Gargoyles & Graffiti

Mont St Michel A Few More Details and a Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 14:00:00 +0000

Seen here are a few architecural gems of the Mont St Michel abbey. The views from near the top are incredible. There are walking tours of the bay at low tide with guides. If you would like more information on this, I found a great blog site that explains how it works. Classic Journeys low tide walk

Mont St Michel seen from above

Abbey seen from below

The walk up is super steep and strenuous. I would not recommend it for anyone with mobility issues. Our guide walked fast, but she did keep checking to be sure we were behind her.

Absolutely amazing place, but again I would love to see it less crowded.

Mont San Michel Chapel & Abbey

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 13:30:00 +0000

Chapel inside Mont San Michel

Mont San Michel was a place I have been wanting to visit for a lot of years. I finally had that opportunity last month, and it did not disappoint. The only hard part was that the guide told us all the way there on the bus how crowded it would be, and she was right. She also wasn't really able to give us enough time to really enjoy it. Warnings about not eating at any of the restaurants ... we wouldn't have enough time. So I arrived in a panic about getting back. It wasn't really true either. I definitely could have eaten there. The problem is the little buses that take you to the site are a very long wait, so we were unsure how long it would take to get back. In the end, we waited for the bus to arrive for a while.

The only downside of the tour was the guide. Other than that, Mont St Michel is just beautiful and amazing. Truly though, if I was to do it again, I would definitely go there and stay in one of the hotels - enjoy it by day and night, and take my time. The feeling of being rushed almost ruined the excursion.

Our guide

Mont St Michel first impressions

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 15:36:00 +0000

Approaching Mont St Michel

For years, I have been wanting to visit Mont St Michel. On a cruise that went from Barcelona to Dover years ago, I tried to get on the tour but it was sold out. I have heard incredible things about it. It is an abbey and monastery in Normandy, France. But really it is so much more.

Another view of Mont St Michel

As we approached, I couldn't believe my eyes. Here stood this magnificent structure from the 8th century AD. But who would believe such a structure would be built on a piece of land that the ocean surrounds it every day? The tides come in and out. Sometimes you can walk to the abbey and the near by islands. But by 2pm in the afternoon, the signs in the parking lot tell you that you better have moved your car ... as that area will now be under water.

Parking lot that by 2pm is under water

You can get to the abbey by walking, taking a bus or taking a carriage with horses. The bus is the fastest way, but the lines are long for the bus.

Church at Eze #2

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 14:00:00 +0000

Church at Eze altar

The Church of our Lady of the Assumption is a Catholic Church at Eze, France. Tucked in a mountainside with fresh air and the scent of incense, this Church is a visiting stop for many tourists to the French Riviera. Eze is one of those special places, a walking town not far from the ritz of Monaco - but worlds away. The Church is from 1772 and more information on it can be found here.

Statue of St. Francis

While there, I chose to light some candles and say some prayers. In my mind, there is no better place for this.

Good place to pray

Church at Eze #1

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 20:14:00 +0000

Church at Eze, France

On my cruise of the Western Med, my favorite stop was Eze, France, and my favorite place at that stop was the Church. I have posted already about the graveyard outside, but the Church is also magnificent inside. It is humble and beautiful and amazing all at the same time. The sense of peace I felt when entering that Church was priceless.

Our Holland America Eurodam group taking photos

More photos

Personally right now, I am facing some major challenges and it is good to remember such a Holy Place. Just looking at these photos makes me realize that there is a whole lot more to life than a furniture business in Cozumel.

Eze Church

Enjoy!

Eze Cemetery: Mary Margaret Townsend

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 13:00:00 +0000

Peggy Davis possibly Mary Margaret Townsend

Gravestone of Mary Margaret Townsend

This was the first gravestone photo I took in the Eze Cemetery. It was so hauntingly beautiful and unique that it struck my eye. I never really focused on the dates that she was born and died, and only realized after finding out more about her that she only lived 25 years. With a name like Mary Margaret Townsend, I assumed I would not find much information on her, but I could not have been more wrong.

