Sandra Scott Travels

Our Blount small cruise ship called Caribe Grande made several stops along the St. Lawrence River after leaving Montreal but first we went through the St. Lawrence Seaway locks. Like a stealth ship, while everyone was sleeping, we departed Montreal and traversed the South Shore Canal’s two locks. The St. Lawrence Seaway system is connected by five short canals that bypass the rapids. They include 15 locks 766 feet in length that are filled and emptied by gravity.

A bus tour of Quebec City was part of the Blount’s “Lakes, Legends and Canals” cruise John and I took. One place the bus stopped was high above the city at the Plains of Abraham where we learned that in 1759, during the Seven Years War, the British victory led to France losing possession of Canada. Most likely it is named after Abraham Martin who moved to the area in the 1600s.

I love it when people think out of the box creating an unexpected surprise. Actually, there were a lot of wonderful surprises when John and I visited Ann Arbor, Michigan. John and I stayed at the new Residence Inn with a great location in the center of Ann Arbor. Luckily, someone said to us, “Make sure you look for the Fairy Doors.” Fairy Doors are miniature replicas of the doors to some of the places in Ann Arbor.

John and I discovered many wonderful surprises when we visited Ann Arbor, Michigan. John was thrilled when he found out that he could fly in a World War II C-47. At the Yankee Air Museum, he learned about Michigan’s contribution to aviation history. The airport is situated on property that was also the site of the Ford Motor Company’s Willow Run Bomber Plant that built 8,685 B-24 Liberator bombers.

The best and quickest way to get to know Montreal is on a Grayline hop-on hop-off tour. The tour hits all the highlights along with an informative narration. John and I usually take one complete loop and then decided what venues we want to visit. There is never enough time to do everything.

Last week I asked: Where is the Mohammad Ali Center? In Louisville, Kentucky. When John and I were in Louisville, Kentucky, a friend suggested we visit the Mohammad Ali Center. Truthfully, I wasn’t interested in […]

One of the finest hotels in Montreal is the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth with a great location in downtown Montreal above the train station and Amtrak, the underground city, and within walking distance to the hop-on bus tour station. I think most hotels have stories that would make a fascinating book. One story the Queen Elizabeth Hotel is willing to share is the week-long Bed-In staged by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Savannah, Georgia, the oldest city in the state of Georgia, is unique, historic and romantic that never fails to charm visitors. The riverside city has small, interconnected squares and oak-lined streets with dripping with Spanish moss making it perfect for ambling.