O, Canada! A cruise to the north country fair

by Mary Jo

Relaxing on a cruise is a good way to recover from deadline craziness.  It's also good at providing a real drop-dead date because who wants to go on vacation with an unfinished book hanging over one's head like the Sword of Damocles?  

So I sent Not Always a Saint off to my editor at 1:30 am of the day we left for a cruise of Canadian Maritime provinces and Quebec.  (What can I say?  My Muse likes to live dangerously, alas.)

Eastern Canada has a very long history of settlement by the French and British, and the provinces are as richly individual as the American colonies.  Just as no one would confuse the Massachusetts Bay Colony with Georgia, Quebec and Prince Edward Island are very, very different.  The Maritimes were thriving long before there was a Dominion of Canada.

"Maritime" means 'of the sea,' and the three Canadian Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island are very oriented to the sea, with gorgeous views, lighthouses, and fishing villages.In the map on the left, New Brunswick is green, Prince Edward Island is red, and Nova Scotia is blue. (Map courtesy of Wikipedia.)

St. John, in New Brunswick, is right on the Bay of Fundy, which has the widest tidal range in the world.  We took a coach tour that brought us to the St. John River just as the rising tide was sending sea water up the river.  Lots of churning water and rapids!  Which didn't photograph well, but was impressive to watch.  

Another interesting stop on the tour was the Old Loyalist Burial Ground. It was founded after the American Revolution when many thousands of Loyalists moved to Canada.  After it was closed as a cemetery, it became a lovely park right in the center of town.  Over time, it deteriorated, until in the 1990s, the very rich local Irving family, who seem to own half of New Brunswick (but are said to be nice, approachable people) refurbished the park as a gift to the city.  A centerpiece of the changes is the wonderful Beaver Fountain, which is gorgeous and utilizes an animal that is a classic Canadian symbol.

Prince Edward Island is the smallest Canadian province and is lovely, quiet, and agricultural.  It's famously the home of the fictional Anne of Green Gables, and lovers of the books come from around the world to pay their respects.  

I've not read them so I have no opinion, but a long time friend of mine lives there, and she arranged for a meet and greet at her local library, which was great fun, especially since I did it with my friend, mystery writer Lillian Stewart Carl.

In fact. we took this particular cruise since Lillian and her husband were also on the ship, and it gave us the opportunity to have much writerly gossip.  Since her Fairbairn-Cameron mystery series is set in Scotland and Scots loomed large in settling the Maritimes, her books were spot on for the audience, and we were able to show some of the contrasts of our different genres. 

(If you like mysteries, I recommend Lillian's highly, as does my sister, a major mystery fan.) Here's a picture of us: MJP, Lillian, and Stephanie.  The younger of the two librarians, Ashley, recently married, and she made a delightful bouquet out of book pages.  Perfect for a book lover!

After a wonderful locavore lunch in Charlottetown, Stephanie took us out to the Belfast MiniMills, a remarkable operation that not only spins unusual fibers, like musk ox and Samoyed fur into yarn, but also makes the machinery possible to set up small cottage industry mills all over the world.  Their machines are in dozens of countries, including one mill 14,000 feet up in the Bolivian Andes.  An amazing business, hospitable people, and they had a wonderful gift shop full of warm, fuzzy things!

Nova Scotia is the last of the three Maritime provinces, and the name, New Scotland, tells a lot about the place.  The scenic village of Peggy's Cove has a light house that's one of the most photographed sights in Canada.  That's it with me and the Mayhem Consultant in the foreground.

We also visited Quebec, and our cruise ship was parked right below the magnificent Chateau Frontenac, which is one of the chateau hotels built for the Canadian Pacific Railroad.  It sits high above the St. Lawrence River--I took this picture from the top deck of our ship, which meant I didn't have to aim the camera so high.  I've visited Quebec before, but that didn't make this visit any less lovely. 

Also in the province of Quebec, we visited the remote but lovely little city of Saguenay, which is situated on the fjord of the Saguenay River.  It's an oasis of civilization in the vast wilderness of Northern Quebec, but well worth a visit. (Our tour guide was a retired professor of biochemistry from the local university.  I gave her some of my cough drops since we were both hacking and wheezing. <G>)

I could go on at much greater length about this journey, but I've run out of time and energy, so I'll just say that I want to go back so I can stay longer and see more.  And if you get a chance to visit the Maritimes and Quebec--grab it with both hands!

