Ferries

Even though we took 6 different ferries to, from, and around Newfoundland, I was only brave enough to take doll photos on the final cruise back to the mainland. However I did get one picture with the Labrador ferry in the background - departing without us.....

See that tiny ship sailing off to the left - that's the Apollo, the ferry to Labrador - leaving without us. We had tried to buy a ticket the day before when we first arrived, but they wouldn't let us, claiming passengers couldn't make reservations within 48 hours of sailing. So we'd just have to come two hours before a sailing and hope to make it on as a "walk-on". So when we arrived, nice and early, we were given number 19 - 19th in line after the reservations. Well, they packed that ferry full of transport trucks, cars and campers, but in the end, there were five of us left standing on the dock. So we had to go back to the ticket office and change our ticket to the next sailing five hours later, and this time we'd be #2. So we went back up the coast a little to L'Anse-au-Clair to a great little park with a nice little Inukshuk and lots of icebergs stuck offshore. I took this photo of Nami just in time to capture the ferry sailing off without us. 

By the time we had to take the Marine Atlantic ferry back to the mainland, I was pretty much over being self-conscious of taking doll photos in public. Here's the girls watching the ferry from  North Sydney arrive at Channel Port-au-Basques early in the morning.....

We had noticed that there were fewer crossings to Newfoundland than we remembered in the past, but Marine Atlantic apparently had some new ferries made that can hold way more vehicles. As a result, they don't have to sail as often. Personally I preferred the old ferries. They looked like huge cruise ships. These new ones were "ugly", but they certainly did hold an incredible number of vehicles. The ferry we came on had all kinds of modern passenger amenities, but no place to be up on deck. This second ferry was even less attractive than the first one, but it at least had a sun deck on top - behind the helicopter pad. Because we wouldn't be allowed back down to our vehicle during the crossing (a whole 7 1/2 hours) I only took Byuri and Nami along - their boxes fit nicely in my carry-on bag.      

The girls watch as the ferry sails out of Channel Port-au-Basques. "Good-bye Newfoundland!" 
It's a long crossing, so they have to find ways to entertain themselves. It's also bright and sunny, so Byuri needs to stay out of the sun as much as possible. She doesn't want to turn green.

Then they spot some whales......a pod of humpbacks.......
The light turquoise areas alongside the whales are their white fins and undersides.

Many hours later approaching North Sydney, they pass a cruise ship - the SS Maasdam, from Holland America Line - the same company who owned the SS Ryndam, the ship I emigrated to Canada on over 50 years ago. Back in those days they were huge two-class passenger steamships for people wanting to move to the New World. Now they just have cruise ships, and they still re-use the same old names.

Even though it's been four days since we came home, I'm still working on putting all my trip stuff away. It's so boiling hot outside, that even with air conditioner on, it's too warm to work hard at anything. All the trip dolls have been changed into cool sundresses, as It was making me sweat just looking at them in those sweaters. I still have to put away the last of the props. I'm hoping next week I'll be able to start some doll-work again.