Trip to Nova Scotia

We live in uncertain times when traveling is being put under a big question mark for many of us.  Especially driving or flying abroad. However, the beautiful summer weather brought back memories from a great trip to Nova Scotia we took last year. If you have never visited this Canadian province, I highly recommend considering it in the future. It is a place we will definitely return to.

The idea of visiting Nova Scotia came from some article I read about the place on American continent where Gaelic culture was still well present. Being fascinated by Irish and Sottish cultures I wanted to explore the site that somewhat resembles those two countries.

We reached Canada after driving for two days with overnight stay in Bangor, Main. Crossing the border always adds more excitement to the whole experience. Different language, customs, stores, even license plates create the special atmosphere of the foreignness which is waiting to be explored.

It took us seven additional hours to travel from US-Canada border through New Brunswick province to our first stop in Nova Scotia. The small town of Pictou – the “Birthplace of New Scotland”, was slowly falling asleep with only few pubs and restaurants staying open. We grabbed a pie of pizza and checked in to the Willow House Inn Bed & Breakfast. The next morning, after a great breakfast and before continuing our journey, we stopped by the replica of Ship Hector which in 1773 brought first Scottish emigrants to Nova Scotia.

We were heading to Boularderie East, where we booked a place to stay for three nights. As planned, we took a coastal road to admire the views and to visit small towns along the way.

Last stop before booking to the hotel was in Baddeck, where we walked around waiting for Chinese take-out. It was one of our favorite places, especially the bustling downtown full of tourists, the vast range of food aromas and variety of music heard from little shops, cafés and restaurants. Leaving the busy streets for a short while, we drove up to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. It was too late for us to visit the center but at least we could enjoy the fantastic view on the Baddeck Harbour.

While we were already impressed with what we had seen up to that point, the following days just added to our excitement. From Boularderie East we had an easy access to the Cabot Trail, a picturesque road meandering through the The Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Since the views, no matter how breathtaking, won’t fill up the stomach, we needed to make sure there was some kind of an eatery on our way. I have to mention here a place where we stopped one day, as the food was really “first class”. The Coastal Restaurant & Pub in the town of Ingonish not only serves tasty dishes but provides a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere.

An interesting part of our trip was a visit to the Highland Village Museum in Iona where we could learn about the history of the settlement and experience the Gaelic culture by interacting with the staff wearing historical costumes and performing household and business tasks the way they were done throughout the historical periods.

After few, unforgettable days spent on Cape Breton, we headed towards the capital of Nova Scotia – Halifax. While we traveled in the rain, once we reached our destination, we were welcomed by the sunny sky. Tired with the road and hungry we found the location of our hotel, in close proximity to the Dartmouth Crossing, very convenient.

The main attraction of Halifax is the Citadel, the 18th century fort built to protect the city. It serves as a museum and offers tours highlighting the lives of Victorian era soldiers and their families, the noon day firing of the gun, and performances of the bagpipers.

In addition, the capital benefits greatly from wonderful, Victorian era Public Gardens which can serve as a retreat for the busy city folks and where we spent many hours walking and admiring the plant arrangements.

Not all stops during our trip were planned ahead and Peggy’s Cove, the fishing village 45 minutes South-East from Halifax, was one of those spontaneous, afternoon destinations we were really happy to reach. Not quite ready for the strong, cool winds, we did not spend too much time there but enough to admire a beautiful lighthouse standing on the giant rocks and watching over rough ocean waves.

Port Royal was among the last places we visited. It was one of the first European settlements in North America and was reconstructed between 1939 and1941 thanks to the duplicate set of plans that had been discovered in France.

After the tour (guided or on your own) one can relax on the famous throughout the Nova Scotia colorful Adirondack chairs, here set right by the Annapolis River.

On the way back to the hotel, really hungry, we stopped in Annapolis Royal and found this German restaurant on a quiet street by Fort Anne – Sachsen Cafe & Restaurant where we had a great goulash and potato pancakes. Being Europeans ourselves we really enjoyed the food that brought to us the “taste of home”. Leaving the place without their sweets would be a great mistake as they have the best pastry I have eaten in many recent years.

There is a lot more to see in Nova Scotia, however our week stay came to an end and with head full of memories we headed home. We decided to return to Nova Scotia one day for a much longer stay – less hectic and focused on rest.