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Nova Scotia Again
  • JoAnne Gelowitz
August 2022

Nova Scotia Again

Off to Nova Scotia for a second time! We are primarily here to attend Darcy and Scott's wedding but are touring some places we missed last. Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 16, 2022
    JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    Elmsdale

    August 16, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    After an uneventful but long flight day we checked in at our bed and breakfast in Elmsdale, Nova Scotia. We lost three hours due to time change but that didn't matter. We were so tired from the events from the last few days, that we found a place to eat and went to bed. The meal for us was a late lunch but ended up being a late supper in Nova Scotia.
    We stayed at the Briarwood Bed and Breakfast in Elmsdale. It was lovely and we had a great breakfast. The hosts were very pleasant. Besides staying there that's all we saw/did. I would highly recommend this place if you need to stay somewhere close to the Halifax airport.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    St Peter's/Bras d'Or Lakes

    August 16, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today we did Gerard's favourite thing - driving secondary roads so we can see something new. Our drive was from Elmsdale to St Peter's and should have taken almost 3 hours. It took us 6 🙂
    St Peter's is a nice little town with lots of touristy things to do. Since we arrived in the evening we found a place to eat and then took a drive through Battery Provincial Park. Only picture I got was of the fantastic sunset. It's from the park looking over St Peter's Bay to the townsite.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    Chapel Island in unceded Mi'kmaq area
    Fiddle at Nicolas Denys MuseumOur supper view yesterday

    St Peter's to Sydney

    August 17, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    What a rainy day!! We had planned to go for a walk a on few trails in around St. Peter's and possibly Battery Provincial Park, but it was pouring rain. All day!!
    So instead we went to the St Peter's Canal Historic Site and Learned about how the locks worked. We also learned that brackish means a combination of salt water and fresh water and Bras d'Or Lakes are brackish. And we learned that Bras d"or Lakes is an inland sea not a lake.
    We then went to the Nicolas Denys Museum. He founded three settlements, one of them being St. Peter's. The museum does not have any of his stuff but rather a lot of artifacts from his time. It was interesting. The most interesting artifact that is in the museum is a book bound in human skin. Yuch!!! They had it DNA tested and it originates from the Spain/Portugal area. Still Yuch!!!
    We then went to the Wallace MacAskill Museum. He was photographer and took pictures when everything was in black and white. His claim to fame is that he took the photo of the Blue Nose that was used for minting the dime.
    After doing all that we could in St. Peter's we drove to Sydney.
    On our drive we saw a sign for the UNESCO Cape Breton Biosphere. We drove for a while before figuring out that the biosphere was not a specific place but the area around Bras d'Or Lakes. However in the unceded Mi'kmaq territory of Potolak. That's where we found Chapel Island. It seems that this island is a sacred place for the indigenous people in Nova Scotia.

    After we settled into our "old school" motel, we went to the Marconi Historic Site and Museum. We learned that Marconi was inventor who is known for inventing the radio wave-based wireless telegraph system. Morse code was to communicate messages with this system.
    So it was a day little to no pictures but lots of education. We are hoping that we can get outside tomorrow, see some sites and take some pictures.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    The King's Bastian
    An upper class person's kitchenDid they have macarons in the 1700's?Garden behind the nunneryA swallow fledgling, I think

    Fortress of Louisburg

    August 18, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today we went to see one of the planned places on this trip, the Fortress of Louisburg. Learned the difference between a fort and a fortress. A fort is strictly military, whereas a fortress is more of a town protected by a wall and the military. It was built by the French. And around 1740ish the British took it over for five years. Then the French got it back for ten years. Then the British got it back and decided to destroy it. It took 10 more years to pillage the place and destroy the fortress. One fifth of the fortress had been reconstructed. Pretty interesting place see.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    There are benches and chairs for people to relax on Charlotte StThe mural on the back of the theatreThe coast guard at the ready

    Sydney Fiddle

    August 18, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After viewing the fortress we drove back to Sydney and really needed gas. In our quest to find a Mobil station (Gerard wanted the points) we found the Sydney Fiddle. It sits right on the Port of Sydney where the cruise ships dock and there was one there. Since I have no desire to ever travel on a cruise ship I don't think I have ever seen one or taken notice how big they are. This one had twelve floors 🙄. I really have no desire to travel on a cruise ship now after seeing it. That is to overwhelmingly big.
    We took a look at the shops around the Fiddle then took a walk through Old Sydney, had some supper and then took an early evening stroll along the port. It was a nice way to end the day.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    2Is the picture that much better standing on the scary side of the rock?The rock/cliff where Ger was taking pictures

    Off to the Wedding!

