Amsterdam, December 9

Hi John, I am presently staying on a houseboat located off the Ijburg southeast of Amsterdam. My rental unit includes the boat’s wheel house and I have phenomenal views of the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal. While it takes twenty minutes to walk to the tram once I am on the bus it only takes fifteen minutes to get downtown. I find that the transit system is easy to use however I buy my train tickets separately from my transit pass because point to point tickets are cheaper. While I enjoy the natural surroundings of the area the houseboat is moored in I have been able to appreciate the art galleries, museums and history. Everyone here is extremely fit and they dress fashionably. This is the country to buy fantastic boots! -Therese

November 21, 2013

Yesterday we toured Caesar's Palace and the MGM Grand Hotel. Our lunch was at the "Gordon Ramsey" restaurant in the casino at Caesars. Before dinner I went up to the Mandalay Bay Hotel and visited "Shark Reef". It blows me away that you can view sharks, rays, squid and other marine life in the desert.
On the way home from dinner I was able to score a ticket for "Äbsinthe" which plays in a circus tent located in front of Caesars.

November 20, 2013

November 20, 2013 The Venetian changes their décor and employ themes to their events for Christmas. Last night there were concerts in the different squares as well as seasonal menus at a couple restaurants.

 

November 19, 2013 Las Vegas

I flew into Las Vegas this morning with Air Canada Rouge and got to sample their inflight meal and entertainment services. Our first stop after leaving the airport was the Tropicana Hotel where we I a site inspection and were treated to lunch in their café. The rooms were really big and the property was very clean. They have beautiful loft suites which have in an in room bar, sauna and whirlpool tub. After lunch we transferred to The Venetian Hotel and toured the suites at the Palazzo and Venetian. This evening the group had tickets to see Zarkana by Cirque du Soleil. The show had a gigantic cast an there was always something happening on the stage.

September 24, G Adventures "The Future of Tourism"

Last night I attended a presentation hosted by "G Adventures". It highlighted the company's brand by highlighting "Planeterra Foundations" projects, the announcement of 2013's "G Project" winner and industry release of "Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business". While the presentation was geared to the younger travellers (they incoporated an interactive element by broadcasting viewer tweets) their values resonated throughout the audience.

Freedom Trail Run, September 8, 2013

I joined our guide Shelly at the corner of Boston Common for a running tour of the Freedom Trail. It was a phenomenal tour: we covered a lot of sites in a short period of time and she was very good at keeping us on schedule. She and another runner, Dan, gave me some suggestions about areas to stay in and restaurants to enjoy. I used the subway to get to the meeting point and to return.

Quincy Market

Statue of Paul Revere with the North Church in the background.

Boston, September 7, 2013

Disembarkation was very easy and the airport is located across the channel from the Cruise Port. There is a tunnel connecting both sites. It costs 25.00 to travel by taxi from the airport to the Prudential (Sheraton). In the afternoon I met a guide at the Capitol and did a walking tour of Beacon Hill. The tour included a lot of background about their political figures and the Federal style of architecture. We heard about the Mount Vernon Proprietors Group (Hepzibah Swan, Charles Thurlogh)who developed the real estate in the area during the mid 1800's. There were historic homes on Beacon Hill, Chestnut Street, Mount Vernon Street and Louisburg Square (which has a private park) There were initially three large Hills in Boston, Beacon, Tremont and Vernon but they were all scraped down to fill in Back Bay. Later in the afternoon I went on a walking tour of Back Bay. We started at Trinity Church on Copley Square. The Back Bay area was initially a tidal Basin that was filled in with soil from Newsome Heights during the mid 1800s. The foundations of the buildings are fortified with wooden piles which have to stay submerged in water so that they do not rot. The city is careful to monitor the water table so that the piles beneath the buildings stay submerged. Most of the significant Buildings were designed by HH Richardson. Saw the John Hancock Buildings which are all reflected in the new tower (66 stories). Went on a "Duck Tour" and saw the St Charles River as well as North Boston/Cambridge.

