Today’s port of call is Saint John, a city that sits on the Bay of Fundy, not to be confused with St. John’s, Newfoundland which was our first port of call. The city is famous for the Reversing Rapids, a phenomenon caused by the extreme tides in the bay. The tides here rise and fall by over 50 feet a day making them the highest in the world, the Severn estuary being second, and when they met the fast flowing waters of the Saint John River it appears to reverse the flow. It was here that we made the first stop on today’s trip.
The factory in the background is a paper mill making amongst other products, toilet paper. Apparently it produces this at the rate of a mile a minute. This first visit took place not long after low tide and the river was flowing normally, we would return later to witness the reverse.
We continued on our journey to the small seaside town of St Martin, (it appears that all the settlements around here are named after Saints), part of a UNESCO Geopark. The rock formations which date back to over 250 million years ago feature some magnificent sea caves but you have to be careful not to be caught by the tides.
The town had a number of small brightly coloured shops, which sold locally produced goods including some delicious maple syrup sweets. The local lighthouse has been converted to a very picturesque information bureau.
The shop keepers had decorated their gardens with various bric-a-brac that gave a perfect opportunity for some photographs.
Our guide on the coach gave us many interesting facts and tales of the province such as the history of shipbuilding. It was here that the fastest sailing ship, the Marco Polo, was built in 1850. Unfortunately on launch day the ship moved so fast across the river that it got stuck in the mud opposite where it lay for several days before being released. Luckily no permanent damage was suffered and it went on to beat records for the fastest Atlantic crossing. Full details of the ship and its history was contained in the local museum which visited after lunch (another lobster roll).
The second floor of the museum contained the skeletons of several types of whales including the very large Delilah, which I thought was a very appropriate name for a whale.
After leaving the museum we made our way back to the rapids as the tide had now turned. To be honest the sight was a little disappointing as although the water was flowing upwards it was not as spectacular as the Severn bore. I did wonder however how many miles of toilet paper had been produced in the four and a half hours we had been away.
The last stop on the excursion was the market which is located next to King Square, a park originally built by the British patriots who had moved to the town after the AmericanWar of Independence. They were so loyal to the crown that the paths in the park are laid out in the form of the Union flag.
Once again the weather was very kind to us although it was a little cooler this morning than previous days. We have been so impressed by the people of Canada, they are so polite and helpful that it’s been a joy to visit their cities. It was another busy day so on returning to the ship we relaxed on the balcony.
Tomorrow is our last stop before the long journey back to Southampton.
Ohhh Sylvia. You look very smart in the last pic