Tag Archives: Canada

Looking Ahead

August 31, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Things have been quite busy since returning from our road trip to Southwestern Ontario. We managed to get out for a day trip to Perth but otherwise have been staying close to home.

The end of the summer travel season is a time to pause and consider what adventures lie ahead. Music certainly seems to be at the forefront, with 5 major concerts between now and April. This October, I’ll be traveling out of town to attend one of those “bucket list” concerts that I honestly thought I’d never get to see. Stay tuned for my report on that!

I have already set aside some time in early 2016 for skiing. The dates have been chosen but the destination is still very much a work in progress. One thing is certain: given the “candidates” that are in the running, it will be a spectacular setting.

As for the shorter term, the plans are for more local travel…and hopefully to burn through some more of the frequent flyer points and other rewards that I accumulated during my big year of travel. Some of those points will expire soon and I will need to do something with them. I’ve often entertained the notion of going on a low-cost last-minute trip and, if my schedule allows it, I might be able to do that this fall.

Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more difficult to take advantage of most frequent flyer programs. With blackout periods, “service” fees, and nasty itineraries involving 18-hour layovers between one-hour flights, some of these “rewards” seem illusory. I prefer to use my points on travel but may well be forced to cash them in for gift cards if I can’t make the logistics work for me.

Zebras are apparently black with white stripes...not white with black stripes — Zebras are apparently black with white stripes…not white with black stripes

Regardless of whether I can squeeze in some last-minute trips, I will still be posting on this blog. However, the posts will likely not be as frequent for the next few months.

The pictures from today’s blog are from the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials. This annual event was held earlier this month just east of the city at Grass Creek Park. I had never attended before and will admit to some skepticism about the event. However, it was actually fascinating to see the border collies herding the reluctant sheep. It is amazing what these dogs can do.

Kingston Police Canine Unit demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials

As our family once had a majestic (and bilingual) German Shepherd, I was also very interested in seeing the police dog demonstration put on by the Kingston Police at the Sheep Dog Trials. The police dogs are actually German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois crosses but the characteristic intelligence and determination of the German Shepherd was very much in evidence.

Kingston police dog attacks the "bad guy" during a demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials — Kingston police dog attacks the “bad guy” during a demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials

Other dog events included an agility competition and “dock diving”. There were many dog lovers at this event and it was also fun just to look at the other dogs in attendance. We were briefly tempted to import a Shepherd from Belgium after seeing the puppy pictured above!

I’ll be back soon with more travel writing and photos!

Posts from the road

Surprising Facts about Goderich

August 20, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Goderich, Ontario, Canada)

Many towns have a central square, but Goderich has an octagon! Each of the vertices has a street running out from it, so that it looks somewhat like a Union Jack when viewed from above…and this is apparently what the town planner had in mind. The edges of the octagon form a two lane (one-way, counterclockwise) street that contains most of the downtown’s shops and services. In the centre of the octagon is the county courthouse.

The octagon is surprisingly large, but I was more surprised by how disorienting it was. After walking more than one block, it becomes very difficult to figure out where you started and how far you have travelled.

The movie theatre on Goderich's "Octagon" — The movie theatre on Goderich’s “Octagon”

While the octagon was strange, I had a much harder time believing the story of the salt mines. Goderich claims to have the largest salt mine in the world. It is under Lake Huron; a huge salt bed was accidentally discovered there in 1866 when a flour mill owner was searching for oil. Of course, Lake Huron contains fresh water, which makes it difficult to visualize how a huge salt bed could be found here. And yet, there it is!

The salt bed is so huge that it stretches some 5 kilometers under the lake. Just north of the town beach, a series of blue industrial buildings houses the mining complex. While “working in the salt mines” has a rather negative connotation to most of us, it is actually a desirable job in Goderich. The mine currently employs 500 people and there is apparently another 100 years of salt left. If you use Sifto salt, chances are it comes from Goderich!

On our last evening in Goderich, we went to jail. Voluntarily, of course, and for the purposes of a special interactive Gaol Tour that is offered twice a week during the summer months. Volunteers from the community dress up in period costumes and set themselves up in various rooms of the (now decommissioned and also octagonal) Huron County Gaol.

