Saint John, Canada

​We wanted to mention that including Serenity three ships were docked in Portland, Maine yesterday. We understand Serenity will be the only ship in town when we return on the next voyage.
 
Yesterday afternoon we had the best weather since we boarded, and this meant a nice walk on the Promenade Deck for Anne Marie and two and one-half hours of Paddle Tennis and Pickle Ball for me. It was nice to see both courts in use. This additional exercise turned out perfectly along with early morning workout and long walk as later in the evening those calories which came off would somewhat offset the amazing dinner.
 

Last evenings Waterside Dinner Menu.

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​Last evening was very special.
 
It began with the Captain’s Reception and Crystal Society Party. The reception included Captain Vincent recognizing the employee of the month.


As part of the Crystal Society Reception, we were honored for a major milestone recognizing the number of cruises we have sailed with Crystal Cruise. A couple of people told us you are not as old as we would expect with a couple with that many sailings. Hearing that we are not old made our day. LOL. 
 
Time sure goes fast when you (we) are having fun. Sometimes too fast. I remember being on-board Crystal Symphony in 2004 for our third Crystal Cruise and someone at our dinner table saying it was their 15thcruise, and we were like wow. The nice thing is that we always have thought sailing with Crystal is very special starting with our first cruise on the Crystal Harmony in 2002 and continuing with each successive cruise.
 
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The fun continued with a private Vintage Room dinner organized by Anne Marie, Head Sommelier Jiri and Executive Chef David George. Although my milestone birthday is not for two more days since that is turn-around day we enjoyed a very special celebration with a few special members of our extended Crystal Family. The good news is on my actual birthday the two of us will enjoy dinner at Osteria, so this is a few days of celebration. Although some might say why celebrate getting older, it is far better than the alternative.
 
 
The Vintage Room Dinner was truly amazing. A beautiful dining venue, outstanding champagne and wine and cuisine, superb service, wonderful conversation with lots of laughs and an opportunity to continue learning about wine.

​Many thanks to Head Sommelier Jiri, Executive Chef Jiri, Executive Chef Johannes for organizing this special Vintage Room Dinner, to the Junior Butlers and Butlers who served each course and to the many members of the crew who came by to sing Happy Birthday . The good news for Keith is he still has a couple of days to go before his actual birthday.

The only bummer about the evening was returning to the suite and knowing we needed to forward the clocks by one hour as we sailed into a new time zone. Good news is we will set them back again. 
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Today's Daily Reflections.

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​Today we are docked in Saint John, Canada which Keith remembers visiting on a family trip in the 1960’s.
 
Saint John is located on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada. One of the things it is noted for is the Reversing Rapids caused by bay tides colliding with the Sain John River.
 
It is Canada’s oldest incorporated city and was established in 1785.
 
The Saint John River was first discovered by Franc mapmaker Champlain in 1604. Because this discovery was made on Saint John the Baptist’s Day he gave the harbor the name Saint John. In 1785 two British settlements join to become the city of Saint John.  
 
Saint John had its ups and downs. In 1887, a fire destroyed a large portion of the city.  By the end of this century the city resumed its role as an important industrial center for Canada on the East Coast.  By the start of World War 1 the city was recognized for its ship building history.  
 
The city population is 63,000 residents.
 
Major attractions include:
 
Reversing Falls where you can view the tidal fluctuations reverse the river course twice daily.
 
Irving Nature Park which is a 600 acre wood areas with boardwalks and lookout points with lots of nature and marine ecosystems.
 
Jewish Historical Museum which includes tours led by members of the Jewish Community providing the history of the Saint John Jewish Community.
 
Uptown Saint John is an area of the city containing many historic buildings which were built of brick after the first of 1877.
 
Fundy National Park which runs along 8 miles of shoreline.
 
We were docked in downtown Saint John which is a short walk to restaurants, stores and other businesses. Since today is a Sunday, we knew that many businesses would be closed but we still enjoyed a lovely walk, although some are open or will open later in the day.
 
The weather was wonderful for a day in early October. Since this was a Sunday, the streets were relatively quiet. We admired many of the brick buildings dating back many years. There are also the typical high rise buildings but it is the brick buildings and pockets where there are lots of trees that give the city its character.
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Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith