25 Aug 2017 - Good bye PEI and Hello Grand Pre

Woke up to another wonderfully sunny day. Had a tasty breakfast in the dining room and after taking care of checking out business headed off to catch the ferry at Wood Islands on the south east point of PEI. 

We took Hwy 2 to Hwy 4 and then took Hwy 315 down to Wood Islands. It took us about an 45 minutes to drive to the ferry and we got there early enough to have a nice look around the ferry terminal which was a located in a large bay with lots of flowers blooming on the banks and with a little light house on the point.  

The ferry was interesting with Unsinkable emergency craft on it. Made me think of the titanic and the unsinkable Molly Brown. The trip took about an hour and the weather was calm enough that the crossing was very pleasant.  We landed in Nova Scotia and proceeded to disembark in the middle of nowhere. There was no town only industrial buildings and woods, but the highway was clearly marked so we were not worried.

We were planning on driving directly to the the Grand Pre area located on the Minas Basin off of the Bay of Fundy.  Our motel was right on the Minas Basin and we figured that it would take us about another two hours after the ferry ride. We took the 106 to the 104.  We stopped for gas and a bathroom break at Salt springs and we picked up our lotto tickets... who knows, we could be winners someday and not just people with a hobby of giving our money away to other people who won millions of dollars.  Then on to Truro , well actually around Truro and onto the 236. 
We took the 236 across the Shenacadie River ,where they advertised river surfing on the big tidal surges that go up the river. It looked scary to me. We went into south Maitland and then up the 215, also known as the  Glooscap Trail,  following the Shubenacadie River back up the coast,  We followed the Glooscap trail which would take us winding around following the coast and to what we hoped would be pretty with big views of the bay of Fundy. We did not see so many great sweeping views of the bay but it was still very pretty.

 We stopped for a break outside Maitland at the Mudslide Cafe. picked up a couple of sandwiches and drinks for lunch and continued on to the majestic Fundy Shore Drive.   
We ate our lunch at a roadside pullover by a large bay with lots of great info on shorebirds and the history of the area. Another hour of driving brought us to our Motel in the Grand Pre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a rich agricultural area steeped in history of the Mi'kmaw, Acadian and Planter cultures.  The drive ended up taking us longer than the original 2 hours we had planned, but it was worth it for the scenery. 

When we got to the motel there was no one there. There was a note on the office door letting us know which room was ours and that we could just go ahead and get comfortable there until the managers came back. So we located our room, moved our luggage in, got changed and went for a walk on the beach. The red soil and sand was amazing!  It was great. 
The motel is right on the bay with great views. The weather was cooperating and as we found our way down to the beach in our bathing suits and sun hats we saw that the tide was in and there was really not much beach there. The water was pretty warm and so we waded around and looked at rocks and beach things. We hoped the low tide would surprise us with more beach.  We would not be disappointed. 

 There was little snack and pizza bar next door but nothing else really so we went into town, about a 15 minute drive away and had a nice supper.  Wikipedia says " Grand-Pré is a Canadian rural community.  Its French name translates to "Great/Large Meadow" and the community lies at the eastern edge of the Annapolis Valley  several kilometres east of the town of  Wolfville on a peninsula jutting into the Minas Basin surrounded by extensive dyked  farm fields, framed by the Gaspereau and Cornwalis Rivers.  
The community was made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Evangeline.  A tale of Acadie is an epic poem  written in English and published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during the time of the Expulsion of the Acadians.  
Well, we drove across the great meadow and saw the dykes. It was very cool and Now that I have looked up the poem and seen how epically long it is, Homers Illiad has nothing on Evangeline, I realized that I will probably never read it.
Then back to our motel and more wandering on the beach. The tide was going out and you could seriously watch it going out. There was now a huge beach in front of the Motel. The Sunset was incredible. The sand/mud of the beach being reddish and wet with the water that was running off, it was really lovely. We walked along the beach and onto the rocks by the shore and then out onto the sand. But the tide was just starting to come in by that time and it comes in very fast. So we did not want to walk too far away from the shore, just in case! 
We planned out our next days activities. the Annapolis royal botanical gardens and what ever was in-between us and that destination.  

24 Aug 2017 - Charlottetown, Anne's house, Alberton and Souris PEI

Woke up fairly early to a pleasant sunny day. Had breakfast,  got packed, checked out and headed off to Alberton on the north coast. We planned on stopping in at the Anne of Green gables museum on the way and then moving on to Alberton where our paternal grandmother was born and raised. Yep She was a PEI girl and she went to college with Lucy Maud Montgomery.,so we had a personal connection to Anne that lots of people do not have. 

