“Molly and I had a wonderful time but more important than that, it was EXACTLY what we needed. You expertly saw to the details that left me looking capable and in control. You suggested amazing and fun options that would or could and did appeal to the both of us. You made it easy and painless, leaving us to live in the moment and enjoy each and every one of those moments. Then, to take it a step further, you showed us great kindness by treating us to a beautiful dinner. Molly thoroughly enjoyed being an adult and ordering a cheese plate for dessert, while I had my very first soufflé and fell instantly and deeply in love. A beautiful space, delicious food, friendly staff and an unexpected showing of generosity. Again, thank you. There were only a couple hiccups, Molly LOVED having people with signs waiting for us at every step, even though the names changed with every place. And we did not get to see the Bay of Fundy. That has long been a wish of mine. An item on my bucket list, let's say. Six weeks or so prior when we received the e-mailed itinerary I read through it and all was correct. One month prior when the hard copies arrived, I failed to notice that a different tour was listed for Halifax. I didn't notice the discrepancy until right before we were to be picked up. Instead of the tides of Fundy, the tour was "Once Upon a Tide" with no Bay of Fundy and instead 2 plus hours of hiking and 3 hours of kayaking. I was horrified, intimidated and afraid of making a fool of myself by not being able to keep up with the 21-yr-old guide and the other 8 tour mates all of which were easily 30 years younger than me. Decades-old insecurities cropped up and I just had to try and laugh it off by telling everyone that I was the Senior Citizen of the Group and that my job was to make everyone else look good. But I didn't need to worry quite so much. Gillian (or perhaps Jillian) our tour-guide was a sweetheart, I huffed and slipped my way through the rocky beach part of the hike, did fine on the rest though occasionally pretending to be slower due to my need to take pictures, and if I can be so bold, Molly and I kicked butt kayaking! The tour turned out to be a real highlight that we both loved, but possibly Molly's favorite of the whole trip. Such gorgeous sights plus we needed to step up the activity level after spending so much (enjoyable) time on the train from Quebec City. So thank you Fresh Tracks Canada for an unexpected pleasure! How did you know? As for the Bay of Fundy, I will have a do-over someday. Surprising to me, but Halifax was Molly's favorite of the three cities and we would both like to return someday, and visit more of the Maritime Provinces as well. I got to revisit Quebec and see things I could not 20+ years ago, Molly was delighted with the Frenchness of it all, we got to pretend we understood what people were saying to us, my favorite of the hotels was the Bonaparte, the food tour was both filling and fulfilling, we saw museums, art, whales and fireworks (boomlights in our family), we rode paddle boats, big boats, kayaks, trains, horse-drawn carriages, cable cars, funiculars, subways, buses, taxis and limos, did ghost tours, got henna tattoos, ate ate and ate yet again, had high tea, picnicked, shopped shopped and shopped some more, took a million pictures (me), sketched a few pictures (Molly), talked and shared with strangers and didn't feel strange at all while doing it. We joined a local festival, tried new food (both gourmet and junk) and drink, discovered new music, enjoyed being pampered and spoiled, did NOT check e-mail or phone messages, did NOT watch news or think of work or bills. Molly's favorites included things from a young teen perspective: the smallness of everything on the train (though I was the only one brave enough to take a moving shower), the Chateau's big white fluffy robes, ordering in room service not once but twice at the Lord Nelson, sleeping in the airport, the irony behind my 'temporary' tattoo being the symbol for 'eternity', being mistaken as a real live Canadian, etc, etc. All those words, all I had to say was it was lovely!”
