On the Road in Canada – Restaurants in Halifax

We reached Halifax fairly late in the day and checked into our hotel. Afterwards, we walked down to the waterfront in search of a restaurant at 8:30.

We found one, but were greeted at the door with “I’m sorry, it is past the time. We can’t serve minors.” Our teenage (one underage) children were not really into drinks, just some decent food.

When the second place turned us away, we asked a bit more. Most restaurants have a license which allows them to serve food to minors until 9 p.m. As we arrived after 8:30, our children were too late to be served before that time.

One of the waitresses, after I inquired where in Halifax we could get something to eat, suggested two places she knew of which served children past 9 p.m. One of them was Salty’s (on 1869 Upper Water Street) and unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the other restaurant anymore. Both seem to be a rarity in Halifax, though.

Anyway, Salty’s is a good restaurant right on the waterfront. We sat outside and as usual, we ordered three dinners and shared it among the four of us. We learned from traveling around that most portions are too big anyway and food gets wasted.

Halifax waterfront

Halifax waterfront

We were tremendously relieved to have found a place to eat, so when the waiter suggested to get a pitcher of beer, we did not hesitate to order one.  We had almost downed it when he suggested getting another one. By then we were happy enough to have another one.

Then it came time to pay. When I saw the bill, I started laughing. Or maybe I was crying, difficult to say. Both pitchers cost us C$ 57,90. Then the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) of 15% gets added on. This brings the beer to a total of C$ 66.59. When we add on the 20%  tip, we have a new total of C$ 80.

In Germany, the average cost of a liter of beer (a.k.a. Maß) is around 8 euro = C$ 11,– including tax.

So three dinners, two pitchers of beer, and one 7-Up totaled C$ 125.93 and then we left a C$ 20 tip.

Before we got ready to pay, we were going to leave the second pitcher with half the beer behind. After I saw the charge, I drank it all.

What did I learn from this? Running a restaurant and serving minors past 9 p.m. requires a costly license. This in turn gets charged back to the customer.

Advice:

* If you are coming in late to Halifax by plane, eat your airline food. Running around Halifax trying to find a restaurant which serves your family is not very amusing after a full day of traveling.

* Ask your hotel receptionist for a list of licensed-to-serve-minors restaurants. We would have if we had known about this regulation.

On the Road in Canada – Hopewell Rocks, NB

After our short break in St. Martins, we stopped at Hopewell Rocks in the afternoon.

These rocks, often referred to as flowerpot rocks, stand between 40 – 70 feet tall. These rock formations have been caused by tidal erosion.

We got a family pass for two adults and two children for C$ 20 to get into the park. This photo was taken from above, obviously, and later we climbed down the stairs. The park ward told us there are 96 steps (round trip), which did not impress us much. We have more steps to climb up and down in our apartment building in Germany.

Hopewell Rock, Canada

Hopewell Rock, Canada

The view below is just as interesting. There are even more mushroom look-alikes along the side of the cliffs.

Hopewell Rock

Hopewell Rock

The ebb and tide leave the sea in a constant murky brown. This coloration I had only seen in floods before.

brown sea

brown sea

Here is a bit of information what makes the Fundy tides so special.

Fundy Tides

Fundy Tides

And yes, we heard of some dangerous encounters with moose on the road. Fortunately, we only heard about them and got to see the warning signs along the road. We did not spot a single one.

Moose crossing

Moose crossing

Now we are heading back to Halifax, where we originally started our road trip. We will be spending one night there before heading to Lunenburg for our final place to visit.

On the Road in Canada – St. Martins

After leaving Sussex and before heading to Halifax for our ninth stopover, we took a break in St. Martins along the coast.
It is a small village with close to 400 residents and about 200 buildings (private homes, restaurants, shops, etc.).
It was a hot day and only a few vendors lined the parking area near the shore. We bought some hot dogs from that lady, found a shady place to sit and eat, and adjusted our eyes to the shimmering heat.
Hot dog vendor

