NorbertsNiece

Friday night. You can see the lights from The Rooms at the top of the hill.

A lovely surprise from Ronald, the Guest Services Manager awaited us on our return. ❤️

I pass a wedding party exiting the Anglican Cathedral and head along Water Street, the heart of downtown in search of O'Brien's music shop to buy a music stand. They didn't have anything suitable 😢 Fabulous shop though. I pass the Portuguese naval vessel berthed near us.

I head on down passing "Jellybean Houses"

Geoff heads back down in a cab. I continue my walkabout. First stop the Basilica Cathedral of St John the Baptist. Construction lasted from the excavation of the ground in May 1839, through the laying of the cornerstone in May 1841, until the completion and consecration on September 9, 1855. At this time, it was the largest church building in North America and remains the second largest church in Canada after Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal and the largest cathedral church in Canada. The Basilica-Cathedral is one of the few buildings in St. John's to survive the Great Fire of 1892. There was a wedding rehearsal underway. In a previous post you can see Portuguese sailors exiting after a service.

The Rooms. A modern center with a gallery of local art & a museum dedicated to natural & cultural history. They were closing early as they were preparing for Circusfest. By the time we'd made the climb the much hyped restaurant and view were really all we could manage. We did witness Circus preparations.

Walkabout continued. Climbing steadily.

A couple of videos from Borough Market tonight. 2 because my finger slipped during the first and I was talking to myself. And I don't know how to splice them together 🤦‍♀️ The Captain, officers and staff eat here too. #1 #2

Captain just announced. Halifax and Sydney cancelled. We are staying in St John's until 2pm Sunday.

Anglican Cathedral of St John The Baptist. The Anglican parish in the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador was founded in 1699 in response to a petition drafted by the Anglican townsfolk of St. John's and sent to Henry Compton, Bishop of London. In this petition, the people also requested help in the rebuilding of their church, which had been destroyed, along with the rest of the city, in 1696 by the French under the command of Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville. During the centuries, at least six wooden churches stood on or near this site; each was destroyed by military operations during the various wars between the French and the British. The British finally won control of eastern North America.

We head ashore. There's a small band playing. Sadly when we pass them there is a massive tanker spewing goodness knows what on or off the ship so we can barely hear ourselves think let alone any music. We're given directions to the HOHO by tourist guides at the gate. You'd have thought they would know it wasn't running! 🤦‍♀️ That's a letter box (I hope)

Am back on board. Pic of sign on port gate. The City of St. John's is Canada's most easterly city and the capital city of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. This 500-year-old city is one of the oldest in the “New World.” St. John's local residents enjoy a mix of big-city luxury and small-town charm. Regardless of the season, the City of St. John’s is a hub of activity, innovation and culture. The town is quite walkable with lots of great shopping, restaurants, and historical sites. On Signal Hill, small wooden homes cling to the cliff-sides. At the top is the iconic Cabot Tower, where military men guarded the shores throughout the 1700s and Guglielmo Marconi received his first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. St John’s is known for its vibrant coloured houses that give the city a distinctive flavour, brightly coloured Jellybean Row Houses are a great photo opportunity. Not specifically on any one street, around every corner you’ll come across vividly painted terraced homes. Some of the more heritage homes with “gingerbread” wooden trims are also painted in contrasting shades. JUST HEARD WE'RE STAYING OVERNIGHT

Outdoor ship walk about. Beautiful day. Amera is parked up.

Watching Canadians go by. Tour buses pulling up. We'll not have too far to walk to the dentist. Ambulance has pulled away.

Day 12 / 34 St John's, Newfoundland Bonjour!! Good morning and thanks for following 😀 We've arrived!! Beautiful day. Plans so far is dentist 1030 appointment, take the HOHO. Lunch ashore. Find a music shop to buy a table top music stand (told you I was serious) Amera approaching. Sadly there's an ambulance at the pier. Sadly think it might be for the partner of our table companion (he came to dinner last night really battered and bruised). She may have appendicitis 😢

Tomorrow's activity sheet still shows us in town just for the one day tomorrow 🤞

Just back from the theatre. Thiago is a musical theatre star. I was moved to tears in places (may have had some alcohol). Sang from Phantom, West Side Story, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sunset Boulevard, Beauty and the Beast and Les Mis. Oh and Jesus Christ Superstar. Just wow again.

From ORCA : Our Ocean Conservationists and guests on the Ambassador Cruise Line Ambience have had some incredible sightings! In a single day, as they sailed to Greenland, they saw 18 blue whales as well as fin whales, sperm whales and common dolphins!

After he performed magnificently in the cake decorating competition, Ronald, the Guest Services Manager, gave me some of his precious time. The lifts were already decorated when the ship was handed over to Ambassador. This is the definitive answer!! The only carpets that have been replaced to date are on deck 7 and in the Casino and Purple Turtle. The medical staff comprise of 1 doctor, 3 nurses and 1 medical host. The artwork on the stairs (pics to follow) is based on the International Code of Signals alphanumeric signal flags. With focus on sustainability there are no newspapers available nor are plastic bottles available for excursions. Ronald is happy to answer further questions so do let me know if there's something you'd like to know.

Cake decorating competition between Jonny, Cruise Director, Henry, Financial Controller, Ronald, Guest Experience Manager and João, Hotel Director. They could choose chocolate or plain cake rounds to create their showpieces. Very funny. Each contestant had assistance. Some more proficient than others! Short video here 🤞 some pics upload

Cruising makes the best friends. You may not ever meet again but with social media you need ever lose touch! I meet Donna 12 years ago! Alaska with RCL if my memory serves me correctly. She's just sent me this, being a St John's resident. Unless I've missed the announcement (again) it's still not confirmed. Oh we've 1300 pax on board according to the guest services manager.

@psychokitty Didn't hear captain's noon announcement. Could have. Should have. But didn’t. Seems we may overnight in St John's tomorrow to avoid the hurricane. Awaiting update. Geoff has a dentist appointment tomorrow morning in St John's.

A typical front page of a leaflet we receive nightly which details on the reverse the following day's activities. Last night's front page with information we hadn't seen. Now highlighted. 😀🤦‍♀️

Day 11 / 34 sea day Today I have two ukelele classes. We typically play a game of scrabble in the morning with friends but today there is a cake decorating competition involving officers which should be fun. I'm tempted to join a tap dancing class but I don't think my Birkenstock clogs are suitable footwear! There'll be a wildlife talk and loads of other events to attend. Will see how it goes. Geoff has lost a crown off a tooth 😕

Specialty restaurant meal this evening. Fab.u.lous! Chateaubriand replaced by Black Angus ribeye. Heads up. Pairings means a taste of a suggested wine not a glass.