I had google mapped the route that we were to take and was confident that we could drive from one end of the island to the other  and back again in the one day that we have given ourselves to see PEI. 
The weather was perfect the the scenery was gorgeous. red soil with green crops and the sea in the background. gently rolling hills with the occasional road sign warning drivers to be aware of horses and carriages on the road. Lovely. 

We faithfully followed our directions  and came to the home of Lucy Maud Montgomerys aunt and Uncle outside of Cavendish, where she spent her summers and where she wrote the Anne series. It was very interesting. We saw the "Lake of Shining waters" and the house " Green Gables".
After the little tour that they give we went into the little gift shop and then headed off to Alberton which according to google maps was only about an hour away.

We took highway 12 which connected with highway 2 and then we were supposed to take highway 12 again. We did and got a lovely scenic tour of the north coast. What they do not tell you is that highway 12 connects with highway 2 in at least three places. We should have taken the third highway 12 not the first highway 12.   It was very long and circuitous, but we did see a lot of PEI's north coast before we got to Alberton. Not a lot happening there, as it is a typical small town.  So we just stopped for a quick break and headed off to Souris, our next and final stop in PEI. It was located on the other side of the island on the east shore about a two hour drive on the main highway.
the drive  on Highway 2 was uneventful and we got there around three in the afternoon. we found our historic Maclean House Inn with no problem.The Inn was a lovely old building and furnished in the old style too, with antiques galore. Once we had checked in we went out to explore. 

We then went to the historic lighthouse which was on the other side of Souris. It is quite different from Peggy's cove lighthouse. It is up on a cliff with grass all around overlooking a large harbour. There is also a live harbour cam on the light house see link :https://www.shai.ca/harbour-authority/  the weather had held out very well and the sunset was delightful.  we went into the little gift shop at the lighthouse and picked up a few more souvenirs. I found out that there is a lighthouse tour of the island that one can do on your own. a booklet with a list of all the lighthouses and their locations. sounds like a nice trip for sometime in the future.

The Beaches are red! lovely, lovely. We wandered barefoot in the Atlantic and wrote love notes to our families which we then posted on facebook.  We found a little gift shop and I picked up some postcards of the island.  We spent quite along time on the beach and watched the sun start to set but eventually realized we really should get going to find some dinner.

From there we went to find a restaurant for dinner. There are only a few restaurants in the small town of Souris and we just picked one and went. Then back to the Inn and our room which was enchanting.  We explored the inn and its grounds on the banks of the Harbour. There was some kind of an historical commercial building next door that was not open just then but you could tell was currently being renovated. There were some other folks staying at the inn as well but we were tired and so went to bed early. We had seen a lot of PEI in one day and the next day promised to be just a s busy. We both decided we loved Souris and the red sand beaches.

23 Aug 2017 - PEI here we come

It was raining when we woke up and we hoped that it would clear up for the drive to PEI. We had our breakfast and checked out. We had decided the day before that the car was just too big for us and Margie remembered that she ordered a medium car not a giant SUV so, on our way to PEI , we went back to the airport to exchange the vehicle . The car rental folks gave us a little beater so much smaller and not so comfortable but way easier to drive and way, way easier to park. 

Margie drove first as we headed off to PEI Confederation Bridge through Truro in the rain. I switched to driving at Amherst. A small duck into New Brunswick and then we were on the bridge in the worst rain I had seen in a long time. Margie filmed us going over the bridge in the rain. There are a lot of rules when driving that bridge. No stopping, maintain speed, if you break down there will be a fine after they come and tow you off the bridge. Wow. It is two lanes, one in either direction and there are cameras all along it to make sure that nothing untoward happens to interfere with the flow of traffic. There is no toll payment to get onto PEI, but you have to pay to get off the island, either by the bridge or by ferry. 

After we crossed the bridge the weather cleared up quite a bit Margie and I switches driving again.  We were headed for Charlotte town and  as we drove we enjoyed the fields of corn and potatoes with the red soil. It really is quite red.  We circumvented Summerside , not stopping so it did not take us too long and we were there.  Of course it had started to rain again. 
We found our hotel the Delta Prince Edward, and checked in. It had cost me 3410 airmiles plus 66 dollars so it was the up scale hotel for our trip.  The parking was odd. it was hard to locate at first but we did and we picked up a ticket and checked in and they gave us a slip so that we could exit without paying. After stretching out for a bit in our room with the great view of the bay. we decided to brave the inclement weather and wander around Charlottetown. 
the Convention centre is quite large and right on the water. We walked around to the market area on the other side and took a few photos in the rain. I sprinkled Mom and Dad by a tree by the convention centre. 

It was raining so hard at one point that we just went into a store to get out of the rain. There were lots of little souvenir stores full of folks getting out of the rain. There were a few restaurants and some looked pretty good. There was this cow logo all over PEI. The local PEI dairy that made ice-cream that was sold everywhere. Well they had made a statue of the logo so we took our photo with the cow too.
We got back to our room and Margie decided to stay and get dry and I decided to try and find the bank. According to google maps it was only about three blocks away so off I went. It was only about three blocks away but there was construction and a nice park which distracted me so I walked about six blocks to find it. Charlottetown is a very nice city with lots of old buildings that are in good shape. 
On the way back to the hotel I saw the Anne of Green Gables store and could not resist.  I had read all of the Anne books when I was younger and just loved the character. I picked up a cloth book bag and some little Anne souvenirs that were so cute. 
When I got back I showed Margie and we both went to the store as it was not too far.  A bite for dinner at the Water Edge restaurant in the hotel and back to our room and a nice early night. We were only staying one night in Charlottetown and the next day promised to be very busy. It felt so good to be dry and warm. 

22 AUG 2017 - Peggy's Cove and the Blue Nose II in Lunenburg

We woke up not quite so stiff as the day before and after our breakfast at the hotel headed off to Peggy's cove. the Directions had been quite easy only about a 45 minute drive out of Halifax.  so off we went. The scenery in Nova Scotia is lovely with lots of lakes and trees and gentle hills. As you get closer to Peggy's cove the terrain begins to change into more rocky ground with low growing ocean front kind of plants. By the time you reach Peggy's cove you realize that most of the coast of Nova Scotia is rock. 

Peggy's cove is built on a big rock or a collection of really big rocks. It is a very picturesque small town, a village really or actually, maybe even a hamlet,  mainly for the tourists now with a few shops and B'Bs and a big restaurant and gift shop. It Also has a very large parking lot for the tour buses and cars. We found a parking spot and went to see the world famous lighthouse. We had heard about the lighthouse at Peggy's cove for years and had seen photos of it. A pretty white and red lighthouse on a rock. Nice, right? But until you see it for yourself you have no idea that it is a lighthouse on a rock, a really big rock, a humungous rock. the whole area is a big rock. It is wonderful. 
There are warning signs posted all over saying "stay off the black rocks, "waves will wash you out to sea if you are on the black rocks". Margie and I both decided to not walk on the black rocks. We had gotten there fairly early and so had beaten a lot of the tourist buses. Even so there were quite a few people there. We headed off down the paved path past the warning signs and then we wandered off onto the rocks. We were like little kids again climbing all over the big rocks. It was great fun. We talked about how our grandkids would love this, although they would probably try to go to the black rocks and give their parents grey hair.

Part of the walk out to the sea was quite tricky and we had help from a young man who was there with his girlfriend. Such a nice young man. We took lots of photos out there on the rocks. Photos of the lighthouse , of the Atlantic ocean, of the coast made of rocks, of each other.  We did see the black rocks and even though the sea was calm, we were not tempted to try our luck. 
We headed in to the Southwester restaurant for lunch just before it got real crazy with tourists and had a great lunch of scrumptious Fish and chips for Margie and a pretty good veggie burger for me. The haddock was the best Margie had ever had! A little time afterward spent in the gift shop looking for souvenirs and we were on our way again. once we negotiated the eating of the parking lot with all the cars and buses and people walking around we headed off to Lunenburg. The weather was lovely, clear and sunny but not hot. 

Lunenburg is about an hour and half down the coast by the scenic route which was very picturesque, but we would have taken the faster route if we had known about it. Lunenburg is a much bigger town than Peggy's cove. It has lots of very cool old houses with lots of interesting shops and restaurants. And there were the docks with lots of different boats. Fishing boats, charter boasts and of course the Blue nose II. 

The Blue nose II is a lovely tall ship that we went on and found out that every morning, that it is in harbour, it does a harbour tour. If we had of known that we would have stayed one night in Lunenburg just to go on the tour. It is a lovely ship with all the rigging and the sails and a steering wheel too. 
We wandered around Lunenburg for a bit longer, finding souvenirs and washrooms and tea. Then we headed back to Halifax the fast way, not the scenic way. We got back to Halifax and to our hotel and decided to stay closer for dinner so just went across the street to a nice little sushi place. yum. 
the next day was going to be a big day as we were going to PEI by way of the Confederation Bridge. Exciting!

21 Aug 2017 - Halifax - The Citadel, the wharf, the park and the Captains Boil

We both had a great sleep but were both very stiff when we woke up  from walking up the hill the night before. Boy do we ever need to start including hills in our exercise programs. We grabbed a light breakfast and went looking for adventure. Wandered around downtown until we found the park that we had seen the night before. It was a memorial park with an old church at one end It was lovely and we stayed there for awhile just enjoying the lovely weather , memorials and the church. we decided that we needed to find a hat eau to wear as the sun was getting stronger so we walked around till we found a dollar store and each got a fun little sun hat. Only $3.
 The citadel was on our agenda this morning and so we headed off to explore and learn. Margie and I both know practically nothing about the citadel and it was very interesting.  let's start with , it is huge, covering a very large area. It was sunny and already promising to get very warm that day. There were reserve soldiers dressed in their regalia marching around the square, some in formation  and some in groups of twos and fours. during the summer the cadets use the citadel as their training grounds. They were dressed in wool uniforms and must have been sweating buckets in the heat,  and Margie felt very sorry for them.
It has a very long history, starting in 1749 with lots of changes over time. They had rebuilt the citadel four times even before the American civil war.  There were first world war exhibits that were fascinating.  We watched the firing of the cannons and bought souvenirs  and after a very long wander about the grounds looking at all the different exhibitions that were there, we had a bite to eat at the little restaurant.

After the citadel we drove back down to the wharf and walked all along it.  There is a very cute little tug boat in the bay that ferries people around but we decided to walk. it is a very long walk. There was a cruise ship in port and we went to the shops that were there for them. The prices were higher in the cruise ship port than elsewhere too, but we managed to find a few bargains. 

Then we walked back, passing fun parks for kids, sculptures galore, food stands all over and a painting by Maude, a famous artist from Nova Scotia. Stopped at a pottery store and got a cup with a raven on it for a friend who loves ravens.  we walked back, passing fun parks for kids, sculptures galore, food stands all over and a painting by Maude, a famous artist from Nova Scotia. The Eclipse was happening that day and someone offered me their glasses to watch it. I shared with Margie and so we both got to see the eclipse too.

After the wharf we drove up to the public park in the centre of town. It took us a minute or two to find parking close by , but we did manage to get a good spot. It is a lovely park with  a great gate, lots of flowers in bloom, a wonderful gazebo, pathways and sidewalks, great trees that must have been a hundred years old and lots of statues and fountains. It had many beds decorated for the 150 year anniversary of Canada. I really enjoyed the gardens and wished that Edmonton could do something like it.

Then we went for dinner. We walked around and finally decided on the Captains Boil. We had no idea that they would not give us any utensils or that they would give us food in plastic bags. All the food was put into bags and boiled in the bags. Yes the food was good but it was messy and hot. by the time we got out of there and had walked back through the garden to the car we were ready for the hotel. The garden with the huge trees and beautiful flowers cooled us down.
It had been a lovely day with lots of interesting things to try and remember but learning new things is very tiring so again we went to sleep with very little problem

Hello Halifax - 20 Aug 2017

Margie and I flew on the real cheap air "New Leaf" which provided no water or food unless you paid for it.... we had brought our own so were fine. There were people on board who had not read the repeated advertising and thought that they would just be given these things and so had to purchase its credit card only on board.  One of the reasons that the airlines was so inexpensive was that they did not fly into the bigger airports. They flew into the smaller outlying bedroom city airports so paid less airport fees. We saved a bundle on the cost of our return tickets. We flew from Edmonton to Hamilton and then without getting off the plane, on to Halifax. Margie used the bathroom while in flight and noticed that all the signage was in Spanish. So, the plane had probably been purchased from Mexico or another Spanish speaking nation. They were older planes with very little leg room and so we were really ready for a big stretch by the time we got off the plane in Halifax.

We had used our airmiles to rent a car  and to get our hotel in Halifax. So far this trip was not costing us a lot. We found the car rental place at the airport and took possession of a very large vehicle. Margie drove to Halifax and I navigated as best I could. Halifax is a confusing city to drive in. One of the two main bridges was closed for maintenance and so we had to detour from the easy route to the more circuitous route. In the end , we did find our hotel downtown, right down the street from the Citadel.

We checked in and went to find a restaurant. Ended up on the wharf at Murphy's which was very good. I had the veggie burger and Margie had the lobster rolls which she said were delicious. After our  leisurely dinner we wandered around the wharf area. We saw Tommy the Tugboat moored at the wharf too. The harbor was beautiful and there was a lighthouse across the bay which was very picturesque.   We then slowly worked our way back up the eight  blocks to our hotel.

Halifax is a beautiful city with a lot of history and even more hills, well actually, one big hill from the wharf to the hotel. There were so many wonderful old buildings all lit up, we really enjoyed the walk up one block and then following it along the level side then up another block and weaving our way up and across, back and forth. We covered a lot of downtown Halifax that way. We did find our way back to the hotel eventually. Falling asleep was easy as travelling is hard and the walk home tuckered us out completely. We came from flat Edmonton where you could walk for over an hour and not find a hill of any kind.