickly.

A photographer took pictures of each person and then pictures of family groups and dashed off to download them for viewing later in the gift shop. Meanwhile we were frantically trying to shoot pictures and video and giggling so hard it was almost impossible. 

At one point, we were given small bowls of fruit for the monkeys who devoured it all in the blink of an eye, discarding only a couple of pieces not to their liking I guess.

All in all, we must have spent around forty-five minutes interacting with the cute critters. The shared experience with other cruise guests kind of bonded us for a bit. 

Our excursion ended, as many do, with a shopping opportunity not only in the MonkeyLand gift shop but on the way back to the ship. We were told it was a demonstration of how men carve art pieces from petrified wood. The demonstration wasn't very long but that could have been a time constraint. The gift shop had tons of carvings, jewelry and other items and we found a pair of earrings to match the necklace we'd bought on our shortened world cruise in January. 

Quite a nice way to end the old year except for watching the Buckeyes lose to Georgia just as the New Year rang in. 

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

 In the little town square, or circle, of Amber Cove we met up with our guides for our afternoon excursion. There were about fourteen in our group and we were led to a comfortable mini bus for our ride to MonkeyLand. 

It was interesting to see the countryside. We passed through a little town area with fruit stands. Mandarins were in season and there were long skinny bags of them strung on the overhangs of the fruit stand shelters. The ride was pleasant with the patter of our guide giving us lots of commentary on what we were seeing. In about twenty minutes we pulled onto a gravel drive and parked in a small lot. When we got out and walked down a short path, a huge set of letters spelling out MonkeyLand welcomed us.

Our guide said another group was in with the monkeys at the time so we would start by visiting an example of a Dominican Republic home. It was very colorful on the outside with a thatched roof. The inside had a small kitchen one bedroom and a small living area. He explained that the caretakers took turns staying in the small home when it was their shift.

As we exited the back of the house, we were shown several different types of plants some of which I'd never seen before. I was familiar with sugar cane and a few others, but the one that fascinated me was the star fruit. I'd never seen a star fruit tree anywhere we have traveled. The blossoms on part of the tree were a pretty pink cluster. The green star fruit blended in with the green of the leaves. I almost missed seeing it. 

Of course coffee from the Dominican is very desirable and we were seated on some benches while a lady in traditional dress showed us beans before and after roasting and how, in the old days, the beans were ground after roasting using a large mortar and pestle. 

When she had ground some beans, she put them in a cloth funnel and slowly poured some hot water through the cloth funnel. It was basically a drip coffee maker. We each got taste the coffee which had a really good flavor. It wasn't sold in K-cups though.

Next came the cacao bean and the process of removing the beans from the pod and roasting. Somehow she got it to a paste and then a powder or maybe it was the other way around but the smell of hot chocolate distracted me from the details. We each got a small cup to taste the rich mixture. Luckily some people passed on the chocolate and there were a couple extra for us. Score!

Last but not least was a drink called MamaJuana, not to be confused with another word that sounded similar but was illegal in the DR. MamaJuana was said to be very "medicinal" since it had several different herbs and tree bark in it that were healing. All the herbs and tree bark were  then covered with rum, red wine and honey and left to marinate for a week or two. As it was explained, you could refill the alcohol and the tree bark and herbs would be good for quite some time. And yes, little cups were passed around for tasting. It tasted very sweet. Someone said it reminded them of sangria.

We exited the outdoor exhibition area as the other group began coming in from their monkey experience. It was time for the main event.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

The Zuiderdam docked early in Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. The first time we were at a port in the DR, we got off the ship and turned around after walking a block and got right back on the ship. I don't remember the name of the port but we didn't feel comfortable and we always go with our gut in unchartered territory. The second time our cruise port was Santa Domingo and it was a much nicer visit. I was eager to explore Amber Cove since it was specifically built as a cruise port. 

Breakfast in the dining room and a stop to collect our things from our room and we were on our way. It was a nice walk on the dock to the entrance of the port's shopping area. There were more than a dozen bicycle taxis for those who couldn't or didn't want to make the 3-4 minute walk or just wanted the fun of riding in one. We felt we needed the exercise.

