Hey everyone!

To those of you in the US or are American citizens, that was one heck of an election this year, huh? I had the TV on all evening to keep up with the count. The jokes and stuff we were all making for the past year aren’t funny anymore, now that it’s reality. To be honest, it still does not feel real that this all happened. It’s been joked about so much, that now it seems like we are still part of a joke. A really long joke that needs to be finished. I don’t remember it being quite like this 8 years ago when Obama was first elected. And to those of you who aren’t in or from the US, I’m curious to know your reactions and responses! If you are from the US, please lemme know as well what you think about the election this year!

As you all know, I am from Seattle and I go to the University of Washington. On Wednesday, there were protests going on all day in response to the elections the night before. Because Trump won. Seattle was one of the many cities all over the country that had these peaceful protests going on. The 2016 elections has been all anyone could talk about for a long time now. Our professors even let us leave class without repercussions to join the protesting and the solidarity event. I’m not really political, nor do I keep up with that stuff on the daily. However, I do consider myself a feminist. And obviously because of the elections we are all feeling some pretty strong emotions. It’s actually quite extraordinary because not only am I seeing this all happen, but also I’m actually living it. Experiencing it. A part of it. History in the making. 

Please share your thoughts down below! I’ve been scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, and news sites like crazy reading other people’s reactions. I really would love to hear what you think!

Aside from all that craziness, I am here today sharing with you all more about my trip to New England. Yes, it was a couple months ago now. Shut up. I know you’re judging me and calling me crazy to still be talking about it. But, it was a really great trip, and I had never been to the East Coast before. So, I want to talk more about it. Keep on reading if you are interested! If not, then just check out some other posts I’ve done instead and stop your complaining. 

(I don’t actually know if you’re complaining or not, I just figured might as well factor in that response haha)

After the couple days spent in Quebec, our first real stop on the cruise was in Nova Scotia. We first had an entire day spent at sea, where we basically sat around enjoying some cocktails (I like to think that there’s no such thing as “time” when you’re traveling and on vacation, so who cares if we’re having drinks at 10 am?) and watching shows. As per most cruises, the crew members would put on demonstrations such as how to create these awesome Towel Animals that they leave in our rooms in the evening, or the fruit carving that made gorgeous art, as well as this cupcake decorating. They would ask for some audience members to join in and try it out. It was really entertaining to watch people struggle while trying to emulate these obvious experts. 

Our first port stop in Nova Scotia was in Cape Breton, which is where the Fortress of Louisbourg is located. My family and I decided to join an excursion to go to the Fortress. To be honest, prior to this trip I had no idea there was this place. I know next to nothing about Canadian history, and I don’t even know half the landmarks or stuff there either. I only ever go to Vancouver (and nearby cities), or Victoria in Vancouver Island. But the fortress was actually a really incredible place. They had these actors who pretended to be from the 18th (or was it 19th? I can’t remember) century, while telling us the history of the place. 

This one lady dressed in the many layers of clothing from back then, bonnet and apron and all, served us a traditional hot chocolate made in the old fashioned way as well. Apparently, back then they viewed hot chocolate as medicinal, and people drank it every morning to help ward off colds and diseases. To me, that just seems like a poorly veiled excuse to drink something delicious in the mornings, but I’ll take it. I would totally use that explanation to indulge in some liquid chocolatey goodness every morning, but I don’t want to get fat. Or have acne. 

I think there was a farm or something because there were a lot of animals waddling around. I couldn’t resist taking photos of these ducks. There was also a chicken and a rooster walking about as well. As someone from the city/suburbs, seeing farm animals is always really exciting! Though, if you asked me to care for them I would definitely shake my head and walk away. 

We took a tour of the area, going through a house that belonged to some important general or whatnot (I honestly didn’t pay much attention to it because I was more fascinated by how everything looked than the actual information). After Europeans settled here, they had brought along with them the poor and homeless, giving them the option of joining the army in exchange for food and shelter and a very minimal payment. We got to go through the army barracks, and a small chapel as well. It was all really fascinating. Seeing how the buildings were still standing in mostly original condition, kept the same all these years. 

At one point, this lady who was acting as someone in the army even demonstrated to us how they fired guns back then. The whole time she kept telling us of how soldiers would accidentally shoot their fingers because it was very easy to accidentally trigger something. I’ve never really been big on guns, but I have to admit, it was really riveting seeing it all in action.

