On Sept 28 we flew to New York City, and stayed two nights at the NY City Westin Times Square. Our first full day in New York, we took the Hop on Hop off bus and saw many sights. On Sept 30 we boarded the ship and that evening we did a city lights tour and went up in the Empire State Building. On Oct. 1, we did a shore excursion that took us to many of the same sights that the Hop On Hop off bus took us around Manhattan. Some of the sights we saw included:
Brooklyn Bridge
911 Memorial
Madison Square Garden
Central Park
Toured the Empire State Building
Rockefeller Center
St Patricks Cathedral
Battery Park - Statute of Liberty
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| Carlo's Bake Shop was across the street from hotel. |
Central Park:
911 Memorial and Freedom Tower:
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| Survivor Tree |
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| Oculus Building on 911 Memorial Grounds |
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| Empire State Building |
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| Flat Iron Building |
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| St Patricks Cathedral |
On our way out of New York, we sailed by the Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island.
On Oct. 2 and 3 we were in Boston. We did two shore excursions since we were there two days, the first being Panoramic Boston where we saw;
Copley square, Trinity Church, Boston Library the oldest lending library, John Hancock tower, and the start of the Boston Marathon. We also drove through Beacon Hill, drove by the place of the Boston Tea Party and stopped at Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
The second day we did a shore excursion called the Best of Boston, Lexington and Concord.
In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was first read to the people of Boston on the balcony of the Old State House. They continue that practice every year on July 4th. Picture below.
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| State House |
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Trinity Church - Pastor Brooks wrote
Little Town of Bethlehem |
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| Copley Square - Boston Marathon |
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Park Street Church 1809
hosted the debut of My Country, Tis of Thee |
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| Beacon Hill - State House |
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Oldest restaurant in America 1826 - place where
first toothpick was used |
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Old North Church - where Paul
Revere hung lanterns |
The first three pictures are of Lexington Green where Paul Revere warned of British troops. The last two pictures are of the Old North Bridge where the shot signaled the start of the Revolutionary War. The Old North Bridge in Concord is part of the Minuteman National Park.
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| Harvard University 1638 |
Day 8 we were in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We went first to Peggy's Cove where the lighthouse from 1914 is the most photographed lighthouse in Canada. From there we drove through the countryside and went to Acadian Maple where they showed us the process of harvesting the sap and making maple syrup. We then went to the Fairview Lawn Cemetery where 121 victims of the Titanic are buried, Then onto the Halifax Public Gardens and then we drove through the Citadel Hill National Historic Site but could not see enough to take pictures.
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| Lighthouse on George's Island |
Day 10 we were in Gaspe'. Very remote little town which is known for making windmill blades. Driving through the Forillon National Park (smallest natl park in Canada), we saw a few sites but enjoyed the beautiful fall colors along the drive.
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1942 Fort Peninsula battery, built to
protect the coastline. |
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Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse - Canada's tallest lighthouse
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Manoir - Le Boutillier, built by John Le Boutillier who built an empire as a cod merchant in 1850s-60s.
Day 12, we stopped in Saguenay at two villages, the first stop was Sainte Rose du Nord which is one of the most beautiful villages in Canada. It was raining so we didn't get pictures. Then onto Tadoussac which is the oldest surviving French Settlement in the Americas. Here they also have the oldest wooden church north of Mexico.
In the afternoon we went whale watching in the St. Lawrence Marine Park which is a national marine conservation park and we saw fin, minke and a young humpback whale. There are belugas as well, but we didn't spot them.
Day 13 - Quebec City - the only remaining walled city in North America outside of Mexico
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| Dufferin Terrace - scenic overlook |
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| Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac Hotel |
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| Wall around city |
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| Martello Tower on the Plains of Abraham |
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| Night shot as we are leaving port. |
Day 14 & 15 we were in Montreal. The first day we did a shore excursion the weather was so rainy and foggy we couldn't see anything. On Oct. 12 we disembarked the ship and loaded a bus for an additional 5 nights and 6 days and drove by many of the Montreal sights, just time clear enough to take some pictures.
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| St Joseph Oratory |
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| Notre Dam Basilica - 1829 |
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| Altar is made of all wood |
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| First bank of Canada - 1817 |
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| Residential units built for Expo |
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| 1976 Summer Olympics |
After seeing some of sites in Montreal we headed toward Ottawa in a 45 foot bus for 6 couples, our tour guide and bus driver. We stopped and took a tour of this winery and then had some of their wine with various food pairings.
On Oct 12, we arrived into Ottawa for two nights. Our hotel, Fairmont Chateau Laurier was located next to the Parliament building, close to Sussex street and a block from Byward Market.
Our tour of the city included a tour of the Parliament building, the Holocaust Memorial, Rideau Hall (built in 1838) and gardens which has been used as the governor general home and workplace since 1867. The Prime Minister lives on the grounds in the Rideau cottage. We also toured the Canadian Museum of History and drove around the canal which runs through the city and is the longest canal in North America; 125 miles. In the winter people can skate to work on the canal.
The Parliament main building will be closed for 10-15 years for restoration so our timing was perfect to get a tour of the building to include the library.
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| Fairmont Hotel we stayed in |
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| Seven Locks next to hotel |
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| War memorial created in 1938 |
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| Holocaust Memorial - from the air it looks like the Star of David |
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| Rideau Hall |
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| Rideau Dam and Falls |
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| House of Common Door |
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| House of Commons |
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| Senate House |
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| Library in Parliament |
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| Totem pole display in museum |
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| Canal |
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| Notre Dame Basilica Cathedral |
On our own, we walked to the Mosaic display. This display was to be removed within two days of our visit and then the next display will be in Paris in 2020. We took lots of pictures as it was pretty amazing.
On our way to Toronto, we stopped in Kingston and did the Heart of the Islands cruise sailing around the 1000 islands. To qualify as an island, there has to be at least two trees and the land has to be visible year-round. Some of the islands are part of the National Park.
We arrived in Toronto on Oct. 14 staying at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. The next day we drove to Niagra Falls and took the Hornblower boat ride under the falls. It was a wet and windy day, so we just got wetter from the falls. We then went to Niagara at the Lake to have lunch and then onto a winery before heading back to Toronto.
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| Horseshoe Falls - Canada |
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| Top of Falls |
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| U.S. side of the falls to include Bridal Veil Falls |
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| Wayside Chapel - holds about 6 adults |
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| Niagra at the Lake |
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| Sussex Winery |
Our second day in Toronto included a city tour. We stopped by the Brookfield atrium and learned about Toronto's underground tunnels. The atrium was built in between established old structures and was next to the Hockey Museum. We then went to St. Lawrence Marketplace which is in the building of an old jail. We drove around seeing some of the various Toronto districts and then stopped at the City Hall, where the Toronto sign sits in front in the square. We had lunch in the Kensington district and then drove along the waterfront and stoped at The Distillery District.
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Heart and LOVE displayed in all various
colored padlocks. |
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| CN Tower |
On October 17 we flew back to Phoenix airport and it was great to get back to the motorhome and get it set up for the remainder of our time here.
