Where to start? Really, we made two trips to New Brunswick. First, around Shediac, where we basked on Parlee Beach, with a side-trip to Moncton and the iconic Hopewell Rocks. Then, a second trip, to the Acadian Peninsula, where we learned firsthand that people from New Brunswick are just as hospitable as their reputation suggests. I’ll start with Part 1.

 

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“You are in New Brunswick,” announces Grant McRae of Tourism PEI after we cross the Confederation Bridge. As if it were not enough for Grant to show us all around Prince Edward Island, now he has taken us to the neighbouring province!

 

After saying our goodbyes, Joseph, Maya and I relax in our room at the Gabrièle Inn, which was originally built as a church in 1840. We then head next door to the Inn’s restaurant for a gargantuan lobster feast (for a change) and some white wine.

 

The next morning, we head for Parlee, THE beach to visit, according to Canadian Geographic’slist of the country’s most beautiful sand stretches. It is 33 degrees and we have forgotten a minor detail: there are no palm trees here for shade. Without a beach umbrella, we literally bake in the sun. The ads are accurate however: the water truly is warm. Or perhaps our tolerance threshold has gone up a notch in the heat.

 

That evening, we stroll through the charming streets of Moncton. We stop at the Pump House, a microbrewery on Orange Lane (try their blueberry beer!), and at Kramer’s Corner on Main Street (potent martinis) before returning to our temporary nest in Shediac.

 

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The start of another full day. George Le Roc, founder of EastLink ShuttleExpress, agrees to drive us to the Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy. Founded three years ago, his company now offers travel packages (notably to Cape Breton and Halifax in Nova Scotia). The three-hour ride costs about $85 per person (with a five-person minimum, but it is possible to join a group), including beverages, lunch and snacks (and even Internet access in the van).

 

It takes us about an hour to get from Shediac (where the temperature is 29 degrees) to the Bay (where it feels like 5,000 degrees with the wind factor—what was I thinking wearing a skirt!). Here, the highest tides in the world partially cover the “Flowerpot Rocks”, a rock formation created by colliding continents and then sculpted by melting glaciers and erosion.

 

Our guide, Rick, introduces us to some of the Flowerpots. “This one is Brian Mulroney,” he chuckles, in front of a rock formation that looks like a face with a prominent chin. We walk for a good hour on the rocky beach that the tides had completely covered a few hours earlier. The superlatives keep coming: Fascinating. Impressive. Unique.

 

An absolute must.

 

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We leave Shediac for Miramichi, where a shuttle takes us to Tracadie-Sheila. By the time we get to the Complexe des Deux Rivières, it is already mid-afternoon. Hungry and exhausted, we are revived by Daniel Chiasson’s (the director of the complex) dynamic personality. Our bodies still need fuel (and LOBSTER!), so we climb aboard Captain Frank’s “ship”. We enjoy our seafood dinner in the company of Wilfred, smiling down at us from a photo on the decorative boat. No doubt about it, we are definitely in the land of the most famous Acadian fisherman.

 

… the town of Shediac calls itself “The Lobster Capital of the World”?

… the schedule of the tides is variable? Before heading for the Hopewell Rocks, check the times for low tide (if you want to walk on the beach) or high tide (if you want to explore the site by kayak. Info:www.thehopewellrocks.ca or www.lau.chs-shc.gc.ca

… much of the Maritimes is covered by Acadian forest? It is a mix of broad-leaved trees, like those found further south, and trees typical of the northern boreal forest. The most common species in the Fundy National Park of Canada are red spruce, balsam fir, yellow birch, paper birch, red maple and sugar maple.

…humidity is high all year round on the Bay of Fundy? The annual rainfall is 1,500 mm. This is why the region has an abundance of ferns, mosses and lichens.

… the average temperature on the Bay of Fundy is 14 degrees centigrade? But in winter, the water never freezes over because of the constant motion.

 

Tourism New Brunswick: www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/

Town of Shediac: www.shediac.org

City of Moncton: www.moncton.org

Gabrièle Inn: www.aubergegabrieleinn.com

Pump House Brewery: www.pumphousebrewery.ca

EastLink ShuttleExpress: www.eastlinkshuttle.com

Hopewell Rocks: www.thehopewellrocks.ca

Acadian Peninsula: www.peninsuleacadienne.ca (French site)