    August 19, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today's journey takes us from Sydney to Bay St Lawrence. It's a two hour drive that took us about 7 hours. We took the Cabot Trail, which takes you along the coast of Cape Breton and passes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. So we got to do one of my favourite things-hike a trail in a national park. We can now check off another national park that we can say we spent some time exploring. The trail took us out to the point. The tide was coming in; it is always interesting to me to watch the Atlantic Ocean slam itself against the rocks. And there were seals!! They were playing with the waves so it was hard to get a picture.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    Lucky shot!!Turn up the volume. The waves were quite loud.

    Black Brook Beach

    August 19, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    This is in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Not sure where the brook is but I am sure it has something to do with the waterfall. It was just so beautiful I had to give it it's own footprint 🙂

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    White Point

    August 21, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today we drove from Bay St Lawrence to Baddeck. We made a few stops for shopping but the most interesting site was White Point. It is not part of the National Park but was suggested by the park guide as a great place for a short hike. She was not wrong. It's very rocky and cliffy but it's beauty makes the wonky walk worth it. Just walking on the many trails and seeing the point from different angles is amazing. It's all the same point but the views are spectacular no matter what angle you look from.
    We also stopped at the Groovy Goat. It's a soap shop and petting farm. I talked to the father of the owners for quite a while. He said that they get most of their animals from Saskatchewan. They got two donkeys for the price of one from SK. A donkey had arrived last November and was gaining weight. They thought she was just eating alot of food. One morning in the spring they got up and there was a baby donkey in the barn!! I didn't get a picture of the baby because he was moving around to much.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    Replica of the Silver Dart
    View from the red aderondak chairs at AGB siteWeird tree on the way toThe babbling brook before the falls

    Baddeck

    August 22, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    This morning we got up and went straight to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. This was another must see for our trip. Turns out AGB didn't just invent the phone. He started his career teaching deaf people how to talk. He then invented the phone, which set him up financially for life. His residence was a self-sufficient sustainable farm creating employment for the area. His big accomplishment after the phone was being involved in the development of the plane used for the first flight in Canada.
    When we were done we had lunch on the pier. This is kind of an area for those who can afford it to come and sail their very fancy sailboats. Because of all the sailboats the harbour is quiet and peaceful.
    After lunch we went to Uisge Ban Falls. Not even trying to pronounce this. Another thing I've this trip is that the Gaelic language only has 18 letters. So letter combinations mean different sounds. That's why Gaelic words are look long but are never that long to say. I digress. So we went for a little hike and the falls were very beautiful. Glad we did this walk too. Now off to Pictou    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    Butter churn treadmill powered by dogs goats or sheep. Really!!Boiler Bob. Wait for him to arrive.

    Tatamagouche

    August 23, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    Today we traveled from Pictou to Charlottetown PEI. There was a ferry fire a few weeks ago that put one of the ferries out of commission. We heard from a couple of B&B hosts that the wait times for a ferry were really long. Last night's host convinced is that driving was the far better option. It wasn't hard to convince Gerard to drive for an extra hour or two.
    We left Pictou at about 9, we didn't stay to look around and were on the road a little earlier than usual.
    Drive by a couple of places/shops that we thought might be interesting but nothing was open until noon. The Caldera whiskey factory was on the road we took we decided to go check it out but it was closed until 11. We wanted to stop there because Gerard and Bryce each got a bottle of this whiskey the last time we were here. The bottle says batch number 1. It would have been cool to check out but the distillery was in the middle of nowhere and there was nothing to fill our time so onward we went.
    Next stop was Tatamagouche, another recommendation by last night's host. The recommendation was to have lunch there but we were still having the problem of leaving too early and nothing being open. However, we found a museum that was pretty cool. It seemed to me that they took all the mutations in this town and combined them. It was in an old creamery so there was lots old creamm/butter making equipment. My favourite thing was the Boiler Bob who lives behind the shifted boiler. It was hallogram/video thing and was pretty cool.
    As we were leaving we spent some time talking with the young lady at the reception desk who said she was born in Saskatchewan. She wrote a book and I had to buy it. After our visit to the museum the restaurant was open, we had lunch and we were off to Charlottetown.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    Charlottetown Photo Challenge