Once we passed through the area that looked like a duty free spot in an international airport terminal, we started to walk around the shopping area. Most shops were open minutes after the ship docked. The stores were all in a giant circle for the most part and we walked around it stopping to read some of the fascinating information about the island. Parts of the 1993 Jurassic Park movie were filmed here. The piece of amber with the mosquito inside came from a fictional mine. The amber actually mined here is only about 25 million to 40 million years old, not old enough to be from the dinosaur era. Also, there have never been any fossils found that date back to the dinosaurs.

Up on a hill sat a place called the Sky Bar. It looked to offer a great view of the port so we followed the path up that had some steps. Steps aren't bad if you stop often to take pictures (smile), At the top we found a very nice open air bar and restaurant with some interesting food options but it was too early for lunch. We took some pictures from up top and then found a path to where the zip line started. The line went all the way down to the bottom, passing over the swimming pool. There were a couple of teens we met on our way down a path without steps who were coming back up for a second ride.

There were some cabanas on a dock area that also had another deli style open air bar/restaurant. We checked it out and then continued around the large pool area. Everything was available to the ship. I'm not sure if the zip line was free or not but judging from the excitement of the teens, I'm guessing it was. Had we not booked an excursion, it would have been a relaxing time in or next to the pool. 

We returned to the ship after our morning of exploring to have lunch and gather our hats for the excursion in the afternoon. I was looking forward to "monkeying" around.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

 Our first full cruise day was a day at sea. A good chance to relax and take in the beautiful sunshine, warm weather and sea air. We enjoyed breakfast in the main dining room and our mile around the Promenade Deck. 

The morning had several activities including a talk about the two ports we would stop in. We knew about the private island, Half Moon Cay. It was one of the reasons we hadn't cancelled this cruise when we cancelled the 2024 World Cruise. We love that island and it's beach. We were warned however that it could be a bit crowded since another HAL ship would be there with us. Our clam shell (a canvas shelter from the sun with two loungers) was already booked.

The most interesting part of the excursions talk was about Amber Cove which was a new port for us. If anyone has ever been to Grand Turk, you'll understand what is meant by a "cruise port". It is a port actually built by and for the cruise lines. Grand Turk has a little shopping village and a Margaritaville bar and restaurant with a huge pool. It also has a nice little beach. We expected this would be very much the same.

Then the excursion speaker got to the actual excursions you could book. Because we had some onboard credit, we had already booked an excursion to MonkeyLand. While he didn't give a lot of detail, he did indicate that we were in for a real treat on this one. The picture showed someone with a monkey on each shoulder and one on his head. Note to self: Wear a hat.

Our dinner was at the specialty restaurant, The Pinnacle, and we enjoyed filet mignon and all the fixings. It has been our experience that sometimes when you order decaf coffee after dinner, either the pots get mixed up or the waiter does especially if they are really busy. We're old. Caffeine keeps us awake at night. To remedy this, we skip dessert in the dining room and go up to the Lido buffet and get our own coffee and dessert. It hasn't failed us yet and often we get to see a nice sunset from that top deck.

Maybe this night we should have had caffeine. We were too late from dinner to catch the seven o'clock show in the Main Stage so we sat and listened a bit to the two pianos and singers in the Billboards venue. By the time nine o'clock came, we were too tired to make it to the show that featured a male quartet. I think our road trip adventure had caught up to us and the leisure of the day had relaxed us. We headed for bed.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

 When our five day cruise aboard the Zuiderdam was booked, we thought we had open seating where we would have to make reservations each night for the time we wanted to eat in the Main Dining Room. Bob, proactive guy that he is, had already booked several nights for 5:30. We showed up at the reservation desk at 5:30 and the hostess looked at us, smiled sweetly, and said, "Your reservations are at 5 each night upstairs. I'm sure your waiter is waiting for you."

