A 23 day adventure

Tags

Air Transat, Dublin, Europe, Hermes, Montreal, museum, Paris, Pointe à Callière

This trip started on Tuesday 6 September, it is our habit to leave one day ahead of schedule when we have to fly to catch a flight in Montreal or Toronto. Though I much prefer to fly from Montreal if possible. We do this because in Canada you never know with the weather or possible storms, Summer like Winter. We left Charlottetown on a bright sunny day, as the plane took off we could see the Hillsborough River and the entrance into the Strait of Northumberland. The island is very green and I got a better appreciation for its topography from the sky. A short flight to Montreal only 90 minutes. Always a pleasure to return to Montreal a city filled with childhood memories.

By being a day ahead we went into Montreal, my home town, to see a special exhibit presented by Hermès, the famous 179 year old French Design House. The exhibit titled Man and Horse was beautifully curated and presented the private collection of Emile Hermes 1871-1951.

We explored the private collection of Émile Hermès. For the first time in its history, Hermès of Paris has agreed to share 250 remarkable objects, which travelled from the enthusiast’s office at 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. The tremendously rich collection—in terms of both history and heritage—traces the history of the horse and its relationship with man. Until now, only a few privileged visitors have been able to see the collection. An exclusive world premiere at the Musée Pointe à Callière in Montreal. https://pacmusee.qc.ca/fr/  The Museum is located in the oldest part of Montreal, the founding site of the city, c.1642.

Duc-Carriage with horse logo

Being in Old Montreal, we also visited the Basilica Notre Dame c.1676 which is built in the French Gothic style and has been beautifully restored to show the great stain glass ceiling which brings lots of natural light into the church which can sit 3000 people.

Old Montreal, Place d’Armes with the monument to Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve 1612-1676 who with Jeanne Mance founded Montreal or Ville-Marie as it was then called. What is interesting about the origin of this great French Metropolis is the original foundation project was strictly a religious one. Ville-Marie was to be a religious settlement for the propagation of the Catholic Faith, things turned out differently.

We had a very good lunch on Place Jacques Cartier by the City Hall at Terrasse William Gray.

On Wednesday 7 September we left from Pierre-Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Air Transat for Dublin, a 5 hour 30 minute flight.

 

 

 

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We are back Home

Tags

CBSA, Ireland, NYC, QM2, Southamton, tourism, trip, UK, US Border

This is the first of several instalments on our 23 day trip to Ireland, UK and Atlantic crossing back to North America. So I am starting by our return home.

Returned home, our last stop was New York City the Cruise Terminal in Brooklyn. We arrived in NYC on the Queen Mary2 at 05:30am, the ship docked opposite Governor’s Island and the Tip of Manhattan Island with the new tower replacing the World Trade Centre lost in the clouds. The Captain had stopped the ship first in front of the Statue of Liberty so we could get a few good photos of this famous monument. It was the first time I saw it in person despite having been to NYC many times.

Statue of Liberty at 05:30am as the Queen Mary 2 docks at the Cruise Terminal, Brooklyn.

We then left the ship at 12:30 an hour later than scheduled due to the fact that US Customs and Border inspection only had 9 Officers instead of 17 to process 3000 passengers, it took 5 hours to complete this process of going through Customs for all passengers. I just thought that this type of obtuse management of tourists by the US Customs is an abuse. Passengers coming off an expensive Ocean liner being inconvenienced is in fact killing tourism and giving a poor first impression of the USA. All passport information had been available to the US Authorities 8 days in advance. Many including ourselves who had planned to spend the day in Manhattan decided to simply go directly to the airport. In heavy choking traffic on poorly maintained roadways, we made it to LaGuardia with 90 minute to spare before our departure for Canada. It is unfortunate because I had not been in NYC in 22 years and now it is unlikely I will ever return, too much of a hassle, not worth it.

The flight to Toronto was uneventful, though I find Toronto Airport an unpleasant experience. To be fair Canadian Border Agency is no better and grossly understaffed, 4 officers to handle hundreds of travellers at the Security check point on the second floor for connecting flights. The flight to PEI was fun, passengers mostly from the Island returning home, it seems that everyone knew everyone else on the flight.

