That's a lot of water!

Since we were going to be in southern Ontario I decreed that it was time to revisit Niagara Falls. I know it isn't the biggest, tallest, or most powerful cataract in the world, but it is one of them, it’s ours, and it is very accessible. Jim got a deal at The Oakes, which bragged about Falls views. (Our room needed some updating but the location more than made up for it) Ever the skeptic I figured that meant we would have to stand on a chair and peer out a corner of the window to see anything, sort of like “ocean glimpses” in Victoria real estate ads.  Our trusty GPS took us directly to the hotel after its usual 20 minute search for satellites when we change locations (you can almost hear it thinking, “where the heck are we now, I thought she liked Saint John”). As we pulled into the parking lot I could see the mist; it really is a Falls view location, one of about 3 that are built directly above Horseshoe Falls!

the view from our room

We got checked in and then I literally dragged Jim out and down to the river walkway and, really, it is spectacular. Really, really. So worth the trip. Of course there are lots of tourists, it’s a tourist magnet, but everyone is in the same frame of mesmerized mind.

it is right there - not in the distance

Horseshoe Falls

evening light

constant rainbow

Happy camper!

To complement the natural draw there are decent restaurants and family theme activities and, yes, the ubiquitous casino. We opted to “do” the Maid of the Mist excursion to the base of Horseshoe Falls, got thoroughly wet, and loved it!

The blue capes were uncontrollable in the wind!

 Our plan was to go to a couple of wineries before leaving the Niagara area, but we wandered into Niagara-on-the-Lake instead, I’d never been, and we ran out of time for tasting. Without the natural phenomenon of the Falls, NotL has built another tourist mecca with a cute town centre and a relatively famous theatre festival. There were at least as many tourists but they were more into shopping than nature.

Niagara on the Lake

We need to come back to the Niagara area for a few days, some year, because there is much to see and do relating to Canadian history, like the Brock monument, and a few wineries to sample.

We came, we saw, we did...

Things we did in and around Saint John, in case you are ever there; not a complete list of Saint John’s attractions, just some of the things we enjoyed this time. We had pretty good weather with only two days of fog and wet. In fact we’ve almost always had good weather which may be the time of year that we visit or just dumb luck. Did I say that as soon as Pete and Betty knew we were coming to SJ they booked a cruise in Europe (they did warn us that might happen)? So we enjoyed the use of their house and played at being tourists.

Since we were at the airport checking on car rentals, we made the trek out to St Martins on a perfect sunny day with the tide way out, and the sun sparkling. It’s a cute little village but the main attraction is the covered bridge, beach and cliff caves.

St Martins at low tide

The road out is lined with the typical scrub forest of the rocky soil. Thanks to some people from Colorado we heard about “Hearst Lodge” in Fundy Park, apparently a hunting lodge built by Randolph Hearst back in the day. Who knew?

Saint John Public Market

We always love going “over to town” (Jim’s brother Pete lives on the west side), just to ramble the Saint John Market and drive around looking at the beautiful old buildings.

There are still a few interesting stores uptown, including a gallery with a craft shop name that has interesting wares. And we usually take a walk through King’s Square to look at the old band stand. It is an iconic Saint John image. Jim gets nostalgic about his childhood haunts so we drive down Pitt Street where his grandmother lived and inevitably we get to “The Rifle Range” where he grew up. 

Pat and Ed came to SJ for the weekend and I gave them a choice between the Atlantic Roller Derby Championship at the Beaverbrook Arena and a hypnotist at the Imperial Theatre for Saturday night entertainment. Unbelievably they didn’t opt for the roller derby event! I was a little disappointed. The Imperial is a gem of a 1912-ish theatre. It has seen worse days, way worse, but was lovingly and beautifully restored in 1994. The hypnotist was entertaining enough but we’ve been spoiled by Mesmer.

There are actually a couple of wineries in New Brunswick and we opted to check out the closest one, Gillis, at the top end of the Kingston Peninsula. Theirs aren’t quite BC or Ontario whites, I’m not a super fan of the L’Acadie grape that is endemic in the Maritimes, but the Premium Red was worth the drive. Definitely worth the drive is Mama George’s restaurant about 5 minutes from the winery, somewhere between Hampton and Norton. And we got to travel on the longest cable operated ferry in the world. So they say.  I LOVE those cable ferries in NB. They just load and go on no schedule and for free.

I already posted photos of the Reversing Falls and we made the distinction between the Jet Boat Ride and the Jet Boat Tour (it would be the tour for me!) but didn’t do either. We did the Squirrel Trail at the Irving Nature Park, 
took a look at Wolastoq Park and Fort Howe, and I walked the 3 kilometer Harbour Passage from Market Square to Reversing Falls. It was very exciting to see the cruise ships parked downtown like cars (buses I guess) and to see the bustle of activity they generated. There were 8 in the city this week, 3 on Monday, 3 Tuesday, and one each on Wednesday and Thursday.

public art at Market Square

New Brunswick isn't a rich province and Saint John isn't the capital so doesn’t maybe get the attention it needs to be a real jewel. Fort Howe has a prime location but the road to it is a wreck, and those gorgeous wooden structures from the heyday cost a fortune to keep up especially in the climate of salt air and harsh wind. It’s a working town and it looks it, but it’s got a lot going for it.

