Angro do Heroismo

Angro do Heroismo Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Founded in 1478, Angra do Heroismo is a gorgeous jewel of a town with the most beautiful architecture. Like Lisbon, the streets are made of pieces of volcanic rock with patterns.

street of Angra do Heroismo

It makes walking a bit of a challenge, but they really are beautiful. There are some great YouTube videos if you just google "what the streets of Angra do Heroismo are made of." 

We arrived on a Sunday, so basically nothing was open. Same thing happened to us in 2014 when we arrived in Horta. But it was nice to just walk the streets and enoy the architecture.

We did a walking tour of Angra for about an hour and then were given some free time. Note how the second stories have these lovely small balconies with intricate iron work. I saw a shoe shop.

Shoe store in Angra de Heroismo

A bit later we came upon the Se Cathedral, also known as the Church of Santissimo Salvador. Very gorgeous, the only sad thing was we didn't get to go in any of the Churches.

Church of Santissimo Salvador

Terceira Island: Part of the Azores

Terceira as seen from Mount Brasil

I really had no idea what would actually kickstart me to go back and post on my blog. It seemed like nothing. I went back and realized it is now the beginning of June and I have not posted anything at all so far this year. But what is weird (funny) is that whenever I speak to friends about travel, I reference something I did and need to go back and check the names/dates/places on my blog, so if for nothing else, it can serve as a personal reminder of my trips. 

I had decided to do a transatlantic cruise again. Kind of a silly ideas as I typically travel solo, and this would be a lot of time on a ship and out to sea by myself. I picked the brand new ship from Holland America, the Nieuw Statendam, which I thought while planning was a good choice. How bad can brand new be? Well I found out, it really wasn't the greatest choice but I will leave that for another post.

The first port we came to after some rather glorious days at sea was the island of Terceira in the Azores. We docked at Praia di Vitoria and I went on an excursion called Terceira Island Highlights with Lunch. 

Botanical Garden, Terceira 

The island is lush and green. It tends to rain or mist every day in parts of the island, which gives it its emerald green grass color. Just beautiful. There are more bulls and cows than people on the island of Terceira.

Bulls on Terceira

They have some unusual customs that include a very odd type of bullfighting and ceremonies that they say are not religious, but surely look to be. I will write another post about that. The island is so unique, I really wish I could go back and check it out more.

Our group from shore excursion at the Adega Lusitania restaurant

But for now suffice it to say, if you have a delicate stomach, avoid the dish called Alcatra. It is meat marinated in spices for 12 hours. I ended up in bed for 2 days after with my stomach out of sorts. It is not that it was bad, just bad for me. The restaurant where we ate was really charming and very old. It was called Adega Lusitania and the sign outside says it is a typical fish and shellfish restaurant that has been there for 50 years.

Outside of the restaurant where we ate on Terceira Island

Ancient Salona: Where Gargoyles Go to Die

Member of our tour tries out a grave at ancient Salona

If there was ever a place that gargoyles would prefer to die, it would be the ancient city of Salona. I went there on a tour that included ancient Salona and medieval Trogir while cruising on the Norwegian Jade. Founded by the Romans and very close to Diocletian's Palace at Split, Croatia, the ancient city is amazingly well preserved. It had all the requisite Roman city items: walls, a forum, a theater and an amphitheater. But what makes this site so wonderful is the amount of preservation. After having been to Olympus, Greece where all the good stuff is in the museum, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the ruins in their natural state.

Map of the ancient Salona site

Well preserved Ancient Salona near Split, Croatia

Ancient Salona became the capital of the Roman Province of Dalmatia, according to Wikipedia. More information on this gargoyle-inspired and spiritual place can be found here. We spent about an hour walking around. 

Detail of the ruins at Ancient Salona

I could have taken a few more hours without the other tourists. We had a unique crowd on our tour bus, a large group of retired military and their wives. They fought over seats on the bus like we were going to war. It was embarrassing the way they hogged the front seats.

Our group including retired military men and their wives

But the place was awesome and I just did what I always do, made the most of it. 

Tetouan, Morocco: A Feast for the Eyes

our guide at Tetouan

It is hard for me to believe I never posted about my shore excursion to Tetouan, Morocco last September. It was quite the day, which started with our guide taking all our passports and giving them to immigrations as we passed from Spanish Ceuta in to Morocco. They would be collected when we left, which was a little frightening at the time, but all worked out well.

