BATHURST: Home on the north shore

I have fond, fond memories of northern New Brunswick where I was lucky, yet crazy, enough to live for two years. People here like to say: “There’s no shore like the north shore, that’s for sure!” Although with the accent, it’s more like “that’s fer shore!”

The mills and the mines are all slowly but I’d like to think there’s enough to keep the fine people here from moving away like in so many other Maritime towns.

Or they come back, like Jacques and Diane who run the Gite Authentique B&B in a stately renovated 1920s house with the most gorgeous front porch. Jacques is a chef who lived in Montreal but returned to Bathurst, where he grew up.

If I owned a house, this is what I’d want it to be. The B&B kept the house’s original architecture, curved arches and hardwood, and then added clean, modern furniture with timeless antiques. I wanted to move in.

Our room (#2) was huge, with an ultra-comfy queen bed, a walk-in dressing room and an ensuite with an European water-efficient toilet. I’m a nerd. I think that’s cool.

Breakfast was the other reason I wanted to move in. Fresh squeezed orange juice and a carafe of coffee awaited us at the appointed time.

Then Jacques came out of the kitchen with two huge plates of fresh crepes, neatly folded over organic local fruit, topped with an edible flower and his homemade wild rose jelly. Yes, homemade wild rose jelly.

I told you there’s no shore like the north shore.

PS: Jason wanted to add that he enjoyed the flat screen in our room, the first television he watched in eight days. It happened to be an episode of the Family Guy with this song that he didn’t stop singing for the next eight days. Lucky me.

Gite Authentique B&B, 695 Murray Ave., Bathurst, New Brunswick, (506) 548-3300. More info here.