Homeward Bound

We pulled out of Charleston and headed to Miami - our final destination.  We've had great fun and met great friends, but I'm excited to know that in a couple of days I will be sleeping in my own bed.

One of the highlights of every cruise is the "Krew Kapers" show, so we made sure to attend.    These young men and women were great!

Now time to pack up and get ready to be back in Florida :)



 

Charleston

Charleston is one of our favorite cities so it was fun to have two days in port there.   The pier was located near the Custom's House so it was an easy walk into town.

We took a long walk when we arrived, visiting some of our favorite places.  Emile proposed to me in Charleston so I always love revisiting.   After lunch we took the tour of Boone Plantation and enjoyed the history lesson (even though the original buildings were destroyed by fire and have been rebuilt).

That evening we had reservations at "Magnolias" and we invited two other couples that we had become friends with on the cruise.   One of them lives in Vancouver, BC and the other in Chicago so it was their first real introduction to southern cuisine.   The food was excellent and I think everyone enjoyed a little break from dining on the ship.   

The following day we ventured out on our own.   We took a tour at the Nathanial Russell House and then walked through the shops at Charleston Place and the market.   

Now back to the ship to start packing - we'll be home in a couple of days!

New York Harbor

We've been to New York City many times, but there is something thrilling about arriving in the harbor.   Traveling by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island I wondered how many others had traveled that path before us - arriving in the US for the very first time.   It was quite emotional.

Now I must share with you, our voyage from Boston to New York was a little rocky.   They were experiencing stormy weather with 50 mph winds which kept the ship rocking throughout the evening.   Walking to dinner I thought perhaps we were on the S.S. Minnow (of Gilligan's Island fame...)    Just another adventure....

We actually had two full days plus an overnight in New York; so lots of time to explore.   Arriving at our pier we had a great location - only five blocks from Times Square.    It was a perfect fall day!

Back to the ship for the evening, then we opted for room service for breakfast!

We had arranged to meet Margaret on our second day in the city.  She finished her masters program at FSU last year and moved to NYC to begin her career with a well known gallery.   She made lunch reservations for all of us to meet.

We had a great brunch at Pigalle's and then spent some time in Central Park before we had to be back aboard the ship.    The weather was perfect (although Margaret said I was probably the only person in Manhattan that was wearing flip flops in November....)

Time to head back to the ship but what a great day!  

On to Boston

Our arrival in Boston just happened to be the morning after they won the World Series.    The entire town was celebrating so it was fun to be in the midst of it!    We were only in Boston for a few hours so we chose to tour two of the presidential libraries that are located there:  John Adams and John F. Kennedy.   We enjoyed both but especially the history at the Adams home.

It was also Halloween on the ship and they had fun with the decorations for the day!

Friends in Bar Harbor

When we saw the cruise itinerary and that Bar Harbor, Maine was one of our ports - we immediately got in touch with our friends Cindy and Tom to see if they would be in town while we were there.   They built a home near Bar Harbor a few years ago and enjoy time in Maine for a few months every year - heading south when it gets too cold.

The weather was beautiful for our day there.   They met us at the Pier and we walked through the shops near the Bar Harbor Hotel and took a walk along the waterfront.    We stopped for lunch at one of their favorite "local" restaurants and had a great meal and lots of time to catch up.

We had time for a waterfront walk along the harbor before it was time to return to the ship.  We're looking forward to returning their hospitality when they head south mid-November :)

Now we're off to Boston......

Halifax, Nova Scotia

It was quite a brisk day in Halifax but the sun was out and we made the best of it!    We left the Pier for a boat ride on a 54 year old "tall ship" that has been around the world a couple of times.   The ride into the harbor provided some great views of the city.

Then back to the ship to for coffee and hot chocolate - had to warm up!   Dinner at Prime 7 to celebrate Emile's birthday :)