    August 24, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    The Charlottetown tourist guide has a photo challenge. We decided we would use it as a way to see the sights of this cute little city. I'll explain each picture.
    1) Before I Die is a chalk board in the downtown area where you are supposed to use chalk to finish the sentence. We saw this last time also. The answers then were hilarious.
    2) The Bluefin Bullet is a sculpture of a bluefin made is stainless steel. The fins are spoons.
    3) A short of Victoria Park from the floating dock. It was a little windy when we walked into the dock. I have decided that I have good prairie legs that keep me upright in high winds. However, I don't have sea legs that keep me from like I will fall over when the sea is moving underneath me.
    4) Cows Ice Cream, PEI's Milky Way.
    5)2022 structure. Not sure what this is about.
    6) Love-lock exhibit on the wharf.
    7) St Dunstan Basilica. Kind of thought we were in Scotland again.
    8) Sydney St at night.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    All Gender Bathrooms

    August 24, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I have no pictures for this post just a story.

    Since we have arrived in the Maritimes I have seen many all gender washrooms. My experience with this type of washroom could be going better.
    First experinece. We went to The Guild, a theatre in Charlottetown, to see The Ross Family Caliegh. The concert was very good. At intermission I went to the washroom, there were two doors. Both said All Gender. I started to walk towards one and a man came out. I thought to myself this might not be a good idea. Just as I had this thought a woman came out of the other door. So I thanked the universe for pointing me in the right direction. I went in and it was clearly a woman's washroom. Three stalls and an area away from the sinks just for doing makeup. Another thought went through my head, is this what it is like in the other washroom? It would be quite uncomfortable if a man was in here, but maybe the people of PEI are more advanced in this type of thinking. As I left the washroom I noticed the fine print on the sign. it said 'ALL GENDER without urinals'. Yup the universe really did take care of me. I just about walked into the 'with urinals' bathroom😶. There were people who worked at the theatre who more than likely were watching where I was going, can't imagine what they were thinking. Lesson learned - read the fine print.

    Second experinece. We went to the Olde Dublin Pub for lunch. Gerard wanted $1 oysters, which he said we're very good. He's really been enjoying the seafood since we got to the Maritimes but has particularly enjoyed it since we have gotten to PEI, but I digress. Anyways, the bar had the type of bathrooms that were one toilet behind a door with a women/man sign. Nothing complicated and something we all have seen before. Once again there were two doors. I watched someone go into the first. The second door was closed but being the person I am I checked the knob to see if it was locked. Nope not locked. To double check I knocked on the door. No answer. I opened the door still there was no sound. Once I stick my head in I saw a man in the bathroom. I didn't actually see anything but he was using the toilet. He was embarrassed, I was embarrassed. I closed the door and waited, hoping the other door would open and I could that toilet instead. But nope, the universe was not protecting me this time. The man came out all he could say was "I'm sorry" over and over. I couldn't even make eye contact with him. I just put my head down and covered my face. Lesson learned - I think I did all the right things, except maybe show some patience but really what if that bathroom wasn't being used? I think the lesson is if you are in a private public bathroom acknowledge the person on the other side if you hear the door knob rattling or some knocking.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    PEI National Park

