Highlights from Sunday and Monday: 1) Stewman’s Lobster Pound on the waterfront in Bar Harbor was a delight. When I walked inside to use the restroom, there were three ladies sitting at a table for eight or ten. Each lady was wearing a lobster hat. Later, when another member of our lunch party went inside to visit the restroom, they returned with the report that everyone at that table was wearing a lobster hat. The next morning, as we ate breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, we had a conversation with the couple next to us. We learned they had been at that birthday celebration at Stewman’s. The Zaandam passengers who were at that lunch had all traveled extensively with Holland America. They were on an around-the-world cruise when Covid forced all the cruise lines to cease operations. This group of travelers were disembarked in Australia and vowed to keep in touch until they could travel again. That led to two years of weekly Zoom get-togethers. The couple we were speaking with, “you can call us Chip and Dale,” coincidentally were our nextdoor neighbors in their Neptune Suite on the Navigation Deck, and the birthday girl was our neighbor on the other side, inhabiting the Pinnacle Suite with her husband. 2) The highlight of Monday’s stop in Halifax was absolutely the Lobster and Corn Chowder at The Bicycle Thief.
You can skip all the ‘blah blah’ and go right to the photos.
Bar Harbor, Maine, Aug. 28, 2022
Fairly early the next morning, the Zaandam moored in the Mt. Desert Narrows, and two of the tender boats were lowered from their perches to transport passengers to and from the dock at Bar Harbor. Tom and Kerry had purchased an excursion by bus through Acadia National Park and a lobster bake lunch, so were off early to join their group.
Jas and I went to the main dining room for breakfast. When we gave the maitre d’ our room number, he knew instantly that we were in a Neptune Suite, and, therefore, had “Club Orange” status, which comes with Neptune Suite purchase. We were escorted around the port side, toward the back of the dining room, and seated at a table for two. My normal breakfast routine at home includes a bowl of cereal, a banana, a cup of tea, and the NYTimes crossword puzzle. Jas’s routine is the same, foodwise, substituting coffee for tea, and reading the latest political wonk news on his phone. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I just want to enjoy my breakfast in quiet as I try to put words to the clues. The treatment we received in the main dining room pleased this introvert enormously! And the breakfast was pretty darned good, also. (Not Wheaties and a banana. Rather, a bowl of fresh berries, and an omelet that hit the spot.)
We went back to the room after breakfast, then met M&M in the Wajang Theatre, the gathering place for boarding the tender boats. The time was 11:00 a.m. We would explore the town a little, and have some lobster for lunch before returning to the ship. I had done some preliminary research and suggested we eat at Stewman’s or Geddy’s. When we saw the view of the water from Stewman’s, we knew that’s where we’d eat. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and after about half an hour in the heat, we headed to one of the covered decks at Stewman’s. The guys ordered lobster and corn, and Marilyn and I ordered lobster rolls. They were fabulous. We was going to skip dessert, but when Jas saw the Whoopie Pie, he had to try it. And, being in Maine, I needed a slice of blueberry pie a la mode.
After lunch, we got on the tender and went back to the ship. Some of us napped, I went to the Explorer’s Cafe and Lounge to join other passengers working on one of several jigsaw puzzles. Tom and Kerry were exhausted from their excursion into Acadia National Park and still full from the lobster bake, so they opted out from dinner. We four met for cocktails before dinner, then, at 5:30, adjourned to the dining room for another fabulous meal.
There are wonderful entertainment opportunities on board Holland America ships. On the Zaandam, there is a small theatre, the Wajang. Movies are shown there daily—usually the same movie shown three times in a day. (The movies shown on board are also playing on the televisions in the staterooms, but the picture isn’t quite as fine as it is on the big screen.) One day I went to an early afternoon showing of “The Outfit,” which I enjoyed very much. BBC Earth also has a movie that is shown on the World Stage theatre, the large venue where big performances occur with the dance troupe. The BBC Earth movie is filmed by BBC photographers specially for Holland America. Seven of the on-board musicians play the score for this movie, which shows flora and fauna of all the regions of the world. It was an absolutely beautiful presentation. I was so glad I had the opportunity to see it and hear the musicians.
Before dinner, there’s a pianist in the Ocean Bar. On occasion, she collaborates with a female singer. They perform oldies and modern popular songs, along with some light jazz. Later in the evenings, the Ocean Bar Band, comprised of piano, drums, guitar, and bass, performs. They are excellent. There’s a Classical Duo, piano and cello, that plays a couple of times a night. And a different pianist plays in a piano bar. Every one of those musicians is excellent—talented and well trained. The Holland America ships truly offer something for everyone.
The Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Aug. 29, 2022
On Monday morning, we pulled into Halifax, our first stop in Canada, around 7:30 a.m. This and all the rest of the ports along the cruise would be dockside moorings, where we could walk on and off the ship at will. And they would all be in Canada.
We had breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. The photo gallery at the bottom of the page shows you Jas had Eggs Benedict and I had a vegetable frittata. We started with a pastry and a small bowl of berries or fruit. I loved eating breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. It’s a small venue, and is only open to Club Orange members and, I believe, 4- and 5-Star Mariners (HAL’s loyalty club). Now, before you think I’m going all snooty on you, the breakfast menu at the Pinnacle Grill is identical to that in the Main Dining Room and on the Room Service menu. But if you want a quiet space rather than a large, bustling restaurant, and you have the opportunity to dine there, Pinnacle Grill is lovely. There are no windows, so no admiring the view while you eat. But it suits me perfectly.
