Newport, Rhode Island

Wowsers! On our one and only day in Newport, RI, we took the city shuttle to see The Breakers, the most highly recommended of the Gilded Age Mansions. The mansion was built between 1893 and 1895 as a summer home for the Vanderbilt family.There just aren't any words to describe it. But thankfully, we were allowed to take photos inside so of course I (ahem...) took a LOT! It's hard to imagine that people actually lived like that! The mansion surely makes Downton Abbey look like a mud hut! (I've never been inside Downton Abbey - I'm just trying to describe how incredibly opulent it is.)

It's late tonight and we have to be up and off the ship by 7:30 a.m. so I won't take the time to post photos of the house now, but once I'm home and get unpacked, I will definitely post a lot.

In the meantime, you can read about it online  https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/the-breakers/ but I will post many more photos than you'll find online. It really is something to see but of course, the photos can never do it justice. 

I'll just post a few pics taken from the tender that carried us to the dock. I will add that it was a day with a lot of waiting. Not having an excursion, we had to wait a long time on a tender. Once ashore, we waited a long time for the city trolley. After visiting the mansion, we had to wait....and wait for another trolley which never actually came. We then decided to call an uber. But with Newport being a popular tourist destination, this being a holiday weekend, and also a Saturday, the traffic was terrible. The uber driver spoke no English, got stuck in traffic, my phone battery died and various other things happened but finally we and another couple from Ireland made it back to the ship. It was recommended to spend 2 hours at the mansion, but all the waiting ended up making it a whole day affair. 

PS There was a traveling elephant exhibition of 26 life size elephant sculptures behind the mansion and of course I took photos there as well. I'll save the mansion photos for one last post.

https://www.newportmansions.org/events/the-great-elephant-migration/

 

tender ride to shore

hundreds docked in harbor

literally 100's of sail boats and every type of water vessel you can think of

many houses line the shore

each one has a name and story

26 in all including babies

amazing artistry

lots of photo ops

 

 

Portland, Maine

Our ship docked in Portland, Maine early this morning. It feels great to be back in the US!! After breakfast we were required to do a "face-to-face" with port authorities in order to get our passports back. Afterwards, we walked into the Old Port area which was perhaps a mile or so from the ship. We did a little ‘look around’ and like other times, walked back to the ship before lunch. 

Not trying to brag, but the high in Portland today is 71 degrees. Part of the reason we chose this itinerary was to escape the heat, and I must say we have done that. However, I know it is waiting for us when we get home. Thank the Lord for the rain we've had at home - and for AC!

 

view from our ship

 

Portland is the largest city in Maine, its economy relying mostly on the marine industry and tourism. The city boasts many old buildings and I would say is still in need of some restoration in spite of some very nice areas as well. Its city seal is a phoenix rising from the ashes, as it has suffered 4 devastating fires, the most famous being the Great Portland Fire of 1866 which destroyed a huge portion of the city and left 10,000 people homeless.

It now boasts nice hotels and restaurants, museums, antique shops, art galleries and nightclubs. Like any large city, it also has its share of homeless and street people. Parts of the Old Port area look nice and modern while other parts could use some updating or restoration. The streets are trashy in some areas. At least that was our impression of the area around the port. Photos below - just keepin' it real.

 

United States Custom House

 

Portland City Hall

old vs new happily co-exist

brick streets in the Old Port

in a public park

overflowing garbage

 

 

 

 

 

no money here

out of business

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

an attractive business in the Old Port

spare some change?

sit a spell?

 

Ronnie was getting really thirsty, so this donut shop had the little pick-me-up he needed. A pink lemonade for him, a mocha latte for me and 6 warm cinnamon sugar donuts to share! (they were small, I promise)

 

Eighty-8 Donuts

It’s quiet on the ship this afternoon. Ronnie is out running, so he’s a happy camper. I’m in the lounge because even in port, internet is sometimes crummy in our room. Other people in the lounge are playing cards and working puzzles, while I’m sitting up here with my computer sharing photos that I snapped from the morning walk.

Probably the most interesting photos I took were at the fish market.

 

get your fresh fish here

that's a lot of halibut!

sea bass special

sea bass and ??

how do you season it?

what's for dinner?

when in Maine...

icing 'em down

 

 And I wouldn't be me if I didn't take at least one flower photo.

 

not sure what this is

and there's no shortage....

....of eateries

Saint-Pierre & Miquelon

This morning early we docked in Saint-Pierre, Canada, also referred to as “a little bit of France apart.” Technically, it is a French archipelago south of the Canadian island of Newfoundland. https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon

 

walkway from ship to island

off the ship in Saint-Pierre

Welcome, Insignia!

It feels great to see some sunshine and put our feet back on solid ground! What was supposed to be 3 days at sea turned into 4, and it was not all smooth sailing. However, the seas were not as rough the past 2 days as they were the first 2. Still, it was good to get off the ship to sunshine and a high of 70 degrees and walk around the little island of Saint Pierre. 

It is a colorful town with many houses and businesses painted bright colors, from lemon yellow to brick red and turquoise blue. I wouldn’t say there is a lot to do here. There is the Nature Reserve of the Grand Colombier, a sanctuary with many migratory birds along with puffin monks. We were told that offshore penguins can be seen as well as whales and dolphins. At L’Arche Museum, a guillotine can be seen among other things, but we were happy just to take the shuttle the 2 miles into town and sightsee a bit.

I was on a mission to find some Epsom salts to soak my foot. I accidentally cut my toenail into the quick – ugh! So we went straight to the drugstore. They didn’t carry it, but the pharmacist spoke enough English to direct us to the only grocery store on the island. We found one employee who could speak English there and I was able to tell her what we wanted. Walah - they had it! 

 

Saint-Pierre Pharmacy

 

Saint-Pierre's grocery store

signs worse for wear

 

stocked shelves

catsup chips

classique chips

KFC original recipe

"taste original"

It felt good to walk around but there weren’t many businesses open. Most of the locals we saw were either outdoor workers or people driving on the extremely narrow streets through the town. We did find post cards and a post office to mail them. We were back on the ship in time for lunch outside on the deck. Ronnie has gone for a run in the area, so he’s a happy camper. As always, I snapped photos with my phone as we walked about.

 

 

colorful buildings

pastry shop

Sports (sporting goods store)

WELCOME Come in, Open

   

pole locates mailbox beneath snow

this way