The Cartier Connoisseur ~ New York to Montreal on Oceania Insignia: St. John and the Bay of Fundy and Halifax, Nova Scotia ~ September 18

Nova Scotia Sojourn
September 18 - 22, 2024

Wednesday

We arrived in St. John at about 1:00 p.m. after a lazy morning at sea. We didn't have anything planned for this afternoon, so although I was content to stay on the ship, Jeff set off to stretch his legs on an excursion of his own making.

Here we are at the Bay of Fundy!

The "Hollywood" sign for Saint John - from the Terrace Cafe onboard

Disembarkation in St. John (low tide)

Embarkation (high tide)

The harbour at low tide

We love seeing the pilot boats that guide our ship safely in and out of our harbours.

We are in a "dolphin room" (they call them "swan rooms" on river ships) - basically, the lowest deck on the ship - so low that if there were dolphins outside our ship, we'd see them jump out of the water! As a result, we frequently get to see the pilot ships and tug boats right outside our cabin's "porthole." We actually like this deck and book it frequently - not only does it cost less, but if you book it as close to the middle of the ship as possible, you don't feel the movement of the ship nearly as much. Since we are not "cabin people" it's perfect for us. There are many many people who spend much of their time in their staterooms. For those folks, booking a room with a veranda makes sense. We sleep in our cabin. Jeff is not a "room service" type guy, so we are up and dressed and out of the room, returning only to drop something off, pick something up, or take a nap (a nearly daily occurrence)!

Flowers in the street

St. John's City Market

The Loyalist House

Loyalist House is a museum and National Historic Site located in uptown Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It was the home of the prosperous Merritt family, who were United Empire Loyalists (UELs), originally from Rye, New York. United Empire Loyalist, was an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec and Governor General of the Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America during or after the American Revolution. In May 1783, along with approximately 6,000 other loyalists, the Merritt family landed at Parrtown, New Brunswick (now the south end of the city of Saint John), having fled the American Revolution. Thomas Merritt (1729–1821), patriarch of the family, lived with his wife and seven children in Parrtown. Despite being initially of "modest circumstances," the family soon became prominent in the city, with the second generation amassing great wealth.

David Daniel Merritt, the third of Thomas' sons and a wealthy shop keeper, purchased the Loyalist House property, on which construction began in 1810. The house took until 1817 to complete, likely due to the War of 1812.

Descendants of the family owned the house until 1961, and lived in it on and off until the death of Louis Merritt Harrison, in 1958. In 1961 the New Brunswick Historical Society opened the house as a museum.

Toilet Cabinet

Another "Toilet Cabinet"

Jeff returned from his excursion happy for having been out and about and grateful (I think) that I did not slow him down on his treks uphill and back down!

September 19 ~ Bay of Fundy Coastal Photography

We opted for this paid excursion described as: "Capture the beauty of Saint John in photos with the help of a professional photographer who will share techniques for shooting at the most spectacularly scenic spots. The attractions include the lighthouse at Cape Spencer and Mispec Beach, a lengthy stretch of sand flanked by tall green pines. The beach is a great place for candid lifestyle shots. You will also stop at Fallsview Park, an urban oasis that offers an ideal angle for shooting the tidal phenomenon known as Reversing Falls Rapids. If you are there when the tide rises, the seawater volume will increase so quickly that the Saint John River will actually flow backward. It is quite the sight. You will also stop to photograph Long Wharf Landing, a redevelopment area that reflects the city’s vision for the future. At each destination, the guide will be happy to help you compose shots and make the most of the natural lighting."

We began at Fallsview Park where we learned how to "freeze" the background of our iPhone photos.

Irving Paper is a major employer

Cindy, our guide and professional photographer!

From here we headed to Mispec Beach, a very short drive from the Reversing Falls. Given that we arrived at low tide, we were able to take the stairs down to the beach and walk on the floor of the Bay of Fundy! I decided not to do the stairs and sat above watching my fellow photographers and shooting pictures of them and the surrounding flowers.

Hoof prints on the bottom of the Bay of Fundy

After about a half hour at Mispec Beach, we were off to Cape Spencer Lighthouse.

And here we are back in front of our home away from home!

September 20 ~ Halifax, Nova Scotia

We arrived in Halifax at about 11:00 a.m. Jeff and I set off for a walk along the boardwalk to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, a place we had been to before, but wanted to go back to see.

Statue of Cunard in front of Insignia

The area has been developed with a fantastic boardwalk along the harbour (and lots of shops and restaurants (most with outdoor seating only).

Harbour View

A cloudy, windy, blustery day!

Guess what Jeff ordered here?

After an extraordinarily windy walk along the boardwalk, we arrived at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

There was one of Norwegian Cruise Lines' mega ships, the Joy, in port next to us, so the museum was very crowded - much more so than when we were here nearly 25 years ago with Peter and Betty Lou. Here's a photograph of Betty Lou in 2000 sitting on a replica deck chair in front of a picture of the Titanic Deck.

That exhibit no longer exists, but there is a hall that has models and other information and artifacts.

We learned that there is a cemetery in Halifax where 150 passengers are buried. I wondered how 150 people ended up in a Halifax cemetery and learned that survivors were taken to New York City, but the dead were transported to Halifax.

When the Titanic hit the iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, Halifax became a base for ships involved in the search, rescue, and recovery of passengers. The seas were rough and the conditions hampered their efforts.

Of the 2208 passengers and crew, only 712 survived. The three ships from Halifax recovered 328 bodies. Over 100 of these (generally the lowest class and workers) were immediately buried at sea due to a shortage of embalming equipment and body bags to take them back to shore. Fifty-nine victims were claimed by relatives and shipped home, and the rest of the victims are buried in Halifax.

Diorama of the Sinking of the Titanic

There are several cases that showcase "wreckwood" - bits of the ornate woodwork that graced the Titanic.

While I lingered in the Titanic exhibit, Jeff enjoyed the "Hall of Ships."

We sat through a film about Sable Island, a low, sandy island off the coast of Nova Scotia, near Halifax, known as the "graveyard of the Atlantic." It has two light houses and a weather station and was the site of a lifesaving station. Today it is a national park reserves and a breeding place for seals.