Maggie in Newfoundland Again 2016: Day 39 Crossing to Nova Scotia

All good things must come to an end, and today ends our stay in Newfoundland! I really can’t complain given the time we have had here but I know I could spend another month and not have enough! In true fashion though we squeeze every last bit of fun and we take a break from packing up to bring Mary-Kate on a tour of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Commission. Grant works there and has arranged a behind the scenes look! We weren’t allowed to take pictures…maybe they’re concerned I will set up my own still and provide competition??? It was interesting though and it gave us one last chance to say goodbye to Grant before hitting the road.

The day was very hot in St. John’s but by the time we reached Argentia we had fog and chilly weather. The white caps were dancing so we feared the crossing could be rough but in fact we have been on rockier cruise ships! We were checked in and placed in the line by the cheeriest girls you could possibly imagine and while we were waiting to load the ferry I received a FB message. My cousin Tom and his wife Linda (hosted the Sunday events at the reunion) were asking about our whereabouts. It turns out that they are half a dozen cars away from us in line and their cabin is three doors down from ours! Tom was a thoracic surgeon and Lin a nurse. They have lived and worked in various places but they retired from Brazil. They have a home there, the home in Topsail, a son in Ottawa, a daughter in Winnipeg and a sailboat in Kingston so to find them travelling is not surprising. To find them on the same crossing with us is a delightful surprise. Serendipity strikes again, as it does more often than we have right to, and the trip across the pond just became a family reunion extension!!

After settling in our room on board (poor Mary-Kate just got off a ship and now we have her back on one for the next 18 hours!) we meet with Tom and Lin and lively conversation, laughter and several bottles of wine fill the next few hours as we set sail for the mainland. By the time we go in search of dinner there is a bit of a wait so we kill time strolling on deck, listening to live music in the bar and by the time our names are called, threatening to gnaw off one another’s arms!! But the dinner was certainly worth the wait. The halibut with bakeapple compote was delicious but didn’t last long enough for a picture! By the time Mary-Katherine ordered her chocolate melting cake dessert (just to compare to Carnival’s speciality – Carnival won!) I managed to remember to take a picture!