Kim's Thoughts

I went on another incredible bus adventure! This one was an eleven day trip up through Maine and into Canada to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick and back. This was a Diamond Tours package offered by First Choice Travel in Batavia – the agency I have traveled several times with and always have a great experience!

I have been to all the places this trip was going to – sort of….I took a New England / Canada cruise on Royal Caribbean in October 2015 with stops in Portland, ME, Bar Harbor, ME (which we had to skip because of fog), Saint John, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. But, we were in each port just a few hours and only saw what we could see on the shore excursions we chose. I had also seen quite a bit of Maine, including Bar Harbor, when I went on a New England motor home trip with my brother and sister-in-law in October 2017. So, when I first thought about taking this trip, I wondered if it was worth the $$$ to go to places I had been before…..until I read the detailed itinerary!!! We would be seeing soooo much more and spending soooo much more time in soooo many more locations…..I couldn’t resist it! And…..I was not one bit disappointed or sorry I decided to go! It was FABULOUS!!!

A few general comments before I get into the details:

For adventures of this length and as full of activities as it was, I generally break the trip details out into multiple posts, but I’m determined to do this one all in one post…..it’ll mean it’s gonna be a long one, but that’s OK this time…..wish me luck!!! hahaha

A funny story to start us off….I have a friend I went to school with and belong to the same church who now lives most of the year in Florida – I text him now and then to say “hi” and did so a couple weeks before the trip. He said he was going to be up in the area for 5 or 6 weeks or so and I told him we needed to get together when he’s here, but that I was going to be away July 7-17 and told him where I was going…..he said “you’re not gonna believe this, but I’m going on that same trip!!!” What are the odds??? So — it was cool that we got to share some meals and catch up during the trip. We also found out almost the end of the trip that there was another guy on the bus that was just a couple years behind us in school that we knew his older sisters and have some mutual friends with – it really is a small world!

Here is Greg and me at Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park on Day Three.

There were 41 of us — 43 counting Kathy and Rachel! Here is the whole motley crew (minus Rachel – she was busy doing something with the bus and didn’t join in the photo shoot) in our group photo taken at French River on Prince Edward Island on Day Seven:

Several of my fellow travelers hoped to see moose on the trip….and, you know I am always happy when I get to see critters of any kind. Well, we saw lots and lots of pine trees…..some osprey nests (one that had an osprey in it)…..some deer…..but, not a single live moose — we did see lots of moose crossing signs, stuffed moose, moose statues, but none with an actual heart beat that moved!!!

I promised myself I wouldn’t get on the scales for at least a week after returning home to avoid having a heart attack due to all the wonderful food I ate over the course of this 11-day trip (and the food was amazing – every meal – even the ones on the “normal” side)! But, as usual, I didn’t listen to my own advice and got on the scale the morning after my return…..but, was pleasantly surprised to see it read exactly the same as the morning I got on the bus to start the adventure of a lifetime……makes me wonder what might have been the result if I had make more healthy choices along with all that walking!!!???

Mother Nature was VERY kind to us! It rained our first travel day — no big deal cause we were on the bus all day, except for meal and rest stops. For the rest of the trip, the weather was STELLAR!!! Warm, sunny, gorgeous blue skies…..even the days it was quite hot, there was a nice breeze and the heat wasn’t overpowering at all. The morning we were at Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy, it was chilly and damp, but we really only needed a light jacket and then it warmed up for the afternoon activities. Thank you, Mother Nature!!! Also — we were far enough east that the Canadian wild fires didn’t impact us at all — the air quality was perfect and no smoky smog and by the time we got home, the worst of it here was pretty much gone, too! We were so very blessed!

Every one of our hotels were wonderful! I didn’t hear any major complaints and the few little glitches were fixed and all was fine. The rooms were clean and comfortable and very welcoming. I made note of some of the “Best of” categories…..these are just in my never to be humble opinion and in no way take away from the very nice facilities at each of the hotels we stayed at:

Best Bed – Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel, Marlborough, MA – I sunk into this bed and it wrapped itself around me to make for an amazingly comfortable sleep!

Best Outdoor Space – County Inn at the Mall, Bangor, ME – The hotel looked like a southern mansion with a huge front porch with rocking chairs and gardens. Many of us sat outside to chat and enjoy the gorgeous evening after we checked in. Simply lovely!

Best / Most Beautiful Hallway / Interior Design – Quality Inn Garden of the Gulf, Summerside, PEI – the hallway with the rooms facing it had lanterns and gardens and was stunning! Wait till you get to my info about Day 6 and see the photos….definitely deserves this recognition!