The former railway station in Goderich; now a restaurant on the waterfront

Not only are they dressed appropriately, they also “exist” in the late 19th century and talk to you as if you are a visitor to the gaol at that time. References to electricity would, for example, result in complete confusion. All of the inmates were very interested in the fact that we were from Kingston, as even then they would end up in Kingston Penitentiary if they received a substantial sentence.

One of the exercise yards at the Gaol in Goderich

We learned that many of the “residents” of the gaol were there for the then-crimes of insanity or vagrancy. Entire families could end up behind bars because one or both parents were accused of vagrancy. A very large percentage of the residents were also illiterate. Another striking theme was how bored the residents were. While they had a relatively high degree of autonomy within their respective cell blocks, there were essentially no learning opportunities or programs to reduce the risk of future offences.

Two of the inmates working in the kitchen at the Gaol in Goderich

We didn’t know about any of these places before we started to research our trip to Lake Huron. In fact, we didn’t know about the salt mine until we got here! However, the combination of interesting sights and a proud community made Goderich an excellent choice as a Huronian home base. Stay tuned for more tales from the road!

Posts from the road

Sunsets and a Tornado

August 18, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Goderich, Ontario, Canada)

For nearly two hundred years, Goderich has been famous for its spectacular sunsets. This town of about 8,000 people lies on the shore of Lake Huron (“Ontario’s West Coast”) and faces directly west. This means that the sun is clearly and vibrantly visible as it sets over Lake Huron at night. In fact, the sunsets can be viewed twice: once from the beach and again from the high bluff that overlooks the beach.

As you can see from today’s photos, I decided to take a lot of photographs of the sunset. This is one of those “essential local experiences” that I wanted to capture on film. Both locals and tourists were walking up and down the town’s long boardwalk to view the sunset; many others parked their cars facing west and prepared to watch the sunset from the comfort of their vehicle. This scene repeats itself every summer night.

Goderich is well aware of its beautiful sunsets. Once a week, a group of bagpipers “pipes down the sun”. Many local artists paint or photograph the sunsets. Goderich would be perfectly happy if sunsets were the only natural phenomena associated with this well-kept community. Alas, August 21, 2011 changed all that.

On August 21, 2011, a Class F3 tornado struck Goderich with almost no warning. Wind speeds reached an incredible 300 kilometers per hour. The tornado raced through Goderich’s unique downtown and caused an estimated $130,000,000 in damage in only 12 seconds.

We saw pictures of the wreckage: it was horrifying, with buildings ripped apart and massive trees uprooted and scattered all over the town. Miraculously, only one person died but 37 more were injured.

West Street Willy's - We ate at this Goderich Restaurant. It was rebuilt after the tornado — West Street Willy’s – We ate at this Goderich Restaurant. It was rebuilt after the tornado

The recovery from the tornado has been swift…but not surprising. Goderich has had a long history of winning titles such as “Canada’s Prettiest Town”. Meticulously prepared flower beds are everywhere and are signposted with the names of the local residents who are looking after them. Even though the tornado has obviously changed the face of the town, Goderich is still winning these competitions.

This civic pride is evident everywhere. The streets and parks are startlingly clean; if a visitor leaves rubbish behind, a local resident is likely to pick it up and dispose of it.

Some of the many boats at the marina in Bayfield, Ontario

About 20 minutes south of Goderich is the village of Bayfield. The vast number of sailboats in the harbour attest to its popularity with boaters. It was not hit by the tornado and is recommended in many guide books for its shopping and historic inns. While the main street is undoubtedly quaint and the village is scrubbed just as clean as Goderich, it also didn’t seem to be quite as real. As the sweltering heat made shopping a low priority, we decided to return to Goderich for some local ice cream.

Stay tuned for some fascinating facts about Goderich and an unexpected jewel in the middle of southwestern Ontario!

Posts from the road

Moving on to Lake Huron

August 16, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Goderich, Ontario, Canada)

After reluctantly saying goodbye to our turret in London, we took the scenic route to our next destination of Lake Huron…a lake that neither one of us has ever visited.

