Hopping On and Hopping Off in Halifax

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I awoke without any artificial stimulus prior to 6:00 AM and rose to do some work on the blog. I went up to the Lido Deck to work out in the gym at 7:00 AM, expecting it to be empty after the time change; but, it already had nearly ten people working out on the cycles, treadmills, weights and machines. Halifax was just the slightest shiny sliver on the horizon. After working out on the treadmill, and doing some arms and legs on the machines that HAL does have, it was time to get cleaned up for breakfast. Breakfast service in the Dining Room lasted until 9:30 AM this morning, and we were just arriving at our berth in Halifax as we went up for breakfast. They asked us if we’d mind sharing a table with others, and we said that would be fine as we always do; but, then they sat us at a huge table for eight, and there we sat by ourselves for quite some time. Two other couples were eventually seated with us, but we thought it was kind of funny. The first couple was from Vancouver and the last to sit down from Australia.

We decided to do the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus in Halifax, an all-day pass that permits you to use two different routes. The A-Route is a one-hour circuit they call the “Around the Town Route” that hits various parks, museums and the Citadel, extending from Point Pleasant Park to the South up to Fort Needham Memorial Bell Tower on the Northern end of town. We started with the shorter B-Route, a half-hour circuit focusing on the boardwalk and waterfront. We got off at St. Mary’s Basilica and the Old Burying Grounds. We took plenty of pictures, then waited for our bus to return and pick us up. We arrived back at the port terminal, and had enough time to use the facilities, getting back in time to board the A-Bus. We just stayed on this bus, listening to the guide talk about the Halifax explosion, about the Citadel (which we had visited during our bus-ride drive through on our way to Peggy’s Cove the previous week) and about famous personages that had grown up and lived in Halifax. She pointed out a couple of Starbucks, a Tim Horton’s or two and we even saw a Subway. I was looking for one of the three McDonald’s that I believe to be in Halifax, which I had gathered were somewhere in the neighborhood of the Halifax Common (the only point of reference I could find both on the Hop-On Hop-Off City Map we had, and a map I had Googled on my phone for McDonald’s in Halifax). No, I wasn’t about to ask the guide where McDonald’s was as Sharon had suggested. Okay, maybe it is a “Guy-Map-Ask Directions” thing, or maybe I don’t want this poor guide who is clearly proud of her city and its heritage to think some Yank is coming here and only interested in getting a burger at McD’s. The real reason this even came up, was per chance to try the McLobster and see if it really is as good as I’ve heard.

We re-boarded the Maasdam, and made our way to the Lido for lunch. Sharon was waffling between that another burger at The Dive-In, but the roast leg of lamb on today’s menu was sufficient to convince her to stay with the Lido. I had the rotisserie chicken and also the cheese and crab soup. After lunch we went to the library to pick up today’s Sudoku puzzle, and took it back to our cabin. Then something happened that has never happened before, we tied on the Easy Puzzle, finishing at the same time. The Hard Puzzle is another story, and as I was about to finish, Sharon realized that she’d made a mistake and threw in the towel.

I spent some time working on our blog, and Sharon decided to take a nap; although, I don’t know why she needs a nap. After all, she wasn’t the one up half the night playing blackjack. Maybe I shouldn’t press that point, though. I woke Sharon up in time for Team Trivia, and I put on my Google shirt to intimidate other teams. Fred and Edie joined us at our spot. Our other teammates from yesterday were no-shows so we invited Carolyn and her mother to join us. There weren’t a lot of teams today, and some weren’t running at full strength, so we liked our chances. We started on a roll, knowing “After Russia, which major country has the highest per capita rate of incarcerated citizens?” It’s not China; but, it is the U.S.A! We were clueless when it came to knowing “What piece of sports equipment was originally known as the Pluto Platter?” We guessed skate board because one of our teammates had had a brother who liked to ride his goofy-footed. If you were thinking Frisbee, then you would be right! I did know which company uses the most sugar and vanilla, the latter being the “secret ingredient” in their product Coca-Cola. Too bad they don’t use some of that sugar in their product offered in the U.S.A.! “What interstate connects New York City to San Francisco?” It’s not Route-66. But we did get I-80 right. “What organ was first successfully transplanted from a cadaver to a human?” We had agreed on kidney, when one of our teammates suggested “skin”, which agitated one of our newer teammates who had originally offered up “cornea”, which had also occurred to me; but, we had dismissed that as not being an organ. To keep the peace, we went with the eye answer, only to fall victim to that curse of having the right answer at the start! “What was the most popular animated film of the 1960’s?” Yes, it was a Disney film. (But Mary Poppins only had a little bit of animation and is not the answer being sought.) Bambi was a popular answer, and our answer and also the wrong answer. How could we forget those pesky dogs… all one hundred and one of them? Sharon would have never let me live it down if I didn’t know “What coin was first issued by the U.S. Mint in 1946?” Just a quick recap: The Lincoln Penny first appeared in 1909, the Washington Quarter in 1932, the Jefferson Nickel in 1938, and the Roosevelt Dime in 1946! We figured that it would come down to the Bonus Question worth three points. “What former Prime Minister of Great Britain has the anagram ‘THE GREAT CHARMER’?” We got that one right, thanks to yours truly and were in a tie for first place with one other team. The tough sports question, for some reason Jeremy from Tennesee though this was a really tough question, “How many home runs did Babe Ruth hit in his professional career?” Both teams wrote down “714” instantly; which, Jeremy couldn’t believe, but even I knew ‘that’ sport’s question! We were declared “co-winners” and both teams received those cherished HAL brass New England pins! So the success of Penguin Spotters continues!

