Hopewell Rocks

Had an early start on May 31 to drive to Shediac, New Brunswick, with sun filled skies the entire journey. Would be a 4 hour drive but I took a diversion to go and see Hopewell Rocks which was a 1.6 hour diversion. Tide was high but that made the formations more interesting for me. Still at some point it would be great to see the mudflats at low tide and to see the tidal bore as the tide roars in. And if I ever get a chance to be there mid July to mid August I hear that the flocks of migrating seabirds are quite the spectacle.

Pointe du Chêne, Shediac

I arrived at 4:30pm at the beachside home of Joan and Don Martell. We had a lot of catching up to do as it had been years since we had last visited. Don gave me the tour of the tourist towns of Pointe du Chêne (and it's lovely sand beach - Parlee Beach) and Shediac. Not a large community but everything is convenient to get to and all fronted by an amazing beach.

Next day I headed for the village of Bouctouche and tourist destination Pays de la Sangouine - great drive along the coast but the tourist destination was not fully open yet for tourists. Normally, during the season they have ongoing theatrical performances highlighting the Acadien way of life, but I happened to be there when a school group was going through so was able to tag along as they were taken through the paces of making biscuits, attempting to play fiddles, and to do traditional dance (a good chuckle). I carried on further along the coast to visit the oldest winery in New Brunswick and sampled their grape wines along with their blueberry and elderberry versions.

Joan and Don's daughter Denise arrived back from a photo trip to Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley's Apple Blossom Festival which led to more catching up to do. Then off to bed.

Another day of sunshine and this time with 23+ temperatures to go with it. I hung around for most of the morning before then heading off to Jourimane Park and the New Brunswick end of the Constitution Bridge linking the mainland to P.E.I. I actually found the water at its beach much warmer then at Parlee Beach - but I did not have my swim trunks so could only walk along its edge.

The day continued warm and sunny for the drive back. Tonight I switch over to Denise's cottage as her brother Mike arrived to reclaim his bedroom in his parents' home (weekdays he stays with them for his current contract in nearby Moncton).

Next day dawned warm and sunny so I headed up the coast to visit the beach and walking trails of Kouchibouguac National Park.

Caraquet

I arrived in Caraquet a bit early but my room was ready at the over 150 year old Hotel Paulin which remains in family hands. Gerard Paulin and his wife Karen greeted me and made suggestions for my stay in the area. That first day I took it easy and simply went to the local beach down the walk from the hotel and tool photos and collected sea glass.

The day was a bit cloudy as I headed out for the day. First up was the Acadien Village but unfortunately I am 3 days early (only opens June 8). Oh well, off to the surprisingly fun Maritime Acquarium in Shippagan. Documentary clips take you through the start to end of catching / harvesting snow crab, shrimp, lobster, oysters, herring, halibut and haddock (the delicacies of Atlantic Canada). This was followed by actual acquariums of those and many more Atlantic coastal marine life. Finishing up was the live pool of the fishermen's pest, the seal, and a touch pool of lobster, scallops, and loads of other crustaceans. Watching the staff member feed the seals was made more interesting by the school bus loads of kids that were also in attendance.

Next I drove across the bridges to the island of Lamèque and it's village of Sainte Cecile which contains a church that is plain on the outside but psychedelic on the inside.

Back across the bridges to Shippagan and I stopped off at the local fishing port to observe fishermen offloading their catch of snow crab and lobster.

The day concluded with a multi course culinary dining experience at Hotel Paulin.

1: Fresh whole grain baguette with Salmon Pâté and Duck Pâté. Both made with locally source protein.

2: Deep fried oyster and scallop fritters with a sweet chilly sauce. I normally don't care for oyster but this one was fantastic. And the scallops were the best I ever had.

3: Crab legs with a green salad, string noodles, mango and Asian spices. Perfection.

4: Main 1. A full 1.5 pound lobster. Again perfectly cooked and cut do that we novices don't splatter and struggle too much . Served with lemon infused melted butter.

5: Main 2. Filet Mignon with garlic and onion mash, peppers and fiddle heads.

6: no room for desert, just off to bed after 3 hours at the dining table.

Road trip

My last day dawned with completely overcast skies and rain. OK weather to head off on the journey to get to Edmonton with 1 night stops until 2 nights in Winnipeg.

All of my New Brunswick photos can be seen at: