Author Topic: Eastern Canada  (Read 3092 times)

deborah

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Eastern Canada
« on: May 24, 2018, 01:08:49 PM »
This year I’m going to Canada for the third time. The first time I went to BC and a little of the Yukon as well as Alaska. Last time, it was Ontario and a little of Quebec. This time I’m going to Newfoundland, Labrador, PEI, Nova Scotia and Quebec in August to October. I have plans, but if anyone has any ideas of what I should do, I’m happy to hear them. I’d also be happy to catch up with forum people.

jrhampt

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2018, 01:47:18 PM »
I love Quebec City.  The walled historic district and the plains of Abraham museum, have a cocktail in chateau Frontenac and eat all the food possible- maple sugar, crepes, ice wine, maple sugar pie with heavy cream on top.  Aux anciens canadiens in the old town has a good prix fixe menu with the Tour the cheese farms in the surrounding area and either bike or drive around Isle d’Orleans and eat everything. 

Montreal my second favorite city in Quebec - I like the waterfront and the botanical gardens and renting a bike to get around and eating a the food (again).

Cape Breton trail in Nova Scotia and numerous hikes

Vineyard on pei and Anne of green gables house tour.

meghan88

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2018, 06:15:16 PM »
As a born-and-bred Quebecoise here, Montreal is the best place in all of North America, in my complete and unabashedly biased opinion.  Walks on Mont Royal, Old Port, Old Montreal, Plateau, Mile End ...

And the food ... try St. Viateur and Fairmount bagel bakeries and argue about which one you prefer.  Line up at Schwartz's on the Main (St-Laurent) and have a smoked meat sandwich with an order or half-sour pickles and a cherry coke.  Little Italy for amazing Italian food, and the church (Madonna Della Difesa) on Dante Street that has a fresco of Mussolini on the ceiling.  It was covered up with a tarp during WWII.  Have some biscotti or cannoli and an espresso at one of the cafes on Dante when you're done.

If you want restaurant recommendations, we've got plenty, just ask.

I love the Maritimes too.  PEI for the beaches.  Nova Scotia is a fab place - hopefully you can tour the whole coast.  Stop for scallops in Digby, watch the tides in the Bay of Fundy, hang out in Lunenburg (old town, a UNESCO heritage site, and home of the Bluenose II).  Halifax is a really cool place to visit too.  The harbour area is full of life.  New Brunswick is very welcoming - it's been years since I was there but I have fond memories of Fredricton and Moncton. 

Newfoundland is awesome and also VERY expensive. Before you travel to the Rock, bring as much non-perishable food as you can carry.  Prices are close to double what they are on the mainland.  If you like to hike, Grosse Morne National Park in Cornerbrook is a must, or you can visit the Viking settlements in L'Anse Aux Meadows (a great franglais name) at the upper tip of the island, or Point Rose, which is closer to Port Aux Basques, where the ferry from the mainland docks.  St. John's is also really nice.  You might also try to get to St-Pierre and Miquelon, which are two islands off the south coast that are actually a part of France.

You will meet some of the friendliest people on the planet in the Maritimes.  Have fun!!

The Fake Cheap

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2018, 08:00:50 PM »
I would be happy to help with ideas.  I'm one of the few Canadian East Coasters around here.  I've lived in NB all my life and have spent a lot of time in NS and PEI as well.  Who is going on this trip?  Family?  Or are you going solo?  What kind of activities are you looking for?  Maybe if you want to give me some stops on your itinerary, I could give you some nearby suggestions.

deborah

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2018, 11:27:41 PM »
I would be happy to help with ideas.  I'm one of the few Canadian East Coasters around here.  I've lived in NB all my life and have spent a lot of time in NS and PEI as well.  Who is going on this trip?  Family?  Or are you going solo?  What kind of activities are you looking for?  Maybe if you want to give me some stops on your itinerary, I could give you some nearby suggestions.

Somehow my reply got eaten when I put it in a month ago. No wonder there haven’t been any replies since! Sorry.

I’m going solo. I went to Iceland and Greenland last year and saw Eric the Red’s homestead on Greenland and several places he lived in Iceland, so part of this is seeing the Vikings on Newfoundland. I’m looking forward to seeing the earths mantle, the Bay of Fundy, remote Inuit communities, the coastline...

The Fake Cheap

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2018, 06:01:25 PM »
I can't really help you with Newfoundland, I've never been there, but I would also love to go sometime.

As for PEI, I find the whole island is very scenic.  I would avoid the Cavendish area, it is very touristy/crowded and overpriced, stay 20 to 30 mins away save $$$ and like I said, you can find basically the same great scenery everywhere.  The same for beaches, there are a lot of great beaches in PEI, but the water on the South side of the island (the Northumberland Strait) is by far the warmest. 

As for the Bay of Fundy I find the best place to experience that is in New Brunswick (I may be partial) from Fundy National Park, also The Hopewell Rocks about 45 minutes away are worth the drive, make sure you go at low tide!

Don't forget to try a poutine,  a donair, and some seafood while you are in the area!  McDonald's actually offers a McLobster sandwich around here if you can believe that, not that I'm recommending it, I'm just saying :)

Jouer

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2018, 07:17:34 AM »
How long are you going to be in Newfoundland? Do you have time to see both the west coast (Gros Morne, Vikings, etc) and the east coast (St. John's, Signal Hill, Cape Spear, etc.)

