Saint John, Part Two

Saint John Part One
Saint John Part Two

Sunday:  A Spectacular Day Along the Fundy Coast

Sunday was my favorite day of the trip and featured the best weather of the trip.  We had breakfast again at the hotel and then headed out of town, east and a little north, to the Fundy Trail.

The drive along the trail is spectacular, with sheer cliffs tumbling down into the bay below.  The sky was cloudless, so the water looked even bluer.  In the distance one could see Nova Scotia across the bay.  The air was crisp and even chilly when the breeze stiffened.  There were not many people on the trail, so most stops were dead quiet.

First view of the Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Waterfall

These are the stairs we went up/down to get to the falls.  What one does not see here is that these stairs are really wooden blocks on suspension cables.  It was an interesting climb!

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Part of the Fundy Trail, cut through the mountain

Canadian squirrel having lunch

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

Covered bridge, one of two we drove through that day

I hope that the government of New Brunswick is able to get a bulk discount on these:  one sees them often and everywhere.  Actual moose, well, not a one

Covered bridge from the 1800s

Bay of Fundy, with the tide out

Stunning countryside.  New Brunswick has the greenest grass I have ever seen.  It is almost like Technicolor

Looking across the Bay of Fundy, at Nova Scotia

After the trail we stopped at a seafood stand we had passed on the way in.  We chose it pretty much because there were no other options.  It was quite tasty, though, with a spectacular view out across the bay.

Although there is a national park about an hour further from Saint John, we decided not to go, since it would certainly put us back after dark.  We were still moose-shy and happy to not have so much driving ahead of us.

Back in town, stopped first by a shopping mall, where we strolled until it closed at five o’clock.  Then we swung past the Reversing Rapids again.  This time they were flowing downstream, so we were able to see the river flowing both upstream and, later, downstream.  For dinner on our last night, we returned again to Grannan’s Seafood.

The roiling waters of the Saint John River, as the tide goes out

Saint John River, as the tide goes out

Monday:  Wrapping Up in Saint John and Getting Home

Monday morning we slept in again, since we had requested and gotten a late check out and did not need to leave for the airport until after three o’clock.  We got ready and headed down for breakfast.  During breakfast I mentioned making a visit to the New Brunswick Museum, which was across the street from the hotel.  Mother had no interest, so she stayed in the room and read while I went over to the museum.

From out hotel room

View from our hotel lobby

From the front of our hotel

Downtown Saint John

Downtown Saint John

The museum

After the museum it was time for lunch.  (This posting reads like we did nothing but eat the entire time!)  For our final meal in Saint John we decided to go with Bill’s Seafood, which is apparently one of the best and most famous places in town.  Less than thrilled with the two other lobster rolls I had had, I was wary of a third strike; but, I ordered it anyway and was very pleased with it.  Finally, a good lobster roll!  I still like the ones in Maine better, but I was happy with Billy’s.

After lunch we stopped back past the hotel to get our things and to check out.  We loaded up and headed out to the airport, stopping along the way to get some snacks in case we needed them on the plane.

The Saint John airport is tiny, with just a couple of check-in stands.  There is but one baggage carrousel.  There is an all-in-one snack bar, bar, and convenience shop.  To get to the one gate area, passengers pass through the airport’s sole security line, which we did without issue. 

We were not in the gate area for very long before it became apparent that there was an issue with the plane.  I mentioned it to my mother and she made a comment about we should have stayed outside of security, at the bar.  Just then the gate agent announced a mechanical issue and shortly thereafter that the flight was delayed indefinitely and that trans-border passengers should go back outside security and get tickets reissued.  As soon as I heard that I was up and out.

As luck would have it, the flight to Montréal was very light, as was the connection into National.  So, we were rebooked and at the bar to wait out the half hour or so before it would be time to clear security again.  The flights worked out well and likely better than the Toronto connection would have.  And, we even made it home about an hour earlier than we otherwise would have.

Final Thoughts

Saint John seems/d like a strange destination to most:  when I told people I was going there everyone either had no clue about it or thought I was going to the Carribbean, and when we were actually in Saint John, the locals could not figure out why we were there.  And, I understand that:  there really is not much to see in Saint John.  But, the physical landscape around the city makes it worthy of consideration.  For those seeing the stereotypical Bay-of-Fundy experience, I think I would recommend flying into Moncton, as it is closer to the area of the bay with the greatest tidal variances.

That said, our trip was very nice and the long weekend was just about the perfect amount of time for the trip.  It was a good trip and I’m glad we went.