Russ is a good guy, honestly. But I can't recommend him as a tour guide. Let's back up for the whole story....

Did I mention the 10 deer he photographed this morning in Rockwood Park?

Reversing Falls

Of course, this is the marquee stop in St. John...and we missed it when we went walkabout and didn't do a tour in 2023](https://wecruisencl.com/2023/10/saint-john-nb-canada).

One of the advantages of a small tour is that the local guides can customize the tour on the fly, and they can get you to the prime places before the bus crowds overrun them. This came to be especially meaningful on the Reversing Falls, because our tour was able to visit first thing in the morning, while the tide was on the way out (the time I think the view is most dynamic) and just before we went back to the ship when the tide was on the way in.

Tide moving out (right to left)

Tide moving in (left to right)

Video:

[embed url="https://youtu.be/7UatLolLMqs"]

[embed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC1l0yw4O0Y"]

Our Tour Guides

I booked through Tours Your Way by Cher, and I feel we got a high-quality, see-the-essential-sites tour. The ladies were riding with Cher, the guys were riding with Russ. In case I didn't mention, Russ is a photographer. He has done a lot of photos, especially of deer, and he'll be happy to tell you about them, repeatedly. The ladies said Cher gave them a lot of St. John history, showed them a variety of sights, and they felt they had a well-rounded tour. For the parts we shared with them, I agree. I would plan to use Tours Your Way by Cher in the future, but she is retiring after this season (in other words, in a few weeks) and moving to be closer to family. Russ will be opening his own company. If you want to hear stories about photos taken and people Russ knows (but he's not name-dropping), it will be an entertaining tour and you'll see the things you need to see. But if you're interested in history, how the town came to be what it is today, that kind of thing...Russ won't be a good match for you. I sound like I'm down on the guy – don't get me wrong, he is a great, and engaging, guy. We were there for a different set of stories, that's all.

Glass Roots of Canada

We lucked into this experience three years ago when we just walked the near-dock area in St. John rather than booking an excursion. We happened into Curtis' free demonstration – essentially, the door's open, drop in and see what Curtis is working on right now. He also does a scheduled demo for groups of six or larger. These have a charge, and he does an entire piece start to finish during the demo (takes 60-90 minutes).

So many photos and videos from this one...I've tried to share the best photos here and will add videos to the YouTube channel when I get home to more reliable wifi and can edit some of them.

In doing a bit of research on Curtis' shop for the Cruise Critic posting, I found out he does something a bit different...crystal mementos of loved ones and pets who have passed, incorporating a small sample of their ashes into a crystal piece. I may do one in the shape of a cat for my tabby, Charlie, when the time comes.

Rockwood Park

We had lunch here, at a place called Lily's. Outside, there is a sundial that is also a memorial to Labour.

And, while we were there Russ took couples photos. As I posted on Facebook...It's your 35th Anniversary, they said...Act like you like each other, they said...

On Facebook, if you look carefully the photo has our lips about an inch apart.

Moosehead Brewery

After a quick swing past Reversing Falls and a look from across the harbor at our ship, we stopped for a quick sample of Moosehead at their brewery.

Aboard, a beautiful sunset as we sailed away

Quick ratings:

Tours Your Way by Cher (Ladies tour 5, guys tour 4)

Glass Roots