I grew up there so can offer tons of ideas once I know how long you will be there.

Bendigirl

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2018, 09:40:50 PM »
We are also doing a late September trip to the Maritime provinces...but not Newfoundland.  We are first hopping the train from Vancouver to Toronto.
Luckily we have a relative in St Martins NB, right on the water!  She will assist us in the New Brunswick area...we will then road trip PEI and Nova Scotia.
On our list
Potato museum in PEI (google it)...who doesn’t want to do that!
Lots of hikes
Louisburg, Lunnenburg, Halifax (got the best B and B right downtown), Joggins fossil park (awesome geology in the area), stop at Hope For Wildlife (wildlife sanctuary, PBS show).  That’s what I can remember off the top of my head. We intend to pick the brains of all the B and B hosts for their fav places.

bacchi

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #8 on: July 09, 2018, 09:58:27 PM »
The Potato Museum...haha.

St John's is a great little city. Next time, we'll stay there for a week and use it as a base. It's close enough to the East Coast Trail hikes and exploring the town is a lot of fun.

I'd skip that Viking ruin in northwest NF. Unless you have a LOT of time, it's a long drive for, well, not that much.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #9 on: July 09, 2018, 10:00:38 PM »
I just want to keep reading all these wonderful words.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #10 on: July 10, 2018, 06:04:20 AM »
Joggins is great.  Make sure you go at low tide.

Ishmael

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #11 on: July 10, 2018, 06:55:53 AM »
I'll put in a plug for Sherbrooke Village (NS). What life was like in 1867 - they've been ramping up the experiences side of things, and it's a lot of fun for a day or two. Working with the blacksmith is awesome. Lots of great scenery in the area too.

https://sherbrookevillage.novascotia.ca/

RetiredAt63

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2018, 06:20:33 AM »
If you like historical villages, there is a Celtic village on Cape Breton, starts with a stone hut that is a replica from the islands, and ends up in the 1950's. 

hoping2retire35

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2018, 06:28:43 AM »
following

https://celtic-colours.com/
sounds fun

DaMa

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #14 on: July 17, 2018, 12:38:12 PM »
I'm thinking about a similar trip for next year.  Is the weather in mid September moderate?  Also, does anyone have thoughts on whether a stay at the The Inn at Bay Fortune on PEI would be worth the cost?

Thanks!

Jouer

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #15 on: July 17, 2018, 12:51:56 PM »
I'm thinking about a similar trip for next year.  Is the weather in mid September moderate?  Also, does anyone have thoughts on whether a stay at the The Inn at Bay Fortune on PEI would be worth the cost?

Thanks!

I would go to Newfoundland in the summer. Early summer for icebergs. Late July/first week of August for nice weather. 

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #16 on: July 17, 2018, 01:27:42 PM »
Another vote for eating All. The. Things in Québec City. Notably:

https://www.chocolatsfavoris.com/en - Go to the location in Charlesbourg. It's one of the original 2 locations and is in a really cool historic house.

The public market in St. Foy. Buy berries and then wade in the giant public fountain. http://www.marchesaintefoy.com/marche_public_de_sainte-foy_nous_joindre.html

There are also a ton of fantastic pastry shops all over the place.

The English Library in the old town isn't normally on the tourist route, but it's very, very cool.

The aquarium is also cool, if you like that kind of thing. I used to love watching the walruses, they always seemed so happy. They also have a neat polar bear exhibit. It's huge and gives you a good sense of what amazing hunters these animals are.

There are also tons of beautiful city parks, apart from the Plains of Abraham.

Walk up the Cap-Blanc stairs from the river at the bottom, to the top of the Plains of Abraham. Then go on a tour of the citadel to find out why they're historically important. The staircase is very long, but you can do it! Spawn1 managed it when she was 3.

Ditto the suggestion to drive around the Ile d'Orléans.

deborah

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #17 on: July 30, 2018, 12:43:12 AM »
Thanks very much for all the input. I am going to be:

Toronto - 13/14 Aug
Newfoundland - 14/17 Aug and 20 Aug/2 Sep
Labrador - 17/20 Aug and 2/8 Sep
Nova Scotia - 8/16 Sep
New Brunswick - 16/17 Sep
PEI - 17/19 Sep
Ontario - 19/25 Sep
Montreal - 25/28 Sep
Quebec City - 28 Sep/1 Oct
Quebec - 1/11 Oct

So, if anyone wants to meet up, I would be interested!

Bendigirl

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2018, 06:00:34 PM »
Deborah...we just may have crossed paths!  We just returned from our cross Canada, maritime adventure.  What fun!  Awesome train ride from Vancouver to Toronto, a visit to the falls, beach time in St Martins New Brunswick and a road trip around PEI and Nova Scotia/ Cape Breton. 
Yes, we did the potato museum
Favourite spot was the coast from Louisburg to Lunenburg....gorgeous!
September is a great time, or was this year, with warm weather and lots of sun.  A few steamy days just added to the fun of wave watching!
Highly recommended

deborah

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Re: Eastern Canada
« Reply #19 on: October 02, 2018, 06:59:33 PM »
Too many favourites! Canada is fantastic!