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Published: August 25th 2016
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Saint Johns, New Brunswick 23 to 24 August 2016 It was only 1 ½ hrs from St Stephen to St Johns along the Motorway so after a slow start and a couple of phone calls to home by Sheryl and me, we arrived in St Johns at about 11.30am.
Mental note: we tried breakfast at Jim Hortons in St Andrews… not to be done again. Lots of sweet stuff and the latte had 3 sugars in it!!!! Not good for someone who has no sugars. They made me another latte without sugar.
We had no problems finding our hotel which was on the edge of the CBD (which they called ‘’Uptown’’).
We then drove into Uptown, parked with no difficulty and went on a self-guided walking tour around the old area which was established from the 1820s.
It’s interesting that they had án enclosed, elevated walking path between the main buildings in the slightly newer section so that you can stay out of the very cold -30 to -40 degrees in the winter!!!
Saint John is the largest city in New Brunswick and
the second largest city in the Maritime provinces. It is known as the Fundy City due to its location on the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River, as well as being the only city on the bay. In 1785, Saint John became the first incorporated city in Canada.
Saint John had a population of around 70,000.
The Saint John River itself flows into the Bay of Fundy through a narrow gorge several hundred feet wide at the centre of the city. It contains a unique phenomenon called the Reversing Falls where the diurnal tides of the bay reverse the water flow of the river for several kilometres. A series of underwater ledges at the narrowest point of this gorge also create a series of rapids. It was fascinating to watch.
In Saint John the height difference from low to high tide is approximately 8 metres due to the funneling effect of the Bay of Fundy as it narrows. The Reversing Falls in Saint John, actually an area of strong rapids, provides one example of the power of these tides; at every high
tide, ocean water is pushed through a narrow gorge in the middle of the city and forces the Saint John River to reverse its flow for several hours. Fascinating!
After watching the tide come in as well as visit several of the vantage points to view the town and its significant and interesting waterways and industrial factories (pulp mill and brewery). We had a great view from Fort Howe of the Saint John skyline prior to Peel Plaza. After this, we went back into Uptown for dinner along the harbour. There was summer entertainment there and we found a Thai Lemongrass Restaurant and had a beautiful curry. Yum!!
We also visited the City Hall which was where the temporary Visitor’s Centre was while a new one was being built. They were so helpful, not only to guide us on the best ways to see their area, but also to plan our next few days further east along the coast and eventually to Prince Edward Island.
Another fascinating place was the Old City Market which was attached to the elevated covered walkway. These markets are always interesting to walk through, chatting to
the shop assistance from time to time. Fruit, vegetables, bakery, artist and maple syrup were some of the key items for sale.
The next morning after breakfast, armed with maps and booklets of the local region, we headed further east along the southern coast of New Brunswick.
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