Mary Margaret Townsend was also known by her stage name, Peggy Davis. She had been a Broadway (Ziegfeld) Follies girl and first married at the age of 12. Her first two husbands were both bigamists and both marriages were annulled. She ended up on the French Riviera with her third husband and died, apparently of suicide or accident. Her car went over the embankment near Eze on one of the Cornice roads. She drank two double brandies, then wrote a quick note and drove off. There is much speculation about what actually happened that night, but it truly sounds like something out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel or even the plot of The Blind Assassin.

From one website I found, her husband said ....

"My wife adored the Riviera. Here she desired to live, here she died, and it is fitting that she rest here forever," Mr. Townsend remarked after the funeral service. And in that grave ended the remarkable career of a stage butterfly, who, at the age of 25, had lived more than most women of 75.

More information about the life of Mary Margaret Townsend can be found here.

Another exert from the same website ...

March 30, 1931
Birmingham, AL

A nine-year-old girl, whose nimble feet, and soprano voice attracted attention here in 1914, became a Broadway Follies beauty known as Peggie Davis and later the wife of David Townsend, Wall Street broker.

She was born here December 31, 1905, as Mary Margaret Laird, and in childhood she showed unusual ability in dancing and singing and won much attention.

Her father was a traveling salesman, and the family has since moved from the city.

The titan-haired beauty was married at age 13 to Colonel J. A. Davies, 43, of the ordinance department, United States Army, November 3, 1918. The marriage was annulled a year later. At the time the action was filed here she was working in the films in Los Angeles. Her complaint charged Davies had another wife in Texas.

Among the pictures in which she appeared was "Under Two Flags” with Theda Bara.

I also found a notice about her death in a 1931 newspaper from Florence, Alabama. Mary Margaret Laird (her maiden name) was born in Birmingham, Alabama, according to this newspaper account. Click here to read the full article.

I wonder now what drew me to these particular graves. This was definitely a sadder tale than the first. RIP, Mary Margaret!

Eze Cemetery: Olga Platonina Dinwiddie

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 00:08:00 +0000

Gravestone of Olga Platonina Dinwiddie

First of all, I want to say that the cemetery in Eze is adjacent to the most beautiful Church, a place of peace and serenity. You can see for miles around to the mountains and to the sea. It is tucked in to a mountain side. I believe that a person could not find a more fitting place to be put to rest.

When I decided to investigate the reason that some of the gravestones in the cemetery were in English, I would never have believed the fascinating information I would find. I picked Olga Platonina Dinwiddie as the first person to check out, as her name is so unique and she has such a beautiful granite stone. Born in 1886 in St. Petersburg, Russia, her former name was Olga Platonina Stenbock-Fermor, and she was a Countess. She was also an accomplished painter and her works are still sold today. There seems to be a mystery surrounding her life. Not much is known other than she was born in 1886 and died in 1956, according to the art dealers who sell her paintings.

She was known to have spent a lot of time in Paris and possibly Italy. Her most famous paintings are listed as Italian 20th Century and I found two sites in England that has paintings of hers for sale. They are Wooley and Wallis and Newfield Galleries.

Since I found her gravestone and was able to investigate the genealogy of her husband, Donald Mackenzie Dinwiddie, I was able to piece together some information on her life. I found that she married in 1929 at the Brentford Registry Office in the UK. The man she married had an incredibly interesting past. His grandfather was David Dinwiddie from Penpont, Dumfrie-shires, Scotland, who spent most of his life working for the British Crown in India. His grandmother was Mary Mackenzie, who was born in India, but her family roots were from Glasgow, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland. The grandfather, David Dinwiddie, wrote his memoirs and they are incredible. If you are interested in what life was like in the 1800s in the British colony of India, click here.