Best Shower – Quality Inn Garden of the Gulf, Summerside, PEI wins this category, too! It was a walk-in shower, # 1 – big plus in my book from the get-go! And, the pressure coming from the rain-style shower head was pretty darned incredible!!! I could have stood in it all day!

Best Pillows – Fairfield Inn, Moncton, NB – while the bed in the first hotel was amazing, the pillows in this one were over-the-top fluffy and full and worthy of the dreams they helped bring to life for me!

Best Blow Dryer – Fairfield Inn – Moncton, NB – yep, the Best Pillows place also had the best blow dryer! Pretty much all hotels have one and they are usually pretty basic and do a decent job. But, this one…..well, it had POWER!!! Definitely got my attention in the best way possible!

Best Staff – Best Western Plus, Fredericton, NB – I actually can’t say enough about the staff at all the hotels – any I had any contact with, anyway. But, the front desk staff here just seemed to really love their job or at least give the illusion of it! The girl struck up a lovely conversation with me about where we were going the next day and the trip so far when I bought my bottled water before going up to my room. Then, when she saw me taking photos in the lobby, I heard her say to the other guy at the desk “hey, she’s taking pictures” and when I looked, they both hammed it up for a pic….AND…..the housekeeping staff left me a sweet little note with a positive comment on the night stand….gave me a good giggle and made for a great way to end my day!

Best Name – Best Western Merry Manor Inn, south Portland, ME – self explanatory…..just a cool name!!!

So…now let’s get into the nitty gritty details of the trip, shall we?

DAY ONE – Travel Day

We gathered behind the Quality Inn in Batavia to board the bus about 7:30 am for an 8:00 am departure time. I found out that we had Rachel as our driver – YAY!!! The team of Kathy (tour manager) and Rachel (driver) make for a fun and perfectly run adventure – I’ve been on other trips with this pair and it was great!

Kathy starts off each day welcoming everyone on board with a free hug, a theme of the day, and a sticker for our name tag that represents the theme – and, when possible, decorates the bus accordingly, too! She really goes out of her way to make us all feel special and set the tone for fun and positivity! The them for Day 1 was: “Be Kinder Than Necessary” and the sticker was a Smiley Face!

Our first stop was a NYS thruway service station in Mattydale, NY — I can’t say I’m much of a fan of the new facilities NYS spent the big bucks to put in! They are small and cramped inside, not much of a choice for food if you want to eat, less bathrooms than previous facilities (big negative for buses), and the snacks are expensive! I looked for a fairly healthy snack and picked up a bag of trail mix — it was very good trail mix, but it cost me just shy of $14!!! While I really did enjoy eating it, it was the last thing I bought at any rest area for the duration of the trip! hehehe

Then, as a surprise treat, we found out our super driver, Rachel, brought smiley face cookies that Kathy passed out for our afternoon snack…..just as we passed the exit to Chicopee, Massachusetts…..now the cookies put a smile on everyone’s face….and I got a huge chuckle out from the fact that we had smile cookies in Chicopee!!! (it doesn’t take much to amuse me, can you tell???)

We had lunch at a Chic-fil-A (not sure where we were) and then about 4:30-ish, we made it to our first hotel – the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center in Marlborough, MA (my “best bed” winner). It was raining as we arrived, but not too bad – it was the only real rainy day we had and we weren’t doing any sight-seeing, so we were fine with it.

After we checked in and performed a “brush & flush”, we loaded back on the bus to go to dinner at a nearby Olive Garden. I had the Shrimp Fritto Misto appetizer – I get it often at Olive Gardens as a meal cause it is a lot to eat and is so very good. I was exhausted when we finally got settled in for the night – I crashed in that amazing bed and literally died!!! I slept like a baby and woke up refreshed!

DAY TWO – Portland, Maine

We got up, had breakfast at the hotel….very nice….and made our way to Portland, ME.

Kathy greeted us with “bee” antennae for the theme of the day: “In a world where you can BEE anything, BEE yourself!” The sign said “Adventure Ahead” and our name tag sticker was a Bee!

After killing some time along the way with some fun trivia games, like guessing the commercial slogans and others, we arrived in Portland about lunch time. There were several restaurant options, but I knew right where I wanted to eat — I hoped that Portland Lobster Co was still there!!! My friend and I ate there the day we were in port on the cruise we took in 2015 and we LOVED it — a classic lobster shack-type place right on the water and the food was amazing! I spotted it as the bus drove by looking for a place to drop us off, so I made a “BEE-line” (see what I did there with the theme of the day?) for it! I ordered a lobster roll with fries and it was perfection in a bun – the kind with butter, not mayo – just the way I like it! Kathy and another fellow traveler – Sue – joined me and we had a lovely lunch together overlooking the waterfront.

