Nova Scotia, Canada - Aug 5 - 28, 2007
On August 5th we entered Nova Scotia via the narrow isthmus attaching the province to the mainland. We would visit four distinctly different areas of Nova Scotia - Amherst, Cape Breton Island, Halifax, and Annapolis Royal.
Amherst - Aug. 5 - 7
Our first stop was Gateway RV Park in Amherst. The park was barely adequate, but it provided easy access to Prince Edward Island (PEI) (see the Quebec/New Brunswick journal page for the PEI discussion). While in Amherst we also took a trip out to the Cape d'Or lighthouse and observed the incredible currents of Fundy Bay. As we returned to Amherst we saw the tidal rivers at low tide exposing their bright red beds and surrounding marshlands.
Cape Breton Island - August 8 - 14, 2007
Cape Breton is known for its Acadian and Celtic heritage, its large lakes and the Cabot Trail. We stayed at the Cabot Trail Campground six miles west of Baddeck. The facilities were satisfactory, but we thought the New Bras d'oR Lakes Campground just down the road looked better, plus it is right on the lake.
We spent one day driving the Cabot Trail, stopping at the Celtic College and at Ingonish for a picnic, doing a bit of whale watching from the bluffs overlooking the sea and continuing our search for the perfect sourdough French bread. The day was perfect, the drive lovely, but alas, no suitable French bread.
Susan had recently completed a couple of books on the French/English struggle for dominion in North America and the American Revolutionary War. So off we went to visit the Fortress Louisbourg, an 18th Century walled city on the east coast. France originally established the Fortress in 1719 to protect their cod fishing industry. New Englanders laid siege to the Fortress in 1745 and claimed the city for Britain. Britain subsequently returned it to France three years later. In 1758, the British again besieged the Fortress, completely destroying it and sending its residents packing.
Canada has restored the Fortress to its 1750 splendor including period costumed actors, chickens, sheep, vegetable gardens, bakeries and inns. We really enjoyed our day and felt it was well worth the effort to reach this rather remote national park.
We had several days of rain and drizzle, but were able to squeeze in a visit to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, a hike and a couple of scenic walks between downpours before heading south towards Halifax.
Glen Margaret - August 15 - 21, 2007
It was a long trek from Baddeck to Glen Margaret, south of Halifax, but when we saw our site at Wayside-Supercity Camping Park hearts were gladdened. We had a beautiful view across the road to Margaret Bay and its cottages, islets and fishing boats, and were only about seven miles from the famed Peggy's Cove.
The next morning we arose to a beautiful sunny day and after a brisk walk headed out to visit the Cove - which was shrouded in dense fog. What a difference seven miles can make. We rather enjoyed the fog, which gave the Cove a romantically mysterious aura.
While wandering through the village we came upon a very comical bicyclist inviting all within shouting distance to a theatrical presentation in the Old Red School House. The Monty Pythonesque play presented a hilarious - and totally false - version of the Peggy Legend. It was great fun, and nobody got hurt - just wet. We recommend this amusing play, but caution against sitting in the front row without a slicker.
We traveled on to Chester; about 35 miles west of Peggy's Cove, where the annual regatta was in full sail. The rich and well heeled were definitely in town - with their magnificent boats. Chester is beautiful and we regret not returning to spend more time wandering its narrow, interesting streets.
We returned to Peggy's Cove the following Sunday to capture the magnificent rocks, lighthouse and fishing village in radiant sunshine. It was such a lovely day we continued south along the coast to the charming villages of Mahone Bay and Lunenberg.
In Mahone Bay we shopped at a Farmer's Market where we discovered that we could purchase vegetables on Sunday morning, but couldn't actually receive them until after noon (after church gets out). Seems they have a few quirky laws in the area.
Lunenberg was celebrating the closing day of its annual Seafood Festival. However, the previous days downpour seemed to have drowned the town's enthusiasm for the event - even the parade was a bit soggy. Still, the town was lovely and we had a good lunch.
We visited Halifax twice - once on very dreary day and again in wonderful sunshine. On the dreary day we walked along the waterfront and ducked into the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to escape the rain. The Museum has a rather disturbing 'death and destruction on the high seas' sort of theme. In addition to all the shipwreck exhibits, it had a special presentation on pirates - and not the friendly Pirates of the Caribbean/Johnny Depp variety. These guys were murderous scumbags if you "Arrggh" know what I mean "matey".
