Holidays – Page 2 – Just An East Coast Girl

Cayman Islands

Ahoy!

We’re on Island time! Cayman Island’s, Grand Cayman for the day at the Port of George Town. product_arh10810_image_1

Grand Cayman is the largest of the three main islands, has an area of 76 square miles and is approximately 22 miles long with an average width of 4 miles. It’s most striking feature is the shallow, reef protected lagoon, the North Sound which has an area of 35 square miles. Perfect for those who enjoy diving and snorkelling. The island is low-lying, with the highest point about 60 feet above sea level.Visitors from all over the world flock to the Cayman Islands for the beaches with stretches of soft white sand and turquoise water, the diving, and the shopping! It’s international luxury brand reputation has earned the island is nickname ” Brand Cayman”

This morning we were up bright and early BEFORE sunrise! David walked the track ( a quick 5k) and we had a quick breakfast to be ready for when our tender # was called. We did not dock at the pier in Grand Cayman, it is too shallow, so we had to take tender boats back and forth.

Our excursion today was an Overview of Gand Cayman. The Island is under British rule and there is a residing Governor on the island. We passed the Governor’s home, seven mile beach where the water is 82 degrees all year round, the oldest home on the island, stopped in “hell” one of 5 districts on the island BUT the most popular because of the black limestone formations that people consider a picture of what hell would look like… We passed the oldest homestead on the island 105 years, stopped at a rum cake factory, and my highlight…the turtle farm!!!

Cotton plant with cotton stainer bugs

I LOVE visiting this turtle farm!!!

After our tour we had a few hours to walk around Georgetown, have some lunch ( the MOST expensive lunch ever ) and Holly tried snorkelling for the first time because if you are gonna try to snorkel, the Cayman Islands is the perfect place!

We even sent a post card to David’s Mom & Dad…hope they get it in time before they come home for the summer.

Turtle soup ( David had fish & chips)

Talking to the locals

Tonight we enjoyed a little bit of China on the ship. We dinned in the Lotus restaurant. The Chinese food was delicious. The evening show was acrobats, they were amazing and reminded me of the shows we went to when we lived in China. You’ll notice I have no pictures of any of the evening entertainment. Photos were not permitted.

Jamaica mon’

Smile mon! that’s right we’re in Jamaica for the day!

Jamaica is our first port of call. Ocho Rios is Spanish for “eight rivers”. The name “Ocho Rios” is a misnomer because there are not eight rivers here. It is most likely a British corruption of the original “Las Chorreas” or “the waterfalls”, the name given because of the nearby Dunn’s River Falls. Ocho Rios is in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica. Scuba diving and other water sports are offered in the area.

Limestone, molasses, sugar and coffee are the key exports in Jamaica.

Docking at James Bond pier named after the 1962 James Bond movie Dr. No

Dunn’s River Falls Waterfall and Beach

A “MUST HAVE” while in Jamaica is Jerk Chicken with festival ( the little fried donut) and bammy (made from cassava root)

The birds were so much fun to interact with at Dolphin Cove. Macaws, lovebirds, parrots, an owl…were all very friendly and liked the attention. This way to the Iguana!

Meet Charlie! Charlie II that is. The first Charlie, the one I held last time we were in Jamaica passed away. This Charlie was a sweetie though. I love Iguanas, they are just so interesting!

David was REALLY brave and held the snake. NOT me though…I am terrified of snakes!!
We had an amazing day in Jamaica…now to set sail!

David purchased a bamboo shirt…he’s looking a bit tropical for our dinner tonight.

Goodbye from Jamaica ( and Charlie)

Cruising’

A cruising vacation! Ahh…

Heading out on the Norwegian Pearl this morning. This is our fifth cruise and the 4th time for us on this particular ship. It just feels like home ❤ The Norwegian Pearl just finished a 2 weeks refresh at dry dock in Miami. There are lots of new updated features and we are the first aboard to check it out. How exciting!!

Here is the itinerary…

And here are some pics…

We arrived bright and early at the Port of Miami and checked in and got our stateroom cards. We had to wait until 12:00 to embark. First stop the Great Outdoors for a bit of food. It was overcast and windy with intermittent rain, so the pools and furniture were tied down. After discovering a mechanical problem during rechecks and requiring a part, we were delayed in our sail away. We were scheduled for 4pm, the first ship to leave, BUT ended up being the last ship to finally leave port. Two Norwegian, Two Royal Caribbean, and a Disney Cruise ship all went ahead of us. There’s so much to do on a ship, and David finally had someone to play a game of chess as we watched the other ships leave port. Since it was rainy and not great for being outside to watch the sail away, we had a lovely dinner ( complete with LOTS of desserts), and enjoyed some great Classical music.

We ended our day being rocked asleep in our cozy refurbished stateroomBon Voyage!

And so it begins…

Winter Vacay time

Today is the beginning of our Winter Vacay!

Bright and early, up at 3am

and off to the airport for a 6:40 flight to Toronto

AND

and Toronto to Miami.

I love vacation time but Winter vacations are the VERY BEST!!! It’s the escape from snow and cold to sun and sand that REALLY makes me HAPPY!!!!!

Glenn & Holly ( David’s older brother and wife) are with us this vacay. We are looking forward to a great time! Goodnight from Miami!

A HUGE South American Party

*** Make sure you press PLAY on the audio file to get the full effect as you read this post. lol

It’s that time of year in Brazil!

It’s Carnaval! It falls on February 24-28 this year. It is the biggest celebration of the year in Brazil. We had so much fun experiencing this when we lived there, and just to break up the wintery snow month of February and help me think about warm, sun and beaches…I just had to break out my Havaianas ( have to pack them for my cruise next week anyway)

AND for dinner tonight I just had to make some delicious Brazilian food … shrimp with heart of palm and rice topped with toasted almonds and lime…lime pie and coffee… and caipirinha’s of course!

Have a great Carnaval our dear Brazilian friends!

And maybe I will watch Rio…love that movie and the music.

Mi’kmaq… Heritage Day 2017

Today is Nova Scotia Heritage Day!

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This year’s Honoree is The Mi’kmaq and their ancestors. The Mi’kmaq and their ancestors have lived in this land for at least 11,000 years. Mi’kma’ki, their traditional territory, includes Nova Scotia, P.E.I., and much of New Brunswick and the Gaspe Peninsula.

In the world of hockey, it is well known that Mi’kmaq craftsmanship resulted in some of the best made hockey sticks in history. This year, Nova Scotia Heritage Day will honour Mi’kmaq Heritage by celebrating the important accomplishments of the Mi’kmaq community, including its contribution to Canada’s favorite past time, hockey.

The Mi’kmaq community will host a two-game hockey challenge called The Mi’kmaq Heritage Hockey Classic – Bury the Hatchet. The theme, Bury the Hatchet, was selected to honour a ceremony held in 1761 that saw the signing of the Halifax Treaties. The treaty ceremony marked the end of more than 75 years of hostility between the Mi’kmaq and the British, and celebrated the beginning of a peaceful and friendly relationship between the two nations.

Canada’s native population did not record in ‘hard-copy’ the history of their nations. Rather, they had appointed ‘story tellers’ who passed on knowledge of their culture from generation to generation in the form of ‘oral history’. The early Ice Hockey sticks were carved from Hornbeam trees, which are native to Nova Scotia and provide a very durable hardwood. One of the tools used in the carving of Hockey sticks was known as a “Crooked Knife”. As a result of the huge numbers of Ice Hockey sticks made using these methods by Mi’kmaq, local supplies of Hornbeam were largely depleted and the Mi’kmaq then turned to the yellow birch, another hard wood which possesses the same characteristics. In the early years of the development of the game, sticks were simply called after the name of the game. Thus boys played with “Hurleys” and later with “Hockeys”, rather than with “hurley sticks” and “hockey sticks” as they do today.

heritage-day-new

It is always nice to enjoy a “day off” in mid February but it’s also a great way to learn about your country’s heritage. Sadly my husband worked a LONG day ( 13 hours) and it was just me at home. So no family day adventure. BUT I took advantage of it by just having a RELAX day.

IN honour of heritage day … we had fish for dinner ( no we didn’t catch them ourselves) and berries for dessert!

Is there anything more Nova Scotia than smelts, trout and blueberry grunt?

Hope you enjoyed your long weekend! Back to work tomorrow.

Spring Break for James Feb 17

Midterms done! Tax sale done! NOW…a much needed break from school and taking a week’s vacation from work at Queen’s Municipality before tax season is in full swing. Where to go? That was James’ question when he was planning a vacation.

Tonight David & I saw him off at the airport!

Where is he going?

This is his itinerary! I am so jealous. I know he will have a wonderful time and take some awesome pics!!

James spent the last month deciding where he wanted to travel for a little break away…He LOVES adventure and has been to some pretty great places. He’s going by himself, but that’s James…he started traveling by himself at 15. He’ll fly to London and then take some flights, and buses and trains, stay in hotels and hostels and visit some interesting countries, cities and towns.

Have a wonderful time James, take lots of pictures and remember to check in with your Mama once and while…BUT then I don’t have to tell you that! 😀

LOVE day!

I hope you enjoyed a special day with your sweetie and those you love!

EARLY Spring!

February 2 is “the day” they let the groundhogs out!

samsamsmasa

Shubenacadie Sam, Nova Scotia’s most-famous groundhog weatherman, peeking out from his house at Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, Canada. Sam came out of his home and went for a little stroll this morning and didn’t see his shadow which means an early Spring! Yay!!!!!

Spring is on the way!!!!!!

