Today, we headed back to Saint John to take a walking tour of Uptown.
We met our tour guide, Pete, at Area 506 Waterfront Container Village, which is an interesting collection of shipping containers on the waterfront turned into little shops, food vendors, and musical venues.
We learned that Saint John was established by a group of loyalists from Massachusetts afraid of retribution after the Revolutionary War, followed by Scottish immigrants and then the Irish.
We saw lots of beautiful old buildings built after a massive fire in 1877.
We walked through a large mall along the waterfront called Market Square. The public library is located there. I loved the books lining the tops of the window frames.
Market Square led right into City Market. We didn’t even have to go outside.
I wish we had had time to do a little shopping in City Market, which sells everything from fresh food to touristy items. It reminded me a bit of a much smaller Reading Terminal Market.
Then we walked up to King’s Square and learned about the band stand, which is two-tiered. Imagine trying to carry a piano up to the second floor!
Finally, our tour guide told us about the Irving family, which built their wealth through oil and lumber. Pete was very complimentary about the Irving family because they donate millions of dollars to hospitals and schools in Canada and the US. Apparently, one in three gas stations in Massachusetts sells Irving gas.
Their headquarters is on King’s Square.
Greg and I learned some interesting things about Saint John and New Brunswick during this tour.
- The proper way to spell Saint John is to write out the word “saint.” The St. John in Newfoundland is abbreviated.
- The largest number of immigrants came from Ireland.
- New Brunswick was originally going to be called New Ireland, but the king in England vetoed that because he wanted to name it after himself, and he was the Duke of Brunswick.
- New Brunswick is the only official dual language province.
Cask and Barrel
After our walking tour, Greg and I stopped for an alcoholic beverage and appetizer at The Cask and Barrel, one of the small Irish gastro pubs in uptown.
Quaco Head Lighthouse
On our way back to the campground, we decided to try once again to find the lighthouse. It was not any easier to locate it this time as it was yesterday. None of the lighthouse signs along the road were accurate. Nevertheless, we eventually succeeded.
We have been amazed by the lack of traffic on the highways. Even the city streets are relatively free of cars. It has been delightful, especially after the craziness of Acadia.
Meanderings & Mind Munchies 