All Things EARTH... part 2

[awhfy]

16 minutes ago, awhfy said:

I’m thinking I’m going to take both of these toppers to wear with my red dress (I get so cold in dining rooms). Melody

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m having issues loading the pictures of the front of this topper & can’t load the floral topper at all. 

[MJC]

Try resizing them so the longest side is no more than 600. I used 300 on mine to make them appear as they do.

 

Edited October 23, 2022 by MJC

[awhfy]

2 hours ago, MJC said:

Try resizing them so the longest side is no more than 600. I used 300 on mine to make them appear as they do.

 

That worked, thanks. Melody

[MJC]

I hadn't thought about layering with that dress Melody. It makes it so versatile!

 

[awhfy]

9 hours ago, MJC said:

I hadn't thought about layering with that dress Melody. It makes it so versatile!

 

I get terribly cold in dining areas & theaters. I can have 3 looks with one dress. Really trying to cut down on luggage!!!  Melody

[slidergirl]

MJC - those topiaries made me think of floats in a Rose Parade on new years day!  Everything has to be made from flowers and plant material.  

[laurspag]

Melody, that's a nice idea!  I tend to go sleeveless.  I didn't think the ship was too bad on our cruise, but certain venues are.  My husband likes to play bingo and it is held in the Star Lounge or its equivalent.  It's always cold there. Otherwise, I warmed up with a drink! 

[MJC]

After walking our feet off for two days in QC, we decided on our last day to visit the Musée de la Civilisation which was just down the street a bit from the cruise terminal exit. One one side there are rotating galleries and the other side is all about the history of the peoples of Quebec. So there was a bit of disconnect, because the temporary exhibit was all about poo. Yes, poo. Interesting and surprising. And the other side held some fascinating history, art, and cultural items.

 

 

 

Yes, we got to see the gold plated poo and learned how astronauts "go" in space. There was a display about the poo emoji. Oddly entertaining.

 

[MJC]

We saved the best for last because the other side of the museum was beautifully done and filled with wonderful things to look at. Of course there are some very sad stories of the early interactions between the first peoples and the French, as we have similarly in our own country. The artistry of everything from canoes to carvings to textiles was divine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MJC]

I loved this modern art piece which is about honoring the animal you take for food by using all the parts. The detail was exquisite and the poem that inspired it was posted nearby. I thought I took a pic but I can't find it. I hate when I do that.

 

 

[MJC]

Sailaway party was by the aft pool. We watched Caribbean Princess leave before us. We waved hello to our favorite aft cabin as she went by. 🙂  There were lots of small boats hanging out in the river to see us leave. A couple hundred people were in the park to wave us off, but we ended up leaving almost 1.5hr late. Still some hardy souls waved us off.

 

Later we were told that about 800 people got off in QC and an almost equal number joined us for the 7-day to NYC.

 

One day there were three other ships in port besides us. Holland America, Silversea, and Caribbean Princess. We had the best berth right at the terminal with Silversea just behind us (which was much smaller). HA was in front of us on the other side of the ferry area, near the Coast Guard station. CB was on the other side of old town from us... we could see her upper decks but it would have been a hike to get over there.

 

 

 

 

[MJC]

Our next port was Saguenay, and we got up at dawn to watch the sail in through the fjord. It was beautiful but very cold! I had all my outerwear on, including gloves and a hat, and a deck blanket wrapped around it all. It was too early still for much fall color, but there was some. We came in slowly, and it was so calm and peaceful. We only saw a handful of other people on the promenade, it was like we were all sharing a secret.

 

 

 

We followed the Caribbean Princess into port. She had the dock, which meant QM2 had to tender us in. We didn't have plans to go ashore at all because we had wanted to go hiking but couldn't find a guide to take us. It's a very small town and this area is very remote to the rest of Quebec, but there is iron ore so they built a port here.

 

 

 

[MJC]

We changed our minds and decided to take the tender and just walk around. I quickly realized why we couldn't find a private hiking guide... it was Sunday and 65 degrees, and it seemed that the entire town came out to see the ships and wander around too because of all the special events taking place. Food festival, craft fair, bars with their doors thrown open with live music playing into the street. It was like a whole town party. People with their kids and dogs and grandmas. Classic cars cruising by. Between the locals and the probably 5000 people from the two ships, it was a madhouse. It was hard to walk down the sidewalk at times.

 

We eventually made our way to the pretty church which was open to visitors. Wandered over to the boardwalk along the harbor to the rocky beach, where kids were running around among the geese and dogs were chasing both. Wound our way back to the small cruise terminal. Whew. Back to the ship for lunch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MJC]

Our next stop was Sept-Iles (seven islands) which is a fishing and mining area. We were excited for our zodiac tour! 