After, I strolled around the waterfront area taking photos and enjoying the warm sunshine!

I like to get refrigerator magnets from places I visit – I used to spend a lot of money on souvenirs and gifts and stuff and try not to do that anymore. Just a little something to remember my trip by that doesn’t need to be dusted or take up too much space – a refrigerator magnet is just the thing! I happened to spot a local artist selling some of her painted items and she had the cutest magnets on canvas! I couldn’t decide which one I liked the best, so I got them both!

We made our way to our next hotel – Country Inn at the Mall, Bangor, ME (my best outdoor space winner). We stayed here two nights while in the Bar Harbor / Acadia area.

After we checked in, we gathered to go to dinner at Applebee’s in Bangor. We had to pre-select from three different options: Three Cheese Chicken Penne, Oriental Chicken Salad, or Double Crunch Shrimp – I chose the Double Crunch Shrimp and it was delicious (although, I failed to get a photo before I devoured it)! Everyone seemed to enjoy their dinner. It was still daylight when we got back to the hotel, so many of us thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor space and the beautiful evening.

DAY THREE – Bar Harbor / Acadia National Park

After another full and restful night’s sleep and a good breakfast, we loaded up and headed to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.

Today was our last day in the US before crossing over into Canada, so the theme of the day was Patriotic! Kathy played the Star Spangled Banner while we boarded the bus, had the bus decorated with flags, our sticker was a flag, and she recognized the veterans on the bus! We recited the first verse of America the Beautiful: O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain; for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. There wasn’t a dry eye on the bus!!!

We made our way to Bar Harbor where we picked up Mark – our first of several step-on guides. Step-on guides are local people who join us on the bus and tell us all about what we are seeing and take us to cool places. On the way, I spotted this sign and snapped a photo through the window of the bus — it cracked me up! I’m often saying “Not my circus, not my monkeys!”, but I like this one much better and just might steal it!

Here’s another cool pic I snapped on the way to pick up Mark – it went well with our theme of the day:

We picked up Mark at the Agamont Park in Downtown Bar Harbor and proceeded to Acadia National Park.

Our first stop was at a lovely garden park:

I took a few photos from the bus window — they don’t tend to come out too good because of the glare and filtering of colors, but here are some….just excuse the poor quality:

We stopped at Thunder Hole — a spot where the waves crash up into a little cove and explode into the air! The last time I was here in 2017, I was able to walk down the steps and got drenched by the waves! This time, I stayed up on the overlook (my back doesn’t cooperate with some of the fun stuff anymore), but still found the views to be so incredibly beautiful!

A few more “through the glass” shots taken after we left Thunder Hole:

Our last stop in Acadia was at the Jordan Pond House. They are famous for their popovers with butter and jam. We weren’t going to be there very long – we had to decide if we wanted to do the scenic overlook or get a popover……I chose the popover….and I’m not apologizing for that choice – it was a good one!!! hehehe

We got back to Bar Harbor and said goodbye to Mark — he played the harmonica for us – a tune he called “Krusin’ with Kathy and Racin’ with Rachel”! He was a fun guide!

It was lunch time – Mark made a recommendation and said that was where he was going. Several went to join him. I actually had something totally different in mind! Both times I was in Bar Harbor in the past, I had booked a boat cruise that went to all the lighthouses around the harbor and both times, it was canceled due to fog (in fact, the first time, our cruise ship couldn’t even let us take the tenders into the port because of extremely dense fog). So, I went to the tour place to see if there was a chance I could take a boat tour….unfortunately, the one I wanted was just a morning tour and the others either weren’t timed right for me to be able to do it or were full! UGH! So, I headed toward the place that Mark suggested for lunch…..I didn’t make it – another place caught my eye and I had lunch at Stewman’s Downtown and it was AWESOME!!! I had a whole lobstah and a dozen mussels…..yeah, that sounds like a LOT, but lobster isn’t terribly filling and mussels are small….I ate it all!!!

Then, I strolled around to walk off my lunch and get some photos. It was a beautiful breezy day and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!

Dinner that night was Uno Chicago Grill in Bangor – back near our hotel. We had another wonderful meal – I had the burger sliders and they were very good!

While in Bar Harbor, I picked up a bottle of Old Soaker Blueberry Soda – they are famous for it and I had it before – it’s an acquired taste, but actually not too bad once you get past the first sip or two. And I got a moose shaped maple candy. Both went in my suitcase and came home with me – I’m drinking the soda while writing this post!

The next morning, we loaded back up to continue our journey.