Acorn Street

Bar Harbor, September 9, 2013

Carriage Road in Acadia National Park

This morning the sunrise was beautiful but the temperature was cold. While the ship entered the harbor I saw a group of seagulls dive for a school of fish that were close to the surface. I was surprised about the number of lobster pots located in the channel. We had to clear immigration and then tender into Bar Harbor: the ship arrived at 8:00am and I was not ashore until 9:15am. While the town offers free wifi it was difficult to get online and the connection was sporadic. Once on shore I picked up my bike from Acadian Cycle went up to the town square and took the complimentary Acadian Express to pick up spot 6 (Eagle Lake) in Acadia National Park. The park is networked with carriage roads initially created by Rockefeller and motorized transportation is prohibited on them. Because they were built for carriages the grades on the inclines are not too steep but very long giving panoramic views of Somes Sound, Bar Harbor and Cadillac Mountain. My goal was to check out the stone bridges that span creeks and valleys on the Carriage Roads. My route ascended Sargent Mountain, Parkman Mountain then descended to Lower Haddock and back up to Jordan Pond. While at Jordan Pond House I met Brianne who had been vacationing in Bar Harbor. We decided to ride back to Eagle Lake together and she told me about the Bar Harbor area as well as Boston. Lunch was Lobster Rolls at the Side Street Cafe.

Halifax September 5, 2013

The day started out bright and sunny with smooth sailing into Halifax Harbour. We passed McNab's Island and Point Pleasant before docking at the Halifax Cruise terminal which is located behind the Via Rail Station. Holland America cancelled my Sea Kayaking Excursion and I needed some physical activity so I went for a run down to Point Pleasant Park and enjoyed the trails that network the park. From there I went past St Mary's University and got lost. I was lucky enough to meet one of my friends who was in the middle of a bus tour to Halifax Public Gardens (at least she remembered to bring a map). Once I got my bearings I ran around Halifax Commons and the Citadel. My run ended me up in Historic Properties where I met up with my room mate Kevin and we walked back to the Veendam. We were fortunate enough to meet a couple local tour operators on the boardwalk and I now have some good contacts for local travel options out of Halifax. After lunch Kathy and I checked out the shops at Pier 22 and sampled the beer at Garrison Brewery (an amber and nice raspberry wheat beer). After returning to the boat I attended a workshop about Windows 8 in Holland America's Digital Workshop.

Louisbourg, September 4, 2013

Got up late and saw land so I had breakfast and went up on deck to see the ship arrive in Sydney....there are some pretty farms on the hillsides leading into the port , passed the CN Marine docks and the ship backed into the slip at the "Big Fiddle". We saw a bald eagle perched on one of the pilings and he stayed there for at least five minutes while the ship maneuvered. Later another passenger said that he saw the same bird there last week when the ship stopped in. There is free wifi at the pier but it gets overloaded so you are better to go to Tim Hortons or Canada Post for Service. I met out tour conductor, Anna Marie at the Pier for the trip to The Fortress of Louisbourg. On the drive into the site the fog got thicker and I was concerned that the day might be a disappointment. They clearly get a lot of fog there and you can see moss growing high on the trunks and branches of the evergreen trees. The park is impressive and the fog actually made it seem more real The Bastion and Governor's Apartments seem to dominate the area. One thing I noticed is that the doors of the buildings do not open to the streets, you enter a yard through a side gate and then go around to the back of a house to enter it. I wish that I had another two hours to see the park. Sydney itself is a neat little city and serves as a nice entry point to Cape Britain.

Governor's Apartments and Bastion at the Fortress of Louisbourg

Charlottetown, September 3, 2013

ms Veendam in Port of Charlottetown

It was very dark until about 6:30 and the weather was rainy for coming into Charlottetown I went for a run to orient myself with the city and started towards the boardwalk along the shore in Victoria Park then followed some streets and got lost eventually I got to the University and returned to town on the Confederation trail. Once I got back to the ship I had to do a quick change and went to an onboard culinary class. It was a very good value and our menu included chilled berry soup, maple glazed salmon and gourmet poutine. I was kind of intimidated and only felt comfortable peeling potatoes and cutting them into wedges. I hope to expand my repertoire to onions and garlic someday. The smells in the culinary center where incredible. Cooking classes are a lot of fun and we all had a hand in the preparation and seasoning. Afterwards we ate our meal in the Pinnacle Grill overlooking Charlottetown. We did a walk around Charlottetown and went for a drink at the Merchantman Pub where they displayed a variety of oysters. Our server Tim explained to me that each type has it's own charactoristic depending on the depth it grew at and the location it was harvested from. All PEI oysters are based on the Malpeque strain: there was a disease that killed of the oyster population and they were reseeded using Malpeque stock. We continued our walk and found an incredible store called "All Things Olive". They have a large variety of balsamic vinegars and olive oils. My favorite was a maple balsamic vinegar which the sales clerk mixed with blood orange olive oil and gave me a sample to taste...they deliver internationally.

