Nova Scotia is scenic and historic, PEI is quaint and picturesque and Quebec is unique and interesting. I really enjoyed learning all the Canadian history (that I should have known already and probably learned in school but had definitely forgot) about the Acadians and Brits and Confederation and all that jazz. It really was quite a tumultuous past leading to the forming of our great country and although we definitely have our political problems even today, I'm very proud to be Canadian and think we live in a pretty great country.
I loved Peggy’s Cove and Lunenburg and all the other pretty little fishing villages along the south coast of Nova Scotia, west of Halifax. We then headed north to the Annapolis Valley which is very pretty and full of history. Port Royal is the site of the first permanent European settlement north of Florida. It was founded by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons and Samuel de Champlain in 1605. Today there is a reconstruction of the Fort at the actual site and it is considered the most important historical site in Canada. From here we headed east along the northern coast of NS and although the kids did not want to see yet another museum or “historical point of interest”, I insisted on stopping at Grand Pre National Historical Site which is now administered by Parks Canada to commemorate the Acadian people and their deportation in 1755.
As we continued along the Annapolis coast, we stumbled upon one of the highlights of our trip.
Burncoat Head Park marks the site of the Highest Recorded Tide in the world and it was amazing! We were there at low tide and got to see the empty ocean floor and walk around an entire island that would be surrounded by water in another 6 hours. Twice every day the Bay of Fundy fills and empties its 100 billion tons of water creating the world’s highest tides. This is more water than all of the world’s freshwater rivers combined!
Our trip continued on to Cape Breton in anticipation of the beautiful Cabot Trail. Our one night stay in Baddeck took us to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. Now, I had long before promised the kids we would not go to any more museums but this was the exception and it did not disappoint. Not only did this great scientist invent the telephone which I don’t have to tell you revolutionized the entire communication world but he also made huge contributions to the field of aeronautics and did immeasurable work that benefitted the deaf. He even taught Helen Keller who went on to dedicate her autobiography to him.
Finally we came to the Cabot Trail, considered one of the world’s most scenic destination areas. As we headed out it was very foggy but to our pleasant surprise, it lifted and we had a beautiful scenic drive and yes, it was wonderful but I must say, our “Sea to Sky” drive on the west coast is definitely a contender. The highlight here was our hike on the “Skyline Trail” a popular 9km hike ending where the dramatic headland cliff overlooks the rugged coast. Very beautiful!
Our last stop in Nova Scotia was Louisbourg, home of the Fortress of Louisbourg, the largest reconstructed 18th century town in North America. The French came here in 1713 and built this fortifications only to have it destroyed by the British in 1760. A common theme throughout the area. This place was fun and interesting as it is staffed with people in period costume who speak to you only in character and you can experience life as it happened in 1744. Coming through the gates you tried to be quiet or speak French as they examined the crowd in jest looking for English spies. When we spoke to one of the young maids in the Governor’s home she told how she was making money to help with her dowry since her parents aren’t that well off. In the town square we witnessed the local townspeople shout insults at a man in shackles. He had committed a crime and his punishment was one hour of this public humiliation. There were even restaurants where you could have food and beverage based on 18th century tradition and recipes. Soldiers were given a six-pound loaf of heavy bread made from stone-ground whole wheat and rye flour and this was their 1 week ration along with some salt meat. We bought some bread at the King’s Bakery and as you may have guessed, it was not that tasty. This was before the days of yeast and they used something similar to sour dough to make it rise. All around the village there were young children playing also in period costume. We found out later from our Bed and Breakfast host that this is a summer camp they run for kids where they get to come there for 5 days and have this unique experience.
Next destination was Prince Edward Island, formally known as St. John’s Island before it was renamed in 1799. Thank goodness or how would I ever keep it all straight with Saint John, New Brunswick and St. John’s, Newfoundland! We got there by ferry crossing the Northumberland Strait. This is a 75 minute crossing from Caribou, NS to Wood Islands, PEI. Our first night was spent in Charlottetown where we drove through the quaint downtown area and past some historical buildings. For fear of backlash from our children, the only “museum” or “historical place of interest” (which by now had become dirty words) that we visited here was the Founder’s Hall. This was a state-of-the-art multimedia presentation which transported you back to 1864 to relive Canada’s history surrounding Confederation.
