Tag Archives: Holland America

August 27, 2014 · 5:35 am

Still in that OTHER Sydney

Sydney, Nova Scotia

If you continue walking north on Charlotte Street you’ll come across a beautiful, charming Bank of Montreal building topped with a gorgeous aged copper dome (picture coming this Fun Photo Friday). That means you’re at Dorchester Street, so cross to the other side of Dorchester and start heading east.

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Just one street over turn left onto George Street and start heading northward again. This will take you into some very interesting residential areas, and after a short stroll you’ll find yourself standing before the Sacred Heart Parish Church. Make sure you step inside for a visual (and photographic) treat.

Sacred Heart Parish Church

From here we made a left onto Nepean Street followed by another right back onto Charlotte. If you go up Charlotte almost to the end you’ll come across a charming little woodworking studio with some really beautiful works of art decorating the outside. This is the Ramsey Signs and Ramsey Woodcarving studio, and Mr. Ramsey lives right across the street. He’s a nice, talkative chap who will enthrall you with tales of his work, but be prepared for a bit of a shock when he explains how much he charges for his sign. In case you’re wondering if his work is worth the price, he selects only the best paint. Indeed the sign below has been hanging outdoors for over two decades. And, yes, that’s its original, unretouched paint in all its vivid, durable glory. Pretty impressive for so harsh and wet a climate as this.

Ramsey Signs

Today’s photo gallery:

Sydney, Nova Scotia

St. George’s Church

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Ramsey Woodcarving

Sacred Heart Parish Church

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Bibliography:

Maritime provinces: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritimes
Nova Scotia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Scotia
Cape Breton Island: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Breton_Island
Strait of Canso: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Canso
Sydney: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney,_Nova_Scotia
Céilidh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9ilidh

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel

Tagged as Holland America, Maasdam, Maritime Provinces, Nova Scotia, photography, R. Doug Wicker, Sydney, travel, Ursula Wicker

August 25, 2014 · 5:35 am

No, Not THAT Sydney; The OTHER Sydney

Welcome to Sydney — No, not THAT Sydney

If it’s Wednesday this must be Sydney. Sydney, Nova Scotia, to be precise, and it indeed was Wednesday the fourth of June when we docked there. Normally when one speaks of Sydney that other one comes to mind, the one below the equator in an entirely different ocean in a completely different hemisphere and where pretty much every living thing on the continent is trying to kill you. (see: Australia’s dangerous animals: The top 30). That Sydney will be coming up in my next travel series — a 28-day cruise that began in Sydney, Australia, and ended in Seattle, Washington. (see: Special Preview Blog)

Sydney, Nova Scotia

While we like to think of Nova Scotia as being in the cold, cold north, just how far north is it really? The answer will surprise you, as it is very nearly at the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole. And Sydney is only about 80 miles closer to the North Pole than it is to the equator. That’s your geography trivia lesson for today.

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Island, upon which Sydney lies, is separated from the peninsula of Nova Scotia by the very narrow Strait of Canso, a channel approximately 17 miles/27 kilometers long averaging some 2 miles/3 kilometers in width. Indeed the narrowest portion is only about .6 miles/1 kilometer. But don’t let that fool you. The Strait of Canso is 200 feet/61 meters deep.

Sydney, Nova Scotia

One of the first sights to greet you when you arrive at the port is the world’s largest Céilidh fiddle.

World’s Largest Céilidh Fiddle

The downtown area is both rustic and colorful, so take a hike along the waterfront, hang a left on Byng Avenue by the park, followed by another left on Charlotte Street for a trek through the older portion of the city. On Wednesday we’ll look at the residential areas.

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Meanwhile, here’s today’s photo gallery:

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Sacred Heart Parish Church

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Bibliography:

Maritime provinces: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritimes
Nova Scotia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Scotia
Cape Breton Island: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Breton_Island
Strait of Canso: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Canso
Sydney: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney,_Nova_Scotia
Céilidh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9ilidh

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Filed under R. Doug Wicker, travel

Tagged as Holland America, Maasdam, Maritime Provinces, Nova Scotia, photography, R. Doug Wicker, Sydney, travel, Ursula Wicker

August 6, 2014 · 5:35 am

Québec Part 4 — Lower Town for a Poutine Break

View of Lower Town from the ship

The predominant feature of Old Town simply has to be the impressive, towering Fairmont de Château Frontenac jutting proudly above the Québec City skyline. It dominates the entire view of Québec regardless of the photographer’s vantage point. Indeed, it was the most striking edifice greeting Ursula and me when we first saw Québec from the decks of Holland America’s MS Maasdam early the morning of our arrival.

Château Frontenac framed by Trees

That’s not to say that the Lower Town is devoid of things to see and do. Quite the contrary. Indeed we wound up visiting several stores in this area whereas we made no such stops in Upper Town. But first we would have to descend from Upper Town to Lower, and as we had taken the Old Québec funicular going up we decided to take a leisurely stroll back down.

The final steps on the descent

Now a word about poutine. We tried this concoction back in Montreal and were decidedly unimpressed by this combination of gravy-drenched fries littered with cheese curds. The fries were a greasy mess and the gravy tasted as though it came from a mix or a can. It was, in short, disgusting. The only redeeming feature was the cheese curds, which we wound up picking out of the grease and gravy. Before you say that Ursula and I visited the wrong Montreal establishment, this was at a place recommended by the locals because of their fresh, hand-cut fries.

Upper and Lower

And so it was with great trepidation that we decided to try poutine again in Québec City, but not immediately. Ursula and I were seeking refreshment after our long day trekking through the streets of Old Québec’s Upper and Lower Towns, so we stopped at a local establishment named Côtes-à-Côtes Resto-Grill. I ordered an ale, Ursula a soft drink, and we eyed some great looking fries at the next table, so we ordered a helping of that as well. The fries were great — firm, light, crisp, golden, and not a hint of greasiness. Definitely an improvement over the limp example in Montreal.

A fun café

We were so impressed with the fries that we inquired about Côtes-à-Côtes’ poutine. Our ever helpful and friendly waitress informed us that theirs was a local award winner, particularly the poutine topped with pulled pork. How was it? In two words, simply amazing. In pictures, it was:

Poutine Delight

Our hunger abated and our thirst quenched we set back out on foot for our journey through Lower Town back to the MS Maasdam. Click on any image below to bring up today’s slide show: