Recently, my family and I had a great opportunity to go on a 7 Day Canada/New England cruise. We enjoyed ourselves immensely from touring the different provinces to tasting the local food and delicacies. My main reason for traveling to Canada was to see Green Gables which I will explain more about in this blog post. My family and I felt that it made sense to do a cruise rather than travel to Prince Edward Island to see Green Gables. Therefore, we traveled to Montreal, Quebec; Quebec City, Quebec; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Sydney, Nova Scotia; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Bar Harbor, Maine; and Boston, Massachusetts with Holland America cruise line. Here are my honest thoughts on this cruise line. The Holland America's Veendam ship was smaller than the ships I've been on in the past. I was aware of this fact; however, I expected more activities during the day and was disappointed in that aspect. Other than that, the ship was very elegant and regal. The food was delicious and the staff was very welcoming.
The first stop was Quebec City, Quebec. Quebec was simply amazing. The architecture, cobblestones, and French speaking natives made me feel like I was in Europe. One of the places that we visited was the Château Frontenac and it was simply breathtaking as you can see above. The inside was just as stunning. This chateau operates as a hotel that I must say is quite expensive.
This was another street view of Quebec City. Look at that architecture!
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Green Gables house. As a child, Lucy Maud Montgomery visited her cousins' home and this inspired her to write the Anne of Green Gables book series. The book was adapted into a film series which my family and I have watched over the years. If you haven't watch the series, you should try it out and let me know what you think.
The barns are located behind the picket fence where they are now operating as gift shops.
Interesting History Fact: While I was in Prince Edward Island, I had the pleasure of taking an Anne of Green Gables Tour. On this tour, the tour guide informed me of a black woman Viola Desmond, known as Canada's Rosa Park, who refused to leave the white area of the theatre and was then dragged out. If you are interested in learning more about her story, please click this link here.
These are more breathtaking views of the small town of Bar Harbor. The first picture is the Ivy Manor Inn Bed and Breakfast which I immediately snapped a picture of because I love Tudor styled houses. The picture on the left is the Sherman's Book Store which is the oldest book store in Maine. The last picture of course overlooks the harbor.
My overall favorite places were Quebec City, Quebec; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; and Bar Harbor, Maine. In my opinion, Sydney, Nova Scotia was not tourist friendly in terms of having limited fun activities for tourists. When I spoke with other fellow cruisers, they voiced the same opinion. With that being said, the residents of Sydney were very friendly with helping me find different locations in the area. On the first day, the cruise departed from Montreal and on the last day we arrived in Boston. Because of this, we didn't have much time to tour these areas.
This cruise provided a relaxing yet fun atmosphere in which I was privileged to meet different people around the world. We live in such a busy society where life can get so hectic that we sometimes lose ourselves. We lose what's most important like spending time with our loved ones. By allowing ourselves to share special moments with the people we love, we become more balanced and life adds a whole new meaning.
I hope you enjoyed my blog post. God Bless and take care!
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