In 1912, Halifax was the center of operations for the rescue and recovery of the survivors and victims of the Titanic. The sobering Titanic exhibit included artifacts from the ship and records of interviews with survivors and those involved in the recovery. Several victims were never identified so were buried in Halifax.
The Museum also had a very interesting exhibit on the 1917 Halifax Explosion that resulted in 2,000 deaths, 9,000 injuries and the destruction of much of Halifax and the neighboring city of Dartmouth. The disaster occurred on a clear December morning, when a Belgian relief ship and a fully loaded French munitions ship inexplicably collided in the harbor resulting in the biggest man made explosion before the nuclear age. The explosion was so violent, one of the cannon landed three and half miles away.
We took two long walks while in the area - one in Halifax's Point Pleasant Park that still shows the damage of Hurricane Juan that came ashore in 2003. The other walk/hike/scramble was along the very rocky shoreline of Terrence Bay that took us by a few lovely beaches - one was apparently clothing optional. That was a bit of a surprise for the uninformed... us.
While wandering along Margaret's Bay we noted a church graveyard. There were three clustered tombstones - the father, age 44, died November 30, 1918, the mother age 42 died the next day and the son, age 8, died a week later. We surmised these were victims of the Great Influenza Epidemic of 1918.
Annapolis Royal - August 22 - 29, 2007
As we drove west to Dunromin RV Park across the river from Annapolis Royal, we noted the change from the rocky seacoast of eastern Nova Scotia to the rolling farmland of the west. Dunromin is a pleasant park on the Annapolis River. During our stay the seasonal folks were celebrating Halloween - witches, goblins and ghost wandering about in August. Macabre.
A Brief Acadian History Lesson:
Annapolis Royal, is in the heart of Acadia, a French colony established in 1605. The colony passed back and forth between France and England for decades, finally becoming a British colony in 1713. On the eve of the French and Indian War (Seven Year War in Europe) the British became suspicious of the Acadian's loyalty and forced them from their homes, not allowing them to return until 1764. In the end, almost three-quarters of the Acadian population of 15,000 became victims of the Great Expulsion. Many families were permanently separated. Some of the refugees settled in New Orleans, a French city at that time, and their descendents are sometimes now known as Cajuns.
The reader may recall Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's sad poem "Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie":
Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient,
Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion,
List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest;
List to a Tale of Love in Acadie, home of the happy.
Our rambles and bike rides took us along Acadian dykes that are still in use, the Annapolis Royal Gardens including a replica of an Acadian cottage, French Port Royal and British Fort Anne, the beautiful shaded streets of the town and its weekly public market. We also toured the Annapolis Tidal Power Project that generates electricity from the power of the outgoing tide.
There were two important items remaining on our 'must do while in Nova Scotia' list: kayaking and whale watching. So on the first promising day we made arrangements with Ocean Exploration Zodiac Adventures for an up close and personal whale encounter. At one point it smelled a bit too up close and personal. One does not have a true understanding of 'bad breath' until one is downwind of three humpback whales after a herring feast. "Whew! Cap'n Jack, move this Zodiac up wind of those critters."
It was a great time. We followed the three humpbacks for about 45 minutes then headed toward shore. On our way we came across a minke whale. As we came around to get a better view of the minke the three humpbacks breached in unison. Wow. The sight was breathtaking.
To fulfill our kayaking obligation we headed to Kejimkujik National Park for some gentle lake-cruising. We enjoyed our expedition so much we are considering buying a kayak. But where to put it? We don't have a garage and the car roof is fully occupied with bikes. Where there's a will…
In a nod to Lloyd, a fellow traveler and blogster (click here for his website), who enjoys noting the interesting signs he encounters, we present the Faithful Punsters of Paradise. While driving through Paradise, Nova Scotia, we noted a couple of amusing signs, one on a church marquee reading, "God Accepts Knee Mail", and another on a produce market named "The Garden of Eatin'".
(Incidentally, like Bill's ongoing search for the perfect sourdough bread, Lloyd is on a quest for the perfect cinnamon roll. If you have a recommendation, drop him a line.)
Our Nova Scotia excursion came to an end on August 29th and it was time to start heading back to the USA. Our return path would take us to the west coast of the Bay of Fundy, the amazing Hopewell Rocks and lovely St. Martins.