Sure enough on our seapass cards (the cards that are your room key and your way to make onboard charges) it was printed, "early dining at 5 table 27." It actually worked out very well. We wanted a table for two and that was what was arranged. 

We had a lovely dinner of jerk pork tenderloin (the EXC special) along with Caesar salad and enjoyed the service of our waiter.

The night's entertainment in the Main Stage was a historical lecture with slides of the history of Holland America Line which we'd heard in March so we opted to listen to the dance band that was performing and then went onto something new, The Rolling Stones Lounge, where there was a group playing and singing music from several decades. The only problem was the volume. Way too loud even for these old ears. Note to self: don't forget the earplugs.

We returned to our room to find it all ready for us to climb into bed. It's so nice to come in from the evening and find the lights dimmed and the bed ready for entry. It was a good night.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

The evening of the 28th found us back at the hotel where we'd stayed the night our canceled world cruise was finished in January of 2022. No bad memories. The Hampton was bustling with people, many I'm sure spending the night before cruising as well. With the airlines having so many cancellations, lots of people were giving themselves an extra day at least to get to their embarkation port so as not to miss their ship.

 We were really tired and looking forward to getting on the ship and relaxing. It was only going to be five days but we needed the down time from our long drive south. Originally we had booked this cruise to see if we liked the ship because we had also booked another world cruise for 2024 in order to get to the places in the world that we hadn't seen and missed because of the other cruise being cancelled. 

We knew the Zuiderdam was an older ship in the fleet (20 years old) and it wasn't quite as large as some of the other Dam ships we'd been on. A cruise of 128 days could be a really long time if we didn't like the ship and its crew. Eventually we found two other cruises that took in the areas we wanted to see, eliminated places we didn't want to go that were on the world cruise and was less expensive. But, we decided it would be fun to take the five day cruise anyway. It stopped at our favorite private island, Half Moon Cay and a place we'd never been, Amber Cove. Who can argue with five more days in the sun?

Embarkation is a breeze with all the preboarding check-in procedures they have nowadays and with our four star Mariner status we were among the first to board. Amazingly, and to our relief, our stateroom was ready for us. Normally staterooms aren't available until around 1 pm on embarkation day. I think they had quite a few people who had stayed on from the previous cruise so there weren't a lot of rooms to "deep clean".

I hate to say we hadn't paid a lot of attention to our booking details. (We would discover our dining reservations weren't what we thought.) We knew we had a Signature Suite because, had we taken the WC, that's the suite we would have been in. It was very nice. Not quite as big as the Neptune Suite we'd pampered ourselves with for my birthday cruise and it didn't have access to a special lounge but we hadn't used the lounge all that much back in March. 

It was noon and time to go off to forage for food. 

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

 After finding our way around the I 26 accident, we thought it would be smooth sailing. That was not to be. We ended up in stop and go traffic on I 95 heading into Georgia. We finally found an exit where there was a road that ran parallel to I 95 and took the back road. We were on route 17 heading south and would connect again with I 95 just as we entered Florida. Yay! The traffic was much less and the scenery much better but we had added three hours on to our day's drive. We would be late for our reservation at the nice French restaurant, Le Clos, in Fernandina Beach.

Bob called and explained our situation. We weren't going to get there until 6:30 at best. It turned out that something had gone wrong with the reservation he made online and we didn't have one. That would have been disappointing in itself added to a long day in the car. 

We finally arrived in Fernandina Beach around 7 (too late for my first Florida sunset over the water), checked in and rushed off to a second choice restaurant we knew would be open. The Salty Pelican is a bit noisy but we were seated before long and enjoyed a light dinner. Not long after we collapsed in bed for the night.

A good Hampton Inn breakfast, followed by our favorite McDonald's coffee and we were on the road again and yes, wondering if the I 95 traffic was going to continue to slow us down. Thankfully it wasn't bad at all and we were early enough that we managed to meet with our kids in Cutler Bay and have our Christmas with them. 