Making Gourmet Poutine

Cruising the St Lawrence, September 2, 2013

We cruise on the south shore of the St Lawrence on this itinerary I did the Veendam Art tour which I had downloaded from Apple onto my Ipod. At some times it felt more like a scavenger hunt because I could not locate some of the pieces. The works that got my interest were “Jacob’s Ladder” (a two story glass sculture) in the Atrium, a set of Samuari Armour located next to the Wajang theatre and some Pre Columbian pottery that was dislayed close to the Rotterdam Dining room. Durng the afternoon I stopped into the Neptune Lounge to see “Dancing with the Stars” and then particpated in a beer tasting function at Mix (a mid ship lounge). The activities onboard encourage interaction between passengers and I constantly find myself engaged by the experiences of the people I meet. Late afternoon we ran into some rough weather and there was significant motion for about 5 hours, Holland America telecasts a map that plots the location of the ship on a map. It helped to see that we were progressing quickly to calmer channels. This evening was the formal night and not many people were at dinner. I stuck with the vegetarian selections this evening: citrus salad, ginger peach cold soup and a vegetable tart. After dinner we went to the Neptune Lounge to see a broadway revue that show cased Bob Mackie Costumes.

September 1, Day in Port, Quebec City

Even though this is the second day on board we are still docked at Quebec City to give passengers time to enjoy the port completely. This morning I had a hassle puling myself together, onboard a ship it is beneficial to set items in specific places so that you can locate them easily. I spent the early morning in the Explorer Lounge which is very comfortable with nice views of the sea and a cafe is located next to the lounge. My follow up was breakfast in the Dining Room and while there are a lot of choices their "Green House Spa Selections” are very attractive. Yogurt with fruit and granola and an egg white fritatta with low fat cream cheese and sundried tomato were the items that caught my eye. Our group did a hotel inspection at the Chateau Frontenac. To get there we rode the Funicular from the lower city up to the hotel. Fairmont hotels are renovating the property and the new rooms will be decorated in basic colours using different textures to create depth. People can watch the property’s redesign at http://nouveauchateau.com/en/. Upon return to the Veendam I checked out the Wajang Theatre and Culinary arts Center. The instructor spoke about basic preparation for a party and taught us how to make shrimp cocktail shooters. Leaving the Port of Quebec was exciting and many people watched the maneuvers from the Crow’s Nest Bar. In Quebec City the ship has to pivot around before travelling downriver. I was amazed about how little space was required to navigate a 180 degree turn. Once the Veendam was heading downriver we saw farms and mountains as we travelled eastward on the St Lawrence. On previous cruises I travelled out at sea but when you are on the river you get a true perspective about how fast the ship travels because landmarks pass quickly. This evening we enjoyed dinner at one of the ships premium restaurants "Canaletto"; an italian venue situated on the Lido Deck. This location provides a premium dining experience and which incurs a surcharge of $10.00 over the regular price. The benefit is that the service is more personal and you get to enjoy your meal in a familial atmosphere. We often forget that travel broadens us not only geographically but also intellectually and socially. I sat with my new friends Kathy, Kevin, Nicole and Desiree and was entertained by travel stories and jokes. Nicole was hilarous "This is one more thing off of my bucket list...dinner with Canadians", "Your beer stores close at 10:00??? That is when beer starts". The meal was so comfortable the we missed the shows and rounded out the evening in the Ocean Lounge and the casino.

August 31, Boarding the Veendam

The passenger cruise terminal is located close to the Quebec's Lower Old City at the base of the stairs. There is complimentary wifi in the passenger terminal. I left my luggage with an attendant at the sidewalk where it was loaded onto racks that go onto the ship. After entering the terminal I had to fill out a medical questionnaire (cruise lines are very proactive about outbreaks of illnesses) after that I went through a security process similar to that of an airline and proceeded to check in. At check in the agent reviewed my preregistration and identification. They then took a photograph which is kept online for security and issued me a shipboard access card that is barcoded and has a magnetic strip. This card is used for getting on and off the ship, purchasing onboard services and as the key card for your cabin. The entire process of checking in took about 15 minutes on the outside. Our cabin is an outside large cabin that has a sitting area (sofa that converts to a double bed and an upper berth that pulls down). It has four large closets and an in room safe. The bathroom actually has a tub with shower. The first night's menu was nice (they post that evening's menu outside the door of the restaurant during the day. My highlight was Strawberries Balsamic as desert(strawberries served in a balsamic reduction with whipped cream).

