New France (with Photos of Quebec City)

In Quebec, most residents prefer to speak French, which along with English is one of Canada's two official languages, so it's not exactly shocking to learn that at one time the region was called New France.

After Great Britain won Canada from France in the Seven Years War, they renamed it the Province of Quebec with the Royal Proclamation of 1763.

Hoping to avoid rebellion, the Brits allowed the overwhelming majority of French Canadians to keep many traditions, including not only their language but French culture, civil law traditions and Roman Catholic religion, rather than forcing them to conform to British mores.

The plan worked quite well, and while for the most part Canada is a fully independent, self-governed country, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II surprisingly reigns as Queen of Canada (and also of Australia, New Zealand and a dozen other smaller countries, including several in the Caribbean).

It occured to me this morning that our vacation in New England and Canada brought us in contact with the six European cultures which provided the political, economic, legal and social foundations upon which the United States of America was built.  I previously wrote about this under E Pluribus Unum.

Before the cruise, we'd been to Pennsylvania, where many Germans began settling in the late 1600's.  They became known as Pennsylvania Dutch, somewhat confusing because the name actually refers to Deutsch (German) rather than people from Holland.

At Valley Forge, Baron von Steuben introduced German discipline and efficiency to our military, turning losers into winners.

New York was initially the Dutch (as in the Netherlands) city of New Amsterdam. In fact, the area from Pennsylvania to Cape Cod, including most of New York, Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey, was at one time the Dutch Colony of New Netherland.

The Dutch were great ship builders, explorers and traders, and in their Golden Age of the 1600's, the Netherlands became the richest country in the world.

I attribute much of what our country became economically to Holland, even if that connection has been overshadowed by the military victories of the British, who changed New Amsterdam to New York in honor of the Duke of York, King James II of England.

It goes without saying that we spent much of our time in New England, but I'll say it anyway.

For the most part, we speak English, which has further become the most common language for business and success throughout the world, including in the fast growing economies of China and India.

We owe much of our government system, including our Constitution based to some extent on the groundbreaking Magna Carta, two houses of legislature plus an executive branch, and our legal system based on common law to the foundations laid by the Brits.

Our voyage took us through Nova Scotia (New Scotland) where many Scottish and Irish migrated as part of British expansion, although of course immigrants didn't only go to places subsequently named for them. Since I was a boy who cheered for the Lakers against the Boston Celtics, I've known many Bostonians claim roots in Ireland, as do plenty of New Yorkers, as portrayed in an excellent period movie, Brooklyn, which Julie and I happened to watch before going on this trip,

We had a similar encounter with these cultures and more in the Southern Caribbean earlier in the year, but I seem to have already gotten very far off topic.

Upon debarking from Caribbean Princess, our plan had been to return to charming Petit-Champlain if it was sunny, but when the day broke cold and misty, we instead enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on board and then hiked directly to the beautiful historic railroad station to catch the train to our next stop, Montreal.

While planning our trip we had tried to book return air from Quebec City, but we found it would cost half as many air miles to fly nonstop from Montreal on Monday as to return on an early Saturday flight from Quebec City with a lousy itinerary, so we opted to spend a couple of nights in Montreal.

That would prove to be a great decision.  On the scenic train ride, I wondered if the city would live up to my fond memories from forty years ago.

Quebec City

It would be hard to pick a better place than the Province of Quebec as the final destination for our wonderful cruise through New England and Canada, whether that be Montreal or, in the case of our Caribbean Princess cruise, Quebec City.

Our port was a short stroll from Petit-Champlain, which feels very much like a quaint but upscale arrondissement you would seek out for a special anniversary if you lived in the musical "An American In Paris."

Cold rain had been forecast, a continuation of the weather front that had forced us to miss our stop at Prince Edward Island, but we bundled up and headed out early.

With the reality of a mist rather than rain in the early morning, that proved to be a wise move.  We walked through gorgeous Petit-Champlain, vowing to return later, to catch Funiculaire du Vieux Quebec, the funicular that goes up the cliffside to visit Château Frontenac, the most photographed hotel in the world for good reason. And naturally, we took lots of photographs.

We enterred hoping to find a romantic place to sit with a hand-warming cappuccino, but finding only a rather standard Starbucks, we soon left.  While still inside, however, I spied a poster proclaiming Quebec City as a ski destination.

What?

How did I not know this?

Outside, this new revelation was confirmed by an idle van marked as a ski shuttle.  It turns out there are several ski areas a short distance from this landmark hotel in Quebec City, though of course it was still too early in the season even despite winter knocking at the door.

Quebec City certainly seems like an appealing winter destination, especially for someone who loves city life.

To quote Travel+Leisure, "You don’t have to dig very deep to become convinced that Québec City is the most romantic city in North America."

The spring colors and buildings on the other shore of the St. Lawrence River were obscured by the increasingly heavy mist, but it was still a lovely view.

As we explored the area around the hotel, the wind and rain kicked up a notch, turning our umbrellas inside out and stripping some of the romance from the experience.