After dinner and a little UNO, we headed for our hotel in Fort Lauderdale where we would stay the night before starting our cruise the next day. We were definitely ready to cruise.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

 We arrived in Dobson, North Carolina, about four o'clock or so in the afternoon. We were a little disappointed that our stop here was on a Monday since our favorite restaurant, Harvest Grill set among the Shelton Vineyards, is closed on Mondays. There would be no nice fireplace to sit by as we enjoyed their wonderful food. There was a restaurant right next to the Hampton Inn called Coach's where we'd eaten once before but it was mostly hamburgers and such and not nearly as nice a venue. 

After grabbing our overnight bags, we rolled into the Hampton which was unusually dark. I began to get a bad feeling as I remembered the parking lot was not very full. Sure enough the hostess told us she'd been trying to contact us all afternoon. (We were listening to an audio book on my phone so Bob's phone was not connected.) There had been several nights below freezing in Dobson and some of the pipes had frozen and burst, somehow causing the fire sprinklers to go off and spray the rooms on the upper floors. The whole place was without water until they could get it fixed--and of course, replace the wet mattresses. In a couple of minutes however, she had us booked in another Hampton just down the road about 11 miles.

The Hampton in Jonesville was a little smaller but had lots of Christmas decoration and offered popcorn in the lobby along with the usual coffee. Our room was quality and we settled in to find a place to eat. There was plenty to choose from but again a lot of them were closed on Mondays. We settled on the Cracker Barrel and enjoyed a meal within view of their fireplace. 

The next morning we were up at our usual seven o'clock time so we could eat and be on the road by 7:30 or so. This day of travel was usually about seven hours. It would prove to be a lot longer. We reached I 26 near Columbia, SC, and found ourselves stuck in traffic that soon became a parking lot. When two fire engines, an ambulance and several state patrol cars passed us on the berm we knew what lay ahead couldn't be good. 

As we sat there listening to our audio book, we noticed people backing up or crossing the side berm to get to the rest stop near where we were. It took a little while and some observation and we realized they were accessing a side road through a gate in the fence surrounding the rest stop. Bob judged the depth of the gully in the berm and decided we could make it across. We followed the traffic out onto the side road and to another road that ran parallel to the highway. It was heavy traffic but at least it was moving. 

We made it around the accident and back onto I 26 and thought we were home free. Not so.

Road Trip--Cruise--Key Largo

 Between not having internet for a time and all the busyness of the end/beginning of the year, I've not had a chance to sit down and tell the travel tales I promised some of you. Well, a little late but here it is.

After several days at home where the temperature never got above zero, we eagerly awaited our departure for points south. The week before Christmas our dining room table was covered once again with all the paraphernalia and clothes we take with us for our snowbirding in Key Largo. Christmas day we returned from church and ate leftover meatloaf from our "Christmas dinner" the day before with our son, Don. (While not a fancy Christmas dinner, it is his favorite meal.) Then it was time to take down all the decorations. We had gone lightly with decorating as we knew what was to come.

In freezing temps, Bob insisted the outside lights come down and he somehow managed it. I put away the little 3' tree with the Christmas bows on it and a little garland I had strung on the mantle along with a few other smaller items. Once that was done, Bob did his magical trick of fitting everything into the SUV. This included his equipment to run his ham radio from Florida and a packed bag for the trip down as well as a suitcase for our planned five day cruise.

The next morning we awoke to sunshine, still cold but sunshine helps. A stop at McDonald's and we were on our way south. The weather held most of the way to Dobson. NC, our first stop, no rain or snow and just a little cloudy in places. Little did we know we were in for a big surprise upon our arrival.

Cruise Journal: One Last Look At Boston

 We have witnessed some disembarkations gone terribly wrong. Usually it is due to poor management of the US Immigration at the port and passengers get backed up in long lines or can't get off the ship until the immigration officers arrive at the cruise terminal. Sometimes it is due to poor managing of a ship's staff in getting passengers scheduled correctly to accommodate their travel departures on shore. The ugliest disembarkation occurred at the end of one of our cruises in 2011. The link to that is here if you'd like to read the story. For those reasons, we always allow for plenty of time between a ship's arrival and when we book our departing flight. 