We started with a quick look at the University of Western Ontario (which now seems to prefer the name Western University of Canada): it was essentially unrecognizable to me, as it has been more than 20 years since I last visited.

St. Marys even had a massive opera house!

We pressed on to the small town of St. Marys; it is also known as “Stonetown” due to the limestone quarries and huge cement plant. Many of the older buildings reminded us of Kingston, as many of them were built from the locally quarried limestone. It’s a relatively busy place, even though it is not on any major highways, and is even the home of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame! For some reason, St. Marys seemed happier than most of the other places we have visited so far on this road trip.

The spectacular limestone Town Hall in St. Marys, Ontario

Next up was Stratford. Like London, Ontario (which is located on the Thames River), Stratford is naturally located on the Avon River. It also is the host of the Stratford Festival – an annual theatrical extravaganza that focuses mostly (but not exclusively) on the works of William Shakespeare. There is even a village named Shakespeare a few miles to the east.

Not surprisingly, Stratford caters to a relatively affluent crowd. I’m sure our ridiculously cheap lunch in St. Marys would have cost us substantially more if we had ordered it in Stratford. We looked into seeing a theatrical performance here, but nothing really appealed to us. After wandering around the downtown core, we headed west on Highway 8 to our next destination.

Another large town hall in a small town: this is in Seaforth, Ontario

Highway 8 was a pleasant drive through a series of small towns (Mitchell, Seaforth, Clinton) that I knew little about, other than suspecting that they were probably heavily into hockey and curling…and therefore worthy of my respect. Due to road work in the middle of Mitchell, we selected Seaforth as a place to get out of the car and walk around. It had some grand buildings (see photo at the top of this post) and an unhurried pace…so unhurried, in fact, that many shops and services were already closed up even though it was only 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon!

An outstanding Thai Beef Salad ar West Street Willy's in Goderich, Ontario — An outstanding Thai Beef Salad at West Street Willy’s in Goderich, Ontario

We arrived in Goderich, our home for the next two nights, just before dinner. I’ll be writing more about Goderich in future blogs; for now, I just want to say that our dinner at West Street Willy’s was excellent. It wasn’t a Thai restaurant, but somehow I found a “Thai Beef Salad” that has to be one of the best and most refreshing salads I have ever had. This Thai thing is clearly getting out of control but I am enjoying it while it lasts.

Our current home: the Colborne B&B in Goderich, Ontario

We’re staying at the Colborne B&B: it is an impressive Victorian home perfectly situated in the downtown core. We don’t have a turret but there are plenty of turrets elsewhere in this fascinating town on Lake Huron. Stay tuned for more details!

Posts from the road

The Roads of Elgin County

August 14, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(London, Ontario, Canada)

We decided to avoid too much planning on our full day in London. We started off by visiting the Covent Garden Market: a large covered market with (mostly) food-related stalls. The variety was impressive and I was about to take a nice overhead picture…until I realized that I had forgotten to return the memory card from my computer to my camera. For me, the market was the highlight of downtown London. We returned there for lunch where I relapsed and once again had some Thai food.

The historic Town Hall in Aylmer, Ontario

It was too nice a day to stay in the big city, so we elected to hit the road after lunch (with my camera fully loaded this time) and visit some nearby towns. We started in St. Thomas, home to about 37,000 people. Sadly, it has recently been hard hit by plant closures (including a Ford automobile plant) and the downtown was awash in empty storefronts. We saw quite a bit of this in London’s downtown too: hopefully, things will have turned around by the time of our next visit.

Another view of the pier in Port Bruce, Ontario

Moving east, we stopped in the small but relatively prosperous town of Aylmer. It is the home of the Ontario Police College and also serves the surrounding agricultural region. I was very surprised to find both a Dutch deli and a radio station broadcasting in Low German! We also discovered that there is a substantial Mennonite community here.

