On Wednesday, we had another great breakfast at the B&B (we love the communal table where everybody chats in the morning). It was raining so we hopped in the car and and drove out to Blue Rocks, Stonehurst South and Mahone Bay. We had lunch at Rebecca's in Mahone Bay and it was delicious - scallop and beet salad (guess who had that - "salad" should give you a clue) and a scallop burger (guess who had that - "burger" should give you clue). We ventured back to the B&B and rested and did a little reading. We walked to town and had a little bite (I mean little) at the Bay Leaf Eatery. We were not that hungry and ordered the lobster dip ($18) - it was the size of a small poached egg. Oh well, can't win them all. We then went to a Kitchen Party at the United Church ($5 donation) and listened to some locals as well as Steve Keith from New Orleans. We wandered home in the dark through the cemetery.
On Thursday, we had yet another great breakfast and then checked out of Ashlea House (they only had a room for us for 3 nights). We went to the Farmer's Market, drove around town, went to the Fisheries Museum (it was great) and had a quick lunch at The Old Fish Factory - Jan had a sampler of 3 glasses of wine and I had a sampler of 6 kinds of beer and we had some lobster filled mushroom caps, some lobster dip and some scallops. We then checked in to our new B&B - Pelham House - owned by David and Michael. Charming B&B. We went to Glimpses - a musical with vignettes about the town's history - it was entertaining but a bit cheesy. We had a light dinner at the Grand Banker - lobster roll and fish cakes. Again, delicious. I have been quite successful at my goal of having lobster almost every day. We walked back on deserted streets.
On Friday, Michael made a fruit salad, waffles and bacon - all delicious. Had a great chat with some people from Nelson, North Bay and Virginia. We planned a lazy day and Jan suggested that I go for a massage as my back has been sore. I called and they were able to get me in right away. I had a great massage and learned many things on many topics from my massage therapist including, belly dancing, flamenco dancing, living in Spain, teaching, the Americans in Acapulco, why she should be Prime Minister, numerous muscles, being robbed while in Spain, Cirque du Soleil, Belgium, Budapest, the bad angry energy of Prague, almost moving to Turkey until you know who took over (I don't know who that was but agreed anyway). I then met Jan for lunch at The Fish Shack where we had fish and chips. We went for a coffee and then back to our room for a rest and to pack - after 3 weeks, it is amazing how your suitcase just explodes into the car. Dinner at Magnolia's Grill - Jan had fishcakes and I had a lobster linguini - probably the best meal on our trip - the lobster linguini was recommended on You Gotta Eat Here. Back to our room for our last night's sleep. Going home tomorrow - we drive to Moncton (about 4 hours) for our flight home at 6 pm arriving home around 10 pm.
Friday 14 August 2015
Tuesday 11 August 2015
Cape Breton and Lunenberg, NS - August 9-11, 2015
On Sunday, we had a very lazy day and stayed at the B&B for most of the day. We had a great breakfast (Dave made waffles). At around noon, we drove to the local farmers market (about 10 vendors) and bought some peas, mittens and a growler of hefeweizen beer. We then went to Ross Ferry park for a hot dog and fries (a local fundraiser for the community) and back to the B&B. I had a nap while Jan read. We went for dinner at Fitzgeralds on the highway (22 km away) - it is the closest restaurant. When we came back, we congregated in the common room with Terri and Dave and Ni and Fraser and chatted until about 11 pm - we also drank the beer.
On Monday, we got up and had another great breakfast and then we were off to Lunenberg on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. We stopped in Baddeck to visit the Alexander Graham Bell museum. He was an amazing man. Not only did he invent the telephone, but created a visual language for the deaf, was working on flight and airplanes at the same time as the Wright brothers, created hydrofoils and many other things. He predicted and was working on sending pictures by telephone in the 1880's (does fax sound familiar). We went on a behind the scenes tour. And then off to Lunenberg - we took the scenic route following the coastline after Halifax and stopped in Peggy's Cove. The South Shore of Nova Scotia is what we were expecting. We arrived at Ashlea House B& B about 7 pm. this place is amazing - it is a house built in the 1886 and has 7 bedrooms and 3 common rooms and 14 foot ceilings. Wow ... and it is located a short walk to downtown. After settling in, we walked downtown and ate at the Salt Shaker - had delicious scallop linguini ... and then back to the B&B for bed.
