Thirty-eight members of the HG Travel Club recently flew to Boston (in the middle of that recent nor’easter storm!) from RSW for the beginning of an exciting 12-day Celebrity cruise. After a flight cancellation due to the storm, we were booked on alternative flights and arrived in Boston for our cruise.
After a stormy beginning of the trip, we boarded the Celebrity Silhouette and departed Boston; our first destination stop was Rockland, Maine, and then Halifax, Nova Scotia. Then we toured Sydney, Nova Scotia, followed by two glorious days in Quebec City. We had to bypass Prince Edward Island due to severe weather there, followed by a beautiful day in Portland, Maine, and then returned to Boston, where we all flew back to RSW and home.
So, what was memorable about the trip? Halifax is the site where the humongous explosion occurred in 1917. World War I was going strong, and two ships carrying explosives for the war effort collided in the harbor, resulting in a massive explosion. It was the loudest explosion in history, only to be eclipsed about 25 years later with the explosion of the first atom bomb. Over 2,000 people instantly died from the blast, and over 9,000 injuries. Whole neighborhoods were leveled.
On to Sydney, Nova Scotia! Many of the rescue ships for the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 departed from Sydney, and most of the recovered victims of the tragedy are buried in three graveyards in Sydney. I skipped that excursion.
Enough of the depressing stuff! On to two days in Quebec City!! We had been searching for fabulous Fall foliage colors and finally found them up North in Quebec! We were just a little early down South, but up in Quebec they were in full splendid color! We were in QC during the weekend of the Quebec City Marathon, and it was a joy to see thousands of marathon runners hoofing it up the street in front of our cruise ship on their way to completing their 26.2-mile journey.
Quebec City is also the site of the Plains of Abraham battle site in 1759 between the British and French armies. At the time, Eastern Canada had been settled by the French colonists, whereas the British had been focusing on our present day US Eastern Seaboard. But the two countries had been warring on and off for centuries. The British wanted Canada for themselves, so the British Army conquered the French Army at this battle site, kicking the French out of Eastern Canada. However, the French influence remains to this day, with many in Quebec having French as their primary language. The French settlers on the island of Acadia (present day Nova Scotia) left and many of them settled in present day Louisiana. There, they shortened their name (Acadians) to become “Cajuns.” And the French influence is very strong in Louisiana today (think New Orleans, Baton Rouge, etc.).
Due to severe weather on Prince Edward Island, our ship Captain decided to bypass PEI and have an additional sea day instead. Our next ship stop was Portland, Maine. The weather was perfect, and many of our shipmates decided on excursions to see the beautiful nearby countryside.
We all flew back to RSW together and returned to Herons Glen by chartered motor coach from the airport. After a stormy start to the trip, we had a fantastic cruise and are eagerly looking forward to our club’s next cruise to the Western Caribbean from Tampa next February 28-March 7, 2027. Interested in joining our fun group? Contact me (Duane Parkinson) at 636-541-4561.
PHOTOS, DUANE PARKINSON AND VAL TREISCHEL
