Maritimes - Day 10

Not long after I posted yesterday, we discovered our first fairly decent disaster on this trip.  It turns out you need to book the ferry crossing from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland two weeks in advance, not three days.  As we wanted to be on the ferry on Thursday, that is very problematic.  The earliest ferry crossing available was August 2nd, which is when we had already booked a place to stay in Halifax.  We could move our trip around, but it would end up costing us quite a bit more and we weren't even sure where we would stay.  As it was the end of a long day, we decided not to make any decisions and went to bed.

As we had the stress of this change happening, and the kids were exhausted from travelling, we just let everyone sleep as much as they wanted and did nothing in the morning.  Sandra looked through some accommodation options, while I phoned the ferry company to see if they had a waitlist.  They did not, but they had some cancellations, so July 31st was a possibility, and in fact, she said that there had been an opening on July 28th earlier in the morning, but it was already gone.  Intrigued, I spent the rest of the morning trying to book a ferry crossing every 20 minutes or so, and you could see openings appear and disappear, but never for the 28th.  Around 11:00am, there was an opening on the night of the 29th, which I booked, as it is close enough.  We wanted one crossing in the day, both for my ability to drive and so the kids could watch the ocean, but at this point, if we want to go to Newfoundland, we get what we get.

However, after receiving my itinerary, a new problem emerged, and now we aren't 100% sure we are going to be able to go to Newfoundland.  We need photo ID for all six of us (or two pieces of non-photo ID) and all we brought along for the youngest two kids are their health cards.  I phoned the ferry company a second time, and the person there was sure it would be OK, especially when I said we could get pictures of their birth certificates sent to us, so here's hoping the people working the dock/ship feel the same way.  We've already informed the kids that there is a chance they won't let us onboard.  This does mean that we don't have to be in North Sydney in two days anymore, which means less driving, though we are still going to push through to Fredericton tomorrow.

After lunch, we drug the kids outside to do something.  Sherbrooke has a mural walk around town and it starts at the tourist office, which provides free three hour parking.  Even better was that the tank we wanted to see was just a short walk from the parking.  We found our way there and then walked over to where the tank is.  However, the Sherbrooke Armoury is under construction or somehow restricted, as the entire area is surrounded by fencing and there is no access.  Luckily, you can see the tank over the fence, so we got a few long distance pictures in.

We then ended up doing most of the mural walk, though it was up and down hills (since nowhere outside of Saskatchewan is flat) and the kids were only a little bit interested.  We did stop for some ice cream at a small shop that the tourist office told us served the best ice cream in Quebec.  Sandra and I had some gelato, and it was quite good.  Then it was back to our apartment for a bit more rest before heading out for supper.  Because we are so great at planning, we were unable to get crepes for Evan, as all the creperies are only open for breakfast and lunch.  I did find a nearby local restaurant that served burgers, smoked meat sandwiches and poutine, which was good food for most of us (Sandra prefers more than burgers), though ordering was a bit painful as my French is awful and the cashier switched to her limited English.

Tomorrow is an almost 8 hour driving day; hopefully I'll feel up to posting once we are settled in our hotel in New Brunswick.