Hop Aboard with Thebeerchaser – Bar Harbor and Boston

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

In several previous posts, I’ve covered our seven-day Holland America cruise from Montreal to Boston in early May that Janet and I made accompanied by our good friends, Jeff and Susan Nopper. (External Photo Attribution at the end of the post #1.)

I told you about Three Brassieres – a great brewery in Montreal, how a walking tour of Quebec City captivated us with visits of the impressive Fairmont LA Chateau Frontenac Hotel and the majestic Notre-Dame de-Quebec Basilica Cathedral (#2) in the historic city.

Then our day in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island – home of another splendid edifice – St. Dunstan’s Cathedral Basilica. (Clockwise – left to right below)

You saw pictures from our bus tour on the Cabot Trail out of Sydney, Nova Scotia and I vicariously let you raise a mug with us in the Garrison’s Brewery in Halifax (#3) after visiting scenic Peggy’s Cove. Wilken, our bartender at Garrison’s was friendly and helpful.

I shared how we didn’t even try to quaff our daily quota of fifteen drinks each – as unbelievable as that Holland America gimmick sounds – but I could have actually downed three Americanos, seven beers and five martinis and not paid extra based on the cruise package we had.

Even with the outstanding and plentiful food available, I wouldn’t have fulfilled that daily beverage quota. But for the first time, I discovered the wonders of a Smokey Boulevardier cocktail. (#3)

And the people we met were memorable ranging from 87-year-old electrician, Sonny, and his educator wife from Florida to Jennifer and JD – middle aged Texans who had recently ridden their Harleys to South Dakota for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and singer Anne Cochran.

We met Anne at breakfast. She is the superb vocalist from Cleveland (with a trial lawyer husband she met after serving on one of his juries) who, besides her own singing career for many years, has accompanied her friend going back to their teen years, Grammy-winning pianist, Jim Brickman, both in his albums and on tours. (#4)

A Stellar Spectacle

Late in the evening of the sixth night as were cruising in the Atlantic Ocean from Halifax to Bar Harbor, Maine, we were leaving the bar (not even close to our quota that day) after listening to the great combo featuring a talented female vocalist.

In the passageway heading to our stateroom, some crew members were excitedly running to the bow of the ship with their cameras.

We heard one shout, “It’s the Northern Lights” and figured if the crew thought it was extraordinary, we should take a look. And it was amazing, although interestingly enough, not as visible without looking through your camera.

This phenomenon was actually a powerful solar storm that appeared across the globe according to news reports including this one from The Oregonian. I guess we could have seen the same show from our own house, but it was still a thrill on the bow of the ship.

“Brilliant purple, green, yellow and pink hues of the Northern Light were reported worldwide. In the U.S., the lights pushed much farther south than normal….In the Pacific Northwest, they could even be seen from the Portland area.

…..the best aurora views may come from phone cameras which are better at capturing light than the naked eye.”

Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park

Bar Harbor was the only port where we had to use a tender – or small boat to transport us to shore from where we anchored.

Bar Harbor is a charming city, and we had visited it and toured Acadia National Park several years ago. We enjoyed lunch there and a van tour around the beautiful Park – one of our favorites.

And when visiting in 2018, we had excellent beer at Atlantic Brewing – the Midtown location, so before returning to the ship, we looked forward to returning:

“Atlantic Brewing is a family-owned brewery located in Bar Harbor and surrounded by Acadia National Park. The brewery was founded in downtown Bar Harbor inside the Lompoc Cafe.

As demand grew, and the company outgrew its space, it moved down the road to an estate brewery built on the site of a 19th century Bar Harbor farmstead…

In 2017, the Midtown Brewery opened in downtown Bar Harbor, a block away from the original location. Midtown is a modern brewery and taproom focusing on pilot and specialty batches.”

Given the good selection, we couldn’t decide so had a small sampler. Afterwards, we had a great chat with Thomas who manages the Midtown location. The lower left picture shows a sampler we had in 2018, so we moderated in 2024 (No. Not because we had fifteen drinks waiting for us back at the ship…..)

Our three four-ounce samples, shown above, were Blueberry Ale, Mountain Hopper IPA and Atlantic Summer Ale – all excellent brews.

Boston – Our Debarkation Port

We sailed from Bar Harbor with scheduled Saturday arrival at around 10 AM in Boston. With some regret, I realized that I didn’t participate in several cruise activities – “Coloring for Adults”, “Origami Folding – Paperbomb” or the “Art of Flower Arranging.”

Walking around the third deck multiple times daily, however, and a few fitness center workouts at least kept me from gaining any weight notwithstanding the excellent food. (Janet also pointed out that alcohol has calories….)

Now Janet and I had been to Boston multiple times on work trips and once since my 2011 retirement. Jeff and Susan were catching the one non-stop Alaska Air flight to Portland that evening at 7:30. Before the trip, I had negotiated with Janet asking:

“When are we going to get back to Beantown again? Let’s stay over Saturday night and eat at Giacomo’s – our favorite restaurant in the North End and explore the City on Sunday until we hit Logan Airport.” (#5)

She agreed and we booked a room at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel in the impressive Seaport District in South Boston – within walking distance of where we docked.

