Truro, Nova Scotia and our 1st day on Cape Breton - 9/19/2010 thru 9/21/2010

We are now on the ferry to PEI, and unlike the Digby ferry, we cannot access the Wi-Fi from the ferry terminal.  But I can still write to catch you all up with our travels and hopefully I'll remember where I left off.  We arrived in Truro around 3:00pm and drove around town (remember most check-ins are 4:oopm).  Not Much!!  We find a little dive restaurant and have a quick bite to eat.  We have found that after a relatively late and filling breakfast, we are not really hungry until around 3 and if we eat then we are not hungry for dinner.  It kind of screws us up, but I have managed to handle the pressure and eat at both times.  MACHO!!

After checking in and chatting with the inn keepers, we head out to catch a quick sight-seeing expedition.  We go to the "Glooscap" museum.  Glooscap was the mythical leader of the Mik'maque (mic-maw) and stood 40 ft. tall.  These tribes hunted and fished for their living and were not considered farmers.  They used the legendary birch bark canoe (three different designs – short, white- water types, larger inland, transport types, and even larger ocean going canoes), which the French traders/trappers were quick to copy and use for themselves.  In turn, the Mik’maque copied the French boats and began using sail.   The Mik'maque were close to the French, they being the first to immigrate to Nova Scotia from Europe, and supported their efforts against the British.  But when the French were finally expelled, the British were not very lenient and pushed them into reservations.  The Mik'maque Indians were the aboriginal natives of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI, and, like most other aboriginal natives worldwide, got the dirty end of the stick, but also like many other North American Indian tribes they still feel entitled and expect the government to take care of them.  They seem to be a very poor community in all of the provinces.  After the museum we had a quick dinner and retired to the B&B. 

Next morning we are off to Joggins Fossil Cliffs, an archaeological treasure trove known the world 'round.  Joggins was documented in Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species" as being one of the earliest locations where important fossils were found helping to prove life existed millions of years ago.  Because of the geology of the area, a large coal shelf had been tipped up sideways at the end of the Bay of Fundy, and thus having seen millions of years of high tides in and out, exposed the multitude of plant and animal life fossils preserved in the peat (carbon) which is also what coal is.  How is that for a quick and very non-professional explanation of everything I know regarding the subject?  Suffice it to say that this stop was very interesting.  High tide was ~11:30am and within 45 minutes we could stroll on the beach (which was now about 10 meters (~30ft) from the cliffs) and look for our own fossils (cannot be removed but very interesting). 



low tide



As we walked on the beach we found two quickly flowing streams coming directly out of the bottom of one cliff.  Around the exit points there were old timbers driven vertically into the ground.  Come to find out these were old drainage tunnels from the coal mines, also located in Joggins that had collapsed after the mines were abandoned, still draining after several decades. abandoned, still draining after several decades.  As we were leaving I asked about the tides.   I was told that the water continued to recede until about 6:00pm (low tide), when it would be about 300-400 meters (3-4 football fields) from the cliffs.  Now onto our next adventure.     Which would take place the next day because there wasn't much more to see on todays adventure.  The purported Cape d'Orr Lighthouse seen in the advertisements had been replaced with an electronically controlled one, and the coast-line could not be well viewed except from the water.  Parrsboro could have been any other little town on the Nova Scotia coast, but it wasn't as interesting.  Tomorrow we leave for Cape Breton with hopes that our interest will again be piqued. 

AND IT WAS!!!  At the backend of Hurricane Igor Cape Breton’s northwestern coastline was being pounded with high winds. Our first encounter was crossing the Canso Causeway, a short, manmade crossing with a water outlet at one end to allow for a natural flow of water from the sea into the Bras d'Or Lakes and back out.  This causeway bridged the gap from the mainland of Nova Scotia to the Island of Cape Breton. 

Approaching the causeway we could see the white caps pounding the rock embankment, but not until we were crossing the causeway did we really understand the magnitude of the weather.  Halfway across a wave crashed into the embankment and a wall of water covered the car.  The wipers had been on high, but for 4-5 seconds nothing could be seen.  OK, how far ahead was the car in front of me and how far back was the car behind?  Should I brake, or if I do will the car in back run into me?  SH__!!  Oh, I can see again and everyone is approximately where they were before the wave.  That night at the B&B we found out that a little later than we had crossed the police began bringing the big trucks over one at a time, and eventually closed the causeway for a short period. 

After a brief stop at the Information Center, we drove up the coast to Mabou for a much anticipated meal at the Red Shoe Pub.  Both town and pub are famous for the Rankin Family who are country music singers.  Even though I looked them up, I must say that I still have not heard of them or any of their music, but they are very famous across Canada, and I am guessing that they sing a lot of Scottish country music.  When we got to Mabou, guess what - the power was out from Igor’s wind, and they couldn't serve.  Bummer!! 

 Not to be deterred we got back in the car and drove to our next planned point of interest, the Glenora Distillery, on the Ceilidh Trail, in Glenville.  (What is the Ceilidh Trail, you may ask?  Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) is Gaelic for party or gathering, and this part of Cape Breton is where, in 1775, early Scottish settlers were attracted by the prospect of owning their own property, and later in 1820, thousands of Scottish families were forced to emigrate during ‘The Clearances’ – a time when the landlords of Scotland, eager to consolidate small properties into large, profitable sheep farms, evicted their tenants to do so.  Many of the current residents still speak Gaelic, and most have very discernable brogues.   The Ceilidh Trail traces through many of these old settlements while prominently displaying Celtic arts, crafts, music and hospitality.)  The power is off here too. 

