Good thing it WAS a fun day at the Bay of Fundy because I've been waiting to use that blog title for a long time. When we lived in Anchorage, AK, many years ago I was fascinated by the amazing tides in Cook Inlet and by the fact that they were the second biggest tides in the world. Since then I have wanted to see the place that ranks as number one, the Bay of Fundy. We entered the Hopewell Rock exploration area in New Brunswick as soon as it opened at 9 AM and stayed for over four hours. When we got there it was low tide and we could walk a couple of hundred yards to the water's edge. Hard to believe that we were entertained for over four hours watching the tide come ... read more

September 7, 2013 We had one last good day on the Gaspesie Peninsula. In 1999, the National Geographic Society listed 50 "Places of a Lifetime" and on this list were the usual icons such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Pyramids. Then in 2009, they created another 50 places this time with an emphasis on authenticity, uniqueness and sustainability. The Gaspesie Peninsula was on that list. We had no idea what to expect when we began the drive but we are certainly glad we did it and would do it again if we didn't have 81 more places on those lists to see! Once again, we had breakfast in our motel owner's home then we were on the road again. Our highlight today was a long visit to the Site Historique du Banc-de-Peche-de-Paspebiac in the ... read more

We were on the road before 8 AM continuing our journey around the Gaspesie Peninsula. We have driven through dozens of small villages most looking very similar, but each offering something interesting. It's interesting that one town can consist of many villages. The villages are usually named for a saint or sainte and the names are made up of several hyphenated words. I am constantly confused about where we are and can never remember the exact name and even if I do remember the name I'm real sure I'm not pronouncing it correctly. We drove through the very pretty Forillon National Park and now regret not taking at least one short walk there. We are now in the very charming town of Perce that is made up of about ten villages, but we are in the ... read more

September 3, 2013 Guitta, our hostess at the Maison Historique James Thompson B&B, fixed a wonderful breakfast for the eight of us staying at her beautiful home in Old Quebec City. Omelets, French toast, croissants, bacon, big bowls of seven different fruits, chocolate muffins, juice, and coffee gave us a good start for another busy day. Guitta is a good person, very hard working and kind. We enjoyed talking with a nice family of four (two adult children) from Paris. We thought it was interesting that the Parisians said that they had difficulty understanding the Canadian French, that it is very "Americanized" with a heavy Canadian accent. They said that when films made in Quebec are shown in France, they often include French subtitles. I can relate...I have had trouble understanding the English language in Belize ... read more

September 1, 2013 We arrived in Montreal early this morning and unloaded our luggage in a locker at our "boutique hotel" in the Latin Quarter since check-in wasn't until 3. The girl at the desk led the way with our "close encounters of the nicest kind" with the citizens of Montreal. Yes, French is the official language here and everyone has greeted us in French. But we've found if we say "Bon jour" and "s'il vous plait" and "merci" that those few words go a long way in convincing people we are worthy of their attention. Almost everyone here can speak English, too, so no problems with getting what we need. It really does seem like we're in a country other than Canada. Joe says the people in Quebec are pretending they aren't in Canada. It's ... read more