Port Dover, Ontario is a beach town.  I find it best to visit off season because it is the quietest.  The kids are back at school and holidays are over for most of the work force.  We normally would come like all the other people through the summer.  You have very lengthy line ups at most of the restaurants, gift shops and any other attractions they have.  After visiting in September, we said we would now come for our fish dinner once the kids have gone back to school and through the week when most people are at work. It was fantastic.  Nice and quiet and peaceful.

Port Dover is known in the area for their fresh fish so it has become and annual trip for us to one of their local restaurants for this delicacy.  Perch and  pickerel are the ones we normally order.

This time we visited Callahan’s.  It is a nice restaurant.

Situated right on the beach with it’s palm trees.  Yes, palm trees.  At first I thought they were not real.  I mean really, where in Ontario can you find palm trees?  So I asked the waitress.  She told me they were real.  I then asked how they survived the winter?  She proceeded to tell me up until this year they were dug up and stored.  Though, because of the expense they were going to try and wrap them this year, leave them where they are to see if they would survive the harsh winters we normally have.

One thing that I don’t understand, if you go to Ireland which is much further north then Ontario, and completely surrounded by water, palm trees exist quite well and are all over the place.  Yet here it is rare to find one and one that would survive the winter.  Well, I hope it works for them. It looks so nice and along with the sound of the waves and the seagulls it is so relaxing.

Other restaurants are scattered around the area

and gift shops line the streets waiting to be explored for that one perfect item.

But the one thing I like to do is to take a stroll down the pier.

And watch the boats come in from their fishing expeditions.

This must be a hard way to make a living.  We should be grateful to these people for doing what they do.  I recall being on a trip once and we decided to go on to the open waters of the Atlantic to fish and not even very far from shore. The waves were not very high and it didn’t seem like a big deal at the time.  I threw my fishing line in and was trying to keep my balance.  Then all of a sudden I was not feeling so good.  Never ever having trouble in the past of being on a boat, I couldn’t believe it.  This was what being sea sick was like.  Not so nice.

So thank you to all the people who provide us with the fish we eat.

This is a growing community.  New neighborhoods have sprung up over the years.  Some beautiful homes have been built. Ideal location for people who want a slower pace of life that is not found in the city.

Port Dover is also well know for having the biggest single day motorcycle event in the world.  Friday the 13th motorcycle rally. I have heard that it can exceed more then 100,000 bikers.

So whatever your reason going and exploring you’ll have a marvelous time.