Sharon went to mass in the Half Moon Room while I started writing up today’s blog. I met her on Deck 7 by the entrance to the Wajang Theatre for dinner. She gave me the quizzical once over look, and I realized that my “smart casual” tonight for dinner consisted of blue jeans and sneakers. Okay, maybe I am a little bit underdressed, but if it was okay to come without a tie for my tuxedo last night, this should be fine too. I think I may have just gotten the evolution of that famous “Shirley Casey Smirk”! We were seated at the interior end of a rear facing table of the Deck 7 Dining Room. Because Deck 7 of these smaller HAL ships does not go all the way through from the forward Showroom and Theatres to the aft Dining Rooms, we had to go down to Deck 6, walk towards the rear and then up again. Two grandparents were already seated with their 13 year-old granddaughter and their 12 year-old grandson. The boy was smartly dressed with a vest and tie. I got seated as quickly as I could and covered my lap and jeans with the napkin as quickly as I could. I ordered the cod and crab cake appetizer, the potato and lobster soup along with the Caesar Salad from the Daily Menu. Sharon only ordered the chicken breast. I was leaning towards the barbeque pork chop that was so good last week; but, found myself ordering the grilled cod with grilled asparagus. This turned out to be very good as well. It didn’t take Sharon long to choose the Moon Pie. For her, it doesn’t get much better than chocolate and marshmallows (unless of course you add Graham Crackers to the mix). However, the waiter brought her a Boston Cream Pie which she told him wasn’t the moon pie so he went and got the right one. I found myself ordering the Crème Brule for the first time from the daily menu. It was quite good; but, the best one is supposed to be found in The Pinnacle during their Le Cirque Evening, where the topping is flamed with a blow torch twice to make it extra thick and glazed.

We took my new bottle of Pellegrino back to the room, and then went on the theatre for the first show. I stopped by the blackjack table to watch a few hands. Tonight’s show featured a local female fiddle player and her male piano accompanist. She played catchy tunes, and encouraged people to get up and dance if the feeling moved them. She sat while she fiddled and her feet were in non-stop motion, loudly tapping out jigs that reverberated through the sound system. The piano player also stomped along when his feet weren’t needed on the pedals. Later during the show one young girl did get up on the lower level in front of the stage and danced to the catchy music, keeping her feet in tap with the music. This thrilled the fiddle-player, and she acknowledged the effort in appreciation and again at the end of the show, when the audience had gotten an encore performance by the young dancer.

Sharon decided to skip the casino and catch up on her daily reading; while, I sat down at the blackjack table. There was already play in progress. Hands were running pretty even, with my stack of chips going up and down; but, staying mostly pretty even. The play of others can only be described as horrendous, and I made the decision early not to press my luck. One lady of limited funds kept hitting with fourteen or fifteen against the dealer’s fives and sixes, couldn’t understand why she kept busting with the dealer’s bust card, and then watching the dealer make his hand. After this had happened about a dozen times, I did mention to the lady “It’s okay to let the dealer beat themselves.” She replied, “Oh, I know; but, I just don’t seem to be able to win with “14” or “15”!” I simply smiled and agreed with her, “Yeah, I’ve noticed.” I swear the dealer stifled a chuckle. It is her hand after all. She was down to her last two red chips, betting one of them, and got two aces. The dealer held a six, and the player pleaded with the dealer, “What should I do?” The dealer smiled and said, “Ma’am, I can’t tell you how to play your hand.” I nodded at her that she should split them. “Good Luck, you get just one card.” This clearly baffled the player, and I assured her, “You don’t need to worry about what to do, once you split them, this hand plays itself.” The dealer put a king on the first ace and a jack on the second ace, and I can’t remember the last time that I’ve seen that happen. I played on for about two hours, at one point winning seven hands in a row; but, just as things were getting interesting I lost the eighth bet but had one the seventh bet doubled down. I then lost three hands in a row, and decided with more players coming into the game, it was probably a time for me to call it a night, slightly ahead.



And if you were wondering about that anagram, it was of course “Margaret Thatcher” (okay, so the anagram isn’t quite perfect).

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