Cobblestone The Captain changed course overnight because of the winds, so we're heading to St. Pierre instead of Miquelon, which is supposed to be the nicer of the two!
We're looking forward to the visit, and getting our passports stamped with French entrance visas!

We've got most of the day ashore, I like just poking around the back streets, and seeing what we can find. It's soon evident that this isn't Canada anymore, most of the cars are European, the currency is Euros and the store hours are as well. Nothing is open until 10 am, except the bakery, and they're closed from 12-2 for lunch. The only familiar sight is a Home Hardware, which sticks out like a sore thumb! This foils Kathy's shopping, we're off on a tour of the Island from 10 - 12, someone didn't plan this part of the trip well!

It's interesting, some of the perks the French get for living in St. Pierre, France isn't about to give this part of the New World back. The communities are supplied by freighters monthly, through St. John's and Halifax. Government workers are paid 130% of their French salaries and get 1.5 yrs credit for every year they work in St. Pierre. University is free for residents, as long as they attend in France, their board is paid for and they get 3 trips a year back home. Like Newfoundland, the people are very friendly, and we visit with some high school students having coffee before school starts at a civilized 10 am. They also get a two-hour lunch and then head back to school from 2 - 4:30 pm. We find a typical church square and find the door to the cathedral open, the stained glass is amazing. It's interesting, here there is no attempt to speak English, and the local French is difficult to understand, even the French have trouble picking up the local patois. Memorial University has a one-year French program that it runs in St. Pierre, it'd be a great place to learn French! I'd come back here for another visit, it'd be a cheap way to visit France!

During Prohibition, St. Pierre was famous for rum-running. Most of the illegal liquor smuggled along the US east coast originated in St. Pierre. Many fishers switched from cod fishing to rum-running, and many of their boats were modified to outrun the US Navy and Coast Guard. A few were powered by twin aircraft engines and made the first use of smoke machines to cover their exit when being chased. There's even a story that Al Capone visited the town for a few days, and left his hat at the hotel!

As we sail out of St. Pierre, we're accompanied by a local tug and pilot. It takes the tug three runs up the side of the Clipper before it's close enough for the pilot to jump. The Clipper had to shift to the starboard to break some of the high waves. It's not a job I'd like, but the pilot and tug crew are all waving as we sail past them.

It's our last evening aboard, the Captain is hosting the bar, more good Scotch. We're heading back to St. John's, where the voyage will end. Facade #5

Photos:
Side streets have a similarity with the Maritimes, the colours, and Europe with the cobbled streets

The only car dealership on the Island. We had a 403 when we lived in Marseilles, they were white, blue or battleship grey!

http://www.st-pierre-et-miquelon.com/english/index.php

Signal Hill greets us through the rain...
 
Back in St. John's Coming back into the harbour, feels like we're coming home, even though it was our first trip to Newfoundland, and we'd only been there for 12 days! It's kind of quiet on board, luggage stacked in the hallways, and everyone quietly enjoying breakfast. Tony greeted us with a final morning song, and there's the exchange of addresses and promises to trade photos and emails.

The morning's entertainment is the Pilot boat coming alongside in the swell, and the pilot jumping aboard for the trip under Signal Hill and into the harbour. It's quite evident from this perspective why St John's harbour was so important. The Fort located below Signal Hill has a clear shot at anything trying to enter the harbour.

Most of us are sitting in the forward lounge, over coffee, and waiting for our turn to clear customs. The three customs agents are all dressed in their uniforms, along with a large Tim Horton's coffee in hand. I can't ever remember getting hassled coming back into Canada, it's always a great feeling heading home.

We're off the Clipper and on the bus back to the hotel, we're staying a night there before we head to Nova Scotia. The rooms aren't ready, so we're off to Water Street for a coffee and to check the bank accounts, always a fun job after a trip. The same street musicians are playing, but things are pretty quiet with the rainy weather. The hotel staff is great, and they've managed to get our rooms ready in a very short time. We decide to stay in the hotel, dinner in the pub, more Quidi Vidi! It's a quiet night, and we suffer through a crappy Denzil Washington film Safe House which seems to be nothing but car chases and shoot-outs. Denzil isn't Jason Statham, but you pay for the movie, so on it goes!

I'm off to Fred's Records for a few East Coast tunes, I spend over an hour there, the place is full of musicians helping me out. I run into Tony and Mike (the photographer), but they're in pretty rough shape, they'd been up all night at Shamrock City, just down the road from our hotel.  We catch a cab to the airport, run into many fellow passengers heading home. We're flying to Halifax and heading to Truro. I'm sitting next to a fellow working on a TV script as we fly, turns out its Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle). It's nice to see that Canadian TV stars have to fly cattle class, he's on his way to Halifax to pitch a new film.

One last note coming from Truro.......