An Oyster Shucker's Tour

[newbie]

What a great report thus far. As a misplaced East Coaster (from New Brunswick) who is living out west, I especially enjoyed the scenic shots. I've been over to the island many a time but have yet to visit Charlottetown. It's funny, when I first moved to B.C. and people would talk about the island, I would get excited until I realized that they were talking about VANCOUVER ISLAND... I get back "home" approx every year - 18 months so will have to make a trek over to Charlottetown and check out the Claddagh Oyster House and some of the other places you recommend.

I tried oysters for the first time down in Vancouver at Joe Fortes and have also been to Rodney's Oyster Bar for some. I LOVE them!!!! We have a great seafood shop here in Prince George, BC and the owners are from back east and always have a couple of east coast varieties along with some BC varieties. I must say, I have alot of respect for you all and the speed that you are able shuck these babies. I stuggle with getting them open and usually get them to open them for me to take home. Oh well, guess I'll have to keep buying and practicing....

Looking forward to your next installment.

[ludja]

Hey, I just checked out this thread today, oyster guy, and am loving it. Thank you for the great stories and photos. Looking forward to following the rest of your adventures. Man, I need some oysters now though...

[Oyster Guy]

"Leaves are falling all around,

It's time that I was on my way.

Still, I'm much obliged,

Such a pleasant stay.

Now it's time for me to go,

The autumn moon lights my way."

Ramble On-Led Zeppelin 2

September 20th 2006

Today, I leave Prince Edward Island, my home for the last 2 and a half months.

John is kind enough to give me a ride to Moncton, New Brunswick so that I can catch my train to Montreal.

The day is grey and misty and at times, the rain comes down in a torrent as we cross the immense and amazing Confederation Bridge.

This is a lot faster than the ferries used to be and it is pretty cool to be crossing over the Northumberland Strait than to be sailing on it on a day like today.

John had mentioned taking the train as an alternative to flying to Montreal and when I checked, I was surprised to find that taking the train was cheaper than flying and I got a 2 bedroom sleeper compartment to boot. Sold!

I am somewhat sad to be leaving and at the same time, happy to be back on the road and heading back home.

As we pull into Moncton, I am surprised to see that the powerful tides of the Bay of Fundy had their effect on the rivers as far inland as here.

A couple of the rivers were nothing but trickles where normally a 12 foot deep river ran.

John dropped me off at the train station and we said goodbye and he thanked me for all the help over the summer while I thanked him for everything else.

I check in and wait for the train while the rain continues to pour down without pause.

The train pulls in and after much searching, I found my compartment and settled in for a 13 hour trip. I had never had a compartment before and it was really cool.

My own bathroom and 2 pull down beds and roomy enough for me as I wouldn't be sharing it.

I had a rather surprising good salmon dinner in the dining car washed down by an Ontario Chardonnay. What a real Canadian dinner.

I had the company of the sister of the leuitenant governer of Nova Scotia for a dinner

companion. It was quite civilized compared with my dining experiences that I have had flying.

I had a couple more glasses of wine and retired to my compartment to lie down and read my book a little and relax as the miles rolled by.

Looking out the window, it was great to see the fall colours of the trees which is something that I haven't seen in 10 years.

Everything is green all year round in Whistler and I miss them every fall.

I fall asleep quickly thanks to wine, the rocking of the train and the exhaustion of the last few days at the Festival.

I wake up and the train is somewhere between Quebec City and Montreal and the day promises to be spectacular.

The trains rolls into Montreal shortly before 8:30 a.m. and the day is beautiful.

Clear blue skies without a cloud in sight. Just right for a walk around the city.

I quickly find myself a cheap hotel room on Saint Hubert and stowing my bag in my room, I set off to see Montreal again after over 10 years.

I have always loved Montreal. The city just has such a great vibe and flavour to it and in all my travels, I have never found another place like it.

I love all the old buildings and the European style to the city.

I walked along St. Catherine over to one of my favourite streets in Montreal, St. Laurent.

I wanted to check out Globe and Maestro S.V.P., a couple of oyster places that I knew of in the city but at that early hour they were closed and I had to content myself with checking out their specials and menus instead.

I was in town to shuck some oysters at Joe Beef where John Bil had worked during their first months of life the year before but I wanted to see what these other places were up to.

I was starving and the only breakfast they offered on the train was toast and coffee and that is hardly enough for an active oyster shucker to run on.

I wandered over to Prince Arthur just off St. Laurent and found a little place offering a breakfast special.

I sat down and ordered the "Les Quebecois" breakfast and this is what they brought me.

After breakfast, I strolled back along Ste. Catherine, checking out the sights and sounds of the city.

Rue Ste. Catherine is my favourite street in Canada for a number of reasons.

It is quite a mixture of stores, restaurants and other services.

I really miss the old buildings because where I live, I am older than most of the town. and it is really nice to see the workmanship that went into building them.

I strolled down to Old Montreal and I got lost in the warren of narrow, cobblestone streets and I loved every minute of it!

I wandered over to Notre Dame Ouest and walked along admiring the scenery.

I have to go out now but more on Montreal later.

Keep on shucking

Oyster Guy

Edited December 8, 2006 by Oyster Guy (log)

[Oyster Guy]

Montreal-Part Deux

It was great to be back in Montreal, a city, I am sorry to say that I hadn't set foot in since 1995. Way too long.

I loved the old section where I had spent some time with a very special friend way back in the early 90's and it brought back some very good memories for me.

I had spent a couple of Christmas holidays in Montreal and attended the midnight mass at the Notre Dame Basilica. It was a very special time for me in my life.

I wandered around aimlessly, killing time before going to Joe Beef and asking if I could shuck some oysters for them that night.

I've always liked Montreal's skyline.

I got to wander around Atwater Market before I started at Joe Beef that night and I was amazed to see the great produce and the cheeses were incredible.

The rest of my Montreal visit is recorded on the Joe Beef thread on this forum and I will be continuing my oyster tale in the Toronto forum.

I really appreciate all the kind comments that I have received and it is nice to hear them as it takes quite a bit of time to upload the photos and tell the story.

Thanks for making it worthwhile.

Keep on shucking

Oyster Guy

Edited December 9, 2006 by Oyster Guy (log)