Mary Jo

Comments

[Cythia Owens]

Hi Mary Jo, so glad you enjoyed some of my little corner of the world. I could almost have waved to you from Montreal when you were in Quebec, one of my favorite cities in the province.And I love P.E.I., been there several times and have wonderful memories of "Anne's House." Next time you're here, I highly recommend visiting Montreal, a wonderful, historical city!

[Kathy Lynn Emerson]

And that big gray area on the map is Maine. Wish you and Lillian could have managed a side-trip when you were so close. One of our most memorable vacations (ages ago now!) was spent in the Maritimes. We had a little pop-up camper and pretty much drove from one end to the other, taking a car ferry, of course, to do the PEI part. We also spent a day at a living history center called King's Landing in New Brunswick.

Kathy/Kaitlyn

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cynthia, I've been to Montreal several times, starting when I was a kid on a family trip, and it's a marvelous city--so beautiful and cosmopolitan. I visited later as an industrial design student, and we marveled at the underground city that made life easier even in the coldest time of winter. Alas, didn't make it this trip.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Kathy--

LOL about overlooking Maine. I love Maine--the Mayhem Consultant's sister and her family used to live in Bangor, which gave us an excuse to visit Bangor and Bar Harbor. (We still talk about the huge "Maine woodpiles" that were stacked up for the winter.) The energy in Maine is just wonderful and invigorating. (At least, in summer.*G*)

In fact, the last two stops on this cruise were Portland and Bar Harbor, but the lovely weather we had in Canada vanished into cold and rain, and I'd been hit by a miserable cold or flu and didn't want to do anything, so we didn't even leave the ship. (I think my body was punishing me for an unusually intense and stressful deadine crunch. Sigh.)

[Lillian Stewart Carl]

Good to revisit our fabulous trip, Mary Jo. And yes, it would have been nice to visit Kathy in Maine as well. Thank you very much for recommending my books :-)

[Anna Jacobs]

Very interesting to read about your cruise, Mary Jo. I'd love to have seen the Anne of Green Gables area. My mother loved the book so much, she named me after her.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Lillian--

My sister has thanked my several times for suggesting she start your Scottish series. *G* She loves your wit and meticulous plotting and knowledge of Scotland. It seems to me that others should have the chance to enjoy them, too!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anna--

So that's where your name came from! Yes, it would be lovely if you could visit. It's a lovely serene place, with some really interesting contemporary elements, like the great locavore restaurants and the minimill. I wish we could have stayed longer!

[Andrea Penrose]

What a perfect reward for Finishing A Book, Mary Jo! The Maritimes are one of my favorite spots! Loved rural charm of PEI, and the red stones on the beach (it's the high iron content, which is supposedly what makes PEI potatoes so special!) The evergreen and birch forests of Nova Scotia are also marvelous, as is Quebec City. Now you make me want to go back . . .but in spring!

[Mary Jo Putney]

So that's why the local potatoes are so good! I'd love to see more of PEI, and spring would be ideal. You're a lot closer than I am, too!

[HJ]

This cruise sounds lovely! I'd really like to visit Canada one day. Ideally I'd start with something like this, then take a transcontinental train but get off it frequently for exploration. Then I'd like to spend time in and around Banff and Lake Louise.

What a good thing the post-deadline lurgy waited until the end of your trip! Too often one succumbs the moment the holiday starts.

[Karin]

I was in PEI and Nova Scotia many many years ago, but I do remember it was quaint and beautiful. The seafood was delicious, and so were the dairy products-so much richer tasting than what we get in the States. And the water was freezing! I'd love to see Quebec some day.

[Laura Resnick]

Looks like a lovely trip! Quebec city is tht only one of those places I've ever been to (but in late November, when it was covered in snow and ice).

[Mary Jo Putney]

HJ, I'm lucky--usually my post-deadline lurgy waits until I'm just about done with the holiday, so I can come home and be sick. *G*

You're Canadian plans sound lovely. Don't forget to save time for Vancouver and Victoria--British Columbia is spectacular.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Karin--Yep, that's the Maritimes! Quebec is gorgeous--it's worth seeing both. I want to go back!!!!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Laura--if you want to see a beautiful city that's beautiful in snow---for about six months a year--Quebec is the ticket. *G* It was nice in autumn as well.