Pictou, Nova Scotia ( 58 degrees blue skies, puffy clouds)
We are getting ready to take the ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland in a couple of days. Most of the day was spent with some general maintenance of our rigs but in the morning we headed out with Barry and Jann to the Pictou, a historic town on the pretty Northumberland Shore. This town has a proud history of being settled by Scottish immigrants in the late 1700's.
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| MacGregor Memorial - tribute to a pioneer minister who had great influence on this town |
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| Liliace are blooming everywhere and they are so tall |
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| Grohmann's knives - this "tool" took 3 months to make - 12 hours a day |
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| John's in a lot of trouble now |
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| Hector Square a memorial for 200 Scottish immigrants who arrived in 1793 (a difficult 11 week passage) |
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| Old Post office -note window in chimney |
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| Replica of the ship Hector |
It was an enjoyable way to spend the morning. The weather has greatly improved.
We've been in Canada for a few weeks now. So, what have we learned so far -
- The cities we have visited have been so beautiful. Lovely rivers run along most of them. It's been even prettier than expected
- Canadians are very friendly and helpful.
- It is more expensive to buy just about everything here then in the U.S. and there is a hefty 15% tax . Try to buy toiletries and staples before entering
- People we met in Quebec were friendly than expected
- Roads for the most part are very good, however, all signs in Quebec were only in French and very confusing
- A Garmin or GPS is essential
- Our smartphone special features other then talk and text do not work here unless there is WYFI
- Electricity in some campgrounds can be sketchy. Be sure to have an energy management system to avoid problems in your rig
- Tim Horton coffee shops can be your new best friend - great coffee and free WiFi. They are everywhere
- Have some Canadian money on hand before entering. Many of the campgrounds take only cash Be sure to check exchange fees. They can really vary in Canada.
- Gas is purchased by the liter (3.87 per gallon) and it currently runs about $4.25/gallon for diesel
- Canada is very clean, no trash, streets are swept
- Restaurants do not serve unsweetened ice tea (poor John)
- Many of the tourist attractions do not open until mid June
- Victoria Day Holiday is very busy, be sure to have camping reservation well in advance (last Monday before May 25th)
- Boat tours are a wonderful way to see a city
- Canadian chocolate is fabulous
What did you learn by traveling in Canada?
Favorite city to date - Ottawa!
Tomorrow we go to North Sydney where we will get on a large ferry to Newfoundland. It takes about six hours (weather permitting) and you drive your motorhome and car right on the ship. We are then quickly heading up to St. Anthony for the Iceberg Festival. Large icebergs break off of Greenland and float by this area. We have heard it's a lot of fun and we've been seeing some of the spectacular icebergs on Twitter which are being spotted. Stay tuned!
