Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada

Passing over the forests of Nova Scotia was vastly different from the landscape in Iceland - it reminded me of pieces from 'Settlers of Catan'. After landing and passing through border control, we went over to 'oversized baggage' in anticipation of collecting our bags. Out came a dog, exciting the sniffer dog somewhat! Next came a cat, and after many tannoy announcements, its owner failed to come to collect it! Everyone kept looking around, wanting to learn of its fate! As we exited arrivals and made our way to the bus stop, a friendly member of staff shouted 'you guys look lost, where are you headed?'; the first of many incredibly friendly people in Nova Scotia. After two buses to Halifax, we got off at the last stop along with other tourists unsure of their whereabouts. One girl from Italy was heading to the same hostel. We found our dorms (Hugo and I were separated for the night!). In the morning, I snuck out to buy some breakfast and messaged hugo with 'Miss Abbott in the kitchen with breakfast', akin to a cluedo guess. We then made our way to the car hire collection. After some confusion and our booking crashing the system, an hour later we were upgraded to a Ford edge, a flashy 4x4! Whilst waiting, we were entertained by the cheesy telephone response 'It's a great day at discount' spoken upon picking up each call. Cars in Canada don't have front number plates! We stopped by walmart to pick up the cheapest tent available, 2 fleece blankets, a duvet, 2 chairs and some food. First stop en route was Peggy's Cove, a quaint seaside stop with a lighthouse functioning as a post office. A bag piper played as we ate our lunch, looking out to sea. There were lots of little art shops too, not disimilar from the isle of mull. One old shack was full of whale bones, fishing floats and nets! The bays we passed by were so idyllic, with wooden houses facing the waterfront (often with a plastic dalmation, eagle or owl in the yard?!). We stopped in Lunenburg for the night, a town initially inhabited by German immigrants. On a recommendation from the guy at the campsite office, we went to 'the knot', a German/ seafood pub that was like a hobbit hole. After waiting for a table we dug in to fish and chips and Philly cheese steak! There was even a choice of type of vinegar! The following day we drove to Kejimkujik national park, known locally as 'Keji'. After a very chilly first night (5 degrees - even locals surprised at how unseasonably cold it was), Hugo was relieved to see that sleeping bags could be hired. We set up camp in the forest, our insignificant tent dwarfed by huge RVs, some with personalised signposts at the front of their pitch! At 6pm we joined up with 4 others to board a canoe, complete with two guides. We rowed out on to the Stillwater as the sun set. The Mersey water was stained a rich brown/black, making the reflections of trees in the water like a mirror - mesmerising! As we paused to drink iced tea, we heard the sound of a beaver gnawing and then a saw a splash as it's tail hit the water! A hawk also flew overhead. The guides talked through the various flora and fauna - a very enjoyable trip! Back at the campsite and channelling our inner Bear Grylls, we successfully lit our first campfire! We heated up some shop-bought kebabs and then had smores! Later on we joined a dark sky talk, lying on mats in a large circle of people as the guides pointed out constellations with laser pens. When asked what a familiar part of a constellation was called, Hugo shouted 'the plough' over all the Canadians shouting 'the big dipper'! Unfortunately the moon was almost full, preventing us from seeing the milky way. We did get to see Saturn and it's rings through the park's powerful telescope, though. There were musical interludes throughout, the last song being 'fly me to the moon...'. As I lay under the Wal-Mart duvet, I could hear mice and other unknown rodents scuttling about! Next morning we walked 8km along the water - there was little wildlife but plenty of varieties of mushrooms! We did spot 2 red squirrels and 2 chipmunks, though. As we drove around Nova Scotia, we familiarised ourselves with other species through identifying the roadkill - racoons and porcupines! Every day we seemed to discover a new feature on the car - sunroof, self-opening boot, ac seats! After eating our maple cheerios from our tupperware boxes for breakfast, we set off for Shubenacadie, passing through the Annapolis valley known for its vineyards, and the university town of Wolfville. In Wolfville we had to stop by a wifi cafe to check the actual address of the campground for the night, and then asked where to buy food (keep forgetting they call it a grocery store - my request for the nearest supermarket was met with confusion)! Finally we made it to our campground and the host kindly gave us some kindling and cardboard and told us how to start a fire - success first time! We roasted our first 'corn' and precariously balanced burgers on the grill, using only wooden skewers to turn them (managed to rescue one from the fire)! Some RVs at this site had light-up palm trees! At night we heard the howl of wolves - but not to worry as it was only from the animal park next door! Next morning we headed to Truro to see the tidal bore (highest tide in the world - 16m), but missed it by half an hour - oops! We joined the Trans Canada Highway and headed up to Melmerby beach, sheltering from the wind to have our picnic. As we drove towards Inverness we stopped by in Mabou at the Red Shoe Pub where a family of women were playing live Celtic songs - a packed out venue! Across the road we picked up an ice cream from the 'Rolling Cones' van. Our campground for the night was beside a beach, and we headed in to town for seafood chowder. Up early, we planned to drive the famous 'cabot trail' - and wow, what scenery! Cape Breton National Park is likely to the Nova Scotians what the