So I was catching up on my reading (it has been the week from hell, sorry) and noticed a piece in the Wall Street Journal, written by Jon Kamp– but that is not what really attracted my attention.
The article was detailing the fact that the Portsmouth (Maine) to Yarmouth (Nova Scotia) ferry was being revived. First of all, I had no idea it stopped. I had lost track of the route when I left New England some four decades ago.
But it brought back memories, because it was an integral part of my honeymoon. You see, I got married right when I was about finished with grad school. And, I was no longer working in New York (yes, I commuted from NY to Boston). So money was tight. Not ‘Hilary Clinton’ tight, but grad student tight. As in, “Where is my next dollar?”
So planning a honeymoon meant finding ways to do unique things at a most reasonable (cheap?) cost. So, I planned an interesting journey.
The first stop was Montreal. An urbane, modern city, where the spoken language was French. Romantic, but accessible. (I speak reasonably adequate French.) Where I developed my lifelong love of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
From there, we flew to Quebec. A quaint, wonderful walled town, as if transported from a century or so ago. Walking along the water, visiting the little shops, and more enjoyable meals.
The next stop on our honeymoon was Halifax. I had always read about the Bay of Fundy, with its greatly changing tides. I- and my then wife- wanted to see this phenomenon firsthand. In a word- don’t bother. It was about as exciting as watching a toilet bowl flush. But, the countryside was beautiful.
Finally, we traveled to Yarmouth, to take a “cruise” back to the states, to Portsmouth, Maine. This leg was specifically chosen because my (ex-) wife wanted to take a boat ride. No, she really wanted to take a cruise. Except the second she hit the gangplank, she felt nauseous. And, stayed nauseous for the entire trip. (Yes, I should have known then what I know now.)
Which made the drive back to Cambridge less than pleasant, because she didn’t recover for about a day and a half. After we were “home”.
Since then, I’ve visited Quebec, Montreal, as well as their European progenitors. And lots of other places. But, I have not returned to either Halifax or Nova Scotia.
Maybe it’s time to take that trip again? Especially since the Wall Street Journal intimated the line was not prospering financially… and may not survive long term.
Do you want to join me on this adventure?
