40th Wedding Anniversary Celebration Norwegian Gem June 24-July 1, 2017
Larry planned a surprise anniversary trip up the North
American Coast on the Norwegian Gem. How did he do all this without revealing a word? He told me to
pack enough clothes for a week….that was an easy task after traveling for
months at a time…. I had no trouble throwing things into a bag to go on another
Hixson adventure.
Anyway, we got in the car Friday morning and headed toward
Northern Virginia…actually we stopped at the train station in Manassas and boarded
a train at 10:15am going to New York City. What a relaxing way to travel….sit
back and watch the towns fly by while reading a book.
We saw parts of Washington,
DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Toeboken and then the approaching Big Apple. We
arrived around 3:00pm in the afternoon and found our way out of Penn Station…what
a maze of underground shopping and millions of people….All of New York must
have been heading out of town on this particular Friday afternoon....before the 4th of July.
We got a taxi to the Mayfair Hotel in downtown Manhattan. That was a real trip…about an hour ride to go ten blocks with a taxi driver telling us all the New York hot spots. Yes, we were among the bright lights of Times Square. How cool was that! REALLY COOL! Larry offered to take me to any Broadway show that I wanted to go to, but I said….”I had had enough excitement for one day and would be really happy with just a quiet dinner.” And so that is how our evening went.
We got a taxi to the Mayfair Hotel in downtown Manhattan. That was a real trip…about an hour ride to go ten blocks with a taxi driver telling us all the New York hot spots. Yes, we were among the bright lights of Times Square. How cool was that! REALLY COOL! Larry offered to take me to any Broadway show that I wanted to go to, but I said….”I had had enough excitement for one day and would be really happy with just a quiet dinner.” And so that is how our evening went.
Saturday morning we strolled to Pier 92 and boarded the
Norwegian Gem, a 2,300 passenger ship with 1100 crew….one of the largest that we have ever been
on. After checking in, we head right for
the back of the ship, to a fantastic view of New York City.
Manhatten Skycrapers
That evening after dinner we watched a hilarious movie
called “Central Intelligence”. What a hoot!
Sunday was filled with all kinds of excitement….I mean 40
years ago we were married….how exciting was that! I still can’t believe we have
been together that long. The old saying must be true….Time flies when you’re
having fun!
One of the exciting things that happened during the day was spotting a large pod of whales and dolphins off the back of the ship…the captain even said this was an extraordinary event.
Saturday evening we had an intimate dinner with the waiters singing, “Let Me Call You Sweetheart”. The evening ended with a spectacular show called “Swing”. Gosh the singers and dancers were awesome….the best we have ever seen on a cruise ship.
Larry ended the evening with a nice sparkling item. WHAT A SPECIAL DAY!
One of the exciting things that happened during the day was spotting a large pod of whales and dolphins off the back of the ship…the captain even said this was an extraordinary event.
Saturday evening we had an intimate dinner with the waiters singing, “Let Me Call You Sweetheart”. The evening ended with a spectacular show called “Swing”. Gosh the singers and dancers were awesome….the best we have ever seen on a cruise ship.
The ship arrived in Canada bright and early on Monday morning.
Monday we strolled the streets of Halifax, Nova Scotia. What
a spectacular day! We were told that it was the first day of brilliant sunshine
in two weeks.
Our destination was Citadel Hill, the highest point in Halifax. The British had built a naval fortification here in 1869. Inside the fort soldiers dressed in the time period giving live demonstrations of the sentry changes, the noon gun firing, drill demonstrations and leading tours throughout the fort.
It was interesting that they had a WWI trench exhibit that we actually walked through. That was an eye opener!
After a waterside lunch we strolled along the tremendous waterfront walkway, stopping to partake in a couple of beverages while people watching. With two cruise ships in the harbor, there was a lot to take in.
Our destination was Citadel Hill, the highest point in Halifax. The British had built a naval fortification here in 1869. Inside the fort soldiers dressed in the time period giving live demonstrations of the sentry changes, the noon gun firing, drill demonstrations and leading tours throughout the fort.
It was interesting that they had a WWI trench exhibit that we actually walked through. That was an eye opener!
After a waterside lunch we strolled along the tremendous waterfront walkway, stopping to partake in a couple of beverages while people watching. With two cruise ships in the harbor, there was a lot to take in.
Tuesday the ship pulled into St. John, New Brunswick dock at
10:30am….having to wait for the tide to come in before actually coming into the
bay made for a late arrival.
We decided to walk the waterfront over to see the Reversing Rapids….