An 1854 "cottage" at Port Bruce, Ontario — An 1854 “cottage” at Port Bruce, Ontario

From Aylmer, it was only a short hop to the shores of Lake Erie. We decided to dip our toes in the water at the low-profile waterfront village of Port Bruce (see photo at the top of this post). It looked like the kind of place where people have been quietly returning for generations…but haven’t been telling anybody else about it and haven’t changed anything. It was very peaceful for a beach village on one of the Great Lakes.

Sparta, Ontario

Driving inland once again, we passed through an area with strong Quaker roots and stopped in the historic village of Sparta. Although the village is quite small now (only a couple of hundred people), it has had a fascinating history and was booming during the 1870s when it had a population of close to 1,500 people.

We decided to continue with the time-traveling theme and visit the New Sarum Diner for dinner. It is just about the only business in the hamlet of New Sarum today but many years ago there was a whole lot more going on. The diner used to be a corn-cob pipe factory (!) before becoming a White Rose gas station and diner in 1943.

The 1943 New Sarum Diner in New Sarum, Ontario

The diner has been operating continuously ever since. While a slightly more formal dining room was later added at the back, the original diner is still open for business with the original furnishings…and a substantial portion of the original menu! I kept getting up to look at all of the historic photos and memorabilia; one of the diner’s old menus was even on display. One notable omission from today’s menu is “beans and wieners”.

While the seating may not have been that comfortable for 21st century tastes, it was nonetheless a very enjoyable (and well-prepared) dinner. The original soda fountain is still in place and I just had to have some of their famous rice pudding for dessert.

You can still order Meat Loaf at the New Sarum Diner

We returned to London for some evening shopping and did a little bit of planning for our departure from London in the morning. We’re heading towards another lake!

Posts from the road

On the Road…to Paris?

August 12, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(London, Ontario, Canada)

Our summer road trip has begun!

We met some friends yesterday for a hike at Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area, just outside of Milton. The park is located along the edge of the Niagara Escarpment; some of the trails are at the very edge of the steep cliffs. It’s a little disorienting to have such dramatic views of flat farmland! As most of the trails are in the forest, it’s also a great place to escape the hot summer sun.

Rock climbing at Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area (near Milton, Ontario)

As we had all worked up quite an appetite, our friends brought us to a recommended Thai restaurant on Main Street in Milton (Canada’s fastest-growing community!). It was an inspired choice: Thai House had a diverse menu and served excellent food. We would happily return there some day.

View from Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area (near Milton, Ontario)

After a night in the unlikely destination of Mississauga, we set off to the historical village of Kleinburg and the McMichael Collection. This is a very famous collection of Canadian art, with a particular focus on the legendary Group of Seven and Tom Thomson. While this part of the collection was obviously a big draw, we also enjoyed the “new” Group of Seven (actually the Professional National Indian Artists Inc.). This “new” group was formed in the 1970s and included prominent aboriginal artists such as Norval Morrisseau and Daphne Odjig.

Selections from the Group of Seven at the McMichael Collection (Kleinburg, Ontario)

It felt like the trip from Mississauga to Kleinburg took forever, due in part to the urban sprawl in the Brampton area. The old part of Brampton was nice enough but the endless suburbs, strip malls and “power centres” were rather discouraging…and doubly so on the way back, as heavy rain lasted for a couple of hours. We wanted to avoid controlled-access highways such as the 401 but were slowed considerably by the extensive development has taken place since the last time we drove through this part of the province.

Modern arhictecture at the corner of Hurontario and Burnhamthorpe in Mississauga, Ontario

We finally emerged from the sprawl just outside of the town of Dundas: as we travelled west, our spirits brightened even though the rain persisted. Our first stop was in the very old town of Paris (another place with a French connection!): most stores were already closed but it had a quaint downtown (see photo at the top of this post) that we would like to visit again someday. There was even a store called “A Swiss in Paris”: I’m sure that there is an interesting story behind this gourmet cheese shop.

Our next stop was in Woodstock. This is where my car was made and it surprised us with 2 vinyl record shops within a couple of blocks. Record-shopping is always a fun way to unwind and I managed to find an unexpected gem from the 1980s (thankfully with no “1980s drums”!) before long.

