On beautiful Mt Desert Island, Maine

 

 

 

En route north to Mt Desert Island we stopped at a lobster shack and enjoyed our first lobster roll. This comprises lobster meat inside a hot dog roll with Mayo and lettuce. Fran had the lobster and lettuce, no roll. Lobster shacks are mostly painted red and are small food outlets beside the road. Usually on the shabby side but always attracting a crowd. Many have large wood fired boilers out the front going full bore. One cartoon we saw on a paper placemat depicted a lobster talking to a man saying "did you say you're taking me home to your hot tub? Cool!"

We enjoyed superb weather on Mt Desert Island and cracked out the shorts for the duration of our stay there. The main town on the island is Bar Harbor which is full of shops of all kinds, restaurants, ice creameries, cafes and, on our first day, hoardes of tourists from two massive ocean cruise boats. We discovered a great coffee shop in our first excursion into town. The guy outside told us that it had the best coffee in town....."You can even get a flat white" And sure enough, there up on the board was listed "Flat White, the Aussie way". Adrian was game and had one, declaring it was his best cup of coffee for the trip.

The park has stunning scenery and loads of hiking trails from easy strolls to death defying climbs. One of those is aptly named the Precipice trail. We did not attempt that one! The park is also criss-crossed by numerous carriage trails built by Rockefeller and now only accessible to bikes, hikers and horse drawn carriages. We did several good walks alongside the ocean, through the woods, around lakes and along boardwalks....and not a moose to be seen (despite Fran keeping a wary eye out) or a bear or a beaver, but stacks of squirrels ! We did see a snake and Fran's reaction was as you would expect. She jumped back in fright landing on Adrian's foot. We are very glad we included this part of Maine in our itinerary.

 

We drove down to Bass Harbor and saw the lighthouse which is still operational and read about the many chores of the lighthouse keeper. He didn't like doing the brass work which seemd to consume much of his time.

 

Today we drove to Portland, Maine staying at an airbnb place. The host family are upstairs and we are downstairs. They have been very welcoming and given us some good ideas for exploring the region tomorrow. At Wiscasset, 75 km north of Portland, we found Red's Eats, a lobster shack with a big reputation and a large following. Our host, Mary, in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, had told us about it, but we'd forgotten where it was until we saw the sign and the queue. Much to Fran's delight, they offered to make a lobster roll with gluten free bread ... And it was obviously delicious. Didn't take long to eat. Adrian, dedicated husband that he is, queued as well (for 40 minutes in the cold wind), but did not have one as his stomach was playing up. He did have a small taste of Fran's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In Camden on the coast

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Mulburn Inn, a house built as a family home in the early 20th century. Former house guests included Marilyn Monroe and Joe di Maggio, Cary Grant and Thomas Edison. The morning we left the Inn at Bethlehem we ventured to the base station of the Mt Washington cog railway, the oldest cog railway in the world. The ride up is slow and steep, with the gradient at 37.41% in one part. We saw a moose on the way up, but he was stuffed. Still it sucked most of us in when first pointed out by our brakeman. Apparently we were lucky to experience one of the 30-40 days when the weather on the summit is clear. You can see by the ice in the photos how cold it can get up there. The ice is formed in shards and has an unusual structure, due to the strong winds that blow as it forms.

Wheres the gin and tonic?

 

 

Stove in Mulburn Inn gift from Thomas Edison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary, our host with Adrian

 

Down from the summit we bid adieu to New Hampshire and its colourful foliage and headed across to the coastal town of Camden in Maine. It has a very picturesque setting with a pretty harbour and the coast is dotted with many islands. The architecture here is just as we had imagined it....lots of white clapboard houses and picket fences and well kept gardens. With our dinner last night we enjoyed a bowl of lobster corn chowder, which was gluten free but very rich.

Today we sailed Penobscot Bay on a two masted schooner, described as a classic Maine windjammer, built in 1927 and now fully restored. The deckhand, Jeff and captain and owner, Aaron kept us entertained with tales of sailing life. We were on board with lots of other friendly folk including one couple who had sailed on the same boat 20 years ago on their honeymoon. It was a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

 

 

Tilting!

 

 

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Leaf peeping

We are now in the state of New Hampshire and have become leaf peepers. Since last we posted, we stayed one more night in Montreal at an African themed hotel called Hotel Kutuma. We felt like we were on the set of a Tarzan and Jane movie. The restaurant called Le Nil Bleu served Ethiopian cuisine, typically eaten with your hands. Adrian's meal was served with rolls of injera, a pancake like consistency. The idea was to break off pieces and use it to pick up your stew like food. A bit of a challenge !

 

Greyhound Canada took us from Montreal over the border to Burlington, in Vermont. At the border everyone was requested to front up to the counter to face the inquisition. Some people were not as easily "processed" as us. One girl, a Pollyanna look-alike who looked as though butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, was taken into the back office, as had happened to a few others, but was in there for 25 minutes, while the whole bus waited for her.