    August 24, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We spent the evening taking long walks on the beaches of Prince Edward Island National Park. The park is a strip of sand dunes along much of the north shore of PEI, which are being protected. The beaches are made of nice soft sand. We got there at the Golden hour so had some opportunities for nice shots. Too bad neither of us brought a camera🙃Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    Montague
    Roma Historic SiteGeorgetownSouris BeachBasin Head Provincial ParkGreenwichGreenwichGreenwichFun at Basin Head

    Points East Coastal Drive

    August 25, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today's adventure was a drive on the Points East Coastal Drive. We made quite a few stops. First was Montague. We stopped at a very pretty park by the water. There were a number of sculptures in the park. The one most striking to me was done by Abe Waterman. I'm guessing by what the tourist information people told us if you've seen any really good sand sculptures on the internet it's probably his.
    We then went to a 'national' historic site for Jean Pierre Roma. It was pretty low key so we walked one of the trails. We really haven't encountered any mosquitoes for the entire trip. We figured out why-they all live at Roma. Anyways, it was a nice little trail that took you down by the water to a hidden beach. At this point I've seen so much water I'm never sure what it is in looking at-river, seaway, bay, ocean, who knows.
    We then stopped at Georgetown to have a picnic lunch at the A A MacDonald Memorial Garden. He was from Georgetown and was one of the founding fathers of Confederation. Again very pretty.
    We then went to Bay Fortune. That's got it's own separate post.
    From there we went to Souris Beach. It was low tide so you could walk quite a ways on the ocean floor.
    Then on to the beach at Basin Head Provincial Park. That was a very pretty beach that has areas with both white sand and red sand. People were having a great time jumping off the bridge into the water. There were signs saying not to do this but there was a life guard stationed right there watching and saying nothing. However, he did tell people get off the dunes if they started climbing them. The dunes seem to be highly treasured/protected and that is a good thing.
    The last stop was Greenwich which is part of the PEI National Park. The park is just all in chunks. We took a very interesting trail through a forested area, then a clearing that looked towards a bay, then a forested area, then a boardwalk through a fragile area, then on the longest floating dock over what I am calling a bog, then on a very clearly marked path up over a dune to the beach on the Atlantic Ocean. One of the most varied trails I have ever been on. By this time the sun is setting, we didn't make plans for supper and we are now lost looking for a pizza place🙂    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    The Inn at Bay Fortune

    August 25, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    One of the reasons we took this particular drive was because it took us to this inn. It is owned by Chef Michael Smith. I first heard of him on The Food Network. When I was teaching food studies I discovered he had some really good instructional videos I could use in my classroom. Gerard uses a couple of his recipes and particularly likes his Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. We cannot afford to stay at this Inn or indulge in his Fireworks Feast (both are crazy expensive) but the staff let us have a look around the farm and the grounds. It would be cool to stay there and take in the whole experience, maybe after we win the lottery. 🙂Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    There's an albatross in the backgroundSo serene

    John Cabot Provincial Park

    August 26, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    The last place we went in PEI was John Cabot Beach. We stumbled on it the last time we were here and found it to be very pretty, so we wanted to see it again. Once again we managed to turn a 2 hour drive into an all day event, but that's no problem, is all part of the plan. Not to much to say about it except that there were some gulls that kept floating by for their photo shoot.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    1The witch's caldron1

    Victoria Park

    August 27, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We stayed the night in Truro and visited Victor, a friend of Gerard's. This morning we went to Victoria Park to see the falls. It was a very peaceful walk in a very beautiful park. Once we got to the falls a local person us that March is the best time to see the falls. It was still very pretty and a nice way to start the day.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    Grand Pre

    August 27, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Made a stop at Grand Pre to see what this place is about. It is Canada's newest UNESCO Heritage Site, so we decided to find out it's significance. This is the site of expulsion of the Acadians in the 1700's. Today I finally learned this story. The Acadians were descended from France but considered this place their home and no longer considered themselves French. They called this area Acadie. They were farmers and took an oath as a people to not bear arms, they were neutral in the British and French wars over the area. The British finally gained control over the area and wanted the Acadians to fight for them but they refused. So over the course of 8 years they expulsed the Acadians. They were moved to many different parts of the British Empire but some managed to hide and stay here.
    Grand Pre means large meadow. Its a beautiful area with such a sad story.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    Port Royal