DAY FOUR – Travel Day to Canada

Our theme for the day was Canada – Kathy played “O Canada” for us and shared some facts about Canada. Our sticker was a maple leaf and the bus was decorated with alternating Canadian and American flags.

Going through customs was a breeze – we had a very nice customs agent who made the process easy – we didn’t even need to get off the bus – she collected all our passports and declaration forms in a basket and took them inside to process them, brought them back out to us, and she even gave us some suggestions for lunch nearby!

We went to a plaza in Woodstock, NB just after the border that had several fast food type restaurants. I and several others went to A&W – I have never been to an A&W restaurant, so thought I’d try it. It was really good!!! I wish I knew where there were some near here…..it must be like a McDonalds in Canada – they are all over the place! The burger was delicious – like I would make at home. I regret that I didn’t notice that they had root beer floats before it was too late to get one!

It was a long travel day to our destination for dinner in Truro, Nova Scotia and then to our hotel in Enfield, NS. We played Bingo and other things to pass the time…..Kathy’s candy basket got a lot of action! hehehe

They warned of moose crossing….but apparently, none needed to get across any of the road we were on!

We had dinner at Frank & Gino’s Grill & Pasta House in Truro, NS. Our choices were Penne Rustico, Vegetarian Penne Rustico, or BBQ Chicken – I had the BBQ Chicken and it was pretty tasty – I’m not usually a chicken breast fan (I prefer dark meat), but this was not dry and had a good flavor.

Our hotel was very nice – Holiday Inn Express & Suites Halifax Airport in Enfield, NS. The bed was HIGH – it was hip high on me!!! I learned on my last trip that when the hotels have those really high beds, I can call down for a step stool and they bring one up for me so I can get in bed without a major struggle, so I called and they brought one right up for me. We stayed in this hotel for two nights while we explored the Halifax, NS area.

DAY FIVE – Halifax – Peggy’s Cove and Lunenburg

After breakfast, we were on our way to Halifax, NS!

I was excited about today’s tour…..Peggy’s Cove!!! I love watching Sullivan’s Crossing on CW and a lot of it is filmed there! Our theme of the day was Lighthouses and our sticker was a lighthouse in honor of Peggy’s Cove. Kathy’s inspirational message was a long one that I couldn’t get all down, but it started “God gives us lighthouses to get us through the storms….”.

We picked up Thelma – our step-on guide for the day. Thelma was awesome! She was with us all day and showed us all around the area. Our first stop was Peggy’s Cove. Thelma told us the legend of an orphaned girl who came to the cove and was “adopted” by the residents. They named her Peggy and that is how Peggy’s Cove got it’s name…..there was a lot more to the story, but I was too busy looking at the scenery and listening to actually type it all into my notes…..but, you get the drift! She told us there are several locally written books about Peggy of the Cove. I’ll have to look them up and read more about it….someday!

It was “Artist’s Weekend”, so there were many artists set up around on the rocks and along the various water fronts painting or sketching or photographing the amazing beauty that is Peggy’s Cove!

I was totally in awe of this place…..the blues were so vivid and the rocks were so majestic and the lighthouse stood statuesque in the midst of it all…..just phenomenal!!!

And there was a guy playing the bagpipes…..what a treat!!!

This rock carving commemorated “something”…..I forget what Thelma told us and I didn’t put it in my notes….my bad! But, it was quite amazing to see!

Some “through the window” scenic shots as we drove from Peggy’s Cove:

Then we drove through Mahone Bay – the home of the Three Churches (you can actually see the steeples of two other churches making it 5 total, but the three in front are the focus):

We arrived in Lunenburg by lunch time — I absolutely love quaint little harbor towns with more character than should be legal!!! This one was no exception – it was lovely! There was a craft fair along the wharf with loads of wonderful offerings.

We had time to eat and wander around or relax and enjoy another fabulous weather day! I went to the Old Fish Factory for lunch and had a lobster roll (this one had seasoned mayo, but not enough to make it taste like it was over dressed – very nice!). The roll was different than you usually get with a lobster roll – interesting and quite good and it was served with the best homemade chips I’ve ever had — still warm, crisp, not at all greasy, and they came with an onion aioli dipping sauce — OMGEEEE good!!!

After Lunenburg, we made a stop at one of three cemeteries where those who died in the Titanic disaster are buried. This is the largest of the three burial sites – the other two are a Catholic and a Jewish cemeteries. There are 121 buried in the one we visited with 150 total buried in Halifax. Thelma explained that the first class passengers were mostly taken to New York City for transfer to their home lands, so most of those buried in Halifax were 2nd & 3rd class passengers and crew members. The bodies were given a number in the order they were recovered and identified, if possible – each stone has the # they were given, the date of their death, and name, if known. The smaller stones are the ones provided by Halifax and those that have larger or more ornate stones were paid for by family members. The graves are laid out in the shape of the bow of a ship – I wasn’t able to get a photo that showed that shape, unfortunately. It was a very sobering stop for us.

