Gayle's Thinking Spot: New England Cruise and Boston Stay October 2025

We planned this cruise for over a year. This cruise included four other couples from Washington City, UT. Starting on the left: Kristi and Garth Christensen, Jan and Ken Harris, Michele and Mitch Rogers, Sheila and Don Keefer. We coordinated our plans through our text group. The day finally arrived.

On Friday the 9th, Fred and I left the Denver airport and flew to Vancouver BC. From there we transferred to another airline and flew to Montreal, Canada. The cruise line put us up in a very nice hotel for the night. We arrived late and the dining options in the hotel was a fancy very expensive restaurant.

Our fancy hotel.

We walked through the streets to a McDonald's and ordered our food and were told they were closing so we couldn't eat there. Walked back to the hotel to eat our cold food. The next morning we again walked to McDonald's and were able to eat inside. We boarded a luxury bus and journeyed to Montreal for about three + hours. Boarding the ship was easy.

The first evening we met up with Ken and Jan and ate at Cagney's steakhouse. That was a three hour meal. Jan is Italian - do I need to say more. They are so fun to be with!! We met up with all the other couples and tried to get organized.

Our desserts from Cagney's.

My first picture of Fred taking a picture.

Saturday, I didn't mess with getting dressed really. We slept in and missed the appointed time to play games. We spent the day getting ourselves connected with their wifi and shopping. Finally met up with Kristi, Garth, Jan and Ken for cards. Christensen's taught us a new game - Bid. We went to a a singing/dance show that night.

Sunday, we took a bus tour of Prince Edward Island to see and learn all about the author of Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery.

This is the house that Lucy was raised in.

We ran into Christensen's and Keefer's.

We saw some beautiful colors this trip.

Monday, we took a tour bus to Cape Breton, Sydney, Nova Scotia to go to the Baddeck & Alexander Graham Bell museum. I soon discovered on this cruise how little I know about the history of Canada. Alexander Graham Bell was an inventor and did a lot of aerospace inventions. Not just the telephone.

Experimented in Sheep Breeding.

He founded the Baddeck Aerospace Company. He was an aviation pioneer. He developed the H-D Hydrofoil boat.

Fred's first picture of me taking a picture.

Fred and I took advantage of our free 10 photo package.

This is the evening that started feeling my cold. Scratchy throat and coughing.

On Tuesday, we took a luxury bus to Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia.

After this, we went back to the excursion area and got on a hop on hop off bus.

We ate some fish n chips at My Father's Mustache.

Very pub like and yummy fish n chips.

After dinner, we met everyone in the Atrium for group photos.

On Wednesday, we got off at Portland, Maine.

We took a trolley tour, but it was an open trolley and I have never been so cold in my life. On top of that my cold was really kicking in.

On Thursday we arrived at Bar Harbor. This is where I really wanted to return after our first New England Cruise. I stayed back in bed while Fred went on an excursion. Today was the worst weather since we had started the cruise.

On Friday, we got off the ship and headed out to pick up our rental car.

We headed out to the cemetery where Fred's relative was buried. Jess had discovered this cemetery while researching our family.

This cemetery is not maintained. It is located behind an active cemetery.

The headstones were often unreadable.

We walked through these gates.

This is the style of headstones of the 1800s.

The headstone in the forefront is our family's grave.

Catherine McGillicuddy is the wife of James Daly abt. 1770 - 1850.

It is understood that more people than listed on the headstone are buried in this plot.

After the cemetery, we drove out to find the rail station that we were planning to use to get everywhere. Then a stop at Walmart for snacks.

Saturday we took the rail into Boston and went on the Tea Party tour where I learned I know nothing about the history that took place here.

All the tour leaders were dressed to the time period and had a script that they performed.

We went downstairs to see their living conditions.

Oh - a stowaway.

During the tour guide's presentation Fred happened to be standing in the right place to throw some tea overboard.

Sunday was our self guided audio tour of the Freedom Trail.

Here is the beginning. The Freedom Trail begins in the Boston Commons.

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Public Garden

The Freedom Trail included this cemetery where many of the men who signed the Constitution are supposedly buried.

Oh something super important. There are Dunkin' Donuts EVERYWHERE.

Monday we headed to Fenway Park and the Prudential Building.

This was another rainy day.

It just so happened that the rail was an hour late and we had a reservation for a tour at Fenway Park. It was a little stressful, but we made it just in time.

This is the World Series Wall. Pretty sparse.

Cute Ballcap Car

This is the visitor's locker room. The Red Soxs play mind games with their opponents. First their locker room is down along the concourses where fans walk around to get food. Then when the opponent is ready, they lead them all through the back hallways to finally get to their dugout.

These are originals seats. There is nothing fancy here. Everything is old.

Fenway has a garden area. It was just empty space where I think they might have stored stuff. Someone finally said "lets make a garden." It's actually pretty cool.

The Big Green Wall.

Next we got on the subway to travel out to the Prudential Building. When we arrived and stepped out of the subway station, we looked around and couldn't see the building. I googled it and so we started walking around the corner. Pretty soon we could see the building back on the side where we started. We walked back that way and finally found a door to the inside. Up to the 52nd floor.