Day 2 (January 28, 2023): A Stunning Winter`s Day in Moncton

Saturday presented another beautiful sunny winter`s day!  The temperature was just below zero, but a truly perfect day to do some exploring in the heart of Moncton.

We received notification at the start of the day that our Via Rail train back to Halifax would be three hours late.  So insteaed of a 1:38PM departure, it meant we had to find things to do to occupy us til a 4:30PM departure (which ended up being 5PM).  Fortunately, the hotel extended our checkout until 3PM, which made things quite comfortable.

We all had breakfast in the Delta Signature Club Lounge, located on the top floor of the Delta Beauséjour Hotel.  From there, we headed to the Marché Moncton Market, which was abuzz with Monctonites enjoying the food stall, craft and local grocery offerings.  Next up was a walk along the Petitcodiac River as far as the Moncton-Dieppe boundary.  

A lunchtime break back at the hotel, we enjoyed a fun game of Cranium in the Delta Signature Club Lounge and a light lunch in the hotel`s Triiio Restaurant.  That all took us to check-out time.

The train delay meant we could take in (or so we thought!) the afternoon tidal bore`s arrival.  So, with backpacks in tow, we headed back to the river.  Sadly, either we missed the tidal bore by minutes or else it was a total non-event.  We then hoofed it westward on Main Street, past the buzzing Avenir Centre arena to the Via Rail station, where we played yet another card game until the tardy train arrived just before 5PM.

The ride home was in the dark, but very enjoyable, all the same.  We enjoyed sandwiches and hot beverages in the train`s lounge car and rolled into Halifax`s historic Via Rail station just after 9PM.

The train`s progress, for posterity`s sake:

- Departed Moncton 5:03PM (had been scheduled for 1:38PM);

- Departed Sackville 6:04PM;

- Departed Amherst 6:28PM;

- Departed Truro 7:37PM;  and

- Arrived Halifax 9:06PM  (had been scheduled for 5:51PM).

This iconic (but admittedly ugly) symbol of Moncton is the Bell Aliant Tower, formerly known as the Aliant Tower and older still, the NBTel Tower.  It is a 127-metre-high tower of reinforced concrete used to provide directional radio services.

Marché Moncton Market, located just off Main Street in Moncton's downtown, was a very busy spot on this Saturday morning. 

One of more than 70 murals in Moncton.  This one shows a train conductor - appropriate to our 33-hour train getaway.  Many of the murals' existence is owed to the work of Festival Inspire, an annual festival which sponsors local artists and artists from around the world to create masterpieces that have transformed Moncton into an outdoor art gallery.

The Irish Families Monument is located in the south end of Riverfront Park.  It was erected 2000 to pay homage to the Irish families who settled in New Brunswick nearly 200 years ago.

Along the Petitcodiac River.

This is the Moncton 100 Monument, which honours Joseph Salter, a shipbuilder, entrepreneur and first mayor of the Township of Moncton in 1855. It was erected in recognition of Moncton’s 100th anniversary as a city in 1990.

Along the Petitcodiac River.  Juliet had the idea to link up via hands-on-shoulders.  Still trying to figure it out. ;-) 

Halls Creek is a  tributary of the Petitcodiac River, which runs into the Petitcodiac at the location of the Halls Creek Pedestrian Bridge.

Halls Creek Pedestrian Bridge, a pedestrian bridge crossing Halls Crooks, at the border between Moncton and Dieppe.

Crazy moment at the Delta Beauséjour Hotel.

Hot chocolate and popcorn in the Delta Beauséjour lobby. 

When we left the hotel at 3PM to head to the Via Rail station, we made a detour back to the Petitcodiac River to watch the twice-daily tidal bore, which was supposed to show up at 3:13PM.  The tidal bore is a phenomenon whereby the world-famous tides of the Bay of Fundy push up the river twice daily, at teh change from low to high tide, creating a wall of water up to 1.5m high.  One would think Mother Nature would respect the schedule but oh no, we must've missed the spectable by a couple of minutes.  So in lieu, I present this photo from an interpretive panel by the river, showing the tidal bore being ushered in by surfers.

Playing Quiddler while awaiting the train’s arrival at the Moncton Via Rail station. 

The train left at 5:03PM, 3 hours 25 minutes late. The delay was caused by an Amtrak train having collided with a vehicle on Friday night on the outskirts of Montreal, which delayed our train's departure from Montreal by three hours.

After leaving Sackville, we were offered complimentary Clover Leaf Mediterranean pasta and tuna “bistro bowls” to make up for the three hour delay. We joked among ourselves that it was probably because Via Rail executives had to appear before a Parliamentary Committee last week to explain why stranded passengers on the Quebec City - Windsor corridor over Christmas had to pay for food during an 18-hour delay.  


Arrival in Halifax just after 9PM. Despite the late arrival, it was an enjoyable ride. 

A great walk from the Via Rail station back to the car at Historic Properties. A warmish January night along the Halifax Harbourfront with not a breath of wind.