The Glenora Distillery is the only single malt whiskey distillery in North America.  It is produced by the traditional copper pot stills method using only three ingredients: Barley, Yeast and Water. It cannot be called 'Scotch' unless it is produced in Scotland, hence, it is called Canadian Single Malt Whisky. ".  It was a great tour seeing the copper stills and all copper piping, getting a detailed explanation of the distillation process, and getting a “wee taste” at the end.   It was wonderful, and even though I couldn't taste or smell any of the "elongated wood undertones" touted in the brochures, I could definitely taste the butterscotch and honey.  Even Vicki enjoyed it as a sipping liquor, but, alas, because it was priced at over $100 for 500ml, we only brought home "a wee bit”.  We also sat in the pub, listened to Celtic music, and sipped some more of their whiskey.  The Power has just come back on, and after a quick call to the Red Shoe Pub to find that they would be open again for meals around 4:15, we decided to drive to Inverness. 

The surf was pounding from the backlash of Hurricane Igor.  Remember that hurricanes swirl counter-clockwise, and since Igor had nailed Newfoundland that morning we were getting all the wind on the northwest side of Cape Breton.  Inverness has a boardwalk along their coastline that Vicki and I walked on and took a few pictures.  Like them?  

 Now back to Mabou and the Red Shoe Pub for a large portion of "the best macaroni and cheese I have ever eaten".  Guess what?  Not on the menu anymore, so we "settled"("settled"?) for:

Pan Seared Scallops & Bacon... Pan Seared Scallops served with a leek and pea fondu, sautéed   potatoes, drizzled with a warm bacon vinaigrette

 and

Thick Cut Pork Chop… Grilled bone-in pork chop served with apple chutney, creamy mashed potatoes and butter braised cabbage

All washed down with a Red Shoe Red Ale, and followed with homemade Ginger Bread with a large dollop of homemade whipped sweet cream. (Not to worry Al, we were sufficiently pleased.) While we were eating, a wife and husband came in and were going to play Celtic/Gaelic music from 5 to 7(she on fiddle and he on guitar).  We left full and content and still tapping our feet from the great music at 6, and headed for our B&B in St. Ann's.

Our next three B&B's - Peggy's Cove, Truro, Cape Breton

I've been a bit lax in my updates of our bed and breakfasts. I will try and bring you up-to-date tonight. The B&B's have each been quite unique in their own way. What they have been similar in however, is in their friendliness and especially in their cleanliness. Without an ounce of exageration, you could eat off any one, and ALL of their floors. They are absolutely spotless! That's the one thing I am extremely insistant about...I want where I sleep and eat clean and, remarkably so, they all have been. Each Innkeeper takes extreme pride in their home and as a matter of fact, each only wears slippers or socks around the house, never shoes. Last night was the first time one has actually asked us to remove our shoes as we walked in, and we were happy to do so!

Why oh why have I saved my lace and linen tablecloths for " special" ocassions? Doug and I have enjoyed our breakfasts on such beautiful cloths, sipped our orange juice via crystal goblets and eaten off of the most beautiful bone china throughout the Maritimes. If this trip has changed me in any way, it will encourage me to do an inventory of, and push me to use what I have always considered things to be enjoyed only for special ocassions. I am now beginning to learn that eveyday IS a special ocassion, so why not enjoy it today.  Well, I seemed to have veered off my path of discussion.

After leaving Digby, we drove to Peggy's Cove and stayed with two wonderful, warm and, entertaining people. Our Innkeeper, Peter, originally from Denmark, was at one time during his varied life, Bob Hope's butler! He stayed with Hope for almost five years and loved every moment of it. During this period, he helped put together Hope's 90th birthday party, met three presidents and of course, entertained celebraties, but, most importantly to Peter, he served a houseguest breakfast in bed for her two week stay with them...Sophia Loren! He said it took him almost as long to wipe the smile off his face! As you can imagine, there were countless stories, but then conversations shifted to family, background, etc., and the similarities of life soon made us realize we had a number of things in common and that we truly enjoyed each other's company. They have a lovely home with an adjoining apartment that was separated from their home by a sliding glass door. We had our own separate entrance into our part of the house with a large bedroom, sitting area as well as a lovely bath. For breakfast, we had a choice of the best blueberry, made from scratch, panacakes, meat, etc.,  an apple puff baked pancake, etc., or, eggs, homefries, etc. Everything was absolutely delicious. A fresh fruit bowl was always filled to the top awaiting our arrival...we have sooo enjoyed them along the way. Peter would always join us, coffee in hand, when he finished serving us, but at 9, he would leave us for a bit. As he explained to us our first morning with them, he always liked to start the day with points in his favor and a husband knows that sometimes it can go down hill rather quickly...so it's always smart to begin the day somewhat ahead of the game. Maia, his beautiful Swedish wife, is not a morning person, never has been, so each morning, he served her breakfast in bed! ( Doug, I'm begging, pleassse pay attention!) He rejoins us rather quickly and we continue on with our conversation. They have two children, one of whom lives in Colorado and the other is the executive chef for the Crown Prince of Bahrain, on his private yacht. Needless to say, our conversations were lively and so much fun. They have had an adventurous life and it was so kind of them to share some of their experiences with us. One example of their thoughtfulness towards their guests, each day as we left to explore, Peter would be at the door making sure we took water with us and if we hadn't, we had to go back in and get a bottle. And each evening, he and Maia would be there to greet us, ask where we had been, what we had liked and where we had eaten. One evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with them as well....it was a visit with two of the most charming, warm individuals we have ever met and certainly will never forget. As we were leaving, there is Peter at the door, "now you have your water with you, yes?"