Hot dog vendor

After walking around the village, we went down to the rocky beach. We also watched a lady hurt herself slipping on these slimy rocks, so good footwear is essential.
This quaint village is on the Bay of Fundy and 40 km east of Saint John.
Founded in 1783 by Loyalists (like many others in the area), it was first known as Quaco. Throughout the 19th century, the community was an important shipbuilding center.
Nowadays, tourism and book shops are the major industry. The tourist sites include covered wooden bridges, sea caves, and a crescent-shaped beach.
covered bridge in St. Martins

covered bridge in St. Martins

In 2007, the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly officially proclaimed St. Martins as New Brunswick’s official Book Town. Therefore, most gift shops also sell books.
Maritime equipment gives a colorful touch to  this otherwise quiet community.
lobster pots
lobster buoys

lobster buoys

more buoys

more buoys

 

maria-shipley.de Webutation

On the Road in Canada – Sussex, New Brunswick

Along the way to Sussex, after leaving Bar Harbor, we visited Acadia National Park in Maine and the fee for the car pass was USD 20.

As there were also many other tourists, it was difficult at times to find a place to park along the road. We drove through the park in one hour and then headed on to our final destination, Sussex in Kings County, New Brunswick, in Canada.

Sussex, New Brunswick

Along the road outside of Sussex, New Brunswick

My friend, who became unable to host us last minute, had booked us into the Pine Cone Inn. This is a small motel on the outskirts of Sussex, with views over the dairy country.

Pine Cone Inn, Sussex

Pine Cone Inn, Sussex

The innkeepers, a Korean couple, were most accommodating by letting me do laundry there, which is not part of their service. They also provided us with some snacks, again, just out of kindness.

Korean dinner in Canada

Korean dinner in Canada

My Korean friends had dropped off the Kimbab ahead of us. The innkeepers supplied the Ramion. We were well taken care of.

The room was small, but clean. The fee at CAN 67 for a room for four people is quite reasonable. If you are looking for simple accommodation, then this is the place to stay.

The area is beautiful. Next door, there is a club with a swimming pool, and from what I have been told, guests at the Pine Cone Inn have permission to use it.

Because Sussex straddles the Kennebecasis River, 70 km northeast of Saint John, it is not only a major dairy producer in the province, but also a haven for mosquitoes and black flies.

The black flies loved me and bit me more than ten times. I ended up going to the emergency room in Sussex, just to rule out anything worse than what it looked like.

welts and sores caused by black fly bites

welts and sores caused by black fly bites

The bites were located close to the ear, nape, and scalp. The trip to the ER cost me C$ 574 plus the C$ 36 for the prescription of antibiotics.

The doctor told me, “They are getting worse every year.” Mind you, I was the only one bitten out of four. I did spend more time outdoors than the others, but other guests did not have any black fly bites either. They especially liked me, for whatever reason.

After the hospital visit, we then proceeded on our road trip. Our next stop was Hopewell Rock, a famous sight around the area.

Review for Lobster Gables Restaurant in St. Andrews, Canada

For dinner, we went to the restaurant Lobster Gables on Main Street.

Lobster Gables entry

We sat out on the patio with a beautiful view over the bay.

Most times, I only order seafood or clam chowder, because my traveling companions tend to order full platters. Supersize me, everytime…. dinners tend to be big, especially the side of french fries. When I asked the waitress about it, she said, “People pay a lot for their food, so they expect a lot of food.” Remember this as a guideline: the side dishes mentioned in very fine print tend to be the biggest part of your meal.

Anyway, back to the restaurant. The service and menu were very good. We had seafood chowder, a BLT sandwich, a fish platter, and shrimp.

seafood chowder

seafood chowder

There are quite a few restaurants on Main Street, most of them facing the water. But this one you can’t miss if you look for their sign.

Lobster Gables in St. Andrews

Lobster Gables in St. Andrews

The entryway to the back patio is lined with typical maritime knick-knacks such as lobster buoys.

lobster buoys

The best part of the dinner though was my suggestion to have a pitcher of Sangria! I saw two ladies at a neighbouring table having one and they looked very happy. When I asked them about it, they immediately toasted to us, so I knew I wanted that stuff too.

Sangria

My husband was not too keen on it and I learned, after having been married to him for 23 years, that he had never even tried Sangria. I have to admit, I’m a bit of a late bloomer myself, because I had Sangria on Mallorca (November 2012) for the very first time myself.

The end of the story is – we ordered a pitcher of Sangria and we ended up looking as happy as the two ladies at the other table. My husband liked it so much, I’m beginning to think I should make it myself on hot summer nights on our balcony in Germany.

 

So if you stop by the Lobster Gables, try their pitcher of Sangria (27 CAN$).

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