So after a day of line ups in Customs and airport security circus, it’s for your safety don’t you know, this is what our lives have become, cynicism and inefficiency is a virtue, we made it home safe and sound, quite happy to be here in our own beds with our puppies.

All this said, it was a wonderful trip, thanks to Will who organized it all and made it a success, it was another great trip like so many he has planned in the past. We can say that it was the celebration of our many years of adventures together. Thank you Will!

At the Cliffs of Moher, Liscannor, Co. Clare, Ireland.

 

Travels and Packing

Tags

Belmond, Dublin, EIRE, London UK, Travel, Ulster

Every trip means packing a suitcase and bringing what we need and nothing else. I always ask myself what do I really need to wear on this trip, what are we going to do during the day and evening. Any formal nights or parties we might attend, then do you need a tuxedo which means all the accessories that go with it, luckily nowadays a dark navy coloured suit will do with a white shirt with French cuffs and a dark blue uni-colour tie, dark black shoes polished which I call European formal dress seen in France. Italy, Germany and elsewhere in Europe. On this trip we will need a jacket for dinner every night and we have four formal nights.

First part of the vacation is a touring vacation which means walking in the Irish countryside, so good walking shoes needed, a hat and a rain proof coat. Then at night, jacket with a shirt no ties for dinner, however no jeans and no T-shirt look, keep that for your backyard. The cruise back, we are seven days at sea and this is were we will have formal evenings. Cunard gives instructions on what is appropriate.

The trick is not to over pack and not bring things you really do not need, common sense must prevail. Don’t forget you will have to carry that suitcase. I have the same suitcase for the last 40 years, a Samsonite oyster. So I think out loud and look at what I am putting in the suitcase, making a mental list of clothing and shoes needed and then toiletries. I know more or less what we will do, so I can see what I will wear and it needs to be comfortable but at the same time elegant.

If you forget something, you can always buy it abroad, best to avoid complications. I will also bring a pocket camera and my Kindle but no computer, unnecessary weight to carry around, after all I am on vacation and I feel there is a need to put electronics away. I lived most of my life some 50 years without it and survived I am sure I can continue to divorce myself from the social media etc. when you want quality time with yourself and others.

I did check the weather and it will be cooler in Europe, early Fall end of Summer weather. Looking forward to it all, the food, the wines, the sights and seeing friends.

 

L’Irlande

Tags

Anniversary, Atlantic, Belmond, cruise, Dublin, Ireland, leperchaun, London, Queen Mary 2, train

As you can tell from my new header photo, you are looking at Ireland and its dramatic scenery. In a few days we will fly from PEI to Dublin, the ancestral home of the O’Beaulieu clan of Limerick no less, but I won’t mention them again, they were all under four foot tall and called Leperchaun’s, spendthrift who wasted their pot of gold, the shame! However it is the home of Will’s family, they are not Leperchaun’s and well over four feet tall from Belfast.

We planned this Anniversary trip more than one year ago, well before we thought of moving to PEI, Will’s 70th and my 60th and our 40th with not a cross word in between, Ok maybe one to two cross words.

 

 EIRE

We will be in Dublin for a few days, I have not been in that city since 1969. I am looking forward to visiting the city again and see if I can remember anything of what I saw as a lad.

We will then proceed to travel around the Republic on train with Belmond see website belmond.com for all the details.

Train and crew

Bar on board

room cabin on the train

restaurant car one of two on the train

We will visit several cities and take part in excursions, it is described as a touring vacation, good walking shoes required and some rain gear, just in case.

The Key stops on this trip, but we are not going to Dundalk or Portrush

Then we fly to London to see friends and proceed to Southhampton to board the Queen Mary 2 for our return journey, which is 7 days at sea.

the Cunard line, Queen Mary 2

So this is our little excursion for the month of September. I am not planning to take my laptop with me on this trip, one less thing to carry. I will bring two books to read on the trip back by sea. So you will have to wait our return on the 28th September to read about our adventures.