Our choices came down to seeking out a cafe in which to ride out the blustery outburst, heading to a museum or getting on a tour bus.

We chose another hop-on, hop-off bus, which the sales clerk said would have clear windows for viewing, rain or shine.  That proved to be a lie, although at red lights, the driver did occasionally walk back with a rag to try to clear off some of the frost on the inside.

The narration was a recording, which is not nearly as engaging as a live tour guide.  I have to admit kind of zoning out on as it droned on, and between the rain on the outside and fog on the inside, we couldn't see all that much.

Had the weather allowed us to ride in the open air seats on top, this would unboubtedly have been a good way to get an overview of the city.

However, had we wanted to get out at the different stops, we could have easily done so, and we probably should have explored a museum or historic building.

We ended up just riding around until we reached the port, where we stopped at the ship to have lunch.

Okay, even I admit this was ridiculous.

We were in the most romantic city in North America where exquisite French cuisine awaited our palates, on a day when the weather made seeking out a fine restaurant especially attractive.

Julie always likes to dine with a water view if given a choice, and of course we knew the food on Caribbean Princess would be delicious as always.

Still....

After lunch, we returned to Petit-Champlain to soak in the wonderful ambiance of its environs.

The nearly empty streets of morning now bustled with activity, but it was still a very special experience.

We eventually wandered into a bakery to savor an eclair and cappuccino in the late afternoon.

Upon taking a table by the window of the nearly empty cafe, we observed a steady stream of customers flood in, filling all the tables, so we felt compelled to leave as soon as we finished rather than lingering to observe the world pass by.

Because Quebec City may well be the most romantic city in North America, Princess wisely made it an overnight in port as our cruise's grand finale, allowing guests the opportunity to go ashore to experience the French night life.

However, on this particular evening, the warmth of the ship won out.

Sometimes, it's hard to get beyond the truth that "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

The views of illuinated Quebec from the ship were stunning.

Entertainment and Dining on Caribbean Princess

On a cold sea day when pool decks mostly served as shortcuts to the buffet, we recognized the necessity to arrive at the Princess Theater early to snag seats for the much touted cook-off between the Executive Chef and Maitre d' Hotel.

Announcements trumpeted the credentials of the Maitre d'Hotel, who is in charge of restaurant service, as the illogical favorite over the man actually in charge of cooking all the meals, in what would be a taste battle royale.

When the show began, the Maitre d' enterred to great fanfare, flanked by two beautiful young ladies whom he claimed to be ex-wives, and we knew this was to be at least as much comedy as cooking.

The standing room only audience enjoyed the show throughout, and perhaps some learned how to prepare the dishes the Exectuive Chef whipped up.  In any case, we all shared a plenty of giggles and a few guffaws during this good-natured show.

While this daytime show attracted more viewers than seats could accommodate, we never had trouble getting good seats for the nighttime entertainment in the Princess Theater, including for production shows,

"Bravo," a brand new Princess Cruises extravaganza performed by a new cast who boarded the ship with us in Brooklyn, blew away the crowd.

To a great extent, "Bravo" simply featured terrific singers belting out show-stopping songs rather than extensively staged and costumed dance scenes, but after the standing ovations, many attendees called it the best show they'd ever seen on a cruise.

Princess scheduled three performances of their production shows, and we selected to attend the 7 PM pre-dinner show each time.  As we left the theater, we found people already lining up for the 8:30 show.

We were on open dining, without assignment of early or late seating, and that for us translated into usually having dinner at about 8:20, because we also like having appetizers at the Platinum Member Happy Hour in Skywalkers between 5 and 7.  By opening our schedule during the peak dining time for "anytime" diners and before assigned early diners usually finished full meals, we never had any problem sitting exactly where we wanted in the Princess Theater for production shows.  Similarly, we had no trouble getting seats for guest performers at the late show when there were only two performances scheduled.

In nightclub venues like Explorer's Lounge with more limited seating and views, a good tip to remember would be to get seats early, as many guests will relax with drinks beginning long before the show begins.


Also new on the entertainment front, Princess recently added "The Voice of the Ocean," complete with the spinning red chairs for the judges.

Because the finale in the Princess Theater was naturally one performance only, it drew a full house at 8 PM, but without arriving excessively early, we once again had no trouble getting seats, although we did shift our dinner time to attend. People who arrived late for that show might have been out of luck.

We had watched the preliminary rounds of "The Voice" and were pleasantly surprised by the improvement in several performers, who were all fellow passengers.  If you can sing, you should try out on your next Princess cruise.

Crew member Derek Floyd, who sang regularly at Crooners Lounge, also had a night in the spotlight at the Princess Theater, performing his tribute to Lionel Richie, which brought the house down with his energetic performance.


There are several genres of music for listening and/or dancing in assorted venues.

At the outset of the cruise in Brooklyn, we watched a Paul McCartney concert in lounge chairs at the Calypso Pool's Movies Under the Stars before sail away.  Concerts and movies are regularly shown on that screen and in the Princess Theater,  where on a sea day I watched "Captain Fantastic," a rather strange movie that I doubt I would have seen otherwise but proved to be thought provoking.


