We had a great day, the day we spent exploring Saint John. There is a St. Johns in Newfoundland – where they have the colorful houses (see links at end of post). I learned that they keep the cities straight by spelling out Saint for the John in New Brunswick. I wonder if there will ever be so many cities named St. Patricia that some need to be referred to as Saint Patricia so people don’t get confused.

A man stopped to ask if we needed some help – maybe he thought we looked like tourists (was it the camera around my neck, the bewildered, lost look on our faces, or the fact that a cruise ship had just disembarked?). He said something we really didn’t want to miss in Saint John is the City Market.

The exterior is a sharp contrast to the sights that we saw when we walked in.

It was lunch time and we had decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal in town. There were several stands preparing ethnic food that sounded tempting but we really wanted to sit down and be served for this meal. So we continued to walk around, knowing that we had seen some nice cafes close to where we had parked the car. Nice to have a back-up plan.

It is not a big market and we slowly wondered toward the other end. When we reached it, we knew we had found our destination.

This is Billy, talking to customers and filling the case with today’s catch. And these are the lobster, waiting to be eaten. Billy has the better job. Better to serve, than to be served.

The atmosphere was charming and we sat on the same side of the table on a bench against the wall. Very romantic. Jim said his fish and chips were the best he has ever had. I had a seafood gumbo that was really tasty. I had my camera all set to take a picture but when the plate came it looked so good I forgot about my camera. Maybe that is why I don’t consider myself a food photographer – I like eating more than photography. You will have to just trust me that my meal was as good looking as it was good to eat. I thought about taking a picture of my half-eaten meal but that seems kinda gross.

By the time we finished eating, most everyone who had been on the cruise ship had found the City Market. Lots of people. But I was able to buy some sweet corn for supper and some locally grown strawberries. And we started down the other side.

And then we saw it. Can you feel the magic? Something that is sooooooo hard to resist.

We bought a loaf of whole grain bread and Jim bought the pastry on the top self, on the left – cream filled.

I bought an apple turn-over. It was a really hard choice. The clerk put the pastries in a little box for safe carrying.

I also bought the hanging moose that was featured in a previous post but as we were leaving we saw the following sign.

Jim had seen some for tasting at another stand so we went back for a try. We had toasted ones and, disappointment, we didn’t care for them.

There was a picnic table outside the building and we sat in the warm sun and ate our pastries. Both were excellent – we fed each other pieces of what we had chosen.

To see the colorful homes and businesses of St. Johns, Newfoundland, click on links below.

https://imissmetoo.me/2012/08/27/colorful-houses-st-johns-newfoundland/

https://imissmetoo.me/2012/08/27/weekly-photo-challenge-urban/