Lord Jim of Dilling - Diplomat Magazine

Maine|DESTINATIONSour hotel and reflected on the incrediblesense of acceptance we had felt amongstrangers in such a short time.Driving from Millinocket, we stopped inBangor, perhaps most famously known asthe place where horror writer Stephen Kinglives. Bangor, itself, is sadly unremarkable,a once affluent and busy town which nowhas abandoned stores, empty streets anda slightly melancholy feel. It’s no wonderthat Mr. King found literary motivationfrom his childhood experiences growingup in Maine. Any of the residents can pointout his address, insinuating that they’veheard the question numerous times before.But just to be sure, the house has red paint,a gothic style and a black cast-iron fenceadorned with bats and cobwebs. The fencegives tourists something to photograph.Taking a break from Maine’s southerncoastal cities, we drove to Acadia NationalPark. In Canada, of course, we have noshortage of national parks. Acadia NationalPark, however, offers the naturalbeauty you expect from a park that boasts47,000 acres of mountains, oceanfrontbeaches, rocky shores, forests and lakes. Italso boasts numerous ocean-front sandybeaches – not to mention impeccableroads, great visitor-assistance servicesand Jordon Pond House, a picturesquerestaurant.We made a stop at Thunder Hole, sonamed because a thunderous noise eruptsfrom inside a small cavern when oceanwaves roll in at high tide. We dallied atEcho Lake, which features a fine sandbeach and excellent swimming, directlybeside the 839-foot Beech Mountain. Wedragged ourselves away only with thesetting sun. On the one-way road out ofthe park, we passed gorgeous views theentire way.For a wind-in-your-hair vacation, Canadiansoften overlook Maine, selectingeither Florida in winter or New York Statein summer. Yet Maine offers perhaps awider variety of attractions than either ofthese other states: ocean swimming, sophisticatedurban centres, national parks,the splendid White Mountains, the smalltowns that evoke a New England senseof history and community. We concludedto our own satisfaction that that Maine isfully competitive with any other drivingdestination.Look no further … Quality counts!Contact us for all your temporaryand permanent staffing needs!info@artemp.ca 613-232-9767www.artemp.ca294 ALBERT STREET, SUITE 104, OTTAWA K1P 6E6No Extra Feesfor DiplomatsDiplomats and embassy employeesmay exchange their personal chequeswithout paying extra fees. Accu-RateCorporation specializes in electronic andcheque payments in over 55 currencies.-For your personalconsultation please call:Marie BoivinManaging Director613-596-5505 ext. 101marie@accu-rate.caJessie Reynolds and Matt Renshaw travelled5,000 kilometers in 14 days andspent roughly $2,500 (including the cost ofice cream cones) for their Maine vacation.Accu-RateCorporationForeign Exchange & International Payment Serviceswww.accu-rate.caAccu-Rate Corporation2573 Carling Ave.(613) 596-5505World Exchange Plaza111 Albert St.(613) 238-8454diplomat and international canada 59