After a long day on the road, we finally arrived in London. We’re here for a couple of nights and are looking forward to our first proper visit to the largest city in southwestern Ontario. Our home here is the beautiful Idlewyld Inn just south of the downtown core. It’s a rambling 19th-century house that has been converted to a rather upscale inn. Our room is spacious and even includes a turret!

After getting our bearings, we went to nearby Wortley Village…and had another great Thai dinner! This time it was Mai’s Cafe and Bistro; the food was very fresh and well-prepared. While it was very enjoyable, and Thai is probably my favourite cuisine at the moment, we will try to have some non-Thai cuisine tomorrow. London has a lot of restaurants; I’m sure that we’ll have no problem finding something!

Posts from the road

A day in Napanee!

August 8, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Napanee, Ontario, Canada)

As some of you know, we will soon be departing on a road trip…the arrangements have all been made but I’ll keep the actual destinations a secret. As a warm-up, we decided to spend a day in the nearby town of Napanee and visit its annual agricultural fair.

Prize-winning poultry at the Napanee Fair

Somehow, I don’t think I’ve ever been to any of the local fairs. I visited the provincial Ploughing Match in Joyceville as part of a Grade 4 field trip and might have stopped by the Kingston Exhibition once…but that’s about it. Being seriously allergic to horses (which was confirmed by accidentally encountering horses at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto about 25 years ago), as well as a lingering minor allergies to cats and feathers, has made me reluctant to spend much time around farm animals.

Vegetable competition at the Napanee Fair

Anyway, I thought it was time to see a local fair…and to see whether my horse allergies had abated in the intervening years.

We started with the exhibition barns. I felt kind of scratchy in the poultry barn and in the “rare animal barn” (which contained some ponies) but was fine around the cattle and in the goat/sheep arena. Quite apart from the allergies, I was reminded of how far removed suburban living can be from rural living and how little we think about where our food comes from. It was strange to see the cute young alpacas…and remember how much I enjoyed alpaca steak in Peru.

A young alpaca playing hide and seek at the Napanee Fair

After looking at the craft and food exhibits, we moved on to the midway (see photo at the top of this post). We weren’t interested in any of the rides but we did wonder about the demanding lifestyle of those who work on “the fair circuit”. While it is largely limited to the summer months and early autumn, the days are very long and the workers are always living in cramped portable accommodations in between moves from one fair to the next.

After the fair, we thought that we’d visit downtown Napanee and see how much it had changed. We haven’t been in Napanee much recently, but recalled how its downtown was reeling from the arrival of big box stores (including a Walmart) near the 401 highway. The last time we were there, it seemed like the downtown consisted mainly of “dollar stores” and empty storefronts.

The County Memorial Building in Napanee - I spent quite a few hours here as a law student — The County Memorial Building in Napanee – I spent quite a few hours here as a law student

I am pleased to report that the Napanee downtown appears to have turned the corner. While some areas are still somewhat patchy, there are plenty of new and unique businesses that offer an alternative to the more generic retailers near the highway. Many of them were closed for the day by the time we arrived but we both found stores that we want to check out on a future visit. There were even some interesting new (and independent) dining options downtown.

This is what we’re hoping to see more of on our upcoming road trip. We’re staying in some historic and characterful places and will try to choose shops and restaurants that aren’t found in every other Ontario town. This sometimes takes a little more work but the research has been enjoyable.

Stay tuned to see where we end up!

Posts from the road

Back on the Rock

July 26, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Pouch Cove, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada)

After greatly enjoying the novelty of visiting France, we’ve returned to Pouch Cove for two more days before heading home. The weather remains cool and dry, at least by Ontario standards. Many Newfoundlanders are complaining about the humidity!

We paid a return visit to the Afghan Restaurant in St. John’s, this time remembering to take a picture of our food. An early afternoon shopping trip went well; actually, probably a little too well. We ran overtime and didn’t make it to the Provincial Legislature building until 3:20 p.m…by which time it was too late to have a tour of the legislature.

The Confederation Building in St; John's - home of the provincial legislature — The Confederation Building in St; John’s – home of the provincial legislature

I don’t think we were meant to see the legislature on this trip: when we tried to visit last week, the guide was sick and nobody else was able to give tours in her place. We’re actually starting to amass a collection of “missed” legislature tours: the Nunavut legislature building in Iqaluit was closed for renovations when we were there in 2013, as was the New Brunswick legislature building in Fredericton in 2009.

