Old Quebec
an Army inspector in Troy who supplied
rations for the soldiers during the War of
1812. As required, Wilson approved the
goods by stamping them “US,” and the
Uncle Sam legend grew. During the Troy
stop, the cruise raised the wheelhouse and
readied the Grande Caribe for river travel.
The 315-mile Hudson River starts in
the Adirondack Mountains and flows into
the Atlantic Ocean at NYC. Captain David
Sylvaria provided an informative narrative
as we passed historic places, lighthouses,
other points of interest and the towering
palisades. The weather was glorious and the
foliage brilliant.
There were two excellent side trips to
Historic Hyde Park, the home of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the US Military
Academy at West Point. I love the tidbits
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I learned that aren’t in textbooks. When
England’s King George VI and Queen
Elizabeth visited Hyde Park, they were
treated to an American picnic complete
with hot dogs, about which the Queen
inquired, “How do you eat these?” While
the King picked them up with his hands,
the Queen used a knife and fork. At West
Point, I found out that President Dwight
D. Eisenhower graduated in 1915 with an
astounding number of demerits – 307! I
wonder if those who served under him in
World War II were aware of that.
The views of the Statue of Liberty and
the NYC skyline were impressive from
our vessel. On our last full day there was
a walking tour that included NYC’s High
Line, an imaginative linear park built on a
disused elevated rail track. In the afternoon
I took the city tour that hit all the highlights of The Big Apple including a reflective stop at the 9/11 Memorial.
I have never taken a voyage on a popular, large cruise vessel. I think ships that
can hold more people than the number in
my village of 1,200 may not be for me. On
this smaller vessel, the trip was well worth
it. I visited two countries, three world-class
cities, some of the world’s most important
waterways, and historic places. I enjoyed
gourmet meals, informative talks, musical
presentations, and I only had to unpack
once for two weeks. On board, the staff
and other passengers created a causal and
friendly atmosphere. It was my dream
come true cruise. Now I hanker to cruise to
the other Great Lakes.