We made four trips to Canada.  The First was in August through New Hampshire and it was aborted because we had our gun in the car.  Since 9/11 this is a major no-no (yikes!).  The second was to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia in September.  The next was a day trip to Campobello, the summer home of Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt.  Finally, in early October, we drove up the St. Lawrence Seaway from Belfast, Maine.  We spent the night in a B&B in Riviere-du-Loup and then drove to Quebec City.  This October trip was off-season with Groupon deals, but the weather was still wonderful (cool, but dry).  Pictures with descriptions to follow.  RECOMMENDATION:  If using Groupon, Booking.com or LivingSocial, find a location, call them first and ask for their best rate.  On occasion, you will find it is less or equal to the online “Deal”.

I have learned, when visiting Mt. Vernon, that a river, lake or ocean facing home (hotel) has two fronts; one facing the road and the other facing the water.  This stands true of The Roosevelt’s Campobello summer home in Canada.

For all visiting Campobello Island the caretakers offer, “Tea with Eleanor” every afternoon. It is a time that she set aside every day, 365 days for rest and conversation regardless of where she was. Our host filled our time with stories about her and her remarkable life.

Campobello Island is a Canadian island located at the entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay, adjacent to the entrance to Cobscook Bay, and within the Bay of Fundy. The island is one of the Fundy Islands and is part of Charlotte County, New Brunswick.

St. Lawrence Seaway and Quebec City

Just to see what the towns and topography of the area was like, we drove up to Riviere-du-Loup on the St. Lawrence before going to Quebec City.

Quebec City, Canada

This is the most European-looking city in North America.  It is so incredibly beautiful, small and feels several hundreds of years old.  The temps were very cool, but not beyond comfort.  We stayed in a very old, lovely hotel.  The rooms were small, comfortable and romantic.  The food and the people were wonderful.  We stayed two nights.  We took a short boat ride down the St. Lawrence River.  We met a precious couple from Monroe, LA.  We invited them to dine with us that evening.  We closed the restaurant down, exchanged addresses and have corresponded.

The Château Frontenac was designed by American architect Bruce Price, as one of a series of “château” style hotels built for the Canadian Pacific Railway company during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  It is the most photographed Hotel in the world.

The Quebec Conference of 1943, at which Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King discussed strategy for World War II, was held at the Château Frontenac while much of the staff stayed nearby at the Citadel.

The old city of Quebec is magical.  It is like a clean New Orleans with flowers, beautiful parks, cobblestone roads and hills.  Every local speak both French and English.  They are warm and gracious.  I expected it to be really expensive (like Ireland/Scotland), but I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the prices were…with one exception.  We were told that breakfast at the Frontenac was a “must do”.  NOT!  Breakfast was $60.00 US.  I told sweet husband that if I spent $60.00 on something, I had better be able to wear it a long time (smile).  No, we did not have breakfast at the hotel.

Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Nova Scotia

PEI is a beautiful, rural agricultural Island with rich farms and rolling hills.  The only main city on the Island was Charlottesville.

PEI is most known for the 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables. It recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm on PEI. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.

It is also famously known for the home of the Acadians who were uprooted by the English.  Two-thirds of the Acadians died in this removal, the balance landed in the region, which is now Lafayette, LA.

Nova Scotia: Cape Breton Island

We took the ferry from PEI to NS, an easy 45 minute ride.

From the harbor in Nova Scotia we drove up to Cape Breton Island where we found a B&B on a golf course along the ocean. This is the first time I have ever encountered anti-American feelings. Our host was rude and made a few remarks which clearly put us in our place. His loss.

Nova Scotia (New Scotland) still holds its Celtic heritage. Much good Celtic music can still be heard all over the island. It stands in stark contrast to the French Canadians on that end of Canada.

It looks so very much like Scotland (at least Cape Breton). It is beauty around every curve. It took us over seven hours to drive the circumference of the island. It was worth every second.  It is rated the second most beautiful drive in Canada after Banff.

THE END (finally)