The fortress was a good 45 minute bus ride away from the port, and we had to scramble to get back in time to board back onto the ship. The whole time I was actually sort of panicking to be honest. I’ve always heard stories about people missing the time to board back on, and being stuck on shore in some random place. That’s why every time I take excursions I like to return super early to prevent anything. But this time, the excursion happened to last until right before we were leaving the port. 

We did the same stuff as usual on the ship. Ate, drank, read, watched shows, etc. The shows each night were pretty good. Comedies, musical performances, dance. I love watching the shows when I’m on cruises because the atmosphere is so incredible. With the boat softly rocking as we head to the next port, the pounding upbeat music, the flashing lights, it’s definitely different than watching shows elsewhere. Plus, in shows such as the comedy skits and such, they generally like to reference the cruise itself, such as the incredibly small size of the bathroom, the annoying overhead announcement thing, drunks, and the sort. It’s definitely very entertaining, and we always try to make time to see the shows.

The following day the stop was at Halifax, which is also in Nova Scotia. You might recognize the outfit I wore as the one from the Fashion Mia review I did a while ago. That’s where I took those photos. Secrets revealed haha. If you haven’t read that post yet, go check it out! Anyways, Halifax was pretty nice. The city did remind me a lot of Victoria in Vancouver Island. 

The excursion we went on for this stop was actually a Harbor Duck tour. The ones where you go on this bus that converts to a boat, and you go into the water. We have those back in Seattle as well, but it was my first time riding one in Halifax. It was really fun getting to see the city in this way. We didn’t make any stops, but driving around in this colorful and ridiculous looking vehicle was definitely pretty fun. It made quite a splash when we entered the water. It was definitely a lot of fun, and was reminiscent of an amusement park ride because of the whole bus-boat thing. Have you ever been on one of these tours before?

After the tour, we had some time afterwards to wander around. We decided not to venture too far off because you know, my fear of getting stuck and not boarding the ship on time. There were some shops at the port, so we spent some time walking through and seeing the stuff people were selling. There were more touristy stuff, but also a bunch of food places too. There was a sign that told us of these lobster rolls, but after walking around a few times we couldn’t seem to find the place anywhere. It wasn’t that big of a disappointment though because we already have been eating a ton on the cruise, and how much can you eat? My stomach isn’t literally bottomless. Unless it comes to desserts. 

We didn’t get the best glimpse of Nova Scotia because both of the port days ended up being kinda gloomy and grey out, with us barely making it back on board before it started raining. But, it was definitely a great experience seeing the fortress, and touring the cities. I definitely loved how there were actors dressed as if from the time period. I really like it when places have that. It gives it this more authentic feel, though how authentic can it be if you’re standing there taking photos with an iPhone? 

I really love going on cruises because everything you need is in one place, and you don’t have to worry about having to get anywhere. It’s a resort on a ship that takes you to places to explore and experience. But the one thing I don’t like is how you mainly get to go to the coastal areas of the port stops. You barely get inland. That’s not much of a taste of the city. It’s like sampling bits of every entree and never really getting a full meal. Yeah you get to taste a whole bunch of different things, but you can’t exactly get another bite of the previous one. I can definitely see myself returning to get a better feel of the city, and really exploring it. Comment down below how you make the most of and get the best taste of a new place when you are only there for a short visit! I would love to hear your tips! 

It’s been a crazy, yet quick quarter so far at UW. Fall quarter is already more than half done. Soon I will be cramming for finals. Looking back on this vacation makes me really wish summer was here agin. Or at the least the holidays. Only 2 more weeks til the Gilmore Girls revival is here! Which so happens to be Thanksgiving weekend. And after that it’s only a couple short weeks until the holidays. It’s so close I can almost taste it. Are you guys excited for the Gilmore Girls revival? I am definitely looking forward to it!

I will be posting more about the rest of the cruise later on! Still got a few more places to reminisce on and rant about. I hope you guys are enjoying reading these posts. 

One last thing, if you are near any of the major cities with protests going on, please keep safe! You never know when these peaceful protest will turn violent. I am really glad that people are speaking up and trying to fight for what they want though. Democracy isn’t democracy if the people’s voices aren’t being heard or accounted for. 

Lemme know down in the comments down below if you would ever drink hot chocolate in the mornings! Do you believe any of these “myths” about certain foods having medicinal properites? 

Thank you all for stopping by! I hope you all enjoyed reading, and I wish you all a fantastic weekend! 

Til next time,

~A