On Tuesday, we had breakfast with 4 other couples at the B&B - the breakfast consisted of quiche, french toast, beans, bacon, stewed apricots, potatoes, yogurt and fruit. Delicious and plentiful! Small world - the couple across from us were from St. Albert and after talking we find out their son, Ted, grew up with our nephews and they know my brother. We spent the day wandering around downtown in the various shops. We stopped at the Savvy Sailor for lunch and had sweet chili mussels and a scallop po boy along with beer and wine. We then went on a walking tour with Sheilah - we started at the Academy and then we wound our way through town stopping along the way and going into the Lutheran Church and the Anglican Church. It was a great tour. The most interesting fact - the colourful houses everywhere (kinda the signature of the town) only started 8 years ago when a developer came into town and bought several properties and painted them these crazy colours like lime green, orange and cranberry red. The town was in an uproar, but the mayor calmed everybody down and told them that there were no rules about colour (there are many rules about construction here to maintain the historical feel and designations) and that the developer was pouring a lot of money into the town. They were then ok with the colours and it has become their signature - most other buildings in the downtown are now many different colours. Prior to 8 years ago, all white with black trim. Lunenberg was founded originally by the French but then they left and the British brought in Germans to settle the town. There are seven founding families (in the 1780's) and those families still run the town to this day. In fact, people who move here are called CFA's - Come From Aways. Stopped for ice cream, had a look at some real estate brochures and headed back to the B&B for some reading and rest. We went to go to a play called Glimpses, a musical about the town, but it was full when we arrived. We went for dinner at The Knot Pub and had deep fried pepperoni, fish and chips and a sausage burger. Another great day!
Saturday 8 August 2015
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia - August 6-8, 2015
We left Halifax for a 3 hour drive to Cape Breton Island. We arrived in Baddeck around 3 pm. We stopped at the info centre and walked through town doing a little shopping. We had dinner at Baddeck Lobster Supper where we had seafood chowder, all you can eat mussels and lobster. Again, delicious. We were then off to Seaweed and Sod Farm B&B about 40 minutes away. You can actually see Baddeck from the B&B across the water but have to travel 20 minutes up the highway and then another 20 minutes down the peninsula where the B&B is located. On our arrival, we were greeted by Fauna (dog), Shamus (dog), Toodles (cat), Boot (cat), Milly (cat) and Pirate (cat). Terri, the owner, then came out and showed us to our room. This is a great B&B! It is located smack dab in the middle of nowhere. It has 2 rooms with a shared bathroom. We settled in and were looking at some maps and brochures when Terri asked if we wanted to go for a walk to the top of the hill. They own 100 acres. We walked up the hill with Fauna, Shamus and Jack (the inside dog) and got a beautiful view of the sunset. We opened a bottle of wine and Terri joined us (her husband Dave got caught up at work). We chatted until about 10:30 and went to bed.
On Friday, we had a great breakfast of bacon and eggs and then headed off to the Cabot Trail. We stopped at many little craft shops along the way and had lunch of a lobster roll and fish and chips at Cal's. Delicious. We made our way through Ingonish and up to Neil's Harbour where we had some seafood chowder (just OK). The views along the Cabot Trail were great. We wanted to attend a Ceilidh (pronounced "kay-lee") - a small gathering of people where musicians play celtic music (the also call them kitchen parties) - and found one at St. Ann's church near the start of the Cabot Trail. It started at 7 pm (or so we thought) and it was 5 pm. We decided to head back to the B&B for a rest but waited for 2 ferries and didn't get on. By now, it didn't make sense to go back so we turned around and went back up the trail to the Clucking Hen for a coffee and pastry. We headed back to the Ceilidh. It didn't start until 8 pm. A group called The Narrows (5 musicians were playing that night). It was FANTASTIC!. They played mostly Irish music and were FANTASTIC. One of the members would start a song that the others didn't know but they would all pick up on it. Some audience members got up and played with them as well - at one point there were 8 people on stage. Some audience members also got up and danced Irish jigs on a whim. The evening was capped when one of the band members said "Do we have some time for the the pipes?" He pulled bag pipes out from behind the piano and played for about 15 minutes non-stop and good stuff - not the typical parade music. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Cost $10 and they stopped midway for a break and the church sold coffee and oat cakes and brownies as a fundraiser. We ended up sitting beside a guy from Calgary who has a summer cottage here. On the road after 10 pm arriving back at the B&B at 11 pm.
