NEW BRUNSWICK

The last port of call was St. John, New Brunswick. (Not to be confused with St. John's in Newfoundland.) St. John is Canada's oldest incorporated city. High on a hill above the town is Carleton Martell Tower, an old stone fort, built for protection against possible American attacks during the War of 1812. The interior recreated the sleeping quarter of soldiers stationed there.

The main claim to fame for St. John is the Reversing Falls Rapids at Fallsview Park. Twice daily tides from the Bay of Fundy rise faster than the river can empty. This causes the river to actually flow backwards, creating the rapids. Tides in the Bay of Fundy can be 50 feet high but they aren't that high by the time they get to St. John. You can see Partridge Island in the harbor where immigrants landed. Many Irish arrived here during the Potato Famine in Ireland. Acadians who were Loyalist to the king of England also flooded here during the American Revolutionary War.

Of course we had to visit the Old City Market on Germaine Street that has been in operation since 1876. We picked up some delicious lobster rolls for lunch. The beginning of many lobster rolls we were to consume on the rest of our trip.

We were excited as we arrived the next day at Liberty Island in the good old US of A. The view from the ship as we arrived gave us a beautiful panorama of the Statue of Liberty with the skyline of New York City in the background. It was a bittersweet memory for Lovern as this is what she saw with smoke rising from the city in the aftermath of 911 and her return from the death of her son in The Netherlands.

On to Massachusetts, Connecticutt and New Jersey.