From Peggy's Cove/Halifax, we're off to Truro. Our next Inn Keepers are Ann and Larry, who are originally from Toronto. They fell in love with the area, retired and moved there. As we walk into their large, open house, the smell of bread baking fills the air. Doug and I are thinking yes, this is going to work out fine. Oh by the way, Larry does all the baking..we watched him rolling out pastry, etc. Again, the choices pretty much remain the same from one B&B to another.  Everything is home made and delicious. We have found through our travels that the men are doing the cooking/baking, with the women assisting with juices, coffee, tea. (making note of this especially for my Greek relatives! The husbands will probably delete these last couple of lines unless the women get there first!) I do think the upkeep of the rooms is left to the hostess but let's face it, running an establishment like all these people do, takes two. And what amazes Doug and I, is that they seem to do it all with such ease. In each house, after they've finished serving, they always sit down with us, coffee or tea in hand and join in with the conversation. They know which restaurants to recommend, what sights to take in or not, and what the best route to wherever you're going to is, whether it be the fastest or, the slower more scenic. We met at our breakfasts in Truro a young couple from Salt Lake City, a retired architect/boat restorer/wife originally from Boston, now in Cape Cod, retired school teacher/husband from Pittsburgh and a sailor/wife from Toronto...our most "American", if you will, couples to date. Again, our room was large and very comfortable. As with every place we've visited, each ends withs hugs and good wishes. (Gus, Doug is very careful to hug the right gender!)

Our next B&B was on the east side of Cape Breton in St. Ann's, with a great couple originally from Scotland. Maria and Ron began their life together in Scotland, moved to Ontario,Canada then onto Fort Erie, Ontario, where Ron retired from John Deere. Fourteen years ago they visited Cape Breton and fell in love with the area's "Scottish Highlands" (this area has a huge Scottish population and has brought thousands of Scots, because the terrain  reminds them of their homeland). So without knowing anyone and moving strictly on heart, they settled here and started a bed and breakfast. The area's strengths for them, besides it being a reminder of Scotland, was the church and its community within a community...very, very strong here and obviously enough for them to give up family, friends and home to move here...incredible. Maria and Ron miss their children and grandchildren terribly and sometimes wonder if they should live closer to them, but then they say no, we're so happy here and we do get to see them a few times a year. Their accents are thick, but if you listen carefully, you won't miss a beat. They told us they've lived in Canada for 44 years now, but still go back to Scotland to visit. As I've told you before, our B&B's have been spotlessly clean, but none compare to Maria and Ron's house. Doug and I really didn't think it could get any cleaner, but somehow, it does here. This was the house we had to remove our shoes in, and as far as the floors went in any of the rooms, you could have powdered your nose in their shine!  Even after they had prepared breakfast for the six of us, not a dish, slip of paper, etc. was to be found on their counters.....amazing. Their house was a little doll house and their grounds like a park (the others had all been as well, but this house was just exceptional ). In this house I believe Maria ran it all, although Ron did make some outstanding hot scones, dusted with a bit of cinnamon, right out of the oven. Breakfast was served between 8-8:30 and there was no choice. There was a tray holding pitchers of orange and cranberry jucices. An area of different cereals with milk/cream. On the table was a large fruit bowl, yogurt, home made jams/jellies; Ron brought out his scones and then Maria served you a plate with a piece of crustless spinach quiche along side three slices of bacon. A basket of toasted rye and white bread came out,along with more hot scones. But the best part of breakfast were the couples surrounding the table. One being from Ontario, Canada and the other (our favorites), from Toronto, Ireland originally, and with an Irish brogue as thick as they come, topping it off with a wicked sense of humor. Bob and Allison were their their names and we so enjoyed them! The ones from Ontario were your " politically correct generation," while Bob wasn't! He was a wonderfully intelligent gentleman and helped Doug and I understand a couple of things we questioned concerning the Irish and the Scots. We said that the music we heard being played in a couple of the restaurants/pubs reminded us more of being Irish than Scottish, as it was described to us by the musicians. Bob explained in his heavy Irish brogue, looking over at Ron (a Scot), "well, that's because the Scots really WANT to be Irish!" (with a side wink to everyone!) It was a fun morning. On the serious side, Newfoundland was brought up as being on emergency status because of hurricane Igor passing by it. Then Bob started talking about how he had gone up to Newfoundland in the late 70's because of work and had been offered a lot of money to move and work there, but his wife didn't want to go, so they didn't. They said during this period in time, Newfoundland was like our Wild West....lots of gambling, drinking, etc.. It had gotten so out of control, that the companies were giving their workers only so much money to live on for a week and the rest they direct deposited and sent back home for them. It was a very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable breakfast. After what has now become the norm , hugs and good wishes all around, (along with the offer to take some scones for the road) and off everyone went to begin their travels. More good memories and new friends.......