Of course, the dining experience is an important part of the cruise experience, and we thoroughly enjoyed every meal on Caribbean Princess.  I always especially savor the opportunity to enjoy great sea food, including fresh New England lobster, in the dining room.  Almost every day at lunch I included some Indian curried dishes on my large plate.

Returning home from the cruise to once again notice that we'd lost weight despite eating what seemed like huge portions of delicious food including desserts throughout the cruise, I came to the realization that the seeming incongruity can best be attributed to all those delicious vegetable dishes, including my favorite Indian sides.

Getting back to the cooking demonstration, the audience had the opportunity to tour the galley afterwards, and most of us went to see where the magic is made.

It's comforting to see all that gleaming clean stainless steel for ourselves and know the delicious food is meticulously prepared with the highest standards of cleanliness.

Sydney, Nova Scotia

If you want to dive into the historic Celtic culture of Nova Scotia (New Scotland), Sydney provides plenty of opportunities to do so.

Princess offers several wonderful shore excursions to these Gaelic heritage sites.

If like Julie's grandpa Nick, one of your ancestors immigrated to the New World and began his American Dream in the coal mines, the Cape Breton Coal Mine Experience and Museum Tour might interest you.

Perhaps best of all is an amazing road trip through Cape Breton to Cabot Trail,  dubbed one of National Geographic's "Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Spectacular Trips."

We had been on some form of bus tour for three days in a row, and another was booked for the next day on Prince Edward Island with an "Anne of Green Gables" tour, so Julie scoped out possibilities in town and discovered a hiking trail through 70 acres of Acadian Forest within walking distance of the ship.

My country cousins would tell me 70 acres isn't that much.  In fact, it is less than 10% of the size of New York's Central Park.

However, four trails weave through beautiful Baille Ard Recreation Area, and on this day we had the place almost entirely to ourselves.

By the way, I've mentioned the word Acadian a few times.  Acadia refers to the French Canadian maritime region including Nova Scotia, New Brusnwick, Newfoundland and parts of Quebec and Maine.

The French settlers were known as Acadians.

When the British emerged victorious in the French and Indian War and made the region their 14th American colony, lots of Acadians headed south and settled in Louisianna, where Acadian adapted with a southern accent into "a Cajun."

The temperature was a few degrees cooler than it had been in Halifax as we debarked the ship, but bundled up, we set off through the city, soon reaching Wentworth Park, with lovely lakes amid colorful New England clapboard houses.

When according to the map we must have been close to the Baille Ard Nature Trails, we found ourselves in a suburban neighborhood.

Julie re-read the directions on her iPhone, which said it was by an education center, so we walked passed what looked like a school where we found some truant boys.

We asked if they knew where the hiking trails were.

One of the 11 year-olds gave us an ironic smile and pointed past a soccer field.

Not sure if we were the butt of a joke we didn't understand, we carried on.

We found an entrance, but a few steps in we realized it would be a very wet trudge through puddles and mud.  Was that the boy's joke on the lost old folks?

We'd come too far to give up so quickly, so we walked along the endzone of the soccer field, and sure enough we found another entrance.

While the trails still had some wet parts, it looked promising.  A local couple arrived at about the same time, and they assured us that we'd find most of the trails passable.

They apologized for the conditions, saying a few days earlier the major storm that had pushed up the coast from the Caribbean as a hurricane had pummeled the park, stripping a lot of the leaves off the trees.

Nonetheless, the Acadian forest was beautiful in its unique ways, with multi-colored leaves stubbornly clinging to thin branches.

We passed many felled trees in various stages of decomposition.

The wise caretakers leave the clean-up to the ecosystem.

Centipedes, woodlice and other detritivores begin the process by breaking down the trees into smaller pieces, and then micro-organisms take over.  Bracket fungi feed on the rotting tree, making it easy for bacteria to get inside the tree.  These "true decomposers" leave some plant residue, which then helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients to feed the surviving trees.  Saplings sometimes sprout up from these decaying logs.

Without decomposition, dead stuff would just pile up all over the world, so when you see a centipede or fungus, don't grimmace and say, "Eww!"  Be awed and say, "Aah!"  Unless it is in your kitchen or bathroom...or the restaurant where you just ordered a meal.

We really enjoyed our hike through nature, as we always do, but we also appreciate returning back to the creature comforts of the ship.

After sailing away, the weather deteriorated, and we were disappointed when the Captain announced that our port of call on Prince Edward Island the next day had been cancelled due to weather conditions.

We hadn't experienced a full sea day yet on this ten night cruise, but one more was already scheduled for the following day to allow time to reach Quebec City for an overnight stay, so the timing wasn't great.  Nonetheless, we'd much rather be enjoying our floating resort than being miserable ashore, and I have no doubt that all cruise lines far prefer to make their port calls if possible.  They don't want to put their guests in harm's way.

Had we known we would be missing Prince Edward Island, would we have taken a Princess shore excursion instead of hiking on our own?


Possibly, but I don't know that we would have enjoyed it any more than our hike in the woods.