Days 1-2 (May 17-18, 2024): Pam’s Arrival in Moncton and First Day in St. Andrew’s

 It has been a rough spring for us.  I've been training for the Parole Board since April 2nd and, with the exception of one week off, have been away for six weeks in Ottawa and Moncton.  So we decided to do a little getaway together to St. Andrew's, New Brunswick for the Victoria Day long weekend.

Pam finished school at 11:30AM, drive home, jumped in an Uber, and left the Halifax Via Rail station at exactly 1PM.  The train rolled into the Moncton Via Rail station right on time at 5:15PM.  We did a walk along the Petitcodiac River, while we waited for the famous tidal bore to arrive.  It was scheduled for 6:40PM, but it actually showed up 20 minutes early!  Early arrivals probably explain why, after trying to see the tidal bore over the course of three decades of business travel to Moncton, I had never succeeded until today!

No visit to Moncton is complete without... St. Hubert, a treat we cannot buy in Nova Scotia.  We picked up our chicken and headed to the Four Points by Sheraton, where we were booked to stay for the night, and dug into the most delicious St. Hubert ever!  ;-)

After a nice hotel breakfast, we headed out at 9:45AM for St. Andrew's, arriving just before noon.  The Algonquin Resort was magnificent, as always.  The afternoon was spent wandering the main drag in town, with all its shops and cafes.  The annual Paddlefest was on, so the town was buzzing, just as it would be in the peak of summer.  Low tide was at 3:22PM, so we were able to explore the ocean floor, which is always a neat thing to do.  We had dinner at the hotel's pub and called it an evening.

The temperature only reached 14C, but it was a beautiful day.

Via Rail train #15 pulling into the Moncton Via Rail station.

Pam disembarking.

We finally saw the tidal bore, which arrived 20 minutes early.

Our favourite - St. Hubert with spicey piri piri sauce!

The Algonquin Resort in St. Andrew's, NB.  We were last here in August 2021, during the 'pandemic summer'.

The general manager sent this lovely gift basket to our room! A warm welcome. 

Six deer strolled down the street across from the hotel.  St. Andrew's is just that kind of quiet town.

The view from our room, looking over St. Andrew's.

Low tide exposes the floor of the harbour.

Our picnic lunch overlooking the harbour.

There is a definite New England vibe in St. Andrew's.  The USA is visible just across the harbour.

The Guardian Drugs on Main Street has this throwback-to-the-70s thermometer.

The historic blockhouse helped defend St. Andrew's in the 1800s.

A few hours after this was taken, these rocks were underwater.  The amazing Fundy tides!

This is the town plan from the 1800s.  Isn't that an incredible layout?