Sunday, July 10, 2022

Sunday Salon- Summer Cruise to Maine and Halifax


My husband and I are just back from our first cruise, aboard the Queen Mary 2, flagship of the Cunard line of ships. Technically, as people love to say, the QM2 is not a cruise ship but an ocean liner since she was built for Transatlantic crossings. We did not do a crossing; we went up to Halifax, Maine and Boston. It was wonderful! 

First shore day was in Bar Harbor, Maine, where we took a walking tour and learned some about its history. Next shore day was Boston, where we spent the Fourth of July. We listened to a reading of the Declaration of Independence and hit two of our favorite bookstores, Commonwealth Books and Trident Bookstore & Cafe. Then we watched the fireworks from the top deck of the ship. So fun! Our final shore day, a washout, was spent in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where my grandfather is from.

On our "sea days" we spent a lot of time in the onboard library. On Deck 8, tucked in a corner, alongside a small bookshop is an oasis of literature and serenity.

It's apparently one of the largest libraries at sea, with 8,000 or so volumes and lots of space to relax. The collection consists of books in English, French and German and possibly other languages, with current fiction and nonfiction, a selection of Everyman's Library classics and even a shelf devoted to P.G. Wodehouse. The library was one of the selling points for me, for sure.

Here is my baby Yoda, Eugenie, relaxing in one of the library's many comfortable, ocean-facing chairs. I spent a lot of time reading and relaxing in this beautiful, welcoming space. The bookshop is small and consists mostly of souvenir books, nautical books, light fiction and "dad books." I did not find anything there for me.

I think working in this library would be a dream!

2 comments:

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Marie, you getaway cruise over the 4th of July sounded lovely. It's always nice when when can get away a bit and enjoy a change of scene. Hope the rest of your stomach is relaxing.

Mae Travels said...

I once crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary, but I think it was an older ship by the same name. The food was terrible! And last year I spent a week in Bar Harbor, Maine. So your voyage sounds very entertaining, and the library sounds quite neat.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com