The Year of the Rooster~ Jan 28, 2017

Today is the first day of the 2017 Lunar New Year aka Spring Festival aka Chinese New Year in China and while I am not Chinese I celebrate Chinese New Year. My husband and I were expats in China for 3 years and I love many of the traditions and culture of the Chinese people. So much so that I brought much of that back to Canada with me. ( My youngest son teases that my home ( upstairs) is the China Museum and downstairs is the Brazil Museum ( we lived there too) But that’s ok. I know he’s teasing, but it helps me. It helps to be surrounded by things that remind you of a special place, great people and food and memories of a place that is otherwise so far away. It also helps me not miss China too much, and gets me through until I can visit again ( I have been back twice since we’ve moved home, and plan to go again hopefully in 2018)

Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival in China, is China’s most important traditional festival. It is also the most important celebration for families, and a week of official public holiday.

Although there are many stories about the start of the Chinese New Year festival, the main two reasons for the festival are:

To celebrate a year of hard work, have a good rest, and relax with family
To wish for a lucky and prosperous coming year

Chinese people believe that a good start to the year will lead to a lucky year. Chinese traditionally celebrated the start of a new year of farm work, and wished for a good harvest (when most were farmers). This has now evolved to celebrating the start of a new business year and wishing for profits and success in various vocations.

Chinese New Year is a time for families to be together. Wherever they are, people come home to celebrate the festival with their families. So many people travel during Spring Festival. Other than National days in October, it is the busiest travel time of the year!

The New Year’s Eve dinner is called “Reunion Dinner”, and is believed to be the most important meal of the year. Big families of several generations sit around round tables and enjoy the food and time together. The Reunion Dinner is celebrated on the “eve” of Chinese New Year.

The main traditional celebrations of the festival include eating reunion dinner with family, giving red envelopes, firecrackers, new clothes, and decorations. More modern celebrations include watching the CCTV Gala, instant message greetings, and cyber money gifts. Every year I watch the CCTV Gala, a habit I got used to in China. I usually chat with a few of my Chinese friends and family. ( I have even gotten red envelope money from a few of them) ***Check out the post from yesterday. https://justaneastcoastgirl.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=8624&action=edit

Every street, building, and house where Chinese New Year is celebrated is decorated with red. Red is the main color for the festival, as it is believed to be an auspicious color. Red lanterns hang in streets, red couplets are pasted on doors, banks and official buildings are decorated with red New Year pictures depicting images of prosperity. 2017 is the Year of the Rooster so much of this year’s decorations are related to roosters!

2017 is a year of the Rooster according to the Chinese 12 year animal zodiac. Other Rooster years include: …1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017… If you were born in one of those years… then you’re a Rooster. ( I am a Goat) What zodiac animal are you? Check the chart below.

It’s interesting that the Chinese believe if it’s your zodiac year, for example 2017 is Year of the Rooster. It is considered a bad year for “Roosters”: people born in a Rooster year. According to Chinese tradition, there are some things that people can do to fend off bad luck in a zodiac year.

Red is one of the luckiest colors in Chinese culture, standing for prosperity, loyalty, success, and happiness. Red can drive away bad luck and evil spirits.Therefore wearing red during your zodiac year will bring you good luck and give you a good year. You can wear a red belt, red socks, red shoes, or red clothes, and red underwear is highly recommended during your zodiac year. However, there is a rule that you need to pay attention to, or the red won’t ward off bad luck. You cannot buy the red underwear yourself. It should be bought by a spouse, family member, or friend. lol

Besides wearing red, you can also wear jade accessories during your zodiac year to ward off bad luck, like pendants, earrings, rings, and bracelets.

People are often told by fortune-tellers that Tai Sui will bring bad luck. Actually in theory you can make use of Tai Sui to bring good luck, by facing in the opposite direction. So if it is your zodiac year , may people will rearrange their furniture.

There is so much superstition I find “interesting”. I’d rather look at it and see my zodiac year as a lucky year! A blessed year!

Each Chinese zodiac year begins on Chinese New Year’s Day. The date of Chinese New Year is not on January 1st and varies year to year. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar: influenced by the moon and the sun. It is used for the dates of traditional activities in China, East Asia, and many Chinese and East Asian communities around the world. Although China uses the Gregorian calendar for most official and business purposes, the Chinese calendar is still used to determine the days of traditional festivals such as Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn.

The standard public holiday for (Mainland) Chinese is the 7 days from Chinese New Year’s Eve to day 6 of the lunar calendar new year (this year January 27 – February 2, 2017). Most of my Chinese friends will go back to work for a few days starting back on February 5th but then be off again for the Lantern Festival. Traditionally the end of the Spring Festival is The lantern Festival ( Chinese month 1 day 15) (February 11, 2017). Beautiful red lanterns are displayed and sweet rice dumplings are eaten.

This post was long, I’m sorry. And much of what I have written may mean nothing to you. HOWEVER, All these things are very special, and one small part of the Chinese culture I love, and don’t want to forget… so I write!

Every year I will celebrate Chinese New Year and Spring Festival with wonderful memories and send greetings and wish my dear friends and family a Happy New year with blessings of prosperity and health in the year ahead!