Sunday, October 2, 2016, Marietta Georgia

Bob and Susan had an early flight to return to Atlanta. When they arrived at the airport in Montreal at 4:00, the airport was quiet with no workers in sight. The workers did not appear until 5:00. After we got checked in with our luggage, we went to get in the security line, again no workers in sight! Finally we got through security and customs. We had to hurriedly eat our breakfast before they called for us to get on the plane. Jen got to sleep late because her plane did not leave until noon. She flew to Chicago and then Atlanta.

Saturday, October 1, 2016, Montreal, QC, Canada

After traveling 1603 miles, we docked in Montreal, the end of our journey on the Rotterdam. We took a taxi to the Springhill Hotel. Since we were too early to register, the desk clerk locked our luggage in a closet. Jen and Bob decided to go explore Old Montreal. Jen and Bob were both impressed with Notre Dame Basilica. Jen was surprised to see pay phones on the street. Since Susan's leg hurt, she decided to stay in the lobby and read. The three of us had lunch at a brewery. Bob had a porter and Jen had an amber. Bob tried traditional poutines while Susan and Jen had fish and chips, which was yummy. After lunch, we were able to check into the hotel. Our room had a balcony. Jen went out exploring and saw City Hall.

Friday, September 30, 2016, Quebec, QC, Canada

Safely docked at 7:00 A.M., we ate breakfast and met our tour guide on our walking tour. Quebec is a beautiful city with something to photograph everywhere you look. After we finished our tour, we returned to the ship and had a snack of Poutine (French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy). Poutine originated in rural Quebec in the 1950's. Since it was the last dinner in the dining room, the crew paraded through the dining room and sang for the diners.

Thursday, September 29, 2016, At sea

Jen got up early to photograph the sunrise. Jen met a fellow photographer when she went to take pictures and walk the deck after breakfast. Since Bob and Susan have been on many Holland American cruises, we had been invited to the Mariner Society Brunch with the captain. Jen went to the brunch with Bob and Susan. We enjoyed champagne with lunch. We relaxed in the afternoon before dressing up for dinner in the dining room. After dinner, we watched singers and dancers at the theater on the ship.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia

After we docked at 8:30, we walked through the town. In the afternoon, we boarded a bus for a tour of two lighthouses on Prince Edward Island. Jen walked to the top of both lighthouses. Before we returned to the ship, the bus took us to Rossignol Winery where we sampled their wines. The winery had a dog, donkey, and a goat. After dinner, we went to the Crow's Nest and enjoyed B.B. King's All Stars.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016, Sydney, NS, Canada

Since we docked in Sydney later at 10:45 A.M., the ship provided us with flapjacks and fiddle music around the indoor pool to entertain us. We walked through the cute little town to view the churches and houses. Jen bought a bag of coffee for a friend at Tim Horton's. We walked along the boardwalk back to the ship. At the dock, a man in kilts was playing a bagpipe next to the enormous fiddle. The ship undocked at 6:00 P.M. After dinner we went to the Crow's Nest where we were entertained by Karaoke.

Monday, September 26, 2016, Halifax, NS, Canada

At 8:44 A.M., we docked in Halifax and decided to buy tickets for the Hop On Hop Off bus to tour Halifax. Today the weather feels warmer because it is not as windy. We rode the bus to the Citadel National Historic Site. The Citadel is situated on a hill above the harbor and provides a scenic panoramic view of Halifax. Jen and Susan liked the soldiers guarding the Citadel dressed in kilts. We walked around the Citadel on our own and then watched the guards shoot the noon cannon. After leaving the Citadel, we rode to Alexander Keith's Brewery and ate lunch. We walked on the boardwalk to the cruise ship which got underway at 6:00 P.M.

Sunday, September 25, 2016, Bar Harbor MA

We arrived in Bar Harbor at 6:30 A.M. After eating breakfast on the Lido deck, we boarded a bus for our onshore excursion to Acadia National Park. The weather was chilly and windy, but beautiful blue skies. When we got off the bus in Bar Harbor, we walked through the shops in Bar Harbor. All three of us purchased Bar Harbor sweatshirts. When we got back on the ship, we proceeded to the Crow's Nest where we had cocktails and watched our departure from Bar Harbor at 3:30 P.M. We dressed up for dinner.

Saturday, September 24, 2016, Boston MA

The adventure begins. Bob and Susan flew to Boston on Delta with a smooth flight. Jen flew to Boston on American with flight problems. In Atlanta, Jen and all the other passengers were asked to get off the plane several times because of problems with the airplane. The airlines sent her an email while she was waiting to take off that her connecting flight had been booked on a later flight. Even though Jen got to the Atlanta airport earlier than we did, we got to Boston before Jen did. Bob and Susan waited at the Boston airport for Jen's plane to arrive. Holland America had a shuttle to take us to the cruise ship, Rotterdam. After checking in with our passports, we finally were able to board the ship. After finding our cabin, we decided to have lunch on the Lido deck and then explore the ship before the passenger boat drill at 3:00. We were on the top deck when the ship undocked. As we were leaving the Boston Harbor, we went by one of the largest cruise ships, Anthem of the Seas.