our new brunswick 'drive through'...

Bonjour. Welcome to new Brunswick...Canada's only official bi-lingual province where the French and English dwell in perfect harmony.  Apparently. 

New Brunswick has often been described as the 'drive-through province'...and that is what we did.  We drove through...and stopped at many places along the way.  And we really enjoyed our tour of this province...with it's charming covered bridges, historic buildings, farm markets, seaside villages and the amazing Bay of Fundy tides.

We spent several nights in the Fredericton area...at a lovely bed and breakfast.  Beautiful old buildings lined the streets...often surrounded by hydrangea gardens.  We don't find many buildings that old on the west coast!

We walked the trail along the St. John River...

...and checked out the 'bridge to nowhere'! I'm sure there is a story behind these concrete bridge supports that are lined up in a row across the river...but I don't know it.  The birds used them as a perch...and I thought they made for an interesting photo.

We visited the Boyce Farmers’ Market early on a Saturday morning where we mingled with the locals...bought plums and apples from the Amish...and checked out the beautiful hand carved wooden items. I'm loving my new giant wooden spoon!

A little further up the St. John River we had the chance to step back in time at Kings Landing Historical Settlement.  We had our own local tour guide for the day...who seemed to know many of the 'characters' who lived there as well as all the historical background. 

 
Kings Landing Historical Settlement is the recreation of a New Brunswick town from 1780-1910....complete with creaking wagons pulled by work horses, the whooshing of hoop skirts, and a restaurant that serves good old-fashioned meals from that era. I had heard from reliable sources that I must be sure to try the King's Head brown bread while we were there.  I did...and was not disappointed! We had a delightful day at King's Landing with our wonderful local host.  Thank-you, Pam!

Our next stop was St. John...where we paid a visit to the famous 'Reversing Falls'...where the highest tides in the world battle the St. John River and force it to flow backwards twice daily.  Though an interesting phenomenon...we thought maybe 'Reversing Rapids' would have been a more appropriate name. While we were there...the fog rolled in and in a matter of minutes, the cruise ship in the port was totally obscured by fog.

From there we carried on to St. Stephen...the chocolate capital and home to The Chocolate Museum. Ganong is Canada’s oldest candy company...founded in 1873...and the maker of the original heart shaped chocolate box as well as the famous pink chicken bones candy. (The yellow American candy once also known as chicken bones is now marketed under another name, since Ganong had the name first.) We debated as to whether or not to tour the museum but when we discovered the entrance fee included 'all you can eat' chocolate..we went for it.  No need for lunch that day!

Next stop...St. Andrews-By-The-Sea. It is Canada's oldest seaside village...founded in 1783 by the United Empire Loyalists.  It's a charming little town...filled with tourists going shopping, fishing, or kayaking.

We continued along the coast...

...and soon found ourselves in Fundy National Park.

Another covered bridge...

...and fish 'n chips on the dock at village of Alma. Note the boats all sitting in the mud...waiting for the high tides to come help them out!

Does that look like New Brunswick to you?  Who knew there were such beautiful beaches on the Bay of Fundy?

Cape Enrage Lighthouse..has been a light station and fog alarm since 1838.  The current light tower is over 140 years old.    You may just remember this lighthouse...if you happened to watch 'The Amazing Race Canada' (season two)...where it was one of the pit stops.

Hopewell Rocks along the Bay of Fundy...where we walked on the ocean floor among rock formations that are known as 'the flower pots'.  One doesn't venture down there when the tide is about to come in!

The main attraction of the Bay of Fundy is the dramatic tide...which can rise as high as a four-story building. And when the tide is out...the mud flats are exposed.  Miles and miles of them. (Or should I say kilometers?)

One more covered bridge and we were out of the park.  After spending the night in Moncton...

...we were off to Prince Edward Island via the Confederation Bridge.  I won't cross that bridge today!

I'll leave you with a few memories of our last night in New Brunswick...spent in Campbellton.

Here it is all about salmon fishing (Atlantic salmon, of course)...the town hosts a salmon festival every summer.  We took in a free 'song and dance' at the local bandstand...mostly in French...and walked along the river.   It was a quiet and memorable way to end our time New Brunswick.

Au revoir. Until we meet again!