This is where the Bay of Fundy flows so fast into the St. John River that the river’s flow changes direction with the changing of the tide. After an hour walk we arrived at the spot to find the river and bay at a standstill.
We took a seat on one of the few benches to take a breather before heading back…. low and behold….the rapids slowly started to form as the tide came in from the Bay of Fundy.
It was an amazing sight to watch. Our timing to see this interesting event had been just right! Wee
doggies!
What an unusual Iris!
We decided to walk the waterfront over to see the Reversing Rapids….
This is where the Bay of Fundy flows so fast into the St. John River that the river’s flow changes direction with the changing of the tide. After an hour walk we arrived at the spot to find the river and bay at a standstill.
We took a seat on one of the few benches to take a breather before heading back…. low and behold….the rapids slowly started to form as the tide came in from the Bay of Fundy.
doggies!
Interestingly, the Canadian Hop on Buses are pink....supporting Breast Cancer Awareness.
Wednesday, we docked in Portland, Maine.... Sunrise over the calm Atlantic Ocean.
Today everyone on board had to go through a face to face US immigration check. We decided to stay on the ship until 5:00 and then venture off since our face to face meeting was around 1:30.
We got to enjoy some of the ship amenities....like the pool, steam room, and soak up some sun....while the ship was quiet....everyone had left to go see the sights...so we practically owned the whole ship for ourselves.
In the evening we walked a nice waterfront walkway boardering around the outskirt of town.
Portland was a mass of red brick buildings...and we decided to stroll the nature walk and part of the city walk.
Anyway, we covered about an hour and half stroll before heading back to the ship.
After a nice dinner we went to the "Blazing Boots" show with the outstanding singers and dancers of the Norwegian Gem troupe. It turned out to be a perfect day.
Today everyone on board had to go through a face to face US immigration check. We decided to stay on the ship until 5:00 and then venture off since our face to face meeting was around 1:30.
We got to enjoy some of the ship amenities....like the pool, steam room, and soak up some sun....while the ship was quiet....everyone had left to go see the sights...so we practically owned the whole ship for ourselves.
In the evening we walked a nice waterfront walkway boardering around the outskirt of town.
Anyway, we covered about an hour and half stroll before heading back to the ship.
We enjoyed a gorgeous sail away out of Portland Harbor with a stupendous sunset....
After a nice dinner we went to the "Blazing Boots" show with the outstanding singers and dancers of the Norwegian Gem troupe. It turned out to be a perfect day.
Thursday, the ship tendered us into Bar Harbor, Maine. What an exquisite little town. Lots of shopping, nice restaurants, and bars. Very scenic! We rented a car and headed to the Acadia National Park....a very gorgeous spot with rocky coasts, blue water and blue sky.
We headed right away to Cadillac Mountain...the most scenic spot in the whole national park.
It was a fabulous day to climb over granite rocks and hike some of the fantastic trails that cover Cadillac Mountain.
We hiked around Lake Victor in the afternoon...gorgeous!
We really had a good time here stopping in to have a couple of iced teas before catching the last tender boat back to the ship at 5:00.
We enjoyed a movie after dinner....Money Monster! Very entertaining movie with Julia Roberts and George Clooney. Another GREAT day!
We headed right away to Cadillac Mountain...the most scenic spot in the whole national park.
It was a fabulous day to climb over granite rocks and hike some of the fantastic trails that cover Cadillac Mountain.
We really had a good time here stopping in to have a couple of iced teas before catching the last tender boat back to the ship at 5:00.
The sail away leaving Bar Harbor was fabulous!
We enjoyed a movie after dinner....Money Monster! Very entertaining movie with Julia Roberts and George Clooney. Another GREAT day!
Friday was our final day.... at sea.
It was very chilly! The sun stayed hidden behind the clouds, but we determinedly had breakfast and lunch outside on the back of the ship....by dinner it was very, very cool. We spent our final day just relaxing.
That evening we went to hear a Motown Band and then a late show with 70's music. The captain and crew gave us a fine send off by marching onto the stage. It was very touching!
It was very chilly! The sun stayed hidden behind the clouds, but we determinedly had breakfast and lunch outside on the back of the ship....by dinner it was very, very cool. We spent our final day just relaxing.
That evening we went to hear a Motown Band and then a late show with 70's music. The captain and crew gave us a fine send off by marching onto the stage. It was very touching!
Saturday morning we walked off the ship, grabbed a cab that took us through Time Square for one last look, and dropped us off at Penn Station to catch the train back to Manassas....arriving about 6:00pm.
My man really treated me like a queen all week!
What an awesome romantic trip! Larry still knows how to make things extra special...after all these years!
