LIGHTHOUSES, LOBSTER AND LEGACY

As we viewed the Titanic exhibit in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, situated on Halifax’s attractive waterfront, an image came to mind. In the first episode of Downton Abbey, the popular fictional story of the Grantham family, Lord Grantham pales as he reads the dreadful news in his crisply ironed broadsheet.  RMS Titanic, the unsinkable ship, had hit an iceberg and the heir to the Grantham fortune was lost. It’s one of life’s ironies when an event can alter the course of history and affect people seemingly unconnected with a tragedy.

The Museum’s exhibits are well done.  Most poignant, the tiny shoes recovered from the floating body of “the unknown child” who eventually after three attempts was finally identified as Sidney Leslie Goodwin, an 18 month old from Wiltshire, UK, his body interred in the Fairview Lawn cemetery, one of three cemeteries used for burial of Titanic’s victims. The story of the recovery effort was remarkable with the living transported to New York City on the RMS Carpathia while the bodies of those recovered were transported to Halifax on a collection of cable laying ships.  The final resting place determined by their class of travel. 

The Titanic story was romanced when James Cameron visited Fairview Lawn cemetery and was inspired to choose the name of J. Dawson for his fictional character Jack Dawson, Leonardo Dicaprio’s character in his movie. However, Titanic is not the real story of the heart and soul of Halifax.  A seemingly lesser known event, the Halifax explosion, is a story of tragedy and of people coming together.

Much like the Titanic sinking, the collision between the munitions laden Mont Blanc and the Imo on 6 December 1917 was attributed to human error.  The result was catastrophic, killing 2000 and injuring 9000 Haligonians.  Debris from the Mont Blanc was found miles away and the Halifax community of Richmond was razed. 

The blast blew out windows for miles and set every church bell ringing.

Out of tragedy the best in humankind often manifests itself.  The Boston Red Cross and the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee immediately provided assistance to Halifax residents.  In 1918 Halifax sent a Christmas tree to the City of Boston which has become an annual goodwill gesture.

The Halifax Explosion Memorial Bells tower and surrounding site is one of the most touching and imaginative sites we have ever visited.

Beyond those monumental events Halifax is full of other things to discover.  

The history behind Pier 21, the gateway to Canada for new arrivals as well as the departure point for Canada’s armed forces during two world wars.  

The Nova Scotia Art Gallery’s exhibit of folk artist, Maud Lewis’s work, including her painted house, reconstructed as it originally stood, is truly endearing.  

The waterfront boardwalk with its whimsical drunken lamp standards and fine restaurants is another draw – The Bicycle Thief our favourite dinner haunt.

Beyond Halifax there is lots to enjoy.  The Annapolis Valley, a study in pastoral tranquility.  

Pretty communities like Wolfville abound with well kept homes, colourful gardens and manicured lawns.  Wineries dot the landscape, their vineyards blanketing the gentle hillsides in perfectly spaced rows. Even a working British phone box in the middle of one vineyard!  

At Grand Pre, an impressive monument tells the story of the Acadian deportation in the 1750s.   

Hall’s Harbour on the Bay of Fundy is a postcard in the making at low tide with fishing boats lying haplessly on the muddy harbour bottom. 

South of Halifax lies the iconic Peggy’s Cove, a magnet for tourists, but time it right and you actually can get the perfect photo. The colourful, historic buildings of Lunenburg, the elegance of Mahone Bay and the well-heeled community of Chester, its gorgeous waterfront mansions overlooking millions of dollars in floating real estate. 

Lobster fishing is a big part of Nova Scotia’s culture and economy.  

We came up close and personal with these fascinating, prehistoric looking creatures.  The crowning glory was Roger, a 40 year old specimen weighing in at 12 pounds.  He will be returned to the ocean bottom. We were glad as we were finding it hard to come to terms with plunging these fellows into boiling water.

Nova Scotia is a gorgeous Province which we are only starting to discover on this adventure.  Halifax and its surrounding communities had given us a great start.

WHERE TIME AND TIDE WAITS FOR NO ONE

The picturesque village of Alma, 85 km southwest of Moncton, New Brunswick is located on the doorstep of the expansive Bay of Fundy National Park.

About halfway between Moncton and Alma lies the unusual site of Hopewell Rocks, an ideal place to witness the dramatic tidal action of the Bay of Fundy and worth two separate visits to experience both high and low tide. We arrived for low tide which provided the opportunity to walk on the ocean floor.  A goopy consistency, the rich chocolate coloured mud squelched nosily underfoot.  

The unusual “flower pot” rock formations rise from the ocean floor with vegetation thriving on their upper outcrops.  Studying the rocks it seemed each one had an image ingrained – one was remarkably like a bear, its ears and snout protruding from the monolith.  Another resembled the face of a Star Wars storm trooper.

At the top of the cliff ramp and its metal staircase down to the beach, a series of water hoses awaited to blast away the sticky mud that stubbornly clung to the soles of our shoes and had spattered up the back of our legs.  Some of the children on the beach had enthusiastically embraced this muddy world, much to the chagrin of their parents.  Hoses at the ready!

