DART 2023 - Gaspe and beyond

 So we pulled into Gaspe just after dark and checked in to our hotel- which is really a nice place, scoped out a place for dinner and headed off to a terrific meal. Came back and crashed - got up in the morning and went for breakfast before leaving town and finishing the Gaspe peninsula drive along the water to Bathurst in New Brunswick  where we stopped for lunch at a "pretzleria" where they made pizzas out of pretzel dough... 

Up for check out and breakfast - our rooms were the second floor - two at the left end side of the photo. We went to a nearby breakfast place with excellent choices and really great Pain Perdu!

loved their stop signs- even in France - they just say STOP but here they push the language a bit further in order to carve out their identity maybe- 

The Pretzeleria

Then we had a bit of rain as we headed into the Shediac area of New Brunswick and found our motel.

the hotel had MANY rules...LOL - but we left early in the morning for breakfast and what had been a full day's plan for PEI with a ferry back off the island and into Nova Scotia....

However- the best laid plans - it poured for most of the day and so we decided to chuck the long day on PEI given how crappy the weather was - so we drove out to Charlottetown and did some driving around there and then left (after TB had an ice ream stop at COWS) 

My FB post form that day said this- 

It poured yesterday - our day on PEI. So we made an executive decision after driving to Charlottetown (the provincial capital) and looking around in the rain that this day would not be worth spending roughly eight hours on the island in the rain before our ferry was scheduled off the island. So we returned by bridge - thank God because the ferry was cancelled due to bad weather. By the time they texted, we were actually already in Truro having Phil's favorite seafood platter and fish & chips. Still good (been here before). We had stopped for an early lunch at a place that made pizzas with pretzel dough. Novel idea but we couldn't distinguish much difference. TB liked his "dessert" pretzel with cinnamon and sugar and an icing dip. Other than food and bathroom stops - we never left the car but each time we did, we were soaked. Feeling like PEI and I are not destined for each other.  This is the second time I was aced out of some island exploration (first time was a fringe festival and you could not find a single place to stay within miles of the bridge much less on the island.) Oh well, other places, other trips...

we were scheduled for Truro that night so we drove there instead of taking the ferry.  We stopped at a fish place Phil and I had visited year's ago.... Murphy's Famous!

after two long long days of driving we were both happy to check in to a hotel in late afternoon and to relax/nap/catch up on photo editing etc.... we met up later for ice cream because our dinner had been earlier than usual. And here's the kicker - the ferry was canceled due to high winds and bad weather. so the lady called and asked us if we wanted to reschedule and we said no - just give us the refund LOL (since we had blown them off anyway- this was a windfall) 

The next day we headed to Wolfville and along the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.... where we stopped at a creperie for breakfast.

Then onward to the Port Royal Fort near Digby where we would get the ferry to St John and head back via St Andrew into the US.

on to Digby- famous for scallops - for a lunch of - yes- you guessed it - scallops

At our Digby stop, before getting on the ferry. We had seafood chowder and scallops for lunch. After that we walked on a boardwalk at the port. After a horrible weather day it was great to have blue skies and sunshine.

My buddy TB and I have traveled together for decades. He's a great sport when it comes to these plywood cut outs for photo ops.   Here are three in Digby yesterday. We stopped for their famous Digby scallops at lunch time before taking the ferry across the Bay of Fundy.

then we took the ferry (at sunset) to New Brunswick in preparation for returning to the US. The sunset photo by T. Beckett...from the top deck of the ferry Fundy Rose.

the ferry arriving from St John- 

Next  up- back in the USofA !!!!!