lake district is to us Brits. Fantastic sea views over forested mountains. We stopped to walk the 7.5km skyline trail - there were warnings of coyote and moose, and although no sightings we did see droppings and a moose print in the mud! As we walked back through the car park, a Canadian couple struck up a conversation and we were congratulated on the announcement of the next royal baby - they love the royals over here!! We then tried our luck at joining a whale watching tour, however all trips were cancelled due to the wind! We made a couple more stops at Neil's harbour for more chowder and Ingonish beach for a quick paddle (Hugo stayed on the rocks, heaven forbid his feet touched the sand). On the way to our campground in Bras D'Or, we spotted a large bird with white head and tail - a bald eagle! We subsequently spotted another 4 in the next 20 minutes. After pitching our tent, we walked down to the huge lake and caught sight of a reddish full moon. Next day we went back through Baddeck, visiting the local market and purchasing some wild blueberries. After pizza, we went on the Amoeba sailing ship around Bras D'Or Lake, passing by Alexander Graham Bell's residence. The guide on board had an encyclopedic knowledge about the area! The captain threw out raw chickens which were caught by a pair of eagles (he had been doing this for the past 10 years) - great view although I was too busy trying to get a good photo! We then looked around the Alexander Graham Bell museum, free this year due to Canada celebrating 150 years since confederation. What an amazing man! Following on from his father, he took great interest in the deaf community and studied elocution, from which he then championed the teaching of 'visible speech', a method of teaching the deaf how to speak invented by his father. Bit of a speech therapist, although slight professional malpractice by marrying one of his clients! Interested in sound and communication, he went on to invent the telephone aged 29, although it took him 18 years in court to proove he was the inventor! He also had his finger in a lot of other experimental pies, including genetics, the graphaphone, and invented the silver dart, the first powered flight in the British Empire. As we got on our way to Battery Provincial Park, the fog drew in. Unfortunate, as our pitch was overlooking the ocean! We had our final campfire and cooked our remaining corn. Awakening to the sound of rain, we began to realise why our tent was so cheap - armed with a packet of tissues we mopped up the leaks and bundled everything in to our fleece blankets, bailing out the tent to seek a comforting breakfast in the car. We eventually packed up and headed south to our final campground. At every turn in Nova Scotia it seemed there was a lake! We stopped off to stock up on food but ended up unknowingly buying a bag M&Ms for £6 - argh! Luckily they tasted delicious. We pulled up to the campground and were met by Janice and Gordy. After ordering some delicious homemade pizza, they sat and talked with us, discussing everything from Toronto recommendations to the queen, liquor and travels. On our way back to Halifax the following morning we stopped by 'Goodies', a donation shop, to pass on our camping supplies - the poster in the window telling us that we were heroes of the community - thanks! We dropped off the car and the guy kindly drove us to our hostel! We then explored the harbour and the maritime museum, Hugo remarking that it was the best museum he had been to! Lots of information about the Halifax explosion 100 years ago, caused by French and Norwegian ships accidentally colliding, resulting in the largest man-made explosion prior to the atomic bomb, killing 2000 people. There was also a display about the fate of the titanic. We then entered a dome cinema to watch the tale of two northern right whales. There were lots of students around the harbour - we were given a free drink, although mine tasted like face wipes! After spotting a gull with a starfish in its mouth, we ventured around the public gardens (being told off for lying on the grass!) and then headed back to the hostel for a mini bbq, where we spoke to other travellers (I felt very organised at this point as noone else has booked how they were getting across Canada)! There were a lot of homeless people in Halifax, one with a sign 'Mario ate my shrooms - need money for weed and munchies' - very upfront! Next morning we walked around the farmers market, making the most of the free food samples. Walking up the hill, we arrived at the citadel just in time to hear the noon gunshot reverberate around the city. For lunch Hugo tried a 'donair burger' (the Canadian version of a donner) at the Fickle Frog Pub. After passing an old lady playing the 'spoons' on her mobility scooter, we visited Pier 21, a museum about immigration to Canada. Although prejudice against some races and minorities in previous years, Canada has become to be known as a diverse country that welcomes refugees or those just wanting to experience the Canadian way of life. It was humbling to read the stories from visitors to the museum, some of whom themselves had arrived at Pier 21 many years ago, either evacuated, fleeing war or as a war bride. To end the day we walked to Point Pleasant Park, passing the equivalent of Marshal's Drive (St Albans), with very large houses and dogs in size to match! We cooked tea at the hostel, observing a guy at a table casually tucking in to a whole lobster (he had steak for breakfast the next morning, too!!). Hugo sat with other travellers hearing their stories - my feet were tired and bitten so I laid in bed! Hugo met a guy, Ben from France, that was staying in our dorm and getting the same train the next day. So here we are, sat on our overnight (15 hours or so!) train to Quebec! After a few games of monopoly, reading, listening to the train music duo and chatting, we can recline in our seats and await the three cities!Read more