 

We enjoyed our time in Burlington, and Vermont in general. We went on a tour of Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory, but they omitted to tell us when they collected our entry fee, that there was no ice cream being made that day! Still we had a good view of the maintenance crew hard at work and a sample of ice cream to follow. The highlight was the graveyard where headstone are provided for flavour combinations that weren't a success. Each headstone had a corny rhyme that explained its demise, such as

"Peanuts, popcorn, mix them in a pot, plop them in your ice cream, well maybe not"

We also enjoyed taking ourselves on a tour of some of the 106 covered bridges still in existence in Vermont today. The reasons for covering bridges are diverse but include the protection of the bridge decking, to add strength to the structure of the bridge and, in the past, to prevent horses being spooked as they travel above a raging torrent below.

 

 

 

In New Hampshire we're staying in Bethlehem where our host is Mary! She is a young woman in her 30s, who is very personable, a great cook and loves a chat. The other guests here have all been very pleasant and we have had some good conversations around the breakfast table and after returning from dinner out at various restaurants in the area.

In both Vermont and New Hampshire we have seen many signs warning us of moose crossings, but we weren't sure whether they saunter out of the forest and stand in the road or gallop across. Adrian reckons it depends on what sort of mood they're in. It wasn't until we visited the Flume Gorge visitor centre and saw a model of a bull moose that we fully realised how huge they are. Adrian is pictured here with Max the Moose. A sign nearby provides clues on how you can tell if you are too close to a moose in the wild. The bottom line reads "if a moose charges you, be afraid for your life".

We certainly did not want to meet one face to face. Apparently they are very unpredictable, but also very dumb. If you run behind a tree, they might charge straight past!

New Hampshire has provided us with great leaf peeping. The colours are becoming really vivid, if somewhat patchy. Tomorrow we are off to the coast and into another state, Maine, where we will be sampling the lobster, a speciality of the area.

Doing some train spotting!

 

 

 

 

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In Quebec City

 

We have really enjoyed our stay of 4 nights in Quebec City. We are in a self catering apartment built in 19th century in the high part of the old town inside the city walls known as le haute ville. A terrific location within walking distance to most attractions. The old town is divided into two main sections, the high part and the low part or basse ville. Navigating between the two requires some stamina and some fortitude, particularly when you're told that the staircase between the two is called the Break-your-neck stairs, so named because of the fate of many sailors trying to get back down to their ships after a night of wine and debauchery.

 

A walking tour on the first day allowed us to get our bearings and learn lots about the history of this area and Canada generally. As with many towns throughout Europe, Quebec City is set well up above the river using the natural geography to assist defence. Quebec was originally settled by the Frenchman, Samuel de Champlain in 1608. The site was chosen as it was the narrowest point of the St Lawrence river and cannons strategically placed on both sides could bombard any invaders. In 1759 the French were defeated by the British in a final battle that lasted less than 30 minutes. Both leaders, James Wolfe and Marquis de Montcalm, died in this battle. Following that victory all the French settlements from New Orleans up to Quebec and beyond became British, which changed the face of North America and the future world. It was not until 1867 that Canada became a country in its own right.

A program sponsored by Louis XIV saw 800 young women between 12-25 emigrate to Quebec and Montreal to improve the gender balance and foster marriage and family formation. They were known as the King's Daughters. Some well known "celebrities" descending from such women are Hilary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Madonna and Lady Gaga.

The Québécois have retained their French language and it is more commonly spoken than English. They are very friendly welcoming people who are tolerant of outsiders attempting to speak French and only getting it right some of the time. Fran's attempts in French usually evoked the question "do you speak English?"

Fran celebrated a birthday on Sunday and we enjoyed an aperitif in Bar 1608 and dinner at Le Champlain, both located in the magnificent Chateau de Frontenac which was built as a hotel.

 

 

A guided tour of Parliament House was very interesting. Their chambers are decorated in green and red like ours, but Quebec province no longer has an upper house. The gardens were beautifully kept including vegetable plots in prime position at the front with a sign which read nourriture a partager which means food to share. Didn't see anyone grabbing a tomato or a sprig of parsley for their evening salad while we were there!

We have been surprised at the day time temperatures whuch have been hovering around 14 degrees.....very cold for Queenslanders......which again had us rugged up in coats, scarves and hats, well Fran was anyway. Guess if we're here to see the autumn colours, those temperatures are necessary.

We are back on the train tomorrow at lunch time to Montreal for one more night, before heading into the US and collecting our hire car at Burlington airport in Vermont. Fran has downloaded an app called leaf peepr which tracks the progress of the colours in all the regions of North America. They're "on the turn" but we suspect we may be a little too early to see them in their full splendour.

 

Adrian making an impression!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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En route to Quebec City

The trip from Niagara to Toronto was interesting although we were surprised at the flatness of the countryside and the volume of strip development along the roads. The whole area reeked of past hey-days. Much of the countryside between Toronto and Montreal was marshy lowlands.