Vegetarian lunch special at the Afghan Restaurant in St. John's — Vegetarian lunch special at the Afghan Restaurant in St. John’s

I still was able to take pictures of the Confederation Building (which houses the legislature). It is very distinctive; there is something almost Soviet about it, especially considering the scale of most of the other buildings in St. John’s. If I had ever been to Warsaw, I would say that it reminds me of the Palace of Culture and Science building there.

Downtown St. John's — Downtown St. John’s

For our final dinner in Newfoundland, we went to Chafe’s Landing Seafood Eatery in the picture-postcard village of Petty Harbour (see photo at the top of this post). Known far and wide for its fish and chips and seafood specialties, it is a landmark destination that we somehow missed on our previous visits to Newfoundland. I opted for the shrimp and chips and it was very good: much fresher than what we are used to in Ontario.

We were sidetracked on our way back home by another iceberg: this was a new one, as it was in Torbay and therefore north of the icebergs we saw last week. We couldn’t get as close to this one but it was still a very impressive sight. There were no whales frolicking nearby, unfortunately.

Before we knew it, our nine-day trip was over and it was time to head for the airport. There are still many things that we haven’t done in St. John’s and the Avalon Peninsula, to say nothing of the many attractions in the northern and western coasts of Newfoundland. And then there’s Labrador…

A distant iceberg, near the East Coast Trail in Torbay

We love the cool Newfoundland summers, even if the wind can sometimes wreak havoc with travel plans. The island’s history is distinct, due in part to the fact that it only joined Canada in 1949. The people also continue to be the friendliest in Canada and seem to truly enjoy having visitors “from away”. I’m sure that we will return again someday soon.

What’s up next? The next major journey will be a road trip during the second week of August. Until then, stay tuned for more flashbacks and travel-related writing!

Posts from the road

Road Trip from Canada to…France!

July 16, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Ville de St. Pierre, St. Pierre & Miquelon, France)

France once had an extensive North American empire. While its cultural footprint remains, New France is now represented territorially only by the islands of St. Pierre & Miquelon. The islands form a self-governing overseas territory of France, having a population of just 6,000 people, located about 25 km off the coast of Newfoundland. It changed hands many times over the years, most recently passing back into the possession of France in 1816. While much of the population claims French descent (particularly from Normandy and Brittany), there is also a significant Basque presence.

Morris the Moose, at the Irving Gas Station in Goobies, Newfoundland & Labrador

I have long wondered what it would be like to visit this most remote piece of Europe. The stars finally aligned this year and we were able to carve out enough time to make it happen. It does take some planning: other than prohibitively expensive flights, the only public access is by ferry from the village of Fortune, Newfoundland. The ferry runs about once per day in each direction during the “high season” (roughly June to September). If you’re lucky and the weather cooperates, the trip itself takes about an hour.

Proof that the Irving Gas Station in Goobies is, in fact, the home of Morris the Moose

But the port of Fortune is by no means easy to reach. It takes more than two hours to get there from Goobies (yes, that’s the name), the nearest access point on the Trans-Canada Highway. Even Goobies is remote; it is a couple of hours west on the Trans-Canada Highway from St. John’s. All of this must be done by private vehicle: there is no public transportation. I kept an eye out for, but failed to see, the legendary moose population of Newfoundland. Already this year, there have been more than 660 moose-motor vehicle accidents in Newfoundland.

Le Cabestan, the summer passenger ferry between Fortune and St. Pierre

After parking the car in Fortune, we boarded “Le Cabestan” and looked forward to a scenic ocean journey to France. This did not happen. We were expecting to combat any potential seasickness by staying outside during the crossing (because of our Icelandic adventure). Alas, for safety reasons, passengers were not allowed outside the ferry’s cabin.

