Swissair Flight 111 Memorial

On 2nd September 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, not far from Peggy’s Cove.  The 215 passengers and 14 crew lost their lives when the plane plunged into the sea about 8 km/5 miles off Peggy’s Cove.

A simple memorial was constructed and, at the request of the families, it is consistent with its coastal environment.  It is reached via a short walking trail and overlooks the site of this tragedy.

The inscription reads: ‘In memory of the 29 men, women and children aboard Swissair Flight 111 who perished off these shores September 2nd, 1998.  They have been joined to the sea and the sky.  May they rest in peace.’

The second stone acknowledges the efforts of those involved in the recovery operations and supporting bereaved families.

Looking out to sea, my thoughts turned to those who lost their lives and I was grateful for this opportunity to pay a visit to this site.  I still remember watching the news of this tragedy unfold more than twenty years ago and that sense of disbelief felt by people around the world.

Peggy’s Point Lighthouse

A last-minute plan to visit Halifax turned into an overnight stay, so we took the opportunity to play tourists and visit the iconic Canadian lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove.  It is one of the most photographed locations and is packed with tourists during the summer but, we had it almost to ourselves on this cold and windy November afternoon.

I wasn’t really dressed for this visit, but at least I had my waterproof jacket.  I gave up trying to keep my hair out of my eyes and just enjoyed the breeze!

Standing on this site since 1868, the original wooden lighthouse was built here at the entrance to St Margaret’s Bay and quickly became known as the Peggy’s Point Lighthouse.  The wooden structure was replaced by the current lighthouse in 1915 and is still a working light.  It beams out into the Atlantic Ocean, warning ships of this treacherously rocky coastline.

Walking across the rocks, we faced the full force of the strong winds coming off the sea.

Viewed from a distance, the lighthouse stands on the rocky promontory in the distance.

It wasn’t really a day for standing watching the waves, as it was just too blustery, but we certainly got our fill of fresh air and enjoyed our return visit, as it had been a few years since we last stood on this spot.

Heading East

Dawn sees us heading east out of Edmundston along the Trans-Canada Highway.

 

The morning is cool and damp with mist along the valleys.

 

The sun appears on the horizon.

 

Our third day on the road and another early start as we try to beat the clock and arrive early enough to do all that needs to be accomplished before the end of the business day.

On the road, we see warning signs for moose, which can wander into the road and be extremely hazardous for drivers.  The sides of the highway in New Brunswick are mostly fenced in an attempt to keep them off the road.  Travelling at night is particularly dangerous because they are on the move and most drivers who hit a moose do not live to tell the tale.

 

 

We continue east on mostly quiet roads, as it is still early in the day and commuters are not yet on the move.

Though I had never driven anything of this size before, I did take a turn at driving the truck - 26 feet of truck complete with a 20 foot trailer are a bit different to the last car that I owned, which was a Mini Cooper S.

 

 

As we were heading east, we had the sun in our eyes for much of the day, so I needed the hat to cut down on the glare.  It is impossible to drive without good sunglasses too, as the light is so bright.  

 

We didn't get a photo of the complete rig this time, but this is the view to the rear.

 

Just to prove that I was actually driving, Mr Candytuft decided to take some action photos!

 

 

As we approach the coast, the scenery changes again.  It is very pretty and the air has a special quality to it, which is fresh and clean: a pleasant and refreshing change after weeks of humidity in Ontario.

 

The warnings of moose become more frequent.  We are on a highway which is notorious for moose collisions and the signs warn drivers to slow down at night. 

 

I am co-pilot at this stage and enjoying the scnery, but also following our route on the map.  Here is a little clue to our destination.

 

We are heading for the Confederation Bridge.

 

 

Excitement mounts as we approach the bridge, which is a first crossing for both of us.  We can see the bridge ahead as we approach.

The Confederation Bridge took four years to build and opened in 1997.  It is 12.9 Km (8 miles) in length and spans the Northumberland Strait.

We see wetlands as we approach.

We begin our crossing and I take a photo looking back towards the mainland of New Brunswick.

We approach the apex of the bridge - the height of this fixed bridge allows shipping to pass beneath.  We complete the crossing in about ten minutes.

Our first sighting of a lighthouse.  Welcome to Prince Edward Island.

 I look back as the road curves and get this shot of the bridge in the distance.

We are now entering the smallest Canadian Province - a place of farmland and fields of oil seed rape and potatoes, for which the Island is famous.

Almost at journey's end.  We are booked for an overnight stay at a local hotel before our move-in date tomorrow.

