July 29,2016

We walked the stunning streetscapes of Lunenburg today. Old Town Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the entire 48 blocks of Old Town is also a National Historic Disctrict. 









The colorful Victorian houses, are homes to art galleries, gift stores, restaurants and businesses of all kinds.  

Restaurants along the wharf on Bluenose Drive

The waterfront is vibrant with ships coming and going.
The wharf is lined with these beautiful red buildings.
A waterfront museum and restaurant. 

Lunenburg is home to the Bluenose ll.,
an exact replica of the Bluenose: Queen of the Atlantic.

The original Bluenose was so grand she has adorned the Canadian dime for nearly 80 years.

We had hoped for a sail on this ship, but without knowing when we would get here it was impossible to book in advance
and she is booked solid until end of August.
We had even hoped for maybe a last minute no-show, but that didn't happen.

All Aboard!  We sailed on the Eastern Star.
As you can see, a much smaller sailing vessel.
There were 9 of us and it was a 'hands on' sail.
So anyone could help with the sails or steering.We had a great time and a great sail.... thank you to our Skipper Merrill and his crew member Phil.  

Michel hoisting the sail.

Michel at the helm!

A small lighthouse along the way 

Michel took this picture from the nose of the ship.
A nice ship, lots of room to move about. Of course if there were 30 on board, as there sometimes is, it would a lot more crowded!

view of caves along the way

(borrowed from the internet)A panoramic view of Lunenburg - it is such a lovely little village.

July 27, 2016

 












Peggy's Cove

Peggy's Cove is a small rural fishing village located on the Eastern shore of St. Margaret's Bay, southwest of downtown Halifax. 

It is the home of the famous Peggy's Point Lighthouse.  









The first public art gallery, tea-room, and gift shop was opened in a shack in Peggys Cove in 1937. 







Today, although there is only one street, it is lined with gift shops, art galleries, ice cream stands and a couple of restaurants.




















Fisherman's Monument, sculpted out of a 100 foot granite face of rock depicts 32 fisherman and their wives and children enveloped in the arms of a guardian angel.






It is a lasting memorial to the fishermen of Nova Scotia.








Another monument we visited was the Swissair Memorial Site.  

On September 2, 1998 Swissair Flight 111 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Halifax International Airport at the entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay. All 229 people on board perished. The crash site was 8 km / 5 mi from the shore, not far from Peggy’s Cove in the South Shore region. A short walking trail (30 m) to a monument in memory of the people who lost their lives.

July 24, 2016

We started the day at the Farmer's Market.

The Halifax harbourwalk is a 4-km boardwalk that stretches along the waterfront for 10 city blocks from the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to Casino Nova Scotia at the north end.  

There were so many interesting things to see along the way. Restaurants, bars, boutiques, sail boats, unique jewelry, ice cream shops, food booths - something for everyone.  








Theodore Tugboat is very popular with the kids on the wharf... he even offers harbour tours. 

After a day of walking on the harbourfront it was wonderful to sit back and relax at the Public Gardens, a 16-acre oasis in the heart of downtown Halifax. And as luck would have it - there was live music playing. A wonderful band complete with horns, guitars, drums and a singer who belted out some wonderful songs. A little R & B and some rock 'n roll. 

This park was was built in 1867 with a Victorian theme in mind, so as well as the 140 different species of trees, you will see statues with waterfalls scattered among the flower gardens and pathways, all enclosed by a wrought iron fence.

Another busy day!  

July 22, 2016

A day at the beach - - yesterday we drove out to Melmerby Beach Provincial Park in Little Harbour, just a short drive north of New Glasgow. Michel went for a swim, but the water was far too cold for me. We had a wonderfully relaxing day!








Today is another day and another town! Truro is only 58 km east of New Glasgow, but it was our destination. We visited The Little White Schoolhouse Museum, built in 1869. 

Michel sitting in one of the desks.

The last class to attend this school was a grade six class in 1969.

Me pretending to be the teacher! 

The basement, too, is filled with archives.  Many old textbooks, yearbooks, pictures.....

We witnessed another Tidal Bore this afternoon.

It was much smaller than the last one we saw in Moncton, NB.
And much quieter.  We didn't even hear the wave before we saw it.

We visited Victoria Park 'the Pride of Truro'

This 1,000 acre natural woodland park is located in the centre of town. It's a beautiful park with pathways and waterfalls and we enjoyed the walk as well as the cooler temperature on this hot day!

this pool area is known as "Witches Cauldron"

"Wishing Well"
We climbed it.

Jacob's Ladder
175 steps
(we didn't climb it)

Waddell Waterfall 

This evening we found our way to Riverfront Park, the scene of a free concert. Julie Johnstone on the fiddle accompanied by "Jim" on the guitar, they entertained us for an hour with tunes and some 'down home Nova Scotian fiddling'

July 21, 2016

It is also the home of Sir Alexander
Graham Bells' National Historic site.

Baddeck, Nova Scotia. 
I can't say enough about this charming little village. The population is about 750 and is one of the islands most popular tourist destination. It is considered to be the start and end of the famous Cabot Trail. It boasts of world class golf courses, and there are enough boat tours, restaurants and shoppes to keep you busy for days!










For us,  fun was taking the two-hour cruise of the the Bras d'Or Lakes aboard the Amoeba.







There is room for 42 people on this boat and it was full to capacity.


Captain John, the owner and operator of this boat (built by his dad) was entertaining, and educational in his narrative of the area. 

Michel at the helm!

Michel caught this shot - a bald eagle swooping in to get his fish!

Cute little lighthouse across the bay.

Dinner after our 'cruise'
Michel got his lobster!

The 'world famous' Cabot Trail.
This is one of Nova Scotia's top tourist attractions.
Here are a few pictures along the way. 

The Cabot Trail makes a 297 km (185 mile) loop around a big chunk of Cape Breton Island, passing through Cape Breton Island National Park. 

We began in Baddeck and drove counter-clockwise (as per information booth personnel) and were told later that we should have gone clockwise. The best views are seen in that direction.

Nova Scotia is a beautiful province and we still have lots to see!