Dinner was at Montana’s BBQ – our choices were BBQ Pork Ribs, Country Fried Chicken, or Apple Pecan Salad — I chose the ribs and it was an amazing choice — sooooo good!!! Dessert was a cookie topped with the creamiest ice cream….great way to end another incredible day!

DAY Six – Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

On the sixth day we traveled to the “dark, deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean”! The theme is summarized as “We should live deep – live the length of your life and also the depth of your life”. The sticker is a Lobster – in honor of “Lobster Night”. as well as the fact that Prince Edward Island is well known for it’s lobster fishing!

Kathy and I took the “lobster” theme very seriously:

We had to cross the Confederation Bridge – a 8.7 mile long bridge from the main land to Prince Edward Island. PEI is the birthplace of the Canadian Confederation where the first talks took place in 1864 that led to the formation of Canada – much like our colonization and separation from England.

Once we crossed over into Prince Edward Island, we picked up our next Step-on Guide – Norman, who was with us for a little while on day 6 and most of the day on day 7. He explained that Prince Edward Island is known for it’s lobsters, mussels, and oysters and that potatoes are the area’s biggest crop. And, of course, everywhere you look there are references to Anne of Green Gables – the fictional character in Lucy Maude Montgomery’s books that took place on Prince Edward Island.

We stopped at the Milky Way Plaza where we could shop for locally made chocolates and ice cream, among other things. The strangest thing I saw were called “Cow Chips” – chocolate covered potato chips!!! They had samples, so I tried a couple — tasty – salty and sweet – but, not something I would buy a whole package of. We heard that Canada’s chocolate is so much better than ours – their ice cream, too! Our bus took home a ton of Kit Kat bars and other chocolate treats. I admit to enjoying some chocolate from this place and an ice cream the next day and do believe the rumors are true!

I found these two signs in such close proximity to be rather funny……”Cow Crossing” and “Smokin’ BBQ” Hahahah!!!!

Norman then took us to downtown Charlottetown – the capital of PEI, where he left us on our own for the rest of the day. It was a bit too “city” for my taste, but still a very nice afternoon strolling around checking out what they had to offer. It was also our lunch break, so there was that to decide on.

I chose to have lunch at the Olde Dublin Pub – a cool Irish pub with an outdoor patio. I had the mussels and a glass of Guinness (I hoped to get a half pint, it only came in a full pint, so I barely drank much of it, but wanted a wee bit, since I was in an Irish pub). I chose the mussels for a light lunch – I assumed there’d be a dozen on the plate – because later on we were going for our lobster feast, but when they came, there were at least TWO dozen in a big pot!!! But, again, mussels are small, so it wasn’t all that filling…..just really good – so sweet and tender – I ate every one of them!!!

After wandering around a bit, I stopped for ice cream at Cows – Canada’s Best Ice Cream as voted by Reader’s Digest…..I had the blueberry ice cream and it certainly lived up to it’s claim to fame!

The architecture in Charlottetown is incredible!!!

There was a water front area, too, but I didn’t make it down there.

We ended our time in downtown Charlottetown and drove about an hour or so to Fisherman’s Wharf in North Rustico, where we were scheduled to have our Lobster Feast….and a grand feast it was! They brought out drinks, chowder and rolls, and there was a salad bar loaded with salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, fruit, mussels, and so much more…..then, we had our choice of the main event for the meal: lobster, steak, scallops, jumbo shrimp, haddock, or chicken…..of course I chose the lobster – DUH!!! And there was also a huge dessert bar with several different kinds of pies – I had the blueberry! It was a feast fit for a king…..and everything was so good!!!

This trio were playing the washboard and spoons and they sounded really neat — a bit loud in an already loud room, but it was the atmosphere and they were part of that, so it was OK!

After sending my brother a picture of yet another lobster meal (I sent him a pic of every lobster to tease him), he asked me if I was sick of lobster yet…..I was at a loss — I had zero idea of what he was asking me!!!

We took our stuffed bodies on to our next hotel – Quality Inn Garden of the Gulf in Summerside, PEI (my choice to win best hallway/indoor design and best shower awards).