 

A group of seniors came out to welcome us. The "terminal" was the white tent, and behind that was a mix of town and school buses that were for excursions. We got to ride one of the buses to our zodiac dock.

 

 

 

Most fishing boats were put away for the winter.

 

 

 

We were given special coats for the zodiac that had flotation built into them.

 

 

 

[MJC]

Another fashion interlude...

 

Great colors from Coldwater Creek this fall. Spice, Coastal Teal, Green Grove, Desert Blush. Boatneck, Tunic, Standneck (mock turtle), V-neck:

https://www.coldwatercreek.com/%23bestcotton-boatneck-tee/21519.html?q=21519&dwvar_21519_config=M

 

Mocha:

https://www.coldwatercreek.com/embroidered-vintage-wash-long-sleeve-henley/22196.html?q=22196&dwvar_22196_config=M

 

Almost any one of these would work for me, but I like Bronze best. The colors don't look right on my monitor, but the catalog colors are very EARTH:

https://www.coldwatercreek.com/tops/leaf-embroidered-tee/20985.html?dwvar_20985_color=2252&dwvar_20985_config=M&q=bronze harvest#q=bronze%2Bharvest&start=6&cgid=

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MJC]

Back to the zodiac ride. You know, the problem with cold weather cruising is we're wearing the same outerwear every day. Except for the special red parkas, that is. 🙂

 

We were in the smaller of the two boats. Our guide for the day was Claude, who had worked with the Coast Guard, and had a long stint there assisting a research vessel. So he was extremely knowledgeable about the ecology and environment of Sept Iles, the fishing industry, the St. Lawrence, and aquatic migrations, all kinds of things.

 

 

 

The scenery was beautiful in a spare and vast kind of way.

 

 

We visited a cormorant nesting site but they were gone. Up close to the rocks we could see urchins down below, but most of the lobsters and other shellfish are gone by now too. Too cold for them.

 

 

 

 

[MJC]

Some people have fishing camps on the islands. There is tight regulation of the lobster business to protect them from being overfished, or captured when they have molted and their shells are still soft. We got a close-up look at one (not on a plate with butter, though) and now I know more about lobster anatomy than I need to.

 

 

 

We sped through the bay back to the dock. Boy was that cold! We walked back along the shore to the dock area. Inside the white tent they had set up a local crafts fair, which was really fun. There were beautiful things there, and I bought a hand-turned wood Christmas ornament. They even had a wifi hotspot with couches and chairs so we could all check in back home. So hospitable and nice.

 

We reboarded just at tea time. We really enjoyed tea! Since we had late dining, we always took a break between 4 and 5 for tea and snack. The buffet even had hours for tea time between lunch and dinner. The Corinthia Lounge had some amazing donuts at tea time, so sometimes I popped in there to see what the flavor of the day was. Dark chocolate toffee was my favorite! Oreo wasn't too shabby either.

 

 

[MJC]

Our last stop was Halifax. We learned that a person from Halifax is called a Haligonian from Mr. Cunard himself.

 

 

There is a very nice boardwalk along the harbor with restaurants, bars, and shops. Some interesting art installations as well.

 

 

 

It is also home to the HMSC Sackville, the last remaining corvette from WWII. She protected convoys crossing the Atlantic.

 

 

Our destination was the Maritime Museum. This is actually the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MJC]

You will learn a lot about ships, shipping, shipbuilding, navies, navy yards, ordinance... you get the picture. It is most noteworthy from a tourism perspective because of its Titanic exhibit, but there is a lot of interest here. There is even a section on model ship building. These are some of the finest examples anywhere, and they even have a display about their workshop.

 

 

 

I enjoyed some of the advertising materials about the Titantic, and how the ship was designed and marketed to appeal to different classes.

 

 

We had also intended to visit the public gardens and citadel after the day had warmed up. But we were so tired from our expedition in Sept-Iles that we didn't want to climb the hill, and we just went back to the ship. The terminal has a large marketplace for souvenirs, which is handy.

 

Even though it was a nice weather day, it really began to feel like fall.

 

[MJC]

Our balcony sometimes felt like a picture frame. One day I decided to take a morning, afternoon, and evening picture to show how changeable the weather was.

 

 

 

This was the day there were porpoises playing in the bow wave after lunch.  So fun.

 

 

 

[MJC]

Home sweet home.

 

 

 

 

[awhfy]

Margaret, thanks for sharing your fabulous trip. Melody

[laurspag]

Finally!  I am able to sign in again.  If you are reading this, here is what you need to do.

