Gananoque – The Humble Fabulist

Up the St. Lawrence River from Gananoque to Heart Island

March 16, 2019March 15, 2019 The Humble FabulistLeave a comment

Up the St. Lawrence River, under the Thousand Islands Bridge, crossing the border to the U.S. long enough to go around Boldt Castle, on Heart Island. In season, boats stop and people can visit the castle, but in October it is already closed.

It was a melancholic sight, as it lay there empty, resting, nurturing its sad story: built at the whim of George C. Boldt, a Prussian-born self made millionaire, manager of the original Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan, as a gift to his wife Louise, intended to be their summer home (!) Alas, Louise passed away suddenly, months before its completion. George, inconsolable, abandoned the castle and left the island, never to return. The castle remained unfinished, abandoned for 73 years…

St. Lawrence River

October 28th, 2017

Familiarising || Gananoque

March 15, 2019March 14, 2019 The Humble FabulistLeave a comment

First of all, with the name. Here I was, thinking all along it was pronounced Gan-a-nók (in my best French accent), until our host let us in with a ”welcome to Gan-ə-nok-way” and put an end to my ignorance.

The quietude and laid-backness. The locals taking a break from the summer madness, before winter kicks in.

The lack of tourists. There must have been no more than ten of us at the time.

Canadian politeness. Much more than just a cliché, Canadians make even road signs seem polite!

Gananoque, ON

October 28th, 2017

Sleeping with ghosts || Gananoque

March 14, 2019March 13, 2019 The Humble FabulistLeave a comment

Our trip continues around Lake Ontario to the ”Thousand Islands”, an archipelago of 1149 (official count) islands and islets, 665 of which are on the Canadian side and 484 on the American side. Their size ranges from a few square miles to mere rocks. Some are just large enough to accommodate a single house (and a tree); another, slightly larger rock, holds a fairy tale castle; a third one hosts a lighthouse; all of them are as picture-perfect as you can imagine – and then some.

But first things first: accommodation. We will stay on the Canadian side and lodge at The Sleepy Hollow, an atmospheric B&B in Gananoque we chose partly because of its name, considering we were approaching Halloween.

We knew we made the right choice when we were met by our ~~tiny ghost~~ friendly host who welcomed and showed us to our room, made sure we were comfortable and cosy, shooed all other house ~~ghosts~~ guests away so we could sleep quietly and made sure we woke up in time for breakfast.