But the most amazing thing I found was on a genealogy site, and it was written by the nephew of Donald Dinwiddie. For the article, click here. But the gist of it is this ... Countess Olga Stenbock-Fermor fell out of a taxi in Paris in the arms of the man who would become her husband. It doesn't get more romantic than that. I never thought I would find such a wonderful fairy tale life from one grave stone! RIP, Ms. Olga!

Angro do Heroismo

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 22:45:00 +0000

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

Tetouan Again

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 15:00:00 +0000

Pension in Medina of Tetouan

Walking through the Medina of Tetouan, which is hundreds of years old, our guide showed up a typical Pension or typical small hotel room. Based on the age and dirtiness of the sign, I would not think it would be like the Ritz.

Herb shop

Each shop in the Medina would have something outside to identify it. Whether they sold herbs or vegetables, their wares would be displayed. Some areas were more makeshift carts with tarps over, where others appear to be areas where people live and work.

Vegetables on display

There were some amazing architectural features along the way, including some very nice doors. Below is an example of one of the doors we saw along our walking tour.

Door and entry in the Medina

Then we came across this sheep. Why he has the marking on the back, I am not sure. Is it that the sheep is scheduled to be slaughtered?

Sheep at the Medina

Hygiene does not appear to be a high priority in this area, but by far the worst area we walked through was where they were preparing the animal hides in to leather. The stench was beyond what you can imagine. I kept being terrified I would fall in to one of the vats. Unfortunately the photos that I took of this area were on my phone that was later stolen, so I have no photos to share. Not sure if that isn't a blessing. But I did find a few photos online.

Tetouan through my Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 14:00:00 +0000

City streets of Tetouan

The streets upon entering the city of Tetouan before we arrived at the Medina seemed very French in architecture. The balconies do not seem Spanish to me at all, like Madrid, which is heavily French influenced.

French style balconies

In the backdrop of the photo above, you can see the white buildings, which are reminiscent of Spanish Andalusian towns. But in the foreground the balconies are French influenced with signs in Arabic, Spanish and even sometimes Spanglish.

Closer to the Medina

As we got closer to the Medina, a Spanish or Moorish influence in the architecture was much more apparent. The buildings in the Medina are hundreds of years old. Our guide told us as a child he lived there and the rent was then like $1 euro a month, now is approximately $20 euros a month (equivalent in Moroccan money) for the small apartments.

apartment in Medina of Tetouan

There are small and larger apartments scattered through these very dungeon like corridors with low lying roofs and cubby hole areas. The feeling is very claustrophobic. I have no idea what lies beyond the doors, whether hovel or palace.

Stroll in Morocco

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 14:19:00 +0000

Our guide to Teotouan in Morocco

I promised to tell you a little more about our guide in Tetouan, Morocco. He knew everybody, I mean everybody from Spanish Ceuta where he picked us up and through Tetouan. When he met us outside the port in Spanish Ceuta very early in the morning, he seemed very brusque and business like. He took all of our passports and formed a packet, with all our passports below and his on top. He explained that he would be vouching for us in his country. I had no idea at that time that they would actually take our passports and keep them at the Moroccan border while we were there. But we would realize later that this was a very good thing, not a bad thing.

Guides waiting for us at Spanish Ceuta port

We had to go through two border crossings, one to leave Spanish Ceuta which is part of the European Union and then to enter Morocco. Our driver was a great guy, and he spoke Arabic and Spanish, so I communicated with him in Spanish. We were 10 people shoved inside a minivan plus the driver and guide. They put me up front between the driver and guide. I felt crowded, but in the end, I realized was a better location than those stuffed in the back. Off we went.

entering the city of Tetouan

We passed the beautiful manicured hotel area where, as mentioned, the King has a beach home and descended upon Tetouan early in the morning. The city was still mostly asleep, with the carts and makeshift areas all covered in tarps.
We watched the city wake up. As clean as the beaches were, the city was anything but. It was really dirty and so old.

