In a major
anti-climax, the water pump was finally fixed after 50 days. I’ll post the
photo proof in a couple of weeks. We had one day to get our hands dirty and enjoy
an indoor hot shower. Pat worked in her thyme zone and the next morning we flew
to another time zone. Arrived in St. John’s Newfoundland, got a bland Ford
rental, and drove west south-west. 200 kms through spruce and pine scrub that
looked a lot like northern Ontario! Saw a moose within the first 10 minutes but
not another since. Down to the town of
Fortune, mostly foggy…
But it’s
also the border with France! Yup, the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon just 40
miles offshore are territories of France. Mais oui!
And there’s
no overlap with Canada. Passports, prices in euros, only French spoken, TV from
Paris, 220 volt electricity, absolutely no chain stores or food outlets. A
wonderful hop into Europe. The historic core is now surrounded by newer areas
but with pop. 6,400 the pastel charm is all there. We stayed at Marie Jo’s chez
and had the typical croissant and café au lait. (Note the SPM on the licence plate...)
Daily fog
and a late start to the tourist season made it all the better to wander the
streets, exchange some bonjours, and roam/climb the island. All rock, so even
the newest tombs are above ground. Note the Toronto Maple Leafs and Elvis on
this one. The Garden Girl was impressed by raised veggie beds and sub-alpine
meadow growth. The Car Guy admired the small but cool French cars, even though
they drove like speed trials around the Eiffel Tower.
Truly an
enchanting place when you consider it’s France even though most of the
residents have never been to France. This jai alai court proves the Basques were here early. Even Canadian ships arrive as a foreigner.
Bad weather prevented us from going to Miquelon --- it even delayed the
First-Day-Of-Summer-Music-Fete til the second day of summer. Pat noted how many
kids there were, especially those about 4 or 5 years old. Hmmmm...
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