Montreal

We landed in Montreal last night.  We checked into the Double Tree near the airport and it is a lovely hotel.  I slept for 9 hours!  I booked the hotel through Avion points.  I thought breakfast was included, but when I read the reservation it wasn't.  The breakfast this morning was delicious and a lot nicer than most of the hotels that have the free breakfast.  

We will go back to the airport and find our Princess transfer bus.  Apparently it's a 3.5 hour trip to Quebec City.  We look forward to seeing some of the country we haven't seen before.  It's our third trip to Quebec City.

The weather is sunny but cool.  We are all ready to board our ship.  We don't sail until tomorrow night so look forward to a nice day tomorrow in Quebec City.  The Weather Network says 11C and sunny!  I hear there is another atmospheric river heading for Vancouver.  Too bad we are going to miss it!

Leaving on a jet plane

 

                        All my bags are packed
                            I'm ready to go
                            I'm standin' here outside your door
                            I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
                            But the dawn is breakin'
                            It's early morn
                            The Uber is waitin'
                            He's blowin' his horn (I hope it doesn't bother the neighbours)
                                    
We leave very early today to Montreal.  We booked Porter Airlines with extra legroom and two abreast seating.  We stay overnight in a hotel near the Montreal airport.  Princess has a bus from the Montreal Airport to the port at Quebec City tomorrow.  This isn't the way it works during tourist/cruise season, but we are on the last ship to leave Quebec City and the flights into Quebec City are few so they are offering a bus for $99 a person.  It's a three hour trip that should be scenic!  We planned on taking the train, but this is much better as we give them our luggage with our room tags on in Montreal and we will see it again (hopefully!) in our stateroom.  We got a notice the other day we clear US Customs in Portland, Maine!

14 nights on a cruise ship to Fort Lauderdale.  Let's hope the hurricanes are finished!  We've got Princess Plus to make this an awesome cruise!

I found a Picasso in my basement

I didn't find one in my basement but this lucky Italian did:

A painting discovered by a junk dealer in the basement of an Italian villa six decades ago is actually the work of Pablo Picasso and could sell for millions, according to experts. Luigi Lo Rosso used to spend his days combing abandoned houses and landfills in search of treasure to sell in the family’s pawn shop in Pompeii, Italy. In 1962, he found a rolled-up canvas with an asymmetrical painting of a woman in the basement of the villa on the nearby island of Capri." 

The painting is believed to be an asymmetrical image of Dora Maar, who was Picasso’s lover at a time when he spent a period on the Italian island of Capri, where in the 1950s, Luigi Lo Rosso, a local pawnbroker who used to comb dumps and abandoned houses for treasure, found it in the basement of an empty villa.

If you want to read more of this story:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/02/style/picasso-painting-junk-dealer-italy-scli-intl/index.html

Pam, Julienne, Kayla and Amy-Leigh's Alaska adventure!

Over 15 years ago I decided to get into the business of booking travel.  I'd worked for an airline so I knew a lot about airline travel and travel in general.  We started travelling as soon as Cheryl was able to be taken on a flight.  We were so fortunate because the airline benefits gave us vacations we couldn't normally afford.  

I've love helping people in their travels.  I like to give them tips about cruising and am even happier when I hear from them while on their vacation.  I like to connect after too.

20 years ago, I needed surgery and seven months off work.  My employer had to hire a replacement for me.  Pam Kemps was my replacement and we've been friends ever since.  She left Ritchie Bros. after the birth of her second daughter and now lives in Courtenay.  She texted me and asked if I would book a trip for her, her mom and two sisters.  Mom Julienne and Kayla live in Moose Jaw, Amy-Leigh lives in Cloverdale and Pam lives in Courtenay.  Mom wanted to get the girls together and do a family cruise!

They booked the Koningsdam to Alaska in September.  Pam was in Vancouver visiting her mom who was house sitting in Crescent Beach and asked me to visit them last week.  It was a lovely visit with Pam, Julienne and Amy-Leigh.  Pam emailed me these pictures of their trip and I thought I would share them.

Pam, Julienne (mom) Amy-Leigh and Kayla

Enjoying afternoon tea!

Ketchikan

Kayaking fun

Red Dog Saloon - a must see in Juneau

Train ride in Skagway

A martini on the deck.  Looks like Vancouver at sail away!

My favorite cruises have been when we went with Cheryl, Dave and Lexie for our 45th and 50th wedding anniversary.  Our 60th is coming up in a couple of years, maybe it's time to book another one for our family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today Cheryl is cooking a family dinner.  Thanksgiving is about families and being thankful for everything you have.  We are fortunate and it's always great to get together with the family.  Our neighbours to the south have their Thanksgiving at the end of November.  Here are the differences between Canadian and American Thanksgivings.

American Thanksgiving: A Pilgrim's Tale

The origins of Thanksgiving in the United States can be traced back to 1621 when the Pilgrims, a group of English separatists, and the Wampanoag Native Americans gathered for a three-day feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Pilgrims had endured a harsh first year in the New World and celebrated a bountiful harvest, forging a bond of friendship with their indigenous neighbors. President Abraham Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, setting the date as the last Thursday in November.

Canadian Thanksgiving: A Harvest Celebration

In Canada, the roots of Thanksgiving can be traced even further back, with origins in the 1578 voyage of Martin Frobisher, an English explorer. Frobisher and his crew celebrated their safe arrival in what is now Newfoundland and Labrador with a feast.

It wasn't until 1879 that Thanksgiving was celebrated as a national holiday in Canada, with the date initially set as November 6th. It was later moved to the second Monday in October, where it remains today.

Saturday smiles

 

Aurora again!

We got a notification Aurora would be alive last night.  Jason and I went to Blackie Spit with a lot of other people, took our chairs and waited.  The city is not ideal for spotting the northern lights, but we were fortunate enough to see a decent light show!  

It just started!  

On Tuesday night, we parked in the lot at Blackie Spit.  No lights on Tuesday night, but last night you could see them without a camera.  The gates at Blackie Spit close at 8:00.  We didn't notice the sign but saw the flashing yellow lights at 8:50.  Good thing we did, as he was about to close the gates.  Last night, we didn't park there, but saw lots of cars still there at 10:00 and the park people kept the gates open.