    August 28, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We didn't intend for this trip to be so educational but it was. We made a stop at Port Royal and learned about how differently the French were approaching the new land. The French wanted to come and negotiate business with the Mi'kmaq, rather then take over their land. It was peaceful and cooperative. The British and every other country were going to new lands with the intention of taking over, with the result being wars. Port Royal was initially a French port set up to negotiate trade. Then the British came and created war and expulsion of people who did not cooperate. Even if they were peaceful - everyone had to assimilate into British culture or they would have to leave our die. F*ck*n' British Empire. I am just beginning to realize just how much devastation they caused all over the world.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again

    Annapolis Royal

    August 28, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Annapolis Royal is the oldest/first settlement/town in Canada. It is rich with history- a lot of history that is not taught in school.
    Last night we had supper at a funky little restaurant called the Crow's Nest. Everyone was double and triple parked. I was concerned that we had blocked someone in but it was fine. We sat at a table looking out to the parking lot, so part of our entertainment was watching to see how this problem was dealt with. It was all pretty calm and noone was blocked in for long.
    After supper we took a stroll along the shore and the sunset was quite spectacular.
    Our B&B served us a very good breakfast. The fluffiest omelettes ever.
    After breakfast we toured the shopping area. Surprise- even though this is a tourist town, many of the shops are closed Sunday and Monday. However, we did find a few that were open. The most interesting one was an antique shop that has Tibetan antiques, acquired in Nepal. The collector was having fun showing us singing bowls, bells, gongs, etc. used for meditation. I commented on how one large gong with a very loud low chime was all consuming. He responded with, "Yup, it opens all the chakras". I would have liked to have purchased something but oof it was expensive.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    1

    Blue Rocks

    August 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Our B&B host realized that we are mentally finished with the trip and just need a day of relaxation, so she suggested that we go to Blue Rocks. It's a very pretty point and it was very relaxing just to hang out there for a little while.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    Causeway without the No Trespassing signs. Wait! What? I don't have my camera ready!!
    Buildings we recognize from the showDo you think Rick and Marty are sitting on the deck right now?The very nice guy that kicks you off the islandCauseway from the Oak Island ResortOak IslandThe crane for the money pitGet married at the resort and the island is your backdrop

    Oak Island Update

    August 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    So the reason for staying at Mahone Bay was to make the pilgrimage to Oak Island. Much to our surprise you can now drive onto the island. Thinking we would have to get out of the car just before the causeway we didn't have our cameras ready. When you get onto the island there is a nice guy telling you the Visitor's Center is closed and the most you can do is make a U-turn in the parking lot. While Gerard was making the U-turn I was scrambling to get my phone out so the pictures are not very good.
    However, we do know that there is a great view of the island at the Oak Island Resort (this was not the name last time), so we drove over and took some pictures from there.
    Now off to the Mug & Anchor to have a drink with Rick and Marty ☺️    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzTravelerNova Scotia Again
    Watched the local ducks after supper on Sunday
    My view for Monday supper☺️

    Mahone Bay

    August 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Stayed at Mahone Bay for a couple of nights. It's a lovely place that gets you easily to Lunenburg and not as touristy, but still touristy.
    We've had some really nice stays at really nice B&B's. Cathy our last host was by far the most accommodating.
    Our breakfasts were interesting being shared with a young couple from Scotland (she's actually Canadian who now calls Scotland home), a couple from Germany and a couple from Australia. Lots of stories being shared about everyone's travels.
    Oak Island update - we never did eat at the Mug & Anchor because it is closed for supper on Mondays. We sat on the deck of a pizza place and enjoyed the view. During supper we had some Oak Island celebrity sightings. Gary Drayton drove by in his big black jeep. Steve Guptill walked by. Paul Troutman drove by. Then Billy Gerhardt in a very new, very bright yellow truck. Then Steve Guptill walked by again!
    And now off to Halifax so we can come home.    Read more

    Trip end
    August 31, 2022
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