On Saturday, we went to the Fortress of Louisbourg - about 1.5 hours away. It was the major French Port in the area (until take over by the British twice and then forever). The Fortress has people in period costumes meandering throughout the ground and buildings. They were very informative. We had a tour with Louise who was great. We stopped at the laundromat and did laundry which should get us through the rest of our trip. We had dinner at Grubstake in Louisbourg - it was just ok. WE arrived back at the B&B at 8 pm. We sat with Terri, Dave, Fraser and Ni (new guests) until about 11 pm. We had a great evening. We are going to stay another night here to have a relaxing down day - Terri is fully booked but found us another room in the house which will work just fine for us.
On Friday, we had a great breakfast of bacon and eggs and then headed off to the Cabot Trail. We stopped at many little craft shops along the way and had lunch of a lobster roll and fish and chips at Cal's. Delicious. We made our way through Ingonish and up to Neil's Harbour where we had some seafood chowder (just OK). The views along the Cabot Trail were great. We wanted to attend a Ceilidh (pronounced "kay-lee") - a small gathering of people where musicians play celtic music (the also call them kitchen parties) - and found one at St. Ann's church near the start of the Cabot Trail. It started at 7 pm (or so we thought) and it was 5 pm. We decided to head back to the B&B for a rest but waited for 2 ferries and didn't get on. By now, it didn't make sense to go back so we turned around and went back up the trail to the Clucking Hen for a coffee and pastry. We headed back to the Ceilidh. It didn't start until 8 pm. A group called The Narrows (5 musicians were playing that night). It was FANTASTIC!. They played mostly Irish music and were FANTASTIC. One of the members would start a song that the others didn't know but they would all pick up on it. Some audience members got up and played with them as well - at one point there were 8 people on stage. Some audience members also got up and danced Irish jigs on a whim. The evening was capped when one of the band members said "Do we have some time for the the pipes?" He pulled bag pipes out from behind the piano and played for about 15 minutes non-stop and good stuff - not the typical parade music. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Cost $10 and they stopped midway for a break and the church sold coffee and oat cakes and brownies as a fundraiser. We ended up sitting beside a guy from Calgary who has a summer cottage here. On the road after 10 pm arriving back at the B&B at 11 pm.
On Saturday, we went to the Fortress of Louisbourg - about 1.5 hours away. It was the major French Port in the area (until take over by the British twice and then forever). The Fortress has people in period costumes meandering throughout the ground and buildings. They were very informative. We had a tour with Louise who was great. We stopped at the laundromat and did laundry which should get us through the rest of our trip. We had dinner at Grubstake in Louisbourg - it was just ok. WE arrived back at the B&B at 8 pm. We sat with Terri, Dave, Fraser and Ni (new guests) until about 11 pm. We had a great evening. We are going to stay another night here to have a relaxing down day - Terri is fully booked but found us another room in the house which will work just fine for us.
