Honey, we're home

The Maritimes :) 

Maybe you have heard this place?  Google "the Maritimes" but not for a map, for the wikipedia!  Maybe you've even been there??   The Maritimes includes three of Canada's Eastern Provinces:  New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.    ... I want to tell you about this place, this place I call home.

I'm sure most of you reading this are from here. :) The Maritimes... beautiful eh? Absolutely picturesque: rolling farmlands, covered bridges, tourism, rivers, wildlife, business, arts, history, parks, lighthouses, culture, hospitality, ocean, heritage, food.  Oh man, the list goes on and on.   It's a refreshing place.  The East Coast offers us refuge from the hustle and bustle, so opposite than the feel of a large, overcrowded city; which are fabulous to explore and enjoy, but they're no place like here.  

It's so easy to be an outdoor enthusiast, to be 'one with nature'.  And the people!!  Well let me tell ya, Maritimers are generally the most caring, generous, hospitable bunch around.  They wave cause they want to.  Give you the shirt off your back cause you need it.  Stop to offer whatever assistance for whatever, whenever they can (vehicle troubles, directions, advice, shovel your driveway after the last 30 cm snowfall, etc).  And they're the first ones to do nice, genuine things for you just to make your day (treat you to a coffee, let you step in line at a checkout). 

You can get to each Capital City in about 4 hours driving time of each other.  Rush hour, at best in this city at least,  means an increased arrival time of 5-10 minutes (a little more if you're in Halifax).  All four seasons visit us here.  Although anyone from here will likely forget the hot, hot summer heat we get and tell you we just have winter and it lasts all year long.  :)  It feels true sometimes as spring and fall can be a little cold and damp, making us miss the sunshine for about 6 weeks too many.  And anyone living along the Coast will likely add that there's Winter and then Hurricane "watch" Season.

I do want to spend some time telling you of the adventures and stories of my stays and travels within these Provinces.  I'm going to save those for another post.  I think it's fun to become a tourist in your own town.  This can give you a completely different experience to the quality of life you may already enjoy, or give you a whole new outlook.  It's fun, it can be very interesting and who doesn't want to know what's new and exciting about their hometown?!  There's always something to do wherever you live.  Hopefully you're lucky enough to find things that are free or can be done on a budget.

For example, the City of Fredericton posts a seasonal Recreation Guide (just click this link and go to the bottom feature on the page 2011 Spring / Summer Recreation Guide is posted there now that lists all the activities and groups you can participate in.   It's worth a look.  Plus there's tubing, kayaking, golf, soccer, hockey, softball & baseball, 80+ km's of multi-use trails, the Art Gallery, the Playhouse, restaurants to enjoy, the Convention Centre.  There's the weekly Boyce Farmer's Market, a good selection of pubs and night clubs (Dolan's, 20/Twenty, the Social Club, the Cellar, Garrison Ale House, Up, the Capital, Boom etc...all within a short jaunt of each other), changing of the Guard, movies shown under the stars, swimming, free outdoor concert series, snowshoeing, outdoor skating, skiing, TreeGo, camping...the list goes on and on. 

Cross the world's longest bridge to pass over ice-covered water, the 12.9 km (or 8 Mile) long Confederation Bridge to PEI.  Once there it's the red sand beaches, the Ocean, Anne of Green Gables, camping, the History of Confederation, the bird watch, the endless farm fields that take your daily stresses away as you inhale/exhale the surrounding saltwater air.  And when you're in Charlottetown, there's a very wide choice in where you  eat, shop, sight see and absorb history. 

Take a trip to Halifax if you're craving a place a little more 'busy' (more diversity, more people, way more choice of places to visit and things to do).  It's the largest City of the Capitals I've mentioned.  The Halifax Waterfront is a must.  Museums to explore, a great historic site and music concert venue; Citadel Hill, Spring Garden Road is fun to stroll, the Casino, the Public Gardens, the transit system is wicked here and if you're looking for nightlife: dance floors, bands, parties etc...endless. And if you have a need for shopping!? Halifax is where it's at. 

Here's a video I want to share with you.  When competing for that Transat Holiday Vacationer job we had to create a video (mine can be found at the very end of this blog page or by searching YouTube for "Holiday Heidi").  I just happened to be checking out other Vacationer videos when I watched this one. Hope Mike doesn't mind, but  I couldn't show you a taste of New Brunswick any better than he did with his Vacationer Application Video...here's a little taste of the Maritimes, this place I call home (provided by a very talented fella).

If you haven't been to the Maritimes, you should stop by for a visit :)

The results from the Weekly Survey Question:  ever try to explore your town like a tourist would?  I was shocked, I thought it'd be way more "no" but the results were 50/50.  I was happily surprised to see a tie. That's awesome to know that so many of you take part in what your community has to offer!  Well done :)

Also on the East Coast is the Province of Newfoundland.  But "the Maritimes" doesn't include this one.  The Province of Newfoundland is furthest East (next stop: Atlantic Ocean to Ireland because Canada ends here...or starts?!) and is readily referred to as "the Rock".  I think we should visit there next?!  The first annual trip to Newfoundland started in 2007 (just after the DR trip where I had met my best friend Stephanie).  We should go visit the girls and meet the family! 

"Hi, you home? Okay, I'm coming to Newfoundland to visit you" It may be a few weeks before it's posted, but this will give you time to rest (you'll need some rest both before and after this trip...trust me lol)!!

Share your comments, your stories, your travel advice etc. in the section below (comments or reaction section) and give your answer to the weekly survey (top right of the blog page).  No sign up necessary, just a simple click :)  A little shy?!  Why not send me an email instead: holidayheidi@hotmail.ca.

~Holiday Heidi