We then entered the cleanest place I have ever seen in my life. The area when you first enter Morocco from Spanish Ceuta is where the Moroccan king has a beach house. Just beautiful. Unfortunately I lost all my photos from my phone when it was stolen, and I didn't have backed up to the cloud. My bad.

About 30 minutes later, we entered the old city, the Medina, of Tetouan for our walking tour.

Entrance to the market

We entered in to the market area before the stalls had opened up. As we walked, we began to see the tarps come off and the areas come alive with vendors.

Vendor selling vegetables

I will save the architecture for another post, but here is just one street sign from the Medina area of Tetouan. Wonderful place.

Street sign in Medina of Tetouan

Sorrento Staircase to Heaven

Sorrento staircase

On a tour of the Amalfi coast on the Norwegian Jade, I literally passed through a restaurant. It wasn't open for lunch. There was the most amazing staircase railing, and I just had to photograph it. Looking for new material for my blogs, I decided to sort by date and I found these photos from 2013. They are gems.

Detail of the staircase

I love how a chair is stored under the rustic staircase. It is just awesome work, and I would think made from a local tree. This staircase to Heaven is definitely gargoyle-inspired.

Sorrento Restaurant

According to their website, shown here, this is where canneloni was invented. The place is just full of history. Wow.

I even found a photo of me I liked. Now that is a miracle!

Photo of me May 2013 on excursion of the Amalfi Coast

Lunenburg

my friend Susan McClung taking a photo of Lunenburg

I could probably do a hundred posts of the town of Lunenburg. That is how impressed I was with the place. Combine it with Mahone Bay down the road, and it is Heaven on Earth. We were there before season started, and it was quite chilly. Sometimes I had to stomp my foot up and down to shake off the cold before snapping a photo. Susan was braver than me. When she was taking this photo, I was on the bus where the heat was on.

Lunenburg on the water

Lunenburg is a town of sherbert color houses that are 200 years old and not only still standing, but meticulously kept up. It is a hilly town with friendly folks and a wonderful, calm ambience. We weren't there in the summer, but I have to believe it livens up a lot.

One of my favorite photos of Lunenburg

The photo above is engineering at its best. This appears to be a handmade boat ramp.

Another wonderful building is the old Lunenburg Academy, which used to be a school. Definitely a gargoyle-inspired building, I think it would be a great place to film a horror movie. Next to the Academy is the Lunenburg Cemetery.

Lunenburg Cemetery

I Love Montreal Part 2

The hotel where I stayed

Continuing my I Love Montreal series, I want to comment on the awesome hotel I stayed at. Le St Sulpice is in the port district of Montreal, about a block from the water and right behind the beautiful Cathedral. The location is perfect, and the port area of Montreal is really charming. The staff at the hotel are top notch, food was great and the suite I had was Heavenly.

On arrival I was given complimentary chocolates and bath products. I couldn't have felt more special. Franny took great care of me throughout my stay, the concierge. I was upgraded upon arrival. The suite I had consisted of an entry area with chairs, a living room with sofa, chairs, TV and a small kitchen. It also had a separate bedroom with a super comfy queen bed. The room looked out on the courtyard, where I had lunch the first day of my stay. 

Living room area of the suite

I Love Montreal Part 1

Statue near the Port of Montreal

I never expected to love Montreal as much as I did. A lot of people had told me how much I would love Quebec City, and maybe I just didn't spend enough time there as we only had the one day. I liked it, don't get me wrong. But I loved Montreal. I loved the people, an amazing mix of young people and many from Paris. 

Crepe restaurant I visited

I loved the food, from the hotel food eating on the terrace on the only warm day of my trip. The restaurants I ate at included food at the museum, a crepe restaurant and even a coffee shop. The most beautiful though was the French bakery I had breakfast at, which deserves its own post. The pastries were so beautiful, I even have one as the screen saver on my phone.

Crepe Suzette

I just wish next time I visit, it is warmer!

North Pacific Crossing

Well it is that time again, when my cruise for this year is getting close. Now down to less than 30 days. So what do I do? Look for the cruise for next year. A month or so ago, I planned to go back to Europe. But with the bombings in Brussels and the fact I have visited so many ports there already, I decided to go to Japan, if all works out. 

