This summer we decided to explore the Maritime provinces of Canada. I went to university in Nova Scotia (Acadia University) but we've never traveled there as a family so we decided to stick fairly close to home and explore the east coast of Canada. We covered quite a bit of ground during the week we were away. We flew to Bangor, Maine, rented a Dodge Ram pick-up truck on the advise of the car rental lady who said we were heading into moose country. I should note .. we never saw a moose. Grrr..
Our first stop was St. Andrews by the Sea, New Brunswick which is a charming seaside town. We then travelled onto PEI (Prince Edward Island), all throughout Nova Scotia and eventually back to New Brunswick where we flew home via Maine.
Nova Scotia's picturesque coastline.
The Bay of Fundy is one of the 7 wonders of North America. It has the highest tides on earth and the red coastline is because of a high level of iron. I recall in university people going tubing in the water and coming back with thick red mud all over themselves. I never took part in the tradition, but now I wish I had.
Acadia University is located in Wolfville, NS about an hour from Halifax. We toured the small, idyllic campus and I was able to show the family my old dorm, where I took my classes and most importantly where my friends and I hung out. The crazy thing is that after 20+ years not much has changed. Walking back into the town bar was a blast from the past! What had changed though is a beautiful vineyard that is only a short drive from Wolfville. The winery is called Luckett Vineyards and their fun English phone booth located amongst the vineyards is not to be missed. You can make a free call to anyone in North America and the kids right away picked up the phone to call their Grandma back in Vancouver.
Peggy's Cove is a small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay in Nova Scotia. The lighthouse is what everyone comes to see and it does not disappoint. Every angle that you turn is like looking at a picture postcard. The lobster and seafood is the freshest and so delicious. On our last night we realized that for seven straight days we had only eaten seafood and not one bite of meat.
One one of my favorite parts of the trip was discovering a small town called Summerville on Nova Scotia's south shore. The Quarterdeck was right up my alley in terms of design and aesthetic. It was perched on a mile of pristine white sand and so relaxing. I did not want to leave!