Tantillon/Peggy's Cove/Lunenburg/Halifax, Nova Scotia -09/15/2010 thru 09/19/2010

The drive from Digby was non-eventful. We drove through Wolfsville, Grande Pre, and Windsor, which were all like any other little town in either Nova Scotia, or, for that matter, New York, Vermont, or Maine. (Except the accents were different.) Wolfsville is a college town, and is at the end of the Minas Basin. The Minas Basin is at the northeast end of Fundy Bay, and is just a huge, red mud plain/river bed when the tide is out. Outside of Wolfsville is Grande Pre (means "great meadows" in French) , a town/region where the Acadians dyked the lands in the area. The dykes were built in the late 1600s by early Acadian settlers who had moved from Annapolis Royal up the Annapolis Valley to reclaim the fertile marine land which helped to make this one of the largest settlements in Acadia. (Remember, the rule went back and forth between the French and the British.) A French attack at Grand-Pre to retake Acadia at the cost of 100 lives convinced the British that their only option was to deport the Acadians. This expulsion, which sent thousands of Acadians to Louisiana in 1783, was the basis of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem "Evangeline." All the Acadian's hard work was then given to New England farmers and Loyalist refugees from the American revolutuion. Near Grande Pre, is the Gaspereau River Valley, where there are several wineries growing L'Acadie, Castel, and Lucie Kuhlmann grapes. Three I have never heard of. All of the wineries produce extra dry reds and whites, of which none did either Vicki or myself appreciate. But the valley was very pretty.

 Well here we go again. We are sitting in the driveway and asking each other, "Which Way?". We turn right and go to Lunenburg, and what a beautiful fall day we have in an absolutely amazing little coast town. Lunenburg by way of Mahone Bay, a fantastic, scenic drive with water to the left, and two quaint villages, and the best weather we could have hoped for - sunny and warm! Mahone Bay was filled with artisan's shops (and one big church) and we toured as many as we could. We visited Amos Pewter, and watched as they produced several cast pewter pieces. Really interesting and informative - today's pewter is primarily lead free. Lunenburg was something else. The entire downtown is comprised of a  preplanned town from the 18th century.

Most of the buildings are original and the Fisheries Museum was very informative. Lunenburg is also the home of the Bluenose II, winner of the Internationsl Fisherman's Race for working schooners for 17 years in a row, defeating entries from both Canada and the US. The Bluenose was not in the harbor, however a Dutch ship was at the wharf being refitted - forward mast and booms down and all assiciated rigging being carefully worked on.  The crew was a crusty bunch that I wouldn't have wanted to meet in dark alley. 

 We walked the waterfront, and then up and down the very steep streets while visiting the many and varied boutique shops. (Several times I walked up the very steep streets by myself to feed the parking meter, then back down to continue with Vicki.) Lunch was at a neat little cafe called the Magnolia Grill, reccomended by our Inn keeper. Another wonderful meal and a bottle of wine to celebrate Charles' good news that he had completed his internship. He excitedly called Vicki when I was feeding the parking meter and couldn't understand why Vicki couldn't put me speakerphone. When I got back to Vicki, we called him from a corner, put him on speakerphone, and smiled at all of the passers by who looked at us like we were crazy. Needless to say, we were very relieved and very, very happy at his news. Back to our B&B and to bed after a long day.

On to Tantallon, which is closer to the mainland on the Peggy's Cove peninsula, about 20 minutes rom Halifax. As it was only 3:00pm and check in was 4:00pm, we drove out to Peggy's Cove. What a phenomenally, beautiful landscape. Stark, gigantic boulders (actually the point's bedrock); pounding surf; small, quiet coves with fishing boats; a quaint little village with tiny clapboard houses; and so many tourists that they looked like ants out on the rocks (and it's September). Then turned around and drove back to our B&B (Vicki's job to discuss), checked in, unpacked, and drove into Halifax looking for a good restaurant. Since we had almost been sea-fooded out in Digby, we chose Italian. The il Mercato is part of the Maurizio Bertossi restaurant group in Halifax, and it was excellent. We started with a fresh, grilled vegatable over micro-greens salad with a very light vinaigrette, then Vicki had fresh italian vegatable soup with pesto, and I had a wild, cream of mushroom soup. My meal was roasted chicken ravioli with a wild mushroom sauce, and Vicki had spaghetti with a fresh red sauce and roasted vegatables. For desert we shared a lemon tart with a caramelized, meringue dollop on top. Vicki and I both agree that it will be one of the highlights of our trip. The drive back to Tantallon was quiet because we were both full.

 Awoke to pounding rain (glad we went to Lunenburg yesterday) and were off to Halifax where we toured the Maritime Museum indoors. We actually had to wait about ten minutes after we arrived at the museum's parking lot because it was raining too hard to get out. A very fascinating museum. Facts about the age of sail and the explosion in the Halifax Harbour during the Great War (1st) that killed 2000 peaople and injured another 9000. The explosion is still the world's largest man-made accidental explosion. Another wing dedicated to the Titanic, as Halifax was the nearest location from the sinking; and another to the history of passenger liners - the Cunard Lines originated in Halifax. One special exhibit was an art display in commemoration of the soldiers, sailers, and airmen from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the Canadian Maritimes. Really special! After the Maritime Museum we walked a couple of blocks and had lunch in a great little pub, and then walked to the Alexander Keith Brewery. Rain had appreciably slowed and sun was trying to peek out. Missed the tour, but had had a draft of their red amber for lunch and wanted one of the beer glasses it was served in (bought two). Back to the B&B.

Next morning beautiful sunshine and off again to Halifax for a walk around town, the waterfront, the Citadel, Public Gardens, The Hydrostone District, and back downtown for dinner at the Five Fisherman.