DAY SEVEN – Prince Edward Island / Anne of Green Gables

Theme of the day: “Friends are the stars that light up the dark night – friends are gems”. Sticker: a Green Gem – in honor of Anne of Green Gables and friends (Anne was big on friendship)

Norman returned as our step-on guide for the day. He took us around Summerside, French River, Cavendish, Cavendish Beach in the PEI National Park on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, The PEI Preserve Company (a locally make jam and jelly place) and, the highlight of the day for me – Green Gable Heritage Place!

I was looking forward to visiting the Green Gables Heritage Place – I didn’t read the Anne of Green Gables books when I was a kid – not sure why, just didn’t! I, of course, heard of the stories, so at first the thought of going there was intriguing, but not likely a highlight. Well…..in the month or so leading up to the trip, I started hearing quotes and references to the books it seemed like everywhere I turned! So, I thought I should at least watch one of the movies. I found a four movie series on PBS with Martin Sheen as the brother of the brother/sister team who took Anne in – they lived at Green Gables on Prince Edward Island. By the time I finished the fourth movie, I had fallen hopelessly in love with the stories and the characters and was suddenly VERY excited to get to see the place that inspired the books by Lucy Maude Montgomery – the author who lived on Prince Edward Island. I was not at all disappointed – it was so sweet to go there!

Our first stop, however, was not Green Gables — it was French River – a scenic overlook where we stopped to have our group photo taken by Norman. I put the group photo in the beginning, but will put it here, too, to show how nicely we fit right into this stunning scene!

THEN, we got to go see Green Gables!!! WOO HOO!!!

To answer the following question – a quote from Anne – is “YES IT IS!!!”

A couple young girls portraying Anne and her friend, Diana — they were having the sweetest conversation about their day.

They had stuff to put on for photo ops…..so, yeah….I donned a hat and red pigtails for a selfie (I already had the sun induced freckles – haha)! I also treated myself to a Raspberry Cordial — it was good!!! It, of course, wasn’t the alcoholic version in the book that Anne mistakenly served her friend and made her tipsy, resulting in her friend’s mother saying they couldn’t see each other again….until Anne, in perfect Anne fashion, smoothed it over with the mom!

As we drove off after leaving Green Gables, we saw the osprey nest that had a osprey in it!!! That was thrilling to see!

Our lunch stop was just down the road from Green Gables in Avonlea — a recreation of the fictional town from the books. It was really cute — all the buildings: the church, the train station, etc. are shops and restaurants, but it was still quite sweet. There were several options for lunch – I chose the Turkey Tavern and had the BEST turkey soup with a homemade biscuit – perfect lunch!

We also drove by Lucy Maude Montgomery’s grave site — it is blanketed with flowers, just as it should be!

In the afternoon we finished touring Prince Edward Island with a stop at a beautiful overlook in PEI National Park on the Gulf of St Lawrence, a demonstration on how a lobster trap works and talk about the lobster fishing industry, lots of beautiful potato fields, and time at the lovely PEI Preserve Co (local jams & jellies). Whew!!!

At Gentleman Jim’s we had a wonderful experience…..the guy who greeted us and the waitress were an awesome service team and he kept us in stitches! Our choices were Homemade Fish Cakes & Clam Chowder, Pan Fried Haddock Dinner, Roast Beef Dinner, or Turkey Dinner…..I chose the roast beef (I ate too fast to get a photo….imagine the most tender, juicy roast beef dinner you’ve ever had)!!!

Then we headed back over the Confederation Bridge to leave Prince Edward Island and on to our next hotel – Fairfield Inn & Suites, Moncton, NB (my choice for best pillows and blow dryer).

DAY EIGHT – Bay of Fundy and Saint John

After a good night’s sleep and breakfast, we loaded up the bus and made our way to our next adventure!

Theme for the day: Flowers / Flower Pots and the sticker was a Flower! This was the theme because the Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy are also known as the Flower Pot Rocks because of the foliage that grows out the top of some of the rocks. This was our only chilly day — it was quite cool and windy in the morning and felt damp, but warmed up later in the day.

Our first stop was The Bay of Fundy and Hopewell Rocks….This is the highest tide in the world! During low tide, you can walk on the ocean floor around the Hopewell Rocks….then, a 46 foot tide comes in (52 foot on the Nova Scotia side of the Bay of Fundy) and floods the whole area for kayakers to enjoy!

There was an interactive visitors center with a restaurant that put out a very nice soup and sandwich lunch for us. I had a tuna sandwich with chicken and dumpling soup and a biscuit – very good!!! Since it was so chilly out, we ate inside instead of on the open patio….but still had a wonderful view while eating.

After lunch, we drove to Saint John where we picked up our last step-on guide – Rod! He took us around Saint John and told us all about the city. Some of the things I saw when I was there in 2015 were gone! So, I barely recognized the city — with the exception of the reversing rapids and the sculpture at the place where we had our dinner.