Wednesday 5 August 2015
Halifax, Nova Scotia - August 5, 2015
Slow start to our day with coffee and carrot cake for breakfast. We spent the majority of the day at Pier 21 - the Canadian Immigration Museum. Most immigrants from the early 1900's to the early 1970's arrive through Pier 21 in Halifax. It was fascinating. This is a great museum. We tried to do some research on my parents who arrived at Pier 21 in the late 1940's but the records were not available. The only public records available are those from ships from the UK. I think my parents came on ships from Germany. In order to gain access to the the records in Canada, privacy laws require them to request the records themselves or have passed away more than 20 years prior for next of kin to access the records. We had lunch of a lobster roll and burger and caramel cake and creme brûlée at The Bicycle Thief on the waterfront. Very good. We then went on a tour of Alexander Keith's brewery - it was quite good with staff in period costumes and accents and we finished the tour with beer (I got Janice's beer too). We went to the hotel for a nap and then walked the harbourfront and stopped at the far end at Salty's for some mussels (they were huge) and a couple of drinks. Off to the Seaweed and Sod B and B (working farm) in Cape Breton tomorrow...
Central PEI, Moncton, Bay of Fundy and on to Halifax - August 2-4, 2015
On Sunday, we stopped for breakfast at Linda's - a great little coffee shop in downtown Charlottetown near the waterfront and walked through the farmer's market. Then we were off t explore Central PEI - we drove up through Cavendish and North Rustico - the north central area of PEI is definitely the the most populated with tourists as there are several great beaches and a National Park. By late afternoon, we were on our way back to Moncton over the Confederation Bridge (toll the leave the island over the bridge is $45). We drove through Shellac and arrived at the Wild Rose Inn, a B and B just outside of Moncton. This B and B was fabulous and I would recommend it to anyone - it is 10 minutes from downtown and 5 minutes from the airport. Dennis and Regina were great hosts. We drove into Moncton for dinner, but most places were closed as it was Sunday on the long weekend - we ended up at Swiss Chalet. We went back to the Inn and relaxed outside - the Inn sits on 30 acres.
On Monday, we got up early and had breakfast at the Inn and then we were off to Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy. This was a fantastic day. At 9:08 am, the lowest tide occurred and we arrived around 9:45 am - it is about a 45 minute drive from Moncton. We went on a tour and were able to explore the ocean floor for about 2.5 hours and then we came back up for lunch. At 1:45 pm, the entire beach was covered in water and the water had risen about 35 feet. Yup. The high tide was at 2:58 pm and by that time the water will have risen 45 feet - we decided not to wait for the extra hour. This was a great experience. The tides rise so high because the water is funneled into the bay and then into the Petitcodiac River all the way into Moncton - even the river has a tide. We were there during test highest tides and perfect conditions - the sun and the moon were aligned and we had a super moon - when the moon is closest to the earth during its rotation - this creates the greatest gravitational pull on the water. On the way back we stopped at Magnetic Hill in Moncton where you drive to the bottom of this hill, put your car in neutral and you are pulled up the hill backwards. Yup Really. Everything was closed for Holiday Monday so we stopped at Boston Pizza. Yup.
On Tuesday, we had breakfast and then went to the Moncton Zoo. Stopped for lunch at Hynes - great and busy restaurant in Moncton and then went to watch the Tidal Bore. As the tide rises, the water from the bay coming into Moncton meets the water leaving Moncton which creates a single wave coming back into Moncton. It is big enough that people can surf the wave for miles. In fact, we saw some people surfing the wave. Very Cool. We then dropped Kate and Delores off at the airport for their trip home - we switched to a smaller car - Chev Cruze and were off to Halifax about 2.5 hours away. We arrived at the Westin (I got a great rate of $125 per night). We walked along the waterfront and had dinner at McKelvie's - it was good, but the creme brûlée was the best we ever had. We walked back to the hotel and fell into bed. Tomorrow we explore Halifax (and by the way, we are booked into a working farm called the Seaweed and Sod B and B in a few days in Cape Breton ...