The Citadel was a next generation fort (from Fort Ann in Annapolis Royal), but still built to deter seige warfare. This time the hills to the ditch were much longer (thus tiring the attackers out more and giving the defenders more of a chance to shoot at them), the ditch had cut stone walls ~12ft tall on both sides and probably 15ft wide. Because the fort was built in a seven-sided star shape so visability to all points within the ditch was afforded to the defenders - strike two. Today a re-enactment of a French/English battle, with all participants using hand loaded muskets, and with only a single casualty on the British side. We had perfect seats for the activities - we were looking out at one of the points onto the ditch, with the British marching and firing up the protective hill, and the French firing from the top of the inside will of the ditch. All very realistic except for the French officer with the walkie-talkie asking when he should fly the white flag of surrender. The Public Gardens were very nice, even this late in September.


Julienne's is 2nd storefront from right!!



A very interesting place was the Hydrostone District - "shattered by the Harbor explosion in the City’s North End on 6 December 1917, rose the Hydrostone District, a splendid example of an English-style garden suburb. Completed in 1920, this well-preserved neighbourhood was designed according to the most-up-to-date yet practical principles of town planning. The buildings, all variations on the same architectural theme and all constructed with "Hydro-Stone" concrete blocks, are aesthetically arranged along each side of wide treed courts." This was an area about one long block by 6-7 short blocks, mostly duplexes with some four family buildings thrown in, and one commercial block with storefronts. Like the quote identified, all the homes were built with block, but some were finished with clapboard trim, some were stuccoed, and some were in the tudor design. The streets were very narrow with a treed parkway in between. The commercial buildings housed two restaurants, a couple of boutiques and antique stores, and a Julienne's Patisserie, which was closed but offered promise for tomorrow's croissants (plain, chocolate, & almond), sourdough bagettes, and palmiers. Then back downtown for dinner at the Five Fisherman. Sat at the bar - oyster bar that is - and had dinner - good, but not nearly as good as il Mercato.
The next day we left for Truro, but not before a stop at Julienne's. He was already sold out of regular and chocolate croissants, so we had to settle for the almond ones - damn they were good. We also got two loaves of sourdough, a couple of palmiers and a date bar (about 3/4 inch of date filling). I got a latte, and we left. We had also picked up a couple of almond croissants for our B&B inn keeper, as he had druled when we mentioned Julienne's (a frequent visitor), so quickly ran back out to Tantallon and made the delivery. Was he surprised to see us again!!

I am almost caught up - today is the 21st and I have finished writing about our experiences through the morning of the 19th. Will have time for sure once we are on Prince Edward Island, but will try before then. Wait 'till you see the pictures of Hurricane Igor's effects on the western shore of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia - remember a hurricane spins counter-clockwise.

Side Note to my brother Al: I found out today that the saying on Flaherty's (Carmel) shirts isn't original. We found the saying again on a placard at the Fisheries Museum in Lunenburg. For all of you wondering what the saying is, here goes!

"Eat fish, live longer.

Eat oysters, love longer.

Eat clams, last longer."

Digby, Nova Scotia - Saturday, 09/11/2010

Sunday morning, Sept. 12th, and a review of the weather channel shows today to be the better of the next three days, with it becoming only partly cloudy this afternoon with zero chance of rain. But right now we find the weather overcast, cool and windy. Even so, with tomorrow's forecast being nasty, the decision for "Which Way?" is made immediately. We have breakfast and head out. Guess what we are doing today?

 WHALE WATCHING!!

We make our reservations at the Nova Scotia Tourism Office, and are told the latest ferry that we must catch is the 12:30pm. We drive out of Digby, down Digby Neck to the Petit Passage and catch the 11:30am ferry to Long Island. The Petit Passage is a cut of water between Digby Neck and Long Island, with the Atlantic Ocean/St. Mary's Bay to the southeast and the Bay of Fundy to the northwest.  What a powerful mixing of the two waters, with the currents actually causing rapids, rip tides, and very dangerous whirlpools. The ferry, in fact, came to a complete hault under full throttle for a period of about ten seconds before winning out and again moving forward. After a five minute ride, we disembark, and have 90 minutes to kill. We start down Long Island to the far end (where we could have again boarded a ferry and taken another trip to Briar Island) when we pass the parking area for the Balancing Rock.   After another half-mile and much discussion on the merits of seeing this much hyped, natural point of interest, we decide to turn around and go explore. We are very glad we did. The hike is probably no more than a mile, across two log walkways over coastal bogs, and up and over two small hills until we reach a sign saying we now have to descend 230 some steps.That's OK, but remember, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction(not really the correct scientific statement, but you know what I mean) - ie., We will have to walk back up! Down we go, "1,2,3,4..........51,52,53........149, 150, 151, What did you say Vicki?, Oh, OK. Now where was I?" S--T!, another senior moment!! Lets just agree that we made it to the bottom, and there were the correct number of steps.

To our right was this column of stone sticking straight up in the air along a rugged and rocky coastline that was nearly vertical from the waters edge. A phenomenom caused by molten basalt columns being forced up through the earth's crust, many millions of years ago. Mostly six sided, but can be as many as 12 or as few as 3. Some 15-20 ft across, some only 3-4 ft across. Most broken down to only a few feet above water at high tide or laying, broken, off on their sides on top of larger columns, but the "balancing rock" is still standing after all of those years; 4 ft across and 30 ft high, balanced and askew atop another column only slightly wider across. WOW!! After looking all around, reading the info sign, and taking numerous pictures, I look at my watch and we need to leave to make the hike back, up the stairs, over the two small hills, and back across the two bogs. Not bad, only 50 minutes total round trip, but now we have to get back to the whale watching trip.