“The Seaport is a formerly industrial area that has undergone an extensive redevelopment effort in recent years…As of 2017, it was the fastest growing part of Boston and has stimulated significant economic growth in the city. The restoration of the Seaport began with the completion of the Big Dig.”

I reassured Janet that it was good that we were seeing it now as according to Wikipedia, “The Seaport District is at risk of climate-related flooding over the next 30 years.” (#6)

Our Boston Weekend

In the slim hope that we’d get to see the Red Sox play at historic Fenway Park, I googled their schedule and found that they had a home game at 4:00 on Saturday afternoon. We debated just relaxing at the hotel given that we would require public transportation.

Remembering our visit to another historic stadium – Wrigley Field on a 2008 business trip to Chicago, which was fantastic, however, we decided on an adventure. I’ll share that in the final post on our cruise, but before the game, we had to check out a brewery.

We walked to nearby Harpoon Brewery and Beer Hall. It has a distinctive exterior and expansive and attractive interior. In 1986 the Harpoon Brewery received Brewing Permit #001 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

It has a commonality with the Northwest and the origins of craft beer because:

“Harpoon was the first brewery in New England to brew an India Pale Ale….and first sold as a summer seasonal in 1993 and quickly became the brewery’s flagship beer. Harpoon IPA quickly became a staple of the American India pale ale style and was found on tap at bars and restaurants in Greater Boston.

In July 2014, while then the twelfth-largest craft brewery in the United States, the company became employee-owned.” (Wikipedia)

We had just consumed a bowl of New England Clam Chowder in a nearby bistro, so didn’t get to try one of Harpoon’s signature pretzels. Tim, our server, who attended college nearby was friendly and briefed us on the history. (#7)

Of course, we had a Harpoon IPA.

Stay tuned for reviews of a few more Boston breweries and our great experience at Fenway.

Photo May 11 2024, 2 24 20 PM

External Photo Attribution

#1. Holland America Website (Find Cruises – Search Cruise Itineraries 2024, 2025, & 2026 (hollandamerica.com).

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Basilique-cathédrale de Notre-Dame-de-Québec.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Sylvainbrousseau 16 September 2012.

#3. Wikimedia Commons (File:2022-08-15 02 Wikivoyage banner image of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.jpg – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Gordon Leggett -15 August 2022.

#4. Anne Cochran Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jimbrickman/photos/a.166961617144/10153808359072145/?type=3.

#5. Wikimedia Commons (File:Boston Seaport (36318p).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Rhododendrites – 13 November 2019.

#6. Wikimedia Commons (File:Boston skyline from East Boston November 2016 panorama 1.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: King of Hearts – 12 November 2016.

#7. Harpoon Brewery Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/woodmansofessex/photos/t.100064984110084/10159973737455557/?type=3).

Hop Aboard with Thebeerchaser – Part III – Sydney

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

After leaving Charlottetown on our cruise from Montreal to Boston, the fifth and sixth days saw us docking in two cities in Nova Scotia – first Sydney on Cape Breton Island and then Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia.

The map above shows Sydney on the northeast coast. (External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

So, for the first time we left the watery “confines,” if you will, of the St. Lawrence River and ventured forth into more expansive nautical territory including the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Cabot Strait (between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) and then the Atlantic Ocean.

I should add that due to a bit of inclement weather during much of the first part of the cruise, I hadn’t been able to sit outside our stateroom and just take in the marine scenery.

To remedy that while we were sailing the Gulf of St. Lawrence, I bundled up in several layers and “capped” it off with a stocking cap and then my favorite Benedictine Brewery hat on top of that. (By the way, that’s coffee in my cup and not beer.) #2

It harkened back memories of days on both a Navy destroyer and destroyer escort, so I decided even though there were winds and swells, to look over the rail of the ship – for a better view.

To my chagrin and without warning, a big gust hit and my brewery cap, sailed off my head and disappeared over the starboard side of the Volendam – into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

My first inclination was to shout, “Monk overboard!” but I figured the captain was not going to issue the command, “Full speed astern,” to recover my headgear. (A new one is on my to-do list when I again visit the Mount Angel Abbey.) #3

“Monk Overboard!”

Nova Scotia – Fascinating History

I could devote several posts just to the history, culture and geography of Nova Scotia, but will summarize. It was first visited by outsiders when the French landed in the early 1600’s.

“In 1605, Acadia – France’s first New France colony—was founded with the creation of Acadia’s capital, Port Royal.” (Wikipedia)

Since that time Nova Scotia has been directly or peripherally involved in military conflicts with groups including the English, Scottish, Dutch, French, Americans and the original inhabitants – the Mi’kMaq.

The conflicts ranged from the American Revolution, the French and Indian War, the War of 1812 and the American Civil War.

“Nova Scotia is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada, with an estimated population of over 1 million as of 2024; it is also the second-most densely populated province in Canada, and second-smallest province by area.”