 

You need to clear your cache and browsing history. Go to this website, and click login at the top.  Don't try to log in from the thread itself.

 

Well, that was a chore.

 

Margaret, I have loved hearing about your cruise.  I have put together a review of my cruise too on a word document, so I can copy and paste.  I'm afraid that I am much too wordy, so I hope I can scale it back a bit.  If not, just skip over sections, lol.  

 

What were your thoughts on the cruise line?    Your balcony seemed so unique, but at the same time, it seems ideal for the type of cruise you were on as it wasn't a tropical, hot cruise.  

 

Do you feel the clothing your brought along was warm enough?  You made a comment about mostly seeing your coat in pictures, and I can relate to that.  One thing I have vowed is that if I go on a cooler cruise again, to assume I'm going to be cold and make sure I bring the appropriate items.   Depending how cold it is, a few different scarves can do the trick.  I love wearing scarves.  I get cold easily, so having a scarf to wear makes a huge difference to me.

 

Speaking of outwear, I have been wanting a warmer type coat that isn't a winter coat.  I'm really liking this one.  The ivory is calling out to me, but the beigy looking one is probably more practical.  It's machine washable, so maybe I don't need to purchase based on practicality?  I really want to find something that looks stylish and doesn't add a pile of bulk, but these types of fabrics do.  I have a 20% off coupon too.

 

First Frost Textured Knit Coat (coldwatercreek.com)

 

I still like this also, but I am not necessarily sure it would be more flattering on me.  Sometimes, I look a bit scrunched due to my proportions with the longer style coats.

 

Long Teddy Jacket | JJill

 

 

[laurspag]

Or maybe this?  I checked, and the Coldwater Creek coupon doesn't work, even though I can't find the item under the exceptions.  Oh well.

 

This is cheaper, and while not as fuzzy, may be better choice for my sizing.  I'm looking at litchfield, although the ivory is nice.  For this particular one though, I think the olive green is just better.  It is on sale for a great price.

 

Lauren Ralph Lauren Women's Corduroy-Trim Quilted Coat, Created for Macy's & Reviews - Coats & Jackets - Women - Macy's (macys.com)

 

 

[MJC]

3 hours ago, laurspag said:

What were your thoughts on the cruise line?    Your balcony seemed so unique, but at the same time, it seems ideal for the type of cruise you were on as it wasn't a tropical, hot cruise. 

 

Laurie, good to hear from you. I knew you were back and was wondering when we will get some pictures. 🙂

 

We enjoyed the Queen Mary 2 very much. It is the only one of its kind, so it would be hard to know if the QE and QV cruise ships would be a similar experience. The ship is wonderful, but I would describe the whole experience as a bit more quiet and elegant than anything else we have done, and skewed older (which we expected). The activities are more on the enrichment side with no game shows or things like that. Trivia was VERY popular. Ballroom dancing in the Queens Room was VERY popular. The small gym was busy in the mornings.The disco where we hung out was sparsely attended most nights even though the band was amazing. We went almost every night.

 

Then again, it was a two week cruise and those can draw an older crowd (like us!) and timing-wise it was not child friendly with regard to the school year. We didn't see any children until some got on in Quebec City. There was a family with little ones and a family with tween girls, and another I think with one teen boy, and that was all we saw. There is a kids club, but there wasn't a lot to attract children IMO with it being too cold to use the pools.

 

The shows were mostly ok, but on the second week there was a lot of coughing, and plenty of stories of people who had been on the TA before us being in quarantine, so we stopped going. In fact, two days after we got home I wasn't feeling well so we tested. I was positive and DH was not. I was pretty sick for about a week and am just now past the fatigue. It may be just the current price of cruising for some folks, but it is not something to take lightly.

 

We had a tiny M&G so we did have some friendly faces to see along the way. One couple from Brooklyn had done the TA and the Caribbean on QM2 and were very helpful. We wanted to see if we would enjoy a TA after a week in London or something like that, and I think the answer is yes. If we were running around in England as we like to do, relaxing on a ship all the way home instead of flying is definitely appealing.

 

We had a similar balcony back in the day on the Dawn Princess, when all balconies were made that way. I really did think carefully about it, and we were very happy that we were able to be out there almost every day. We often had our afternoon snack and cocktail out there, and I sat out reading quite a few times. We could prop the door open and get fresh air whenever we wanted to, and run out to see what the weather was like. If we do take a TA eventually, I would get it again. One of the issues with QM2 imo is that you have to jump up several categories from ours to get a balcony that isn't looking at lifeboats or way forward/aft where you rock and roll a lot more.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2022 by MJC