We visited the Saint John City Market — it reminded me of Seattle’s Public Market (Pike Place). Funny – when I was there in 2015, we hopped off the hop-on-hop-off bus we took around the city in the park where Rachel parked the bus so we could get photos on the band stand built for the Queen’s Jubilee, but then just sat on a bench waiting for the next bus – we didn’t know that a block away was this sweet little market place! Go figure….

Then, we went to the Reversing Rapids – as I understand what Rod told us…..the raging tides of the Bay of Fundy comes in and then goes back out with such force that it literally reverses the flow of the mighty Saint John River. Twice a day, you can see the river actually stop flowing as it reverses it’s flow direction! You have to catch it at just the right time to see the phenomenon. But, even during free flow times of the day, it is a monstrous rapids flowing over a gorge that was formed by the collision of continents millions of years ago. These photos don’t really reflect what I actually saw — the rapids were really powerful as they cascaded across the various levels and cavities – the photos look almost calm, which is disappointing. In reality, it was pretty cool!!!

Here are some other photos taken from the bus window as we drove around Saint John:

Many of the streets are lined or have medians with marigolds planted by school students….I took several photos from the bus window, but this is the only one that came out….the others were too blurry!

Our dinner was at Lily’s in Lily Lake Park — the sculpture I remember from my other trip here was still there and I was happy to get to see it again – it is quite impressive. It commemorates the National Day of Mourning which is observed annually on April 28 in Saint John, New Brunswick, to honor workers who have died, been injured, or suffered illness due to work-related incidents. This day serves as a reminder of the importance of workplace safety and the impact of these tragedies on families and communities

Dinner was in a beautiful room that looked like it was used for weddings or conferences. Another Diamond Tours bus arrived not long after us, as well. Our choices were grilled maple glazed Atlantic salmon, Honey Garlic Beef Stir Fry, or Alfredo Chicken & Broccoli Pasta…..I had the stir fry and it was amazing! Dessert was an apple crisp with blueberries….also very good!

Our next hotel was the Best Western Plus Fredricton Hotel & Suites in Fredricton, NB (my choice for Best Staff)

The front desk staff hamming it up for the photo!!! We all laughed after…..

The note left on the night stand from the housekeeping staff — first time I’ve ever had that happen in a hotel — simple message, probably took them all of two seconds to write it, but it definitely made my day!

DAY NINE – King’s Landing and Return to USA

Theme of the Day: Royalty is something you’re born into, but leadership is something you earn and the Sticker was a Crown! This was because we visited King’s Landing in Prince William, New Brunswick.

After I had my usual butter and peanut butter filled nooks and crannies (no banana, though…..boo hoo), we set out for the day.

King’s Landing is a historic farm village like Genesee Country Museum in Mumford, NY, but on steroids!!! We were met by Miss Sear who lead us on a walking tour of the property. She explained that the residents in period costume actually do live there and work the farms.

I broke away from the group here because I had walked about as far as I could…..and rejoined them for the last building – the school house! I’m glad I didn’t miss that one — Mrs. Jewett runs a strict classroom — she repeatedly reminded us that there is no talking in her classroom! We had a math lesson and then she did an inspection of hands – the boys were not to come to class with dirty hands from working the farm and the girls were scolded if they had dipped their fingers into dye…..I was the first to get a lecture about dye on my fingers (nail polish)! The girls were released from class first and we all had to curtsy and say “good day, Mrs. Jewett”! I’m not sure what she made the boys do…..haha

We left at lunch time and stopped at a nearby Denny’s — I was a bit skeptical about Denny’s, but they took a bus load of 43 people on almost no notice at all and very efficiently served us all with a smile and positive attitude! And, I had the French Toast Monte Cristo sandwich – eggs and ham (it also had cheese that I asked them to leave off) on thick brioche French toast dusted in powdered sugar and hash browns…..WOW – I would go back to Denny’s any time to have that sandwich again — it was that good!!!

We then had cross through customs to return to the USA…..this time we had to get off the bus and go inside to show our passports and turn in our declaration forms – it was very efficient and didn’t take too long at all (I was impressed at how quickly they processed 43 people all at once), but it was still a let down after the smoother process going the other way!

