Planes, Trains, Boats, and Automobiles!

  Sydney, Nova Scotia September 21, 2024 Sydney, founded in 1785 by the British, is located on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. It served as the colonial capital of Cape Breton Island until 1820 when the colony merged with Nova Scotia and moved the capital to Halifax. Sydney was a major steel manufacturer and a significant staging area for England-bound convoys during both world wars. Steel mills were closed in 2001, and the city's population has steadily declined since the early 70s.   At dinner, one of our table mates called it a "sad little town," wondering aloud why Oceania would even stop there. I believe we stopped there because it is more convenient (and probably cheaper) to dock there than in Baddeck, where there is much more to see and do. Instead, we dock in Sydney, and people book pricey excursions to Baddeck (and even more expensive full-day excursions that tour Cape Breton). Jeff and I got off the ship shortly after breakfast for a leisure...

  Saguenay, Quebec September 24, 2024 Saguenay is a city in Québec, Canada. It’s known for Saguenay Fjord, which leads to the St. Lawrence River. The Musée du Fjord has history displays and an aquarium. La Pulperie de Chicoutimi museum charts regional history in an 1800s wood-pulp mill. Exhibits on the area’s huge 1996 floods are on show at the Musée de la Petite Maison Blanche.  Map Showing Saguenay's Location We initially had an excursion planned that would have taken us to the Fjord Museum, but the museum trip was canceled, and Oceania substituted school buses for the tour buses that had been advertised. The price remained the same; we decided to cancel.  As it turns out, a Viking ship was also in port. Being the larger company, they were given our docking space (which turned into a tender port for our ship), and I suspect they commandeered our tour bus and the tickets to the museum. From Our Port Hole - the Arrival of Viking Star That said, we decided to get off the s...