On the way back to our suite after breakfast, we walked through Atrium on Deck 3, the Lower Promenade Deck. The Atrium is where the Dutch organ sits. It reaches up through the Atrium of Deck 4, Promenade Deck, and into the Atrium of Deck 5, Upper Promenade Deck. This is a beautiful instrument, outrageously ornate. When we first started planning this trip, I saw that there was an organ in the atrium of the Zaandam. I, being a working musician, assumed a keyboard player would play this organ several times during the week. And, of course, I was soooo wrong. This organ does not sound like a pipe organ. It is inspired by the Dutch barrel organs or street organs. Here’s a YouTube video that shows how this organ plays. No human hands are involved, except to load the book into the player. While googling, I found a review of the organ from 2008, appearing in Mechanical Music Digest. (Here’s that rather negative review, if you’re interested.) (And here’s a much better picture than I could get.) Evidently this organ has had some work done since 2008, when Al Sefl’s review was written) as I didn’t note any of the problems he noted. The music could be clearly heard but, again, was not pipe organ music. Many of the passengers standing around the organ and up the stairs as it was playing were complaining about the sound (my partner included). I said to Jas, “It’s not a pipe organ. It’s a calliope.” But I was wrong, also. The Dutch barrel organs are designed to be portable, to play outside on the streets. The music book (which I saw on display in a case on the Zaandam) is fed in and plays the organ, just as a piano roll plays an old player piano. The thing about this organ that made me smile was the mechanical aspect. The figures around the organ all do something—the conductor waves his baton, other figures beat drums or tambourines or cymbals. It’s sweet and precious to someone who is into music for something other than just listening to the radio. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) I thought it was wonderful.
The Zaandam’s artwork throughout the ship is very music-focused. A large case outside the Explorations Café on Deck 5 displays a beautiful harpsichord. On the starboard hallway, outside the venue where the Classical Duo plays, is a similar display case holding some beautiful opera gowns on mannequins. There are guitars signed by Iggy Pop and Freddy Mercury (along with other musicians of Queen). There’s a saxophone signed by Bill Clinton (although there’s no proof or claim that it was actually his sax). Just lots of live music and lots of music references on this ship, which—of course—made me happy.
In Halifax, there were interesting things to see, i.e. historic old buildings, an immigration museum, and so on. But we chose to wander along the three-mile boardwalk and just people-watch. We thought about a $40 boat ride, but the next departure was sold out, so we just went to lunch. I had done my Halifax restaurant research weeks earlier, and had chosen The Bicycle Thief for lunch. What a coup! Jas ordered a Bloody Mary, I had a glass of chardonnay, and we both ordered the Lobster and Corn Chowder. When I was growing up, my mother frequently made a vegetarian chowder she called Washington Chowder, as she and my daddy were introduced to it when he was in pre-med at Washington Missionary College (now Columbia Union College), the Seventh-day Adventist college outside Washington, DC. Mother made it with potatoes, corn, and tomatoes, in a cream base, and I remember loving it. But this lobster and corn chowder? OMG! This was the best chowder I had tasted in my life!
[Public Art in Halifax. “Woman War Volunteers” on the Halifax Seaport boardwalk.; The Samuel Cunard statue.; The Emigrant. Reasons I want to visit Halifax, NS, again: Art Tour in Halifax.]
After lunch, we headed back toward the ship. I ducked into Northern Watters knitwear and tartan shop. I have a couple of sweaters—one handcrafted, the others purchased—that does not have a closure. I found a handcrafted pewter treble clef closure that I can use with my sweaters. Score! When I came out of the store, Jas had disappeared. Finally I noticed a text from him saying he had gone back to our suite.
I honestly don’t remember where the rest of the afternoon went. I think I spent a little bit of time on this travelogue, and I think I went to the Explorer’s cafe to work on a jigsaw puzzle. We met our pals for drinks at the MIX Bar at 5:00, then moved to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner.
The ship has two restaurants—Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto, an Italian restaurant. Both are upcharge restaurants. All meals on a cruise are included in your fare, but for a special treat, you can pay a little extra and have a meal that’s a step above the rest. You have to make reservations to eat in either of these restaurants, and we had reserved this dinner months before embarkation.
The photos in the gallery at the bottom of the page remind me that Marilyn had the Forest Mushroom Soup. I love restaurants that bring you a bowl with the soup’s goodies deftly arrange in the bottom of the bowl. Then they pour the soup from a “teapot” into your soup bowl in front of you. The Italian restaurant at the resort we love in Mexico serves their soups the same way and it always tickles me. Jas and Mike both had the steak you see in the photos. I don’t remember what I chose for dinner, but I do remember that the lady seated behind us ordered the Clothesline Candied Bacon, and we kept turning around to admire it. What a clever presentation. Here’s a picture of the bacon appetizer and the recipe from HAL’s blog. For dessert, I had the same chocolate soufflé I had enjoyed in the Main Dining Room the evening before, but this one came with vanilla Chantilly foam and crème anglaise rather than the chocolate sauce. Nope. Not nearly so wonderful as the chocolate on chocolate!
After dinner, there were more drinks and more entertainment, then we turned in for the night, having enjoyed another ideal vacation day.
Holland America 2022, Day 1—Bar Harbor, Day 2—Halifax, Nova Scotia
