The Ups and Downs of Saint John – New Brunswick, Canada

Saint John, New Brunswick; image from flickr by GregHickman

The Reversing Falls in Saint John, New Brunswick- Image from flickr by GregHickman

St. John, New Brunswick is about half way up the Bay of Fundy, which separates New Brunswick from Nova Scotia. It is another quaint town with plenty of shopping and interesting things to do. 

What we did: 

She said: 

Unlike Halifax, where we wandered about on our own, we decided to do an excursion. It consisted of bus trip up the St. John River to a park on Grand Bay for a VERY expensive lobster bake, with a stop at the Reversing Falls–all for $100.00/person! We could have skipped the bus trip and park visit; the lobster in the lobster bake was only a one pounder, but it was the sweetest, best lobster I have ever had in my life!! We got back to town and found out that we could have had about 15 lobsters from the market where we could have sat by the river for about the same price! The Reverse Waterfalls were interesting though. 

I loved the town of Saint John. It was quaint and and fun to walk . It was hilly and so we did get a little exercise!  

He said: 

I had read about the dramatic tides on the Bay of Fundy but to see them entailed about an 4-5 hour bus excursion north from St. John and then some hiking to a spot where they might be visible. Given they occur about 12 hours apart and we weren’t familiar with the tidal schedule, we chose a lobster bake more central to our moorage that included a stop at the Reversing Falls. The lobster was great, the park a bit boring since the fall weather precluded partaking in water sports that would be more appropo in the summer months, with the stop at the Reversing Falls being the most interesting part of the trip. 

Afterwards, we did a couple of hours walking the town near our ship. There were lots of shops, two indoor market places with fresh foods, lobsters and local arts and crafts, and many restaurants serving very inexpensive lobster. A couple from Texas we had met on the ship related to us, after departing St. John, that they had hired a cabbie to give them a “local’s perspective” tour instead of doing an excursion or wandering on their own. They got to see all that we did – and more – while enjoying great lobster at a couple not so commercial spots, and all for less than we spent on our excursion! We will be far more selective when choosing excursions in the future, making sure they offer experiences that can’t be had any other way. 

P.S. Where’s your favorite lobster spot?

Category: Canada, St. John, New Brunswick, what we didTags: Bay of Fundy, Grand Bay, Kings Market, Queens Market, Reversing Falls |