We get to the whale watch boat, board, and wait for the last party of four and then we are off with a full boat of 25 fools and 3 crew. Let me define the weather by telling you the outcome 1)four people sick, with one other "macho" guy telling us all that he never gets sick while holding his barf bag and resting his head on his wife's shoulder; 2)an older couple being excorted to the cabin after being found shivering in their seats; 3)everyone holding supplied blankets and rain ponchos over them to stay relatively warm and dry. One of the men that was sick spent 4 of the 4.5 hours that we were out on the floor of the boat alternating with his head in a blanket, barfing into a bag, and wiping his face with an entire roll of paper towels .

  
BUT, WE DID SEE WHALES. Vicki and I both agree that the whale watching crew did everything possible so we would have a positive experience and see whales. We saw probably six whales in all, but the best was a mother whale with her calf, surfacing several times with the requisite blowing of water, and exposing of their backs and dorsal fins. We even saw the mother dive with her tale high in the air. Again, WOW! We did make it back to the dock and even the crew was relieved to be on the dock, as they had told us it was some of the worst weather they had seen in awhile. Needless to say we immediately turned the car heater to high and left it on for the next twenty minutes; which is how long it took me to feel my feet again.

Back in Digby we had dinner at the Royal Fundy, a local hangout owned by O'Neils Fisheries which occupies the warehouse in back of the restaurant. Needless to say, the seafood was very fresh. (The owner's wife on the whale watch told us a funny story when she was at a fancy dinner function with her politically connected nephew in Minneapolis, when the host turned to her and told her that the scallops were probably the freshest that she would ever get. She told us she just bit her lip and agreed.) Oh,did I forgot to mention that Digby is considered to be the scallop capital of WORLD. I had the scallop dinner and Vicki had the fish and chips. Wonderful!! On subsequent nights we had fish cakes, scallops wrapped in bacon, fried clams, fish chowder, and some of the best rhubarb/raspberry pie that I have ever eaten. The food was great, the prices even greater and the staff got to know us and took very good care.

 

The next day we were off to Yarmouth where we passed through so many little towns with huge churches, it seemed every 20-25 km. The main town was Claire, which had "sub-towns", all with french names - Comeauville, Qnse-des-Belliveau Cove (I can pronounce cove), Sauinierville, etc. The natives are mainly Acadians, who are of French descent, but who did not get alot of help from France during the 1600-1700's, but also would not swear allegiance to the British Crown during the French English war in Canada. Because of this the Acadians were deported, or worse, from their homes and land. (one fellow house guest in Digby likened these actions by the British Crown to current cases of "ethnic cleansing") A poor area with small fishing villages at every cove, but their churches were spectacular. One of the churches in Church Point, the Musee Eglise Sainte-Marie Church, is the largest wooden structure church in North America.

Our destination, Yarmouth, is at the south west tip of Nova Scotia, and the closest point on the island to the tourist points of Bar Harbour and Portland, Maine. Because of this there was, up until December, 2009, ferry service from both US towns. For you Rochester residents you will recognize the CAT ferry company, and it seems that they had the same type of contract with Yarmouth as they did with Rochester. And just like Rochester, when they shut down they still owned/managed the Port of Yarmouth. Yarmouth has just repurchased their port and are actively soliciting another ferry. Their economy was devastated when they lost two ferries daily with all the tourist business that went with them. Yarmouth's loss was St. John's and Digby's gain as the the tourist trade and ferry transport moved up the mainland coast, and the Canadian federal government seems to like it that way as they have offered little to no hope to Yarmouth. The trip took us 5 hours to get to Yarmouth by way of the coast highway, and 90 minutes to get back by the main road.

 If it's Tuesday, we're in Annapolis Royal and Port Royal. Just a short drive from Digby, this is the oldest, continuous European settlement north of St. Augustine, Florida and was settled by Samuel de Champlain in 1605. Again, like much of Nova Scotia, the town was passed back and forth between the French and the British until 1710 when the British occupied the town. The Treaty of Utrecht was signed in 1713 granting Annapolis Royal served as Nova Scotia's first capital from 1710 until 1749, when the capital was transferred to Halifax, and Fort Ann was built by the British to protect the town. Annapolis Royal is a small town(population 444), very walkable, with beautifully maintained/restored buildings (131 registered heritage properties).Britain final control.

The town offers a walking map with the primary properties identified and their history explained. Most of these buildings are privately owned with some being private residences (no admittance) and some being small boutiques and cafes. Most of the buildings are from the 1700's and early 1800's and the walking tour explains the history of the buildings, the owner's geneology, and interesting insights into their live's at the time. After touring the town we walked back to our car, and decided to tour Fort Ann. Built in 1792 and replacing three other forts before it, Fort Ann was built in the Vauban earthwork style of fort (I have just finished the book 1453, where the Turks under Mehmet, finally captured Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) under Constantine VI. Constantinople's land side defenses followed the same type of structure using sloped hills, leading to a large ditch, before an exterior wall, before an interior wall.)



I took this picture myself from a hot air baloon.  NOT!!

After first reading about seige warfare and then visually seeing a fort built for seige warfare, I can honestly say that I would much rather have been a defender than an attacker. Attackers were left in the wide open with steep uphill and downhill obstacles, while the defenders were at the tops of the embankments shooting downhill at the struggling opposition. The British continually occupied the fort until 1854 and saw action against the indigenous Mik'maq Indians and the French, and played an important role during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Really interesting stuff!