Cape Breton Island, a large island to the northeast of the Nova Scotia mainland, is also part of the province, as is Sable Island, a small island notorious for being the site of offshore shipwrecks. (I was thankful that our captain avoided Sable Island and didn’t try to use the navigation chart below.) #4

A_map_of_Sable_Island_showing_the_location_of_the_known_wrecks_upon_the_island_LCCN2003668269 (1)

Map showing location of shipwrecks along Sable Island

Port Royal was the first permanent European settlement in what would become Canada. The settlement was in the Mi’kmaw district of Kespukwitk and was the founding settlement of what would become Acadia.

The French and Acadians lived in Nova Scotia and during the early years, nine significant military clashes took place as the English and Scottish, Dutch French, and Mi’kmaq fought for possession of the area. (#5)

The treatment of the Arcadians by the British is a sad chapter in Western Civilization:

“The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal of inhabitants of the North American region historically known as Acadia between 1755 and 1764 by Great Britain.

It included the modern Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, along with part of the US state of Maine.” (Wikipedia)

The history is complex, but the British finally and reluctantly acknowledged the grave error of their actions although it took until the 20th century for some of this to transpire.

“Some 233,000 people whose mother tongue is French—the great majority of whom are Acadians—represent one third of the province’s (New Brunswick) population.” (The Canadian Encylopedia)

The Arcadians have made great strides which led me when I saw the hat below to state that I was glad that they were taking a more assertive position until Janet chastised me for misinterpreting the acronym. (I quickly recanted.) (#6)

No, Don. That’s not Arcadians!

Sydney

But I digress…when we docked at Sydney – founded in 1785 by the British and incorporated as a city in 1904 – with a current population of just over 31,000, we were greeted by two interesting scenes on the pier:

Purportedly, the largest fiddle in the world, the instrument and bow reach a height of 60 feet – it’s made of solid steel and …“was dubbed the ‘Big Fiddle of the Ceilidh’. Ceilidh is a Gaelic word which translates into ‘visit’.” (Atlas Obscura.com)

I was a bit disappointed not to hear a soundtrack of Alabama’s hit – “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas, You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band.” (But perhaps not one that big…although given the Texas mentality, one never knows.)

Although having a rich history, Sydney was definitely not as impressive as Quebec City and Charlottetown in its presentation of that legacy, but our eight-hour bus tour that day along a major portion of The Cabot Trail made up for that. A large portion of the economy in Sydney depends on the cruise industry. (#7)

“This 298 km (186 mi) highway weaves through The Cape Breton Highlands National Park, rewarding travelers with spectacular valley and coastal views all along the way.” (www.novascotia.com)

It reminded me of the amazing Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park although the Cabot has breathtaking views of the sea as well as the rugged mountains.

In fact, Cape Breton Highlands National Park is described as:

“One of Nova Scotia’s most enchanting places, where the mountains meet the sea. Discover 950 square kilometres of rugged wilderness, travel along the world-famous Cabot Trail and marvel at lush, forested river canyons carved into an ancient plateau.” (https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ns/cbreton)

We had a great bus ride – other than a tour guide who thought she was a stand-up comedian performing at the front of the bus as we made our journey. (Unfortunately spurred on by repeated guffaws from a small minority of our fellow riders….).

It included a wonderful buffet lunch with the best clam chowder I’ve had in years at a small restaurant in the fishing village of Ingonish, halfway through the trip.

Not to be parochial, but giving a shout-out to our Oregon, we found that while the scenery – both along the Cabot Trail and on a tour through Acadia National Park at our final port – Bar Harbor – were outstanding, they certainly did not surpass what we sometimes take for granted along the beautiful Oregon Coast and the mountains in Central and Eastern Oregon – two to four hours respectively from our home.

And as seen below from our 2023 trip to Steens Mountain in Eastern Oregon, you probably won’t encounter cattle along your highway on the way.

Stay tuned for our next port – Halifax, Nova Scotia, which included a trip to an outstanding brewery.

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (Cape Breton Island – Cape Breton Island – Wikipedia) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. Author: Klaus M. – 3 January 2007.

#2. Benedictine Brewery (Benedictine Brewery Black Cap – Mount Angel Abbey).

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Portrait_of_a_Monk_in_Prayer_MET_DP345572.jpg (2777×3882) (wikimedia.org) This file is made available under the Creative Commons CCO 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The work of art itself is in the public domain . George Craiguthor – 1893 painting, depicting an event in 1755.

#4. Wikimedia Commons (File:A map of Sable Island showing the location of the known wrecks upon the island LCCN2003668269.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This image is available from the United States Library of Congress‘s Prints and Photographs division
under the digital ID cph.3c32776. Author: McCurdy, Arthur W. (Arthur Williams), 1856-, photographer – 1898.

#5. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Deportation Grand-Pré – Expulsion of the Acadians – Wikipedia). This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain…..Author: George Craig – 1893 painting, depicting an event in 1755.

#6. Ebay (Donald Trump MAGA Hat Red Strapback OSFM | eBay).

#7. Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabot_Trail#/media/File:Cabot_trail_2009k.JPG). By chensiyuan – chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. 19 September 2009.