We enjoyed our time in Montreal and the three days there passed very quickly. Our hotel, Hotel Epik, is a charming small boutique establishment on Rue St Paul west, right in the centre of the old town and behind the Cathedral. Some of the streets had cobble stones and were tricky enough with flat shoes, but we saw many a stiletto trotting past. Certainly there was some chic dressing, so Fran enthusiastically donned her Italian wool hat and not just to be fashionable. It kept her ears and head very snug against a biting chill at times.

We purchased a three day metro bus which enabled us to easily get around using the efficient metro system and the buses. One of our trips included a visit to St Joseph's Oratory on the top of Mont Royal which provides a good view of Montreal and the surrounds. Pilgrims to the site approach the church on their knees, so one staircase is reserved for them....and a slight concession, those stairs are made of wood, not concrete. Don't think it would make much difference!

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon on Friday as the sun started to shine we hired bikes and rode along the Canal de Lachine. Passing a lock we stopped to reminisce about our adventures last year along the Burgundy canal in France, but saw no activity -- nor any crazy Australians swearing and struggling with ropes and out of control boats.

 

A stop at Atwater Markets and a late lunch gave us the fuel to get back on the bikes and head off over the St Lawrence River to Parc Jean Drapeau on the Ile St Helene where we saw the pool and the open water course where the recent FINA World Masters swimming championships were held. The weather was too cold for swimming now though. It was there also that we decided to venture out a very short way on the Gilles Villeneuve racing circuit where the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix is held each year. We were at risk of being mown down by dangerously serious, Lycra clad, end of week cycling enthusiasts. They must have wondered what was ahead of them when they came upon Ma and Pa Kettle tootling along in their wet weather gear on rent-a-bikes. It was slightly un-nerving and Adrian, bringing up the rear, was heard to shout "keep right" and "get over" as yet another peloton zoomed past.

 

 

That night we met up with Fran's friend Joy and husband Dave for a pleasant meal in downtown Montreal. Joy is spending time in both Canada and the US on a Churchill Fellowship.

Our last day in Montreal was very wet so we headed to indoor destinations and as the weather deteriorated further, we purchased a couple of neat umbrellas. In search of a good coffee, we stumbled upon a Nespresso outlet and enjoyed a very nice brew. Adrian's coffee looked more like a Guinness when it arrived!! We spent a very pleasant last few hours in Montreal having a late lunch in a bistro in the old town before heading for the station.

 

 

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In Niagara Falls, Canada

We arrived at Niagara Falls yesterday morning driven from Buffalo airport by a very chatty taxi driver from Pakistan who took us on an unscheduled brief tour of "downtown" Buffalo (to collect his mobile from his home! He did ask us first...fortunately a flat rate fare). Buffalo appears to be very run down with high unemployment and full of empty office buildings. He painted a pretty grim picture with African Americans, Puerto Ricans and Asians all living in different parts.

 

The falls are impressive comprising the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls. We rode on the Hornblower boat to the base and got absolutely soaked, although some protection was provided by the very fetching pink ponchos. Fran's red leather jacket underneath was not a good choice, as the dye leaked out all over her white and brown cotton jumper which has not survived the first day of the holiday and will be left behind here!!

Apart from some attractive gardens, the tourist centre of Niagara Falls appears to be very tacky!!! The "Fun Strip" was lined with such attractions as The Haunted House, Castle Dracula, "Rainforest Cafe" in the shadow of the Falls Casino and the Guinness Records Museum. Also a wax museum with a sphinx out the front and its side kick, the snake, appearing every now and again (like a cuckoo in a clock) singing "Snake, Rattle and Roll". Oh and did we mention that Elvis was there to greet us in an outdoor eatery after we exited the tourist shop after the cruise. It gave us a good laugh with Adrian shaking his head in disbelief. We then turned the corner and saw that Clive Palmer has been here to, with golf on a less grand scale....only putt putt ......accompanied by the ubiquitous dinosaurs.

 

 

 

Tonight Fran is up to her usual tricks, having researched the best places to eat using Trip Advisor. We will be walking 2 km to dine at the chosen restaurant - AG Inspired Cuisine. Adrian would have been more than happy with Tony's Steak, Seafood and Ribs underneath our hotel. Who knows Elvis might hade made a guest appearance?**

Needless to say the day we left Australia was VERY long. We arrived in LA only 1 hour after we left Peregian Springs! Groundhog Day. At LA airport en route to NYC, Adrian's boarding pass had TSA precheck noted, usually assigned to those over 75 or under 18. This meant he could leave his shoes on and proceed through without the body scan. Fran obviously looked more threatening. The boot was on the other foot ( he he) at NYC airport en route to Buffalo where Adrian was subjected to the full security ordeal.

A little treat on the JetBlue flight - a bag of animal crackers - full of "enriched wheat". See un-eaten samples....but not for long!

Today we are off to Montreal. Better brush up on our French!

**The dinner was worth the walk and there...... just a few paces away was another Tony's Steak Seafood and Ribs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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