Roy Tan - Pianist Arranger

Yesterday morning I was waiting for my late breakfast in the Explorers' Lounge. It was a waffle with fresh berries and Brunost, a caramelised goats cheese popular in Norway. A tall young Asian man started talking to me about the breakfast offerings. He clearly wasn't a passenger as this ship carries a geriatric payload. He told me he was one of the entertainers and ended up sitting with me to eat his waffle.

I realised he was probably the person in this photo that I had posted on this blog the day before and showed him the picture. Viking provide these large red umbrellas on rainy days.

I now know his name is Roy Tan and he is an incredibly talented entertainer, pianist, arranger and composer. Tonight we saw his first performance of a new show titled "Soundtrack" where he played well known film scores - it was wonderful. We can't take photos during shows so I downloaded a couple from his website.

Day 51 -

The Viking Sea spent the day cruising slowly along the St Lawrence River into the Gulf of St Lawrence. Most of the day we cruised about 10 knots to protects whales in the area, so far unseen. Most of the day we were not close to land so no fabulous views.

We read, played cards and scrabble, and walked a few laps of deck 2. In the morning the sun was out so one side of the ship was warm and the shaded side quite cold. The temperature hovered around 6°C most of the day. I took a couple of photos of the ship's facilities. This is the main pool area.

A lot of art works are on display around the ship, including works by a Norwegian artist named Munch which are projected onto this large screen in the atrium on decks 1 and 2.

The Viking Singers were performing in the atrium for the Explorer's Club which includes everyone who has been on a

Day 50 - Saguaney

Our ship is anchored in the Saguenay Fjord in front of the town La Baie. We decided to stay on board and not go ashore by tender boat. The temperature outside is 9°C and with the windchill factor feels like 6°. It is warm and cosy sitting by the covered pool area on deck 7. The pool area is covered by a large glass roof which the crew slides on or off depending on the weather.

After leaving Quebec yesterday we passed under power lines, escorted by a pilot boat.

Parts of the Saguenay Fjiord are declared as marine and land national park, where visitors and locals go hiking, sailing and skiing in winter. Phosphate and bauxite mining occurs around the small city of Seguenay and ore is shipped out or treated at the aluminium smelter. A fairly new wharf was built to accommodate cruise ships but the Arcadia got there first.

Umbrells in Lower Town

After lunch back on our ship I went walking around Old Quebec Lower Town, while Anita opted for the onboard hydro pool, ice bath and steam room. Light rain was falling but it wasn't cold. Several walking tour groups were clustered under their umbrellas. Two other cruise ships are berthed in Quebec today, and yesterday there were six ships.

The Fresque des Québécois is a 420 square metres trompe-l'oeil mural painted in 1999 located  on Notre Dame Street. Several such murals were commissioned to celebrate the 400th year of the city's existence. They tell the story of Quebec City and its inhabitants

Pictures of the other frescos can be found online. I particularly like this one as the painted figures and real people appear to be standing on the street together.

Day 49 - Old Quebec

The Viking Sea was late leaving Montreal, possibly because the Public Health Authority of Canada conducted a thorough inspection of the ship. Such inspections are unannounced but the results are posted on the Authority's website. The crew are very proud to have scored 100/100. In the two previous years this ship scored 99/100 which we find reassuring.

We sailed under the illuminated Jaques Cartier Bridge. The lighting on the bridge is changed with the seasons and for special events. On the hour there is an animated display. The cantilevered structure was opened in 1930.

It was such smooth sailing along the St Lawrence River we were hardly aware the ship was moving. We docked right next to the Lower Town of Old Quebec which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We stayed in Upper Town when we first visited Quebec in 2011.

Our included bus tour of Old Quebec left at 8am. We scored front seats so I took some photos through the windscreen. The tour guide was a bit full of himself so we abandoned bus midway through the tour and did our own thing. Fortunately the rain held off and we only had to contend with increasing cloud and light drizzle. The black figure in one of the photos is Anita in her wet weather gear.

Tour of Montreal

One of our included bus tours was of greater Montreal. It was a lovely sunny day and our tour guide provided an interesting commentary. A climate change march was likely to block many city streets so our bus driver avoided the downtown area.

Our first stop was St Joseph's Oratory located on the Westmount Summit of Mount Royal, the highest of three peaks of the mountain in Montreal.

Our final stop was at Mount Royal Park where we walked to the Mount Royal Chalet.
This French Beaux Artes building has an amazing self supporting roof, apart from the help of a few squirrels.

Day 48 - Farewell Riki

This morning we woke to the sad news our cat Riki is no longer of this world. Our very kind and devoted house sitter took Riki to the vet on her final journey. She had a growing obstruction in her intestine and had virtually stopped eating, despite being tempted with all sorts of morsels. We have wonderful memories of Riki who had a lovely nature but thought she was a dog. We now have only two geriatric critters - Miki in the yellow collar and Coco our cattle dog.

More Montreal

These box buildings were constructed in 1967 and were on show during the Montreal Expo that year. There are 146 residences in different configurations made from 354 prefabricated concrete boxes. Ultimately the project failed as affordable housing because of high upfront costs. They are located on a land-filled jetty called Cité-du-Havre beside the St Lawrence River.

This is a street view downloaded from Wikipedia.

There is a standing wave in the river in front of Habitat 67 which has the same name. The wave is formed by fast flowing water hitting submerged boulders. It attracts surfers and kayakers - more Wiki pictures.

The Lachine Locks were spilling water this afternoon while I walked around the decks of our ship. I went back up for a night shot of the city.

Day 47 - All Aboard the Viking Sea!

It rained all morning so we caught a cab to the cruise terminal and stayed dry the whole way. Check-in was very efficient and we were having lunch half an hour after leaving our hotel. By 1pm we were unpacking in our stateroom.

We caught up with our washing in the onboard laundromat where we heard several Aussie accents. Anita headed for the hot spa but I am having coffee and exploring the ship. By mid afternoon the rain had cleared but not the cloud. These are the views of Old Montreal from the bow of the ship.