The morning started with a trip to the veterinarian for Pepsi. She was in desperate need of new dog food and the food she is on is only available at veterinarians. The first one we tried had what we needed and Pepsi now has enough food for the next couple of months.

Martin was driving and Ruth was busy looking not only for things to do and see in Fredericton, but also whether there were swimming opportunities in the area. We arrived at the visitor center in Fredericton where we found out that out-of-province tourists can get a free day of parking once every year.

Fredericton gives the impression of a bigger city than its 60,000 inhabitants would suggest. It has attractive architecture for its City Hall and at a nearby historic garrison we saw the quarters of where the soldiers keeping watch could rest. The garrison was always English and there was never a war between the French and English here according to the interpreters who were available for questions, dressed in period costumes. The beds of the soldiers were rather short, not because the soldiers on duty were short, but rather because they were required to keep their feet on the floor at all times during their 24 hour shift, even while resting.

The officer’s quarter had lots of books and ledgers. He was in charge of all correspondence as most of the soldiers where not literate. He kept the fire buckets that were made of leather and insulated with tar which ironically was combustable.

During our walk through the historic downtown area we saw many little shops, pubs and restaurants with international cuisine. We also found Canada’s oldest bike shop.

We did not stay for the free guided city tour walk but left for Mactaquac Provincial Park where we have a site on small hill next to a large open area. A nearby beach at the river had signs that it was likely safe to swim but that one should be careful with blue-green algae which can be harmful. We did not swim but had dinner outside and planned our next steps.

A small green insect kept us company and tried to climb up our tray at the slowest possible speed.