Dinner that night was at Buffalo Wild Wings in South Portland, ME…..the only dinner and location that I felt wasn’t as “special” as the rest – even the fast food stops! It was OK…..I had the boneless wings and tater tots that were fine, but the acoustics were horrible, so it was VERY noisy – even in the closed off room we were in and the service wasn’t great…..but, like I said, it was OK, just that we were spoiled by all the totally amazing food and venues up to this point! (BTW – there were more wings and tots – I just didn’t remember to get a pic till I ate about 1/2 of it – ooopppsss)

Our hotel that night was the Best Western Merry Manor Inn (my choice for Best Name….gotta love staying at the Merry Manor)! Another very comfortable and nice hotel!

DAY TEN – Travel Day / Casino Stop

Theme of the Day: “The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket” and the Sticker was a dollar sign $ – all in honor of the visit to Turning Stone Casino at the end of the day!

We drove all day with a couple pit stops and a quick lunch at McDonalds somewhere enroute. We arrived at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY about 4:30-ish for our dinner stop (and whatever else everyone wanted to do – wink wink)

Turning Stone is a HUGE and beautiful facility! It was fun just walking around and looking at the place!

For dinner, there were restaurants, a buffet, and a food court. I checked online on the way and saw they had a delicatessen in the food court that had hot corned beef sandwiches on the menu!!! That got my attention! So, that’s where I had my dinner – the hot corned beef was incredible — tender, juicy, full of flavor on the freshest rye bread I’ve ever had and just enough brown mustard…..it was served with chips and a deli dill pickle that was utter perfection – super crispy and crunchy and tasted like heaven!

I just wandered around for a bit…..I wasn’t going to gamble – I’m not really a casino type of person – I’ve played some slots in the past, but never really got into it. But, I decided that since I was there and it was such a beautiful place, I should at least say I put a couple quarters in to give it a go…….well, I found out you don’t put quarters in, anymore (that’s how long it’s been since I’ve played any slots – I had to get someone to show me how to do it) – they are cash machines, but they take bills now, no coins! So, I had $15 in my pocket and I put it in a penny machine…..my total just kept going down, down, down, until it got to zero! hhhmmm — didn’t even give me the excitement of going up some before it zero’d out!!! hahaha So — I donated $15 to the cause at Turning Stone and had a bit of fun with it. Some on the bus did get back on with more than they had when they got off, but I don’t think we went home with any millionaires! hehehe

There was a bakery that had a display case that could not be resisted…..I got a cookie croissant that looked amazing….it turned out to be a chocolate chip cookie baked on top of a croissant – it was quite good, but not as crazy good as it looked. I had a few bites of it in my hotel room later and tossed the rest – a little too sweet. But, I did very much enjoy a few bites of it!

Our final hotel of the trip was at the Holiday Inn in Auburn, NY — you might wonder why we had another hotel stay so close to home, but it was late and Rachel has strict rules about hours she has to follow….another hour and 45 minutes would have been too much – even for us, since we got into the hotel late. So — one more great hotel and an awesome night’s sleep —- I slept like a log every night I was gone — every hotel was so comfortable and I was so tired by the end of the day that I fell into bed and got the best sleep!!!

DAY ELEVEN – HOME!!!

We got up, had one final breakfast, loaded our luggage on the bus one final time, said our good byes to Kathy and Rachel (to avoid the chaos that comes with unloading when we get to the last stop), and boarded the bus to start the hour and forty minutes or so drive back to Batavia to get in our cars and disperse to our homes near and far!

Theme of the Day: “‘Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home” Sticker: Miss Piggy — to help us to always remember our fearless leader: Kathy Hamm (as if we need anything to help us remember her…..she’s amazing!)

So…..after 11 days, 2 countries, 8 great hotels, many amazing meals, tons of lobster and mussels and shrimp, so many great sights and experiences and memories, 43 old and new friends, countless pine trees (but zero moose), 11 stickers on our name tags, a zillion laughs, and I believe I heard Rachel say just shy of 3000 miles, we are all back to our normal routines – each of us just a tad better off for having participated in this great adventure together! Thank you to First Choice Travel, Kathy, and Rachel for making this trip available and for getting us all there and back safely and with as much humor and fun as a person can stand!!!

I’m not sure why it always amazes me that these trips put 40+ people together from different backgrounds and personalities and we quickly bond and become friends……while there are people on each trip that I’ve traveled with on prior trips and on this one there was even a surprise old friend on board, it still gives me the “warm fuzzies” when I share a table with new folks or get to know the people sitting around me and find that we have so much in common and so much to talk about…..it’s a great thing to experience!

I’ll leave you with two parting photos to end this with a chuckle…..I saw these signs in two different bathrooms in different locations on the same day. The first I was grateful for – I’m not sure I would have known what to do without it…..and the second I’m thinking apparently means it is for those who really, REALLY gotta go….anyone dancing with their legs crossed are allowed to use this facility!!!

Till the next great adventure…..