Day 1 (continued): We made it!

Yarmouth, Canada

…After a pleasant train ride to Portland, ME we checked into the CAT Ferry port and had only about 45 mins to catch lunch before boarding would begin. As we tried to check out some local recommendations from friends, we found many long wait times and were surprised just how hot it was in Portland today (87* and heavy sun). In effort to avoid wasting time/hauling our luggage too far we discovered it was just about a 4 minute walk to another recommendation, Duck Fat. Although they had an almost 2 hour wait, they expressed carry out would be available in just about 15 mins, so we opted for a “Duck Fat picnic.” This local spot is known for their famous Belgium style french fries, so we were sure to share some with fresh pressed paninis (Bry went with the House Smoked Brisket & I couldn’t say no to a classic Caprese) and their home made soda (Bry tried Ginger Zinger & I had to give their Grape^3 a go)! We enjoyed some people watching as we ate lunch and are excited to have more downtime in Portland as we return to the US next week! I was surprised to see how large the CAT (catamaran style boat) ferry was…as everyone boarded there were quite a few cars and we were very happy to find the condition of the interior was very nice! As we got settled into our window view, recliner seats (open seating) one of the crew members alerted us that today’s ride may be a little rocky. I’m prone to getting motion sickness, so immediately cringed on what the ride may hold. Luckily, I was fine for the first two hours and loved the harbor views of lighthouses and beautiful homes lining the coast. The boat had a few restaurants, gift shop, and TVs playing the Olympics to keep us entertained. Unfortunately, my body finally realized what I was trying to do and motion sickness sunk in. I was able to fight off physically getting sick by sleeping for a few hours and Bryan enjoyed a beer and exploring some of the boat as I nodded off. We had a lovely spinach salad near the tail end of our journey and slowly docked at the Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Port near 9PM local time (Atlantic). I have a new gained appreciation for the many people that braved multi-week travel across the Atlantic to immigrate/visit America in much harsher accommodations than we were fortunate to relax in today! Checked into our hotel now and relaxing tonight, so we can kick off our road trip with much great exploring ahead!