Tag Archives: travel

Our postcard from Charlottetown, Canada (and remnants of a hurricane)

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Charlottetown has a ton of history. Thanks to access to the ocean and abundant timber 4,500 tall ships were built there in the mid 1800’s. It has way more 100+ year old homes than Charlotte NC, in part because ship building skills were used for many of them, and they are still in great shape.

It also benefits from the gulf stream. We were amazed to learn that water temps at their pretty beaches reach 79 degrees in early September. The sun warms the sand, then the tide comes in and the water is warmed by the sand. That is much warmer than waters in California, and is due to the warm gulf stream reaching all the way up here. It keeps the waters navigable in winter.

Unfortunately that same gulf stream can bring big storms here as well. Our plan for the day was a horse drawn trolley ride — to appreciate the city and learn the history. We did it — yet a little less bucolic than this photo. Thanks to the remnants of hurricane Isaias it was 46 degrees and raining. Still big fun and very entertaining — just cold!

Horse drawn trolley in Charlottetown

Another thing we loved is their deep respect for their First Nation heritage. Mi’kmaq in the Quebec Maritime provinces is one example. Their native language is again taught and spoken, and even appears as a third language (along with French and English) on some traffic signs. One of the 1st nation chiefs organized the conference of some 35 tribes that formulated the pact that united a huge swath from Canada to Louisiana. That pact ultimately led to the Louisiana purchase, which shaped the United States.

Charlottetown would actually be a fun place to spend a week, particularly to beat the summer heat. Nonstop flights from the Toronto airport.

Our postcard from Montreal

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We did not really know that the city of Montreal is a complete island like Manhattan — but four times its size. We also did not know some of the history of the three big cities. Quebec City became the first power center, thanks to the business acumen of the Scots and its strategic place on the St. Lawrence river for exchanging goods with Europe and beyond.

As the middle of Canada became a huge source of grain and the area around Montreal was teeming with beavers (whose skins made fabulous hats coveted in Europe), Montreal emerged as the major city. Then the St. Lawrence Seaway (man-made) gave Toronto a more strategic location and it overtook Montreal. Montreal has recast its economy, in part through the presence of five Universities. And it is a historic city with a lot of beautiful 100+ year old buildings.

One of the features we discovered was their “underground”. Underneath the buildings are 24 miles of wide, brightly lit pristine walkways with no graffiti. It connects a huge number of buildings, and is a great way to get around in winter or rain.

A curving, brightly lit walkway in Montreal’s Underground City

We also had our first tariff impact. When I ordered my favorite cocktail, an Old Fashioned, I was advised no US liquor was available at bars — even at the Four Seasons. A government sponsored boycott. Luckily I prefer Rye whiskey in that drink, and they make some really good Rye in Canada.

Wrapping up, because of the strong French and English heritage here every place featuring government funded art that features the French will also have something equal honoring the English.

Our favorite was a pair of statues, each with a snooty mask and a dog. They are actually a block apart. The man is holding a pug, which are English. He is looking at, and being snooty, to the Catholic cathedral. She is holding a poodle, which are French, wearing a Dior suit and being snooty to the Bank of Montreal, which symbolized the banking industry created by the English. Part of the subtlety is that both dogs are looking at each other, as if they want to play. Love the sense of humor!

Bronze statue of a snooty man holding a pug in Old Montreal
The two snooty statues side by side: the man with a pug and the woman with a poodle

Our postcard from Montenegro and Dubrovnik

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The fjords of Montenegro were everything we anticipated. Two hours of very slow morning cruising with the sun glistening off the many hillside houses and churches along the way.

One of those churches is a Catholic church named Our Lady of the Rock. It is a beloved legend that began in 1452 when two fisherman returning from a voyage in stormy seas saw an icon of the Virgin Mary on the rocks. Believing that it was a sign that a church should be built on the site fisherman began a tradition of adding a rock at the end of each voyage, until there was room to build the church in 1792. That is the church you see in this picture on the left. It remains active today for Sunday services and weddings. What a spot!

The fjords of Montenegro are serpentine. Here is the view from high above, reached via a road with 27 switchbacks. Our ship is in the lower right. Quite a feat in a bus, and either we or cars from the opposite direction had to back up a handful of times.

Here is another view while sailing out in the evening. Amazing how the setting sun lit up the cloud.

We fondly recall a cafe on the harbor in Dubrovnik from our visit twenty-two years ago. Betsy had a beer and I had a sundae, and we just paused to watch the beautiful harbor. Going back was high on our list, and it did not disappoint. Here she is then, and our photo from brunch yesterday. Still just as beautiful, and great place to pause. They even comped my dessert when I showed them the pic from 2001.

We have also discovered that all of these small harbors in Croatia are incredibly busy. This one always had a half dozen boats in motion, and is so small that we had to tender in from our cruise ship.

Our trivia for this postcard is that arguably the necktie originated in Dubrovnik. The ladies used to make red scarves for the men going to war. The French thought that was an elegant look, and evolved it into the necktie we know today.

More Croatia to come in the days ahead.