Expected weather: Hi 76F, Sunny to partly cloudy

Population: 30,960 / 969,383

As I reported yesterday, our itinerary has changed. Today was supposed to be a sea day before arriving at L’Anse aux Meadows to visit what’s believed to be the first Norse (Viking) settlement in North America. However, a storm damaged the floating dock there two days ago and it would not be repaired in time for our arrival tomorrow. So, Viking has arranged port time today for us in Sydney, Nova Scotia, which is on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. There was too little notice in the change for Viking to arrange tours for everyone, especially on a holiday weekend and with the 2600-passenger Celebrity Summit arriving just ahead of us. But Viking provided maps of the area, and it is very walkable. There were quite a few taxi tour operators waiting at the pier to snag anyone wanting to tour the area and we do have a lengthy time in port today – all aboard is not until 5:30pm and we were able to disembark around 11am.

Since it was another beautiful day, we decided to walk along the boardwalk then up a couple of blocks from the shoreline to the main drag, Charlotte Street. We aren’t really shoppers, but don’t mind browsing occasionally and just seeing what local products are available. We walked through the Big Fiddle Market which is part of the cruise terminal. Along the boardwalk, we saw some interesting sights including a memorial to the rescued and their rescuers of ship convoys torpedoed in the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II. The Tom Hanks’ movie, Greyhound, is about one such convoy.

We passed the 1785 St. George’s Anglican Church (oldest church on Cape Breton) which apparently gives Spirit Tours of its graveyard! Then we headed over to a pretty white and black-spired church with no name! At this point, we decided we’d seen enough of Sydney and headed back to the ship to have burgers and cider at the Pool Grill. Sure enough Viking had opened the roof again and it was very pleasant to sit outdoors and eat. We checked the weather to come and this is likely to be our last pretty day, so we decided to take advantage of it with our walk this morning and dining al fresco! Besides, it’s been months since I’ve walked any further than from whatever air-conditioned building I’m in to my car and back with all the 100F+ temperatures that we’ve had in Texas.

Keith & Paula headed to the Spa this afternoon and Dave & I hung out a little while longer poolside, then went to our room to read and work on the blog before going to our next scheduled activity, a tour of the ship’s Galley (aka kitchen). Apparently 14 people signed up for the Galley tour but only 8 showed up. The tour was given by the Executive Chef. I’m always amazed at the interaction that the top officers and executives on Viking ships have with the guests. It really was amazing to witness how organized everything is and the logistics involved in feeding 930 guests throughout multiple dining venues over a two-week period. The Executive Chef manages just over 100 staff or nearly 25% of the crew on a Viking Ocean ship. If you ever get the chance to take the tour (ask at Guest Services as soon as you board), it is definitely enlightening. And you just might be fortunate to get to sample something as scrumptious as the chocolate soufflé with Bailey’s which was to be served in The Restaurant that evening.

Following the Galley Tour, we decided to hang out in The Living Room and listen to Sasha play the piano for a bit. Then, we discovered that the Viking Explorers’ Society (anyone who previously has traveled with Viking) toast was about to occur there, so we stayed a little longer. The cruise director, the assistant CD, and the Viking Vocalists all gave brief performances as well.

This evening Viking hosted our Cruise Critic Roll Call members for a Meet & Mingle (M&M) in the Wintergarden. We had 53 registered and a good 30+ attended – many had dinner conflicts. I enjoyed meeting so many people and putting faces to the names and CC “handles” that I’d interacted with over the past year plus as we all prepared for this trip. Viking provided hors d’oeuvres (which we saw being made on our Galley tour) and drinks and several of the top management staff were present including the cruise director, restaurant manager, general manager, excursions director, and several other staff members. I really appreciate how Viking staff of all levels constantly seek feedback from the guests on what they can improve on and to let guests know if they want something to ask and if they can provide it, they will!

We decided to go to the World Café for dinner following the M&M and loved all the fresh seafood options such as cocktail shrimp, mussels, scallops, calamari, king crab legs, stone crab claws, sushi and more. After getting a taste of that chocolate soufflé on our Galley tour, Dave, Paula and I knew what we were having for dessert! So, we headed to The Restaurant for the soufflé while Keith went to get in line for the Star Theater to save seats for us for the special entertainer tonight. That soufflé was amazing! Probably my favorite thing I’ve eaten (although I did eat a few King Crab legs tonight, too!).

The special entertainer brought in by Viking was Paolo Schianchi. He is a guitarist extraordinaire. We were so glad that Keith doesn’t like chocolate and saved seats for us to witness this gifted musician.

It was definitely a full day! We are listening to the radio broadcast of the Baylor game and it appears that we are going to lose – not a good start to the season for a game we were expected to win. We move our clocks ahead another hour tonight, so at least we can sleep in tomorrow. We have two sea days coming up consecutively, so I’m looking forward to catching up on some lectures we missed and attending upcoming lectures as well as utilizing the spa. We also have our first Chef’s Table dining experience of the cruise coming up tomorrow evening.