New Brunswick - Saint John

Sydney to Saint John, NB: Travel Distance: 617 km
AirBnB Accommodations: $ 84.71 CAD for 1 nights

Today we headed from Sydney, NS to Saint John, NB. It is a fairly long drive day, even though the distance isn't very long. We are staying in an AirBnB just outside of downtown and right near the freeway. Easy access to spend the afternoon exploring and a quick trip out of town.

Saint John is the port city of the Bay of Fundy. The port is Canada’s

third largest port by tonnage with a cargo base that includes dry and liquid bulk, break bulk, containers, and cruise. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada. During the reign of George III, the municipality was created by royal charter in 1785.

French colonist Samuel de Champlain landed at Saint John Harbour on June 24, 1604 (the feast of St. John the Baptist) and is where the Saint John River gets its name. Saint John, as a major settlement, was established by refugees of the American Revolution when two fleets of vessels from Massachusetts, one in the spring and a second in the fall, arrived in the harbour. These Loyalist refugees wished to remain living under Great Britain and were forced to leave their U.S. homes during the American Revolution. In 1785, the City of Saint John was formed from the union of Parrtown and Carleton. Over the next century, waves of Irish immigration, namely during the Great Famine via Partridge Island, would fundamentally change the city's

demographics and culture.

We arrived in the late afternoon, so we had a bit of time to explore the city before things got too dark. We first headed to the Saint John City Market; the oldest continuing farmer’s market in Canada, and a National Historic Site. It’s also where Saint John goes for fresh meats, the best fish and chips, handmade crafts and a great cup of coffee.

Across from the City Market was the King’s Square.
This is one of four squares included in the original town plan. The site was cleared in 1844 and laid in an ‘X’ pattern. The unique two-storey bandstand was donated by the City Cornet Band as a “Memorial to Edward VII, King Emperor 1901-1910.” Of particular interest is the Young monument, erected by public subscription
to commemorate the valiant efforts of Frederick Young to save a

drowning boy.

Our next stop was down at Market Square & New Brunswick Museum. By the 1860s, Market Square, along with King and Prince William Streets, was the centre of the City’s dry goods trade. From their construction immediately following the Great Fire of 1877, to well into this century, the numerous warehouses, which lined both sides of Market Slip, held cargo from around the world. Today seven of these warehouse facades have survived and are incorporated into the Market Square Complex. In 1996, the New Brunswick Museum opened its 3-storey exhibition space. It is a pretty amazing space when you go inside. It is great to see a city restore a historical space and make it so inviting the people come and enjoy it in all season.

After wandering around downtown and exploring the old city we decided to head back to our place for the night. What a quaint little city. It would be a great hub to explore the Bay of Fundy, go hiking or camping. Probably one of the best places in NewBrunswick to visit.

Tomorrow we continue on in our journey towards Cape Cod, stopping over night in Portland, Maine. We hope that as we continue down the coast and we can continue to enjoy the changing of the leaves as we go. So far.. no snow... only a ton of rain.