Explore Lounge on the ms Veendam

Montmorency Falls, August 31, 2013

I took a cycle trip to Montmorency Falls with Cyclo Services is which located close to Place Gare. Our guide’s name was Guy. Bikes were low end hybrids and kind of heavy. Quebec City has 400 km in bike trails itself. Trivia Fact of the day....you are allowed to ride a bike on the sidewalk in Quebec and cross in all directions on a pedestrian green(maybe because the drivers are very aggressive. The route we took was paved along the St Lawrence: we passed Latin Square and Domaine Maizerets (a park on the north side of the river that used to be a Jesuit Farm). The St Lawrence exhibits high tides (about 12 ft). There is a Gondola that goes up the west side of the falls and you disembark at Manoir Montmorency which has served as a private home, officers club and Jesuit Monestary. There is a suspension bridge at the top and the east side of the falls has a new Via Ferrata (Iron Trail) which can be viewed be the stairs located on the east side as well.

Quebec City August 30, 2013

Quebec City airport is a nice size and offers free wifi. While there is no shuttle service downtown taxis charge a flat fee of 35.00 to the old city. I stayed at the Loews Concorde which offers nice views of the Port and river however it is a bit of a walk from downtown. During the afternoon I went to the Observatory of the Capitol which costs 10.00 but is too far back from the cliff to see any of the lower city. I also walked over to the VIA Rail station which is an historic building located way, way down the hill from the Chateau Frontenac. There is a neat fountain in front of the station and "Place Gare" has many restaurants and boutiques.

The areas around Hotel Dieu and The Chateau Frontenac are ideal locations and I checked out some smaller hotels. It is handy to be close to the thoroughfares of Rue St Louis and Rue St Jean. Other tourist areas in the upper city are Rue de Buade, Cote de La Fabrique and Rue St Anne. The lower city seems to centre around the stair cases leading down to Rue Petit Champlain, Rue Notre Dame and Boulevard Champlain. There are some interesting restaurants and a lot of shops and artisans. The hill is long and steep but the look outs from Dufferin Terrace and Parc Montmorency are panoramic.

Porter Airlines, August 30, 2013

Presently I am in the Porter Airline Lounge at Billy Bishop Airport. The process of getting to the Airport is relatively simple. Porter airlines shuttle service picks up from a spot very close to the exit from Go Transit at Front and York Street. My travel time from downtown to check in was about 45 minutes including my wait for the ferry and transfer to the island. There are check in kiosks on both sides of the channel. Yesterday I tried to copy my boarding pass onto a .pdf file but the check in or security agents did not accept it so I had to use my paper copy. Porter are not fully employing mobile technology for their passengers. The lounge itself is quite nice with complimentary wifi available to all passengers and coffee, water and fruit juices are free for everyone. There is a small station that sells food but it is quite expensive: a fresh yogurt fruit cup was priced at 6.00 while a dry bagel is 4.00. The waiting area is furnished with upholstered chairs and there are outlets for plugging laptops. The airport is in the process of building a tunnel to the mainland.

Travel Applications for Mobile Devices, August 27, 2013

The advent of Iphones and Ipods has eased navigation issues for cruise passengers and tourists in new cities. Recently I downloaded "Deck Director" an application that allows me to load a copy of the ms Veendam's deck plan onto my Ipod. Once on the ship I can input my cabin number and the Ipod will generate directions to the cabin and between public areas so I don't get lost during the first few days onboard. I have also been able to download a map and touring program for Quebec City so that I will be able to discover the sites with a self guided tour. It also has the advantage of providing me with a loaded map for finding my way home.

Packing Issues August 26 , 2013

This week I am preparing for my cruise with Holland America and like many travelers I am having issues determining what to pack and what to pack it into. The standard for checked luggage is a total size of 62 inches per piece for a maximum of two pieces. While I have planned a lot of my activities I failed to consider the issue of shoes. Shoes for the formal evenings on board, shoes for walking, shoes for running and shoes for cycling. I find it odd to be obsessing about shoes....