Sure enough, as soon as we left Fortune’s harbour, the boat started rocking. Most of the motion was “up and down” rather than “side to side” but the crew were quickly handing out lots of paper towels and white paper bags. The seats were creaking from the dramatic lurches every couple of seconds. We closed our eyes for virtually the entire journey, hoping that it would be easier on our brains if they didn’t have to deal with the visual disorientation as well.

Arrival in France! Ferry passengers proceed to the border control facility upon arrival in St. Pierre & Miquelon

Everything finally settled down about 90 minutes later when we reached St. Pierre. The flags of France and the European Union greeted us as we disembarked and headed into an old building marked “Douane”. After being processed by the authorities and receiving a very rare St. Pierre & Miquelon passport stamp, we were in France! Check out the colourful “main street” in the photo at the top of this post.

The harbour of St. Pierre, with the customs and postal buildings

Many countries in Latin America use both their own currency and another foreign currency (usually American dollars). However, St. Pierre & Miquelon proudly uses the Euro…and only the Euro. Neglect to bring Euros at your peril! The time is also set one half-hour ahead of Newfoundland time. And despite its proximity to English-speaking Newfoundland, your trip to St. Pierre & Miquelon will be easier if you are able to speak at least some French. Any efforts at speaking the language, no matter how inept, will be greeted warmly.

There are many colourful houses in St. Pierre

Even though it took a bit of preparation, we had a great time in St. Pierre & Miquelon. My next couple of posts will go into much more detail about the unique experiences we had in this fascinating piece of “Overseas Europe”.

Posts from the road

The East Coast Trail

July 14, 2015 pierrev 2 Comments

(Pouch Cove, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada)

While Gros Morne National Park on Newfoundland’s west coast justifiably gets a lot of attention, we’ve enjoyed hiking on the east coast too. Over the past few days, we’ve hiked some very scenic (and very different) portions of the East Coast Trail near the villages of Pouch Cove and Bauline.

Just north of Pouch Cove, Newfoundland & Labrador — The first step is a doozy: just north of Pouch Cove, Newfoundland & Labrador

South of Pouch Cove, towards Shoe Cove, the trail begins with some very blustery and exposed sections just above the shoreline. However, the trail then veers steeply upward into some surprisingly thick and lush forest…it felt almost like the coast of British Columbia! The predominant theme here, however, was the constant roar of the ocean. It is so loud that I thought I was hearing thunder.

East Coast Trail, just south of Pouch Cove

North of Pouch Cove, en route to Cape Francis, the trail quickly becomes dominated by rock…some of it quite loose.

Sharp and loose rocks make up the East Coast Trail, north of Pouch Cove

We scrambled by the evocatively-named Horrid Gulch (site of the 19th-century shipwreck of the Water Witch) and eventually found ourselves with a commanding view of both the remote coast (see photo at the top of this post…and note the size of the hikers on the nearest cliff) and the sprawling village of Pouch Cove. I was thankful for my hiking shoes here: the sharp rocks would have been devastating to ordinary running shoes.

North of Pouch Cove on the East Coast Trail

Next up was the village of Bauline on the northwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula. Walking around Bauline was like stepping back in time. Located under a brooding mountain, its steep streets are lined with lobster traps and its harbour seems to be permanently enveloped by a salty mist. It looked exactly the same as it did when I was here in 2001, with the exception of some new street signs. While Bauline is by no means an isolated outport, it definitely gives you a flavour of life in a remote and historic fishing village.

The East Coast Trail here is different too: the landscape is harsh and there are very few hikers. Bring strong footwear…and be careful on the roads. There are apocalyptic potholes on the road between Pouch Cove and Bauline.

Houses near the East Coast Trail access point at Bauline, Newfoundland & Labrador

Next up is an exciting an unusual international journey: check out my next post to find out which country is surprisingly easy to reach from Newfoundland!

Pierre Vanderhout's Travel Blog

Tag Archives: Canada

Looking Ahead

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Surprising Facts about Goderich

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Sunsets and a Tornado

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Moving on to Lake Huron

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The Roads of Elgin County

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On the Road…to Paris?

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A day in Napanee!

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Back on the Rock

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Road Trip from Canada to…France!

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The East Coast Trail

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The Odyssey Continues…

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The Odyssey Continues…