|
| |
| |
|
CARAQUET |
| |
Heading east from the mining town of Bathurst, Hwy 11 bobs along the
Acadian Peninsula's northern shore, trimming the edge of the rolling
countryside before reaching, after about 60km, the district's pride and
joy, the Village Historique Acadien (daily: June to early Sept 10am-6pm;
mid-Sept to mid-Oct 10am-5pm; $10). This holds around forty old Acadian
buildings relocated from other parts of New Brunswick - only the church
was built specifically for the village. Costumed "inhabitants" emphasize
the struggles of the early settlers and demonstrate traditional
agricultural techniques as well as old methods of spinning, cooking and
so on - all in a rustic setting. Another section focuses on the early
years of the twentieth century with a hotel and train station amongst a
modest assortment of urban buildings. From the historic village, it's a
further 11km east on Hwy 11 to CARAQUET , a fishing port that was
founded by Acadian fugitives in 1758 and now straggles along the
seafront for some 13km. It may not be much to look at, but Caraquet does
have one or two sights, beginning with the Musée Acadien de Caraquet ,
at 15 Blvd St-Pierre East/Hwy 145 (June-Aug Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 1-6pm;
$3), which chronicles the hardships of those early settlers and has a
small gallery devoted to the work of local artists. At the west end of
town, there's also the shrine of Ste-Anne-du-Bocage built to commemorate
the founding families' trials and tribulations. Caraquet is the setting
for the region's most important Acadian Festival (tel 727-6515), a ten-day
programme of music and theatre held in early August, which begins with
the blessing of the fishing fleet by a local bishop.
Amongst several simple and inexpensive motels, inns and B&Bs in Caraquet,
the pick is the Hotel Paulin , 143 Blvd St-Pierre West (tel 727-9981;
$80-100), a comfortable, quaintly decorated little place that also
offers genuine Acadian meals - the pea soup is a treat - on request. A
second, less expensive choice is Le Pignon Rouge , a B&B at 338 Blvd St-Pierre
East (tel 727-5983; $40-60).
|
|
