Sunday, May 24, 2015
It was very rough sailing last night. Even the wait staff in
Terrace this morning were complaining about how little sleep they got last
night. We were up by 6am. Clay must have been earlier because he said the fitness
center was opened early. We had breakfast in Terrace. I had blintzes since it
is Sunday morning and my weekend splurge. I weighed myself last night before
dinner and according to the scales I weigh the same as I did when we left NYC.
I guess that’s the best I can hope for.
So since we were here in Sydney on the 13th, we
thought we had everything checked out and in order for our visit today. But,
man plans and God chuckles. The weather is much nicer here today than a week
and a half ago. We got sleeted on that morning. Today the wind is still
cutting, but the sun is shining, the temps were in the 40Fs when we arrived on
time at 8am and the high is expected to reach 60F or so. The 60ft. tall, world’s
largest, fiddle is uncovered and on display at the cruise terminal today, so
that was one goal accomplished. They had fixed the video playing in the little
lighthouse inside the terminal today. So, we learned the fiddle has a sound
system installed that should play a local fiddle medley of tunes. We went back
outside to recheck but the fiddle was silent both times we checked it. Maybe
they are still working on it. So, our plans. When last here we met a young tourism
woman at a couple of places in Sydney and she made some phone calls to find out
if the museum would be open for the summer (it was closed the day we were here
before) and she called 2 cab companies and got rate quotes for the trip to
Glace Bay and return. So, what could go wrong?
The first City Wide cab driver we spoke to outside the port quoted us
$45 to take us over to Glace Bay. We told him no we just wanted a ride to the
Miners Museum, not a tour. He stood firm on his $45 for a one way trip. Since
we had her notes saying 2 different cab companies including City Wide had told
her the one way fare was $25, we walked away and he didn’t stop us. We walked
down to St. Patricks church museum which was one of the places we had met the young
woman before. I went in and there were 2 different young women today, but when
I told them what had happened they agreed the one way fare should be $25 with
any of the cab companies. She went and called City Wide and they told her the cabbie
on the street out front misunderstood us and was quoting us a wait for us fare
with return. (That would have been cheaper than advertised if so and we should
have taken him up on it! But I don’t think we misunderstood him since he
started at $150 for a 4-hour tour and we worked our way down to what we wanted
to do.) Anyway, she had them send another cab to pick us up out front and we’d
call for a return from Glace Bay when we were ready and pay $25 each way. A van
pulled up right as we walked out and we were on our way. We arrived at minutes
after 10am when it should have opened. It was locked up, there was not a car in
the lot and they had a sign on the door saying they were closed for the winter.
We all felt bad and a little ridiculous for not calling ahead beforehand to
reconfirm. We got out and looked around at the outdoor exhibits and at Glace
Bay. Then he took us down to the fish house/fish dock area and we got out and
looked around again, then we drove back. So, as he said, now you’ve been to
Glace Bay and not to feel too bad because he lives here and he had never been
to the Miners Museum either. Some things are just not meant to be. We paid him
$60 for his trouble on a $50 fare. We he dropped us off, I went back inside the
church museum to let those girls know in case anyone else asked that the Miners
Museum was closed. They were shocked and appalled that they had not thought to
call ahead when we came in the first time. They said cruise season was well
underway now and they would never have imagined that the museum was not open. I
agreed with all they said, we understood it would be open at 10am 7 days a week
by the time we returned but we should have called ahead to confirm it a day in
advance or at least before driving over. Live and learn. I just wanted them to
know in case anyone else asked them about it. We walked through the cruise
terminal museum which was a well done Cape Breton highlights in a nutshell. We
walked through the cruise terminal marketplace and saw a couple of new vendors.
I bought a small seascape from a textile artist’s booth whose work I had
admired when we were here before. She is Lynn Moore and she does some amazing
work with a sewing machine and cut fabric that looks almost 3D photographic
quality. I had wanted a $10 bookmark, but none of them really spoke to me
though they were very impressive. I found what I liked in a 5x7 matted
seascape.
So, anyway now we are back aboard after our morning’s
adventure. I am fine with it. Clay is a little more upset. I put it in the
category of all those things that are not meant to be. These things just happen
and it was one random thing that we have missed every time we have been through
here. Marina is having an afternoon popcorn movie at 2pm. I have been wanting
to do one of these for a while, but the timing or the film have not suited.
Today is The Hundred-Foot Journey. We did see this before but it was long
enough ago and I enjoyed it enough before to see it again. I had been a little
disappointed that they were finally playing a film I would like to see on a big
screen at a time when I would probably miss it. Now, I can go. So, it all works
out perfectly in the end.
There were a lot more people at the 2pm popcorn movie than
expected for a shore day. The popcorn was only so-so, but I was happy to have
popcorn anyway. We hurried back to the room to watch the movie Into the Woods
on TV. We had never seen it. I liked it.
We’ll go to dinner tonight at Terrace again. The show
tonight is Mark Newsome again. I am certain we won’t go.
This afternoon when we came back aboard and as we returned
to the cabin after lunch we found the next 3 cabins forward of ours undergoing
some kind of hazmat quality cleaning. There were a lot of workers wearing
masks, carrying buckets, spray bottles and brushes and cloths. There was a
uniformed officer or two as well. We have no idea what was going on. We didn’t
smell anything but the cleaning chemicals. We hope no one is/was sick or that
whatever was going on will cause us any problems. Clay spends a lot of time on the
balcony and says someone forward of us has been smoking on the balcony or in the
cabin with the door open since Montreal. I don’t see how it could be 3 cabins.
Maybe someone complained and the smoker’s cabin and adjoining cabins got a
special cleaning. But Clay had smelled it and said nothing. He assumed it was
from right next door. Oh well, if we learn what was going on, I’ll report here.
It is 6pm and time for us to be sailing, but we aren’t moving yet. We haven’t heard any names broadcast, so it is not clear why. The shore people starting removing our ropes just after 6pm, so maybe it was union rules or port rules or something. Certainly, we have left other ports early when everyone was aboard already. We were late leaving here last time because a single passenger was late and we waited for him.
Oh, btw after today we have all new ports without repeats! Keep an eye on my Trip Advisor Travel Map at the bottom of the page for new map pins to appear.