On Monday, we got up early and had breakfast at the Inn and then we were off to Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy. This was a fantastic day. At 9:08 am, the lowest tide occurred and we arrived around 9:45 am - it is about a 45 minute drive from Moncton. We went on a tour and were able to explore the ocean floor for about 2.5 hours and then we came back up for lunch. At 1:45 pm, the entire beach was covered in water and the water had risen about 35 feet. Yup. The high tide was at 2:58 pm and by that time the water will have risen 45 feet - we decided not to wait for the extra hour. This was a great experience. The tides rise so high because the water is funneled into the bay and then into the Petitcodiac River all the way into Moncton - even the river has a tide. We were there during test highest tides and perfect conditions - the sun and the moon were aligned and we had a super moon - when the moon is closest to the earth during its rotation - this creates the greatest gravitational pull on the water. On the way back we stopped at Magnetic Hill in Moncton where you drive to the bottom of this hill, put your car in neutral and you are pulled up the hill backwards. Yup Really. Everything was closed for Holiday Monday so we stopped at Boston Pizza. Yup.
On Tuesday, we had breakfast and then went to the Moncton Zoo. Stopped for lunch at Hynes - great and busy restaurant in Moncton and then went to watch the Tidal Bore. As the tide rises, the water from the bay coming into Moncton meets the water leaving Moncton which creates a single wave coming back into Moncton. It is big enough that people can surf the wave for miles. In fact, we saw some people surfing the wave. Very Cool. We then dropped Kate and Delores off at the airport for their trip home - we switched to a smaller car - Chev Cruze and were off to Halifax about 2.5 hours away. We arrived at the Westin (I got a great rate of $125 per night). We walked along the waterfront and had dinner at McKelvie's - it was good, but the creme brûlée was the best we ever had. We walked back to the hotel and fell into bed. Tomorrow we explore Halifax (and by the way, we are booked into a working farm called the Seaweed and Sod B and B in a few days in Cape Breton ...
Saturday 1 August 2015
Eastern PEI - August 1, 2015
We started the day with coffee at Beanz and then had breakfast at Yolk - isn't that the greatest name for a breakfast place? We did a little shopping in downtown Charlottetown and then off for a drive along the Points East Coastal Drive. Our first stop was Point Prim Lighthouse - we had a tour of the lighthouse and got to climb to the top - 60 feet above ground. This lighthouse originally sat on 9 acres of land, but with erosion now sits on 4 acres. It is the only lighthouse on PEI made of stone and the light shine 17 miles and is now all automated. it was a very interesting tour. Our next stop was the Wood Islands Lighthouse which is situated at the ferry terminal to Nova Scotia.
We stopped at the Rossignal Winery and had some samples and purchased some wine. We then stopped at the Cape Bear Lighthouse which was not well maintained and drove to the Murray Head Point. Our next stop was Panmure Island - lots and lots of people on the beach here and, of course, there was a lighthouse.
We drove through Montague on our way to Cardigan - we were looking for a Lobster Supper there. The Cardigan Lobster Supper is in an old general store and we were able to sit on the deck overlooking the river. We had seafood chowder, fresh rolls, salad, mussels, fresh PEI potatoes and corn and, of course, lobster. Outstanding.
We drove to East Point - on the eastern tip of PEI - to the lighthouse and saw two foxes playing. It took us about 1.25 hours to get back to Charlottetown arriving home at about 9 pm. Long day but a great day! We are going to explore Central PEI tomorrow before heading back to Moncton for a few days tomorrow night ...
We stopped at the Rossignal Winery and had some samples and purchased some wine. We then stopped at the Cape Bear Lighthouse which was not well maintained and drove to the Murray Head Point. Our next stop was Panmure Island - lots and lots of people on the beach here and, of course, there was a lighthouse.
We drove through Montague on our way to Cardigan - we were looking for a Lobster Supper there. The Cardigan Lobster Supper is in an old general store and we were able to sit on the deck overlooking the river. We had seafood chowder, fresh rolls, salad, mussels, fresh PEI potatoes and corn and, of course, lobster. Outstanding.
We drove to East Point - on the eastern tip of PEI - to the lighthouse and saw two foxes playing. It took us about 1.25 hours to get back to Charlottetown arriving home at about 9 pm. Long day but a great day! We are going to explore Central PEI tomorrow before heading back to Moncton for a few days tomorrow night ...
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