While touring the fort we were asked by one of the interpretors where we were from and she quickly informed us that another fort of the same style was located in Ticonderoga, New York. We were just as quick to tell her that our daughter and son-in-law actually live in Ticonderoga. Small world.

Our first two B&B experiences - St. John & Digby

Let me delve a little bit into our bed and breakfasts. But first, I'm thinking the next couple of paragraphs might appeal more to the ladies than to the men, so gentlemen, feel free to skip my descriptions of sugar and spice and scroll down to Doug's more manly notes of driving the car on foreign soil and how to read or misread a map!

Our first B&B in St. John was a medium size, four bedroom house, three of which they rent out to visitors. Our hosts, Stan and Nancy were retired, he from the government, she a surgical nurse. Nancy was the spitting image of our former first lady, Laura Bush..her smile, hair style, everything! They were very gracious and set an elegant breakfast, always beginning with a bowl of fresh blueberries, topped off with a dollop of yogurt. Each evening you would tell them at what time you would like breakfast served the following morning, and what, from the selection of pumpkin panacakes to a variety of eggs, meat, toast, etc. you would like. The next morning you sat down to a lace covered table; beautiful china from an era gone by, linen napkins and lovely china coffee and tea pots..and oh yes.. always home mades jams and jellies. In the evening Nancy spoiled me terribly with a fresh pot of tea, along with some home made cookies . This was served in their living room which was extremely comfortable and cozy. We met a couple of interesting couples staying there as well. One was from North Bay, Cananda.. way north of Toronto and the other was from Quebec territory, all very pleasant and interesting to talk to. After three days in St. John, a handshake from Stan and a hug from Nancy, we were off to Digby!

 

Our next hosts were a retired Canadian Navy officer and his working wife, Don and Nova, who were originally from Vancouver, ended his military career in Nova Scotia and decided to remain there. Their house was a large Tudor, with three lovely and very spacious bedrooms.

Again, our breakfast time and selections were taken in the evening, with Don doing the cooking in the morning, Nova filling the juice glasses and then off to work. Now their selections weren't as extensive as with our previous hosts, but they were nevertheless quite good. Always on the menu are eggs any which way you want them, i.e. poached, fried, omelette, etc., along with meat, toast, etc. as well as a variety of cold cereals, fruit. Believe me when I say that Don ran that house like a well oiled machine! As with our stay in St. John, every inch of that house was spotless. Our breakfast conversations here had a more European flare to them. We had wonderful talks that were filled with animation and laughter with, of course, some serious threads running through as well. We were all strangers at the beginng, who had become friends by the time we parted. They had come a distance..Holland, Austria and Edmonton. All of us different, yet some with similiar thoughts and ideas, always searching for that one word that would best describe your train of thought, so that each of us could understand the other thoroughly. We had a great, great time!

(Did you guess Vicki?  You win the cupie doll!)

Leaving St. John, New Brunswick - Saturday, 09/11/2010

We left St. John saturday morning and boarded the ferry to Digby, Nova Scotia. Several people had expressed an opinion that taking the ferry to Digby and then driving to Halifax took just as long as driving all the way to Halifax, and you saved the cost of the ferry. Probably true, but we weren't going on to Halifax, we were staying in Digby and it would have taken longer to drive all the way to Digby. Oh well, enough of the logistics.

The ferry ride over was relaxing. We opened a bottle of wine and had cheese, crackers, and fresh apples and plums.



Just in case Allison & Charles can't remember what we look like



Got to Digby about 3:30, drove to our next B&B, and checked in. A lovely tudor house. There was some confusion about our room and we ended up staying in a room that had a private bathroom but was not "en suite". Excellent decision as the new room was large, with two easy chairs and lots of room. The bathroom was two steps away down the hall, and also nice and large with a great shower and it was ours, with each room having their own as we did. We're discovering along the way that having a bath in your room is not always the way to go, since it reduces the space of your room. As long as my bath is immediately next to my room, clean (which they've all been spotless), and exclusively ours, Vicki is happy! (Don't let Doug kid you, he's happy too! )

Note: I am sure by now that you can tell that both Vicki and I are contributing to this blog and more than likely you can also tell who is writing what. It may be confusing, because sometimes one of us will add something relevant in the middle of a paragraph, or even sentence. But, if it's flowery it's Vicki, and if it's manly, of course it's Doug. (Now for an example, guess who is writing the prose in the next posting? I'll give you a hint - Flowery. )

Friday, 9/10/10 - Last day inSt. John, New Brunswick

We arrived in St John Wednesday the 8th, after dark. What a desolate drive between Bangor and Calais, Maine. It seemed like high up in the mountains of Colorado or the Adirondacks. Scrub vegetation, birch trees, evergreens, and ROCKS. Huge rocks along the highway. Huge rocks in fields and meadows piled along the perimeter and piled up in the middle. What work it must have taken to move those rocks with horses and by hand, just to clear some land for crops or grazing. And I can't imagine that the ground was too good for either. Not a single gas station in ~100 miles and only a few houses and businesses. We were very happy to get to Calais (pronounced calous by the locals) and back to some semblance of civilization.


Border crossing was actually enjoyable, with customs not even asking for our passports. We were quite happy since we had more alcohol than was allowed - 80oz (a little more than 3 750ml bottles of wine). We had brought more than that from home AND we took advantage of New Hampshire's convenient drive through liquor stores.