I have such an interest in the ports on the North Pacific Crossing, 19 days, from Yokohama, Japan to Vancouver. I am especially interested in a tour that takes us to the Ainu People of Japan. They are definitely both a gargoyle-inspired and graffiti-inspired people, based on their wonderful costumes and their unique tattoos.

Ainu people 1904 from Wikipedia

Mahone Bay & Lunenburg Homes: Colors of the Rainbow

Mahone Bay home converted to a business

Mahone Bay was our first stop on our fabulous tour with Robert of Halifax. I don't believe Robert really even needs a last name. Kind of like Cher or Prince, he stands out as the premier guide to the Halifax area of Nova Scotia. 

Robert in front of the Angilcan Church at Lunenburg

Wearing a kilt and a stern expression when we met him (he could have just been cold with that skirt on!), we had no idea how charming and entertaining he would be. A former history teacher, Robert was full of information and he told it in the most fascinating way.

Our guide Robert in front of a house in Lunenburg

Note the colors of the winter storm door

He entertained through the entire day, taking us first by bus through Halifax and then on to Mahone Bay and finally to Lunenburg. There were so many gorgeous things about these two towns, but what is the most inspiring of all is how old these homes are. Most are 200 years old, built by German immigrants who were given a stipend by England of a free piece of land, lumber and nails to build a home in an area that is quite inhospitable in the winter.

Mahone Bay even has a sign of the original settlers of the area. I know it is hard to read here, but I blew it up and you can see some of the names below.

There was a huge migration of Germans in the time around 1750 to 1754. I found a great article on the emigration to the Halifax area at this time. You can read that here. Go down to where they talk about entering Lunenburg Harbor for the first time. Britain had promised them land, lumber and nails, but it appears that the Germans who landed in Halifax from 1750 to 1752 owed the British Crown for their passage. It must have been a bleak existence when they first started. It is fascinating reading about this area, and what still remains after over 200 years are the wonderful homes.

Prince Edward Island: What a Treat

Sims Corner Steakhouse mussels

The day we arrived on Prince Edward Island, the weather was cold enough that I needed to buy a hat and gloves. The hat was my salvation, some kind of thermal cap that kept my head nice and toasty. I had signed up for a culinary tour through the ship, which to me was kind of a bust. I had to laugh as we stopped quite a few places, but surely didn't eat very much. We got a handful of popcorn at the first place, one mussel at the second, a glass of beer (since I don't drink alcohol, I had a glass of juice), 6 mussels at another place and we were supposed to end up at a french fry stand outside in the cold. 

Uttermost chandelier at Sim's

Luckily I absolutely loved the town as we walked around and had spotted a restaurant that I just had to try. So instead of eating fries out in the cold on a picnic bench, I opted for the warm and beautiful ambience of Sim's. The service was terrific and the food to die for! And the best part of all, they had Uttermost chandeliers at the restaurant, ones we have sold at The Magic of Design in the past. That was fun!

You can't go wrong eating at Sim's. More information on this wonderful restaurant is located here.

Walking back to the Veendam, I came across this guy. I had to take a photo. Thought he was cool.

Saguenay: Definitely Graffiti-Inspired

Tattoo of our bus driver in Saguenay

If there was one unusual place we visited on our Canada New England repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal, it was Saguenay, Quebec.
First of all, I was fascinated by the tattoo of our bus driver shown above, and his tattoo kind of set the tone for the entire day. Just kind of weird and bizarre, but interesting.

Our guide at the goat farm

Besides the eery tattoo, we went to visit a goat farm. To me, the goats looked like sheep. But when I came back, I looked up the information on these guys and they were definitely goats. They are goats with mohair. Guess I learn something new every day.

Goats that look like sheep to me

The baby goats

It was a bizarre day all around. We went to a presentation at a small museum to see how fjords form. It was like going to a school room from the 1950s where they tried to be space age. Very odd. Then off to the  Le Chevrier du Nord goat farm, and after a musuem that we saw the works of Arthur Villeneuve. He was an eccentric man who painted the outside and inside of his house with tons of murals. I will do a separate post on him. He became quite famous and traveled all over the world.