Market area

Ancient Salona: Where Gargoyles Go to Die

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 12:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 23:18:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 12:00:00 +0000

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

Holy Terrors: Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Thu, 31 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Doing some research for a nonfiction book I want to write, I stumbled across this book on Amazon.com. The book is by Janetta Rebold Benton. More information on her can be found here. She is a Fullbright Scholar and art historian.

The book that caught my interest is Holy Terrors: Gargoyles in Medieval Buildings. Below is the description from Amazon. Seems like a must read to me for any gargoyle lover.

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1997

The true gargoyle is a waterspout, an architectural necessity that medieval artisans transformed into functional fantasies. In clear, lively language, the introduction to Holy Terrors explains everything that is known about the history, construction, and purposes of these often rude and rowdy characters. The three chapters that follow are devoted to the gargoyles themselves, in human, animal, and grotesque form. Delving into their sometimes funny, sometimes mysterious meanings, Dr. Benton's entertaining text puts these irresistible creatures into the context of medieval life, and she provides a guide to gargoyle sites, so that readers can visit their favorites. This is, amazingly, the first book for adults to provide a full overview of medieval gargoyles, and it is bound to increase the already numerous legions of gargoyle admirers.

La Sagrada Familia: Home of Gargoyles

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Thu, 10 May 2018 11:41:00 +0000

La Sagrada Familia at Barcelona

The last time before this trip I visited La Sagrada Familia was in 2009 at 8am. I can't remember if I bought my ticket ahead of time or not. I don't think I did, but there was no line. A few people arrived as I was walking through. It is a sight to see and I missed it the last two times I was in Barcelona, so I decided to go back again. I heard in the metro that the lines were forever long, so I opted to just take some photos from the outside.

Cleaning of La Sagrada Familia

Even though the Church is not completed, restoration work is going on now to clean it. From the photo above, you can see what has been cleaned and a part that remains. It is still as magnificent as ever. This time though there were hundreds of people waiting to get in and a line of people waiting to buy tickets that wrapped around the front and both sides.

Getting there was half the fun. I decided to use the metro as I had a T-10, a ticket for 10 passes and had only used 2 yesterday. I could have walked but after my excursion to the MNAC yesterday, I realize how out of shape my legs really are. So I walked to the Passeig de Gracia station and tried to get on the L2 to the Sagrada Familia exit. Just as I went to board the train, an announcement was made that the L2 was down. So I was lost in underground hell for about half an hour. In the end, I took a round about way but finally made it to my destination. When I walked out of the metro, there I was, right in front of one of my favorite places on earth - La Sagrada Familia (the Sacred Family.)

Another view of La Sagrada Familia

Man speaking French and waving in front of La Sagrada Familia

As I took photos of the front, a man speaking in French said something to me and waved for the camera. The crowds were everywhere. I especially loved seeing all the young people around.

Young people in front of La Sagrada Familia

More information on this wonderful Gaudi creation can be found here. It really is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and a great home for gargoyles.

Lunenburg

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 14:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 14:57:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 01:12:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 16:13:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 15:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 15:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 15:00:00 +0000

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.

Goat Hair, Mohair, and Angora

noreply@blogger.com (Luh Madera) — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 15:00:00 +0000

Goat farm

Le Chevier du Nord goat farm was one destination on our Best of Saguenay tour. What I noticed right away was how dirty the "sheep" looked and how wide set were their eyes.

at Le Chevier du Nord

They are really very bizarre looking creatures, quite large and really look like sheep to me. I had never seen a goat like this before, but they are goats. They are goats that produce a beautiful mohair that can be made in to angora garments, including sweaters and boots.

the goats

As I said, they are quite dirty but very cute and quite friendly. We walked through the process of how they sheer the goats and finally make their wool in to wonderful sweaters, coats and other garments.

You can find out more information about this lovely, family run business here.