I like Saint John

I was about 12 the first time I visited Saint John, NB. My father had business in the city and for some reason he decided to make a family holiday out of it, not his norm. The journey from PEI was torturous back in the dark age with a not too frequent ferry and hours of twisty winding roads. Saint John was my first "city" and I've had a soft spot for it ever since. I'd never seen red brick apartment buildings, steep hill roads, an interesting downtown; and I had never stayed in a hotel! The Admiral Beatty to be specific, which is now a seniors residence, and across the street from King's Square with it's lovely bandstand and access to STORES.
The second time I was in grade 9 with a YMCA group and billeted in Lancaster.To get to Lancaster you have to pass near the pulp mill and I thought I would throw up it smelled so awful. Seriously awful. When I was commuting to university in Maine Saint John was a bottle neck to be endured along with the smell but still I smiled on it fondly because of my 12 year old excitement.
Jim's family of origin is from Saint John so we've been coming back here for years and in between visiting with relatives we've explored the area. Like most interesting things, people, or places Saint John's personality is complicated. The people are wonderful and friendly, but they are cut-throat drivers.
There are lovely parks and high outlooks, but some are in desperate disrepair with nary a picnic table in sight, like Fort Howe.

Wolastoq Park, an Irving initiative, with oversized wood carvings depicting historical figures.

Reversing Falls Bridge

The scenery is spectacular, but there is that pesky fog. It beats most cities for interesting old wooden houses, both grand and not-so-grand but many are in dire condition. "The Irvings" own most everything and have given Saint John incredible benefits, but the populace either loves them or hates them. Aside from the huge nature park and other recreational gifts, the pulp mill that I gagged over in the 1960's is the only mill in North America that meets all environmental and emission standards. There is no whiff of sulphur in Saint John today!

The used-to-be-stinky paper mill with the 'falls' in front

 One of SJ's claims to fame is the Reversing Falls and we hit a low tide which gave a glimpse of the power of that phenomenon.

more of the outflow of the Saint John River called, "reversing falls"

Other things Saint John is or was home to that you might recognize: Atlantic Sugar, Crosby's molasses, Red Rose tea, Sims Paintbrushes, Moosehead beer, Royale tissues, and a huge Irving oil refinery.

AND they have a highway system that makes it possible to go from one side of the city to the other without clogging the downtown streets!

cross town highway!

There's a lot more but that's enough for now. Check my FB page for pics of the cruise ships, including the Queen Mary 2. They park right downtown like you would park a car. 

I like Saint John.

Sometimes you can go back

Thirty-seven years ago, I can't believe that's possible, I was a graduate student at UMO (University of Maine at Orono). Heck, who am I kidding, it's already 27 years ago that I was doing a 2nd masters degree at USC (South Carolina) but that's irrelevant to this story. In my one of my first classes at UMO I met a guy from Moncton, NB, and we clicked. He and his wife are those rare friends that you can pick up with at any point as though you were together all the time.

at UMO outside the Education Bldg.

Of the seven people at our wedding, they were two! We spent this past week with them, arguably a dangerously long time, revisiting some old haunts and finding new ones. We're still friends! One morning at breakfast we laughed so hard my ribs hurt. We tried to be quiet about it but when we were leaving the dining room a woman stopped us to say how much she enjoyed watching us laugh till we cried. I don't think a day went by without lobster, and certainly a few bottles of beer and wine were imbibed, but mostly we wandered the coast of Maine and got caught up with each others' lives.

view from our Belfast hotel rooms

intent on something?

Both men's names are Jim and both women are outspoken so the men's heads were snapping back and forth and enjoying if the scolding-of-the-moment was directed at the other. Which they played up, of course, poor brow beaten souls that they are.

in the harbour at Bar Harbor

buildings on stilts/pilings in Camden

Portland (Maine) brownstone

Beans started as a hunting outfitter and that's still a big deal in Maine

outside L.L. Bean; the famous Maine Hunting Boot

I had three main (Maine) destinations in mind when we set out: UMO, Bar Harbor/Mount Desert, and LL Bean in Freeport. And yes, you can go back sometimes. Sure, we are a lot older, and LL Bean is a lot bigger (I discovered they even have other retail outlets in the east!), but in essence the places and people haven't changed. And that's comforting.

Was it 9/11?

We crossed the country again this week, thank you Air Canada for a smooth and uneventful trip. A couple of people commented when we said we were travelling on 9/11, numbers which can't seem to be used together anymore without a small ripple of reaction. Except I'm pretty oblivious to most superstitions and actually think 13 is a darned good number. It used to be a number of magic and power till it was co-opted, or is that corrupted, by the Christians. But I digress. Who me?
The thing is, on the western leg of the trip there were 2 vacant seats on an average big plane. But on the second huge plane there were about 50 people out of 350 seats, and on the last teensy flight there were 5 people out of 18 seats. Are people afraid to invoke bad luck by travelling on 9/11? Are we less sensitive in the west, or less worried? Or do we travel more? Just wondering, 'cuz it was kind of weird.