St. Andrews-by-the-Sea was recommended to us as a quaint little village, so it became our first stop in Canada. Somewhat disappointed as we found only a main street filled with souvenier shops and tiny clothes boutiques. One saving grace was the excellent German restaurant where we ate, "L'Europe". We started with a great spinach salad w/pears and mango vinagrette, the chef's complementary taste of a chilled cucumber soup with garlic and dill, and escgargot (lots of garlic and shallots). Vicki had Jaggerschnitzel with spaetzel and mushroom gravy, and I had wienerschnitzel with pomme croquettes. EXCELLENT!! And we ended with a trilogy desert - homemade pistacio icecream, mini creme brulette, and cheesecake w/ raspberry swirl. Our waitress was a real gem, and we were glad we DIDN'T have the other waitress who was not so nice to the patrons next to us.

St. John was described in one of the travel books as "not like the cute cottages of many seaside towns, but more corrugated." It is a mostly blue collar town with small homes and numerous small, old apartments. A huge refinery and warehouses by the waterfront. Thursday we toured the public market, skirted King's Park and the founders cemetary, and walked through uptown and the waterfront. The brick and brownstone buildings have wonderful, elegant detail and many of them are in the midst of restoration, which is promising for the the city. The infamous assorted doorways to these buildings have been sketched and reproduced in paintings for many years and are really interesting to pick out as you walk along their surprisingly steep, steep streets near the waterfront. Not much more to see by our standards, and we had two more days before we boarded the ferry to Digby. Then we witnessed the reversing falls on the St. John River. What a force when the incoming tide acually forces a large river to flow upstream for a period of ~45 minutes, and then struggles to maintain the force for another 15 minutes during the "slack" tide until it finally loses the battle and the river begings to flow downstream again. Another saving grace for Thursday was a neat little coffee shop named the Magnolia Cafe and where we had a coffee and desert. Then we decided to go to the movies, found the theatre easily with our waitress' directions and saw "The Expendables". What a gory, great movie! Stallone and his friends at their finest!

A Carnival cruise ship docked in St. John Thursday. Locals say about 4-5 cruise ships per week dock and stay 8-12 hours. What a huge boost to the economy with 2000 - 3000 people per ship all summer and fall. Talked with a woman off the the ship..said they started in New York City, up the eastern coast (5 day cruise), with only two ports of call; first being Halifax, second and last, St. John, with the remaineder of time at sea. Didn't appeal to either of us. Fun lady to talk to though.

Friday found us driving to what we thought was a thriving artist community, Gagetown. Two potters shops and an Irving gas station. And one of the shops was closed. Then to Sussex for a glimpse at some old covered bridges. We didn't find any covered bridges, but did come across a huge mining operation, now closed, owned by Potash. One of the means of getting across the St. John river is ferry.

Pulled across the river using a cable stretched between shores, the ferry holds three cars and makes the crossing in about 3-4 minuites, and free. There are about 7 of these between St John and Frederickton, really neat!!  Vicki really liked the warning. 

We finally found covered bridges in St. Martins on the Bay of Fundy.

 There we walked along the beach and in the water and saw caves creatred by the wave and tide action over millions of years. We had our GPS on our travels today so not many Which Ways today.

Tomorrow we go to Digby.

Tuesday - 9/7/2010 - The day after Labor Day and no kids

 Well, we got a late start this morning(1 hour) - I blamed Vicki; Vicki said said she was waiting for me. Oh Well. We stopped at Starbucks on the way out of town, had our requisite lattes and pastries, and were on the thruway at 8 am. Non-eventful drive, lots of traffic. We stopped to get gas in Massachusetts and when we were finished and walking to the car, Vicki told me to look around. What did I see? Little dogs on leashes, lots of RV's and travel trailers, very few children, white hair- Oh My God!! We are traveling with OLD people!!! Does that make us old? In the words of both my mother and my brother, "You are only as old as you act." What does that mean? We are traveling at the same time as these other people. I have white hair. (Vicki has never had white hair, but that's genetic from her Mom) But Vicki and I don't look as old as these other travelers, that of course being our own perception. Are we not old, and are all of these people around us also not old? We have to think about this and give you our answer later.

Met Charles, San, and Jasper (their rescued dog) in Georgetown, Maine. They were camping for two days. Charles has my old 2-man tent and camping gear, sleeping bags from Don & Allison, and even some some old stuff from my Mom and Dad. They were having the best time..San's first visit to Maine, loving it, and Charles' upteenth time and STILL loving it! Maine, being our family's all time favorite place on earth to visit, play, swim, play tennis, etc.. Lots and lots of wonderful memories, including bringing both our Moms here with us on a couple of occasions. Kids, in-laws, intendeds and bring along friends, all make for an adventure and boy have we had them AND, wouln't change a minute of it! Anyway, Charles and San had a great camp site in the woods. Dinner the first night was chicken over a campfire. Breakfast was gourmet SOS using a hiking stove, and for lunch they found a quaint country store that made up delicious lobster rolls and they said that they thoroughly enjoyed every tiny morsel, with desert being Maine home grown blueberry ice cream!. We met them at their campsite, got the guided tour, and went to "Taste of Maine" for dinner. Three Shore platters and a single lobster. Shore platters consisted of a whole boiled lobster, 1/2 dozen boiled shrimp, a dozen long neck clams, caesar salad, corn-on-the-cob, and strawberry shortcake. I had to give most of my meal to Vicki because she was so hungry - NOT!! I sucked every straw leg, spooned out the tamaly (sp?), hand cracked the claws and tail, and washed it all down with two local red lobster beers.