To shorten this long story, let me say that the best we could do with allowing time for get to the airport and fly home was a flight out of Boston around 6 pm. As luck would have it, disembarkation went extremely well and we found ourselves with hours to kill. Anticipating that, we did a little research and decided that due to the cold weather (blame it on Fiona or Ian) we would visit the Boston Aquarium. 

Checking our luggage was a bit of a problem at the airport. We had to wait an hour and a half before we could check the bags. As soon as time was up, we dropped them at the baggage check and arranged for an Uber to the aquarium. We had four hours to explore before we needed to be back for our flight.

Our Uber driver was quite excited that we were going to the aquarium. He talked about how his kids loved going there when they were little. Good sales pitch and he was right. It turned out to be fun and interesting. Have you ever seen a sea lion getting his teeth brushed?

Luckily there were lockers there where we could check our carry on. Mine is a small roller bag (can't carry a lot of weight anymore in a backpack and my laptop gets heavy) and Bob's was a backpack that we were able to stuff in as well.

With hands free, we began to explore. The center of the aquarium is a huge tank and you walk up a ramp that circles it to view the different levels and see all the varieties of fish. At the base of the tank is a very large penguin display. It was fun to watch them diving in and climbing out of the water. 

Along the sides of the center tank are smaller tanks on each level as you climb that  have interesting sea creatures, among them my favorite, sea horses.

When we had visited all there was to see, we decided to have lunch. The cafeteria in the aquarium didn't offer anything too appetizing so we decided to look at what else might be close. After walking around several blocks in the area in the brisk wind, we found a wonderful Irish pub called Mr. Dooley's Boston Tavern. I had a wonderful meatloaf sandwich.

Once back at the aquarium, we retrieved our stored bags and ordered another Uber to return to the airport. Despite the cold windy weather we enjoyed our day but were happy to get home and ecstatic to discover that all of the fall colors we missed on our trip due to weather were right there. It's been a beautiful autumn in Ohio.

Well, on to planning our snowbird trip and beyond!

Cruise Journal: More Of Halifax, Nova Scotia

So, okay, the climb to the citadel was a little taxing on my knee but we made it. I thought we would find just a little foundation of some sort of fort but it was way more than that. I should have read the description on my GPS My City app.

The hill we climbed is appropriately called Citadel Hill. The site was fortified in 1749 when Halifax was founded by the British. The Citadel was there to defend Halifax Harbor and the Royal Navy Dockyard (probably from those pesky rebels to the south).

Over the years there have been four citadels there. The one completed in 1776 is said to be the main reason that Nova Scotia remained loyal to the Crown during and after the American Revolution.

The last citadel (1828-1856) was designed to repel both an attack by land or from the water by United States forces.

By the end of the 19th century the citadel was used mostly as a command center for other harbor defensive works and provided barrack accommodations.

In 1956, restoration was made and it was opened as a living museum and historic site. There are men and women dressed in period uniforms and dresses who greet you and answer questions. Throughout the year but mostly during the season of visitors there are reenactments portraying life there in the late 19th century.

It was almost noon and the main entrance closed just as we were to exit. It was time for the noonday cannon fire. We couldn't see really well from where we were but there was a bench in front of the barracks and a lady in costume encouraging us to climb the steps to the porch above for a better view. I thanked her and sat down.

As promised the loud bang went off on time and the entrance was soon reopened. They don't actually shoot anything out of the cannon. It's all smoke and gunpowder exploding but they close the entrance because the cannon is right above it and they want to guard against any unfortunate accidents. 

We left the Citadel down the sidewalk we'd come up and I clicked on the next icon on our tour. It was the Public Gardens. We found it a few minutes later and thankfully after traversing some level ground. I needed to sit for a bit and we found a nice bench near a picturesque spot near the entrance. 

There was a rumbling noise and the source was two tummies that were hungry. As we sat, we looked at a Google map to see what eateries might be nearby. Outside the main entrance we stood, phone in hand trying to decide which way to go. A sweet lady stopped and asked if we needed help. I smiled and said we were just looking for a place to eat and she named a few down the street. Bob said we were just looking for something light and pointed to the one on the corner across from us.

