Yarmouth Lighthouse
So my 10 day visit to Nova Scotia started in Portland Maine on June 7th. Now I figured that Portland was going to be a boring city so really did not plan on doing much except sleep while I waited for the ferry to arrive. However when I got there I quickly learned that the city is filled with things that I love to see and do like museums and lighthouses and history and trolley tours and lots more. Of course I did not arrive there in time to check out too much on my first night there but I made myself a nice list of things to see so that I could check them out on my way home. It is a really quick 4 hour drive (well actually I made it home in 3.5) from Hamden so I planned to check out a few things before I made the drive home on the 18th.
Old Fort in the middle of Portland harbour
After a night in Portland I hopped (well more correctly drove) aboard The Cat Ferry nice and early for an 8am departure time. The Cat is a high speed catamaran ferry that makes the trip from Portland to Yarmouth (and then back again) a few times a week (in 5.5 hours) and makes the same trip to and from Bar Harbour Maine (in 3 hours) the other days during the week.
I have been told the trip can be quite rough and lot of people hit Nova Scotia looking pretty green but I must say I had a very uneventful trip. The water was perfectly flat and although the boat moves pretty good (I ran into poles every time I tried to walk anywhere) I am like a baby and the rocking motion simply put me to sleep. So once I saw the Canadian navy frigate patrolling the water I felt nice and safe and slept the rest of the trip. 
Leaving Portland Harbour from the back of The Cat
The Cat by the way does have a lot on board for those who don’t sleep for the entire trip including a couple bars (they serve Alexander Keith’s by the way…that’s Canadian beer for my American friends), a little Casino, some movie screens and a little cafeteria.
The final lighthouse on the way out of Portland Harbour
Upon arrival in Yarmouth I headed to the hospital…no I wasn’t missing work but that is where Gramma is right now so that is where I went. A little back ground for those of you who do not know, Yarmouth is my Dad’s hometown and Gramma still lives there. Unfortunately she has been in the hospital since early this year after breaking her hip. Some more background, Yarmouth’s hospital is about 93 beds and approximately 56 of them are filled with people like my Gramma who are medically stable but cannot go home so are waiting for placement in extended care facilities. The average wait time is 9 months although it can take up to a year so it appears that she will be there a bit longer. The hospital is in a very nice spot though (kind of like Rockyview) looking down Yarmouth Harbour.
Yarmouth Hospital
A lot of my days were spent there and I must say is was nice to be in a hospital and not have to do anything (although I did get offered a couple jobs, which I promptly turned down).
Me with Gramma at the hospital. She has a bed by the window so at least she has something to look at while she waits.
I did spend time visiting a couple other family members as well. It was nice because Dad actually came into town while I was there so I got to see him, but I also got to visit with my Dad’s cousins Bruce and Stephen and his Uncle Ernie (Ernie is Bruce and Stephen’s dad and Gramma's brother). I also spent some time with my Aunt Winnie (dad's sister) who has been staying in Yarmouth and helping out with Gramma as much as she can. I went whale watching (pictures to follow). What else did I do….ate a lot of fish and chips…..mmmmm…..fish and chips, drank some good Canadian beer ( I brought back my allowable amount as well), checked out some churches (what else) and hit the Yarmouth Museum (of course). It was very nice and relaxing. Some much needed time off.
Me and Aunt Winnie outside the ferry terminal
My Dad (on the right) and Bruce
Me and Uncle Ernie. He will be 90 this summer. Apparently a dislike for cooking comes from this side of the family because I think he and I both live off microwave dinners.
Saint Mary's Parish. You will find this church at Church Point along the french shore. It is the largest wooden church in North America.
The sunset over Yarmouth Harbour from the patio at Rudder's Restaurant. We had a few very good meals there (lots of fish and chips)
Julie
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