The next day’s highlight was golf at the Crowbush Cove Links golf course, recognized by Golf Digest as Canada’s Best New Course in 1994 and the 8th best golf course in Canada in 2008 (our own Capilano Golf and Country Club in W. Van is #7) Here Terry and Blake enjoyed a round of golf on undulating fairways overlooking the north shore dunes. Meanwhile, Lisa and I enjoyed those very same dunes at Greenwich National Park during a hike on extensive trails and boardwalks leading to the beach across this unique protected marshland. The fragile coastal dune system consists of wetland and unusually large and mobile parabolic dunes with counter ridges called “Gegenwalle”. This whole phenomenon and ecosystem is very rare in North America.
Eventually we drove through Cavendish, the famed area of Anne of Green Gables. The actual sites were closed by the time we drove through and we weren’t actually interested enough to go back the next day during museum hours. It is astounding though how this novel written in 1908 put PEI on the map and became so popular with tourists from all over the world, especially Japan.
Our second and last night on PEI was spent in Miscouche at the Prince County Bed and Breakfast. It was a beautifully decorated Heritage home and the food and hospitality was wonderful. We learned that that the man running it, had lived in Lloydminster, Alberta during the same time we lived there. Of course we didn’t know him but it was quite a coincidence. After doing some biking and visiting beaches on our last day on PEI, we exited the island across the Confederation Bridge; 8 miles long and considered Canada’s top engineering achievement of the 20th century. We drove through the tip of NB and back to Halifax, NS to return our rental car and hop on the train the next morning for the second leg of our family holiday.
We headed west from Halifax on an overnight train to Quebec City. Enroute, at about 2am, we dropped Lisa off at her destination, Trois Pistoles. Here she is going to French Immersion School put on by the University of Western Ontario. This 5 week program attracts participants from Canada, the US, Latin America and other parts of the world. They experience a complete immersion environment and not only learn French, but live the language and culture as well.
Terry, Blake and I continued on to Quebec City where we stayed 2 nights at the beautiful Le Chateau Frontenac in Old Quebec and enjoyed the beautiful area there. The European style streets and bistros actually made you feel like you were in a foreign country. We then visited the Citadelle where we saw the Royal Goat and the Changing of the Guards. More history but Blake was being a good sport.
Hopping back on the train we headed to Montreal where we saw Cirque de Soleil’s newest show “Totem” and it was fantastic. We peddled around the city on BIXI bikes which are part of their public transit system and we enjoyed some time on the island of “Ile Sainte-Helene”, home of Expo 1967. Blake enjoyed the poutine here and we all marveled at the wonderful crepes.
Last stop of our vacation was Ottawa where we toured the Parliament Buildings. We saw the House of Commons, the Senate and the very, very beautiful Library. The grounds around the buildings are meticulously manicured with countless statues commemorating the many important people in our Canadian History. My favorite was the “Fabulous Five” which is a circle of 5 statues dedicated to the 5 women who in 1929 fought for the recognition of women as persons under the British North America Act. I’m ashamed to say that I hadn’t actually heard of these five important women so I will mention their names here; Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and Nellie McClung. They all went on to make huge contributions to Canadian culture and society.
Our last but not least activity was just before we headed to the airport to fly home. We hunted down the little motor bike repair shop in Gatineau that rented Segways and went and had a cruising good time motoring around on these two-wheeled, electric vehicles. It was the moment Blake had waited for since our opportunity had fallen through in Montreal. We had a great time, first weaving through traffic cones in the parking lot and then heading out into the streets. If you ever get a chance to try out a Segway, don’t pass it up. They are a fun time!
So, that’s our vacation, not in a nutshell, but in 2000 words or less. Sorry this is such a long Blog but I just didn’t know what to leave out.