"Smitty's?" She nodded slowly. "I'm sure it's as good as any and would probably meet your needs." 

Not a whole hearted endorsement but it was close. We thanked her and went to Smitty's. Turned out it was my kind of restaurant--all day breakfast, much like a Denny's. We enjoyed a nice lunch and after a rest were ready to tackle the remaining part of our tour. 

The next stop was the Halifax Central Library. Completed in 2014, it is an ultra modern building to say the least. We didn't go in but there's supposed to be a nice collection of miniature paintings on display.

We were soon on to St. Mary's Basilica. I love the peace and serenity you find in the huge old churches. The stained glass windows are always amazing. In Europe we discovered that often the history of an area is told in the windows as well as Biblical stories. 

The waterfront board walk was a straight shot downhill from where we were and was the last of the stops on our tour. We skipped over the two between the church and the boardwalk for lack of interest and the need to go put our feet up for a while before dinner.

The board walk was buzzing. it was a beautiful sunny Saturday and couples and families and all sorts of groups of people were out including a whole shipful of passengers I'd wager. It was an amazing place full of amusements, food trucks, restaurants and a few shops thrown in. An old ship was offering tours of their decks. We strolled along enjoying the festival atmosphere and then I found it. Smoke's Poutinerie. Take a look at the picture. It says it all. I had to pass though. I didn't want to spoil my appetite for dinner.

Halifax. While not the nature trove I wanted to see in Nova Scotia it was a very enjoyable port stop. 

Next up--a day at sea and then some time in Boston before our flight home. What would we do with our six hours in the city before our flight home?

Cruise Journal: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia has been on the bucket list for a while and I was glad we were going to get to at least one port there. For some reason I had it in my head that we were going to see lots of beautiful natural landscapes. And maybe if we'd gotten away from the city we would have. It was one of the rare cases where I let my expectations overrule reality. 

On the way into the harbor we passed one natural landscape, George's Island, which is a national historic site. There is a fort on the island planted there to protect the harbor from invaders like those feisty Americans in the Revolutionary War. With the sun shining on the pretty white lighthouse it made a for a great photo op.

My knee and leg were feeling a little better so I pulled on my elastic brace, took an ibuprofen and fired up my GPS City app. Like Quebec, Halifax proved to be hilly but not quite as bad. It did not have the quaint streets that Quebec had but there were some interesting older buildings tucked in among the modern brick and glass buildings. 

We followed the City Introduction Walk and first up was the city hall. I was glad we got there early since there was a small group of sound engineers setting up in the park in front of the building for some sort of concert. The city hall was built in 1890. It's one of the oldest public buildings in Nova Scotia. The middle of the building sports a seven story clock tower. 

Across from the city hall was a beautiful old structure, St. Paul's Anglican Church. It was built in 1750 and is the oldest Anglican church in North America. 

The park area between the city hall and the church is called The Grand Parade and dates back to 1749. There are several monuments and memorials to peace officers and those serving in WWII.

We began our trek up a grade to find the Town Clock. I stopped for a photo opportunity and to catch my breath. I happened to notice an unusual weather vane and couldn't resist a picture. Yeah, that's my excuse for stopping and I'm sticking to it.

Finally we arrived at a grassy hill and saw the structure we were looking for. There was a fort behind it at the top of the grassy knoll but all we saw was a big set of steps to get up there. No way. We took a few pictures and then noticed it was almost eleven o'clock. We stood across from the tower to wait for the clock to strike the hour. It was not as impressive as I had hoped but it did count correctly.

I clicked on the next stop on our tour to get the directions and we started on our way again. In order to get to the public gardens, our next stop of interest, we were to go around the corner of the grassy hill where the fort was. 

Lo and behold! Around the corner was a gentle climb on a sidewalk to get to the citadel. I shrugged. "Let's do it." We started up, slowly. What we found was well worth the climb.