On The Road Again

We had an early start and loaded through the morning.  By the time we got on the road, we had already been working for nine hours.  We had a three hour drive to our first overnight stop in Kingston, Ontario.  The second day was our long one - twelve hours on the road as we crossed eastern Ontario, journeyed into and then across Quebec and on into New Brunswick.

We ran into a few problems when the GPS took us astray in Montreal, which is a nightmare of a city to navigate at the best of times, because all signage is only in French.  We eventually got back on track, but it cost us a lot of time as we passed Quebec City (above).

On along the shore of the mighty St Lawrence River with the Laurentians in the distance.  The weather was hot and humid; the truck noisy, uncomfortable and with no air conditioning.

A typical farm with red roof of the barn and grain silos.

Entering New Brunswick and heading down to Tamiscouata-sur-le-Lac.  The scenery changes to rolling hills and the truck struggles up those long climbs.  The cab is so hot that my feet are burning when I put them on the floor!

The kilometres pass and the journey becomes a bit of a blur.  It is only when I look back at the photos that my mind recalls just how long a day we spent on the road.

 The roads are thankfully, uncongested.  We are tiring and longing for our overnight destination.

We reach Edmundston, New Brunswick before dark and having checked in at our hotel, head back out to eat before we are too tired to bother.  The sense of anticipation is mounting, as tomorrow, we will arrive at our destination.

(These photos were taken through the windscreen and side windows and on the move, so please excuse the picture quality - dead bugs do tend to get in the way, even when the windscrren gets regular cleaning!)

Under Wraps

 

I mentioned that we were in a hiatus of calm when I returned from my blogging break, but that it would not last.  The reason for this is because we are preparing to move again - yes, I know that it is only a little over a year since our last move, but we haven't been happy here and an opportunity presented itself for a fresh start in a new place.  Not the place that I would really like to be (back in the UK), but a place offering new adventures.

Packing is starting slowly as we transform our current living space into something resembling a warehouse full of boxes.  We are trying to be low-key and not get stressed about this process.  We thought that we had given ourselves plenty of time before moving day, but that day is now only two weeks away.  

At the moment, I'm keeping our destination 'under wraps', though I know that a few of you already know.  I'm giving you a bit of a clue with this picture - and it will involve another road trip in this vast country - watch this space!

Niagara Falls

No visit to the Niagara Region would be complete without a trip to Niagara Falls, which is a place that we have often visited in the past.  We were last there when I attended a conference in 2014, so it had been a while.  On this occasion, our first view of the mighty Niagara River was from high above where we parked our car.

We used the Falls' Incline Railway to save our legs, as it was an extremely hot and humid afternoon.  This glides down and drops visitors close to the observation points. 

The first view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls is at street level.  I remember many years ago when I had my first sighting of them and I was slightly underwhelmed because there is no sense of perspective when viewed from this level.

 Below is a photo of the American Falls.  Niagara Falls form part of the Canada-US Border.

A view looking downstream towards the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario on the Canadian side to Niagara Falls, New York on the United States' side.

 I photo-bombed this picture, as Mr Candytuft seemed more interested in the view!

 Down in the rapids at the base of the Falls was one of the newer tourist boats.  Now that is the best way to get a perspective of the mighty Niagara River!

 The boats approach the foot of the Falls.  At this point, Mr Candytuft suggested that we should go for a boat ride.  We have done this a few times in the past, but it was some years since our last trip.

A long walk took us to the boats and we lined up with hundreds of tourists with our red raincoats.  The problem with these is that they are similar to wearing a plastic bag, so you end up feeling as wet on the inside as you do on the outside.  We both waited until we got closer to the action before donning our raingear!

Looking across to the American Falls (above) and to the tourist boats from the US side.  The old, world-famous Maid-of-the-Mist tour boat is the white one in the background, which no longer sails from the Canadian side. 

Sailing up-river, we get a commentary informing us about the history of the Falls, which used to be 11 kilometres further downstream.  The Falls are 53.6 Metres (176 feet) high and carry 150,000 gallons of water per second.  

Approaching the action, it is necessary to don our raincoats, as the spray starts to come over the boat.  The wind picks up and the only way that I can show my face for a photo is by holding my hair back.

We pass the American Falls, which are actually two waterfalls.  Our boat is the Hornblower, which has a tiered top deck to maximise viewing for the passengers.

 

And onto the Horseshoe Falls, so named for their world-famous shape.  It is impossible to get a shot of them directly, as there is just too much water coming down on the boat.  Now we have a true perspective of the force and noise of the water, as well as a thorough soaking with cold water, which was very refreshing after the heat and humidity of the day.  It is possible to be a tourist and walk near the Falls, but nothing compares with the thrill and the experience of that boat trip.  The perfect ending to our visit.