Checking our tide schedule we returned the next morning at high tide.  The landscape we had explored the previous afternoon was now submerged, including part of the metal staircase.  The flower pot rock formation was living up to its name, resembling floating clay pots full of vegetation in what was a 39 foot high tide.  Tides can be as high as 50 feet.

Leaving Hopewell Rocks we drove through the countryside passing hamlets quite literally in the middle of nowhere.  The old covered bridges along the way, framed by swaying grass and avenues of silver birch provided a landscape ready to be painted.

Back in Alma we spent the afternoon hiking one of the trails in the Bay of Fundy National Park.  

A two hour hike through tree roots and undergrowth, the sounds of the ocean, singing birds and squeaking chipmunks made us feel we were definitely at one with nature.  We were happy when other hikers passed us and reassured us we were on the right path.  Parks Canada has a fun policy of placing a pair of red Adirondack chairs as trail markers.  We took advantage of the chairs on this trail for a water stop and took in the view of the rows of lobster pots that stretched out neatly in the Bay.

Reunited with our car, we left the Park and made a stop at Alma’s harbour. 

Low tide had arrived again and the familiar site of colourful fishing boats immobilized, lying lopsidedly on the harbour bottom provided yet another photo opportunity as we smiled at some of the vessel names.

A nearby pub was doing a healthy trade, although we were drawn to its well worn clapboard exterior and the profusion of summer bursting in all directions from a series of colourful window boxes.

With our “exercise bank” weighing heavily on the credit side after an active day we returned to The Octopus’s Garden on Alma’s main street for a second evening.  The homemade pasta some of the best we’ve ever enjoyed.  The Fundy scallops a close second.

ISLAND OF SAPPHIRE, RUBY AND EMERALD

The Confederation Bridge linking New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island over the Northumberland Strait is an engineering wonder. 

The eight mile structure curves and rises mid-channel then descends gently into Canada’s smallest, and quite possibly, prettiest Province.  

Prince Edward Island is an assault of colour at this time of the year, potatoes as far as the eye can see thriving in the deep red soil, emerald green vegetation and miles of sapphire ocean.  

The drive into Charlottetown, PEI’s capital, was well worth a short detour to the seaside village of Victoria.  Colourful wood framed buildings line the waterfront streets, ebullient with overflowing window boxes, planters and hanging baskets.

Our hotel in Charlottetown, the Great George, has an enduring history.  A series of renovated buildings form a charming hotel complex over several city blocks set in attractive gardens.  The main building which today houses the hotel lobby and lounge dates back to 1846 and was the original hotel that accommodated the Fathers of Confederation.

Charlottetown has a small town feel and is very walkable.  We had arrived on Farmers Market day and noticed with regret that the stand with the moniker “The Potato Farmer’s Daughter” and its potato based donuts had sold out for the day.  We noticed the local radio station was SPUD FM.  No mistaking we were on Prince Edward Island.

Down the street, Terre Rouge, a funky restaurant served a wonderful dinner prepared from local ingredients but the aperitif, a dill infused martini was pretty spectacular and much enjoyed after a long day’s drive.

The next day we ventured to the town of Cavendish on PEI’s north shore.  

A little ambivalent about visiting “Green Gables” it turned out to be very enjoyable.  Parks Canada has done a good job of setting the scene around the homestead that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables”.  

The home is furnished with original period furniture and the fictional story is captured so well.  The light in which would have been Anne’s bedroom shines as a signal to her lifelong friend Diana.  Marissa’s room was immaculate, the famous brooch clearly visible on the dresser.  Matthew’s quarters downstairs simply leapt off the storybook pages.

Our journey through the National Park to North Rustico harbour was dramatic and scenic in spite of the angry looking clouds moving towards us.  Arriving near the harbour we passed rows of well tended homes but the harbour itself looked deserted, a few buildings had fallen into disrepair and rusty lobster pots languished.  

The rain was closing in but we were in search of The Blue Mussel Cafe which had come highly recommended.  A parking area was already muddy from earlier rain but that had not deterred the healthy queue of people waiting patiently to gain entry into the seasonally run restaurant.  Well worth the wait too, excellent food, a vibrant atmosphere and great service.

We concluded that Prince Edward Island is a treasure and we were truly sorry to leave as we made our way to the Northumberland Ferries terminal and our sail across the Strait to Pictou, Nova Scotia.

Before heading to our accommodation that night we made a detour to the town of Antigonish to visit the retail store of “Peace by Chocolate”.  

The Hadhad family, refugees from Syria whose chocolate business was destroyed in Damascus are now resettled in Nova Scotia, their business thriving.  The small storefront attached to their modest home was stocked with all sorts of chocolate.  The young lady who served us was a delight and we were impressed by her English, although she said the first year in Canada had been difficult.  

A family from Alberta came into the store as we were about to leave.  One of them said that if they didn’t do anything else in Nova Scotia they had to visit and support Peace by Chocolate, which now employs a number of the local townspeople and has a thriving on line business.  

We chatted about second chances and there were a few wet eyes.  Oh Canada!

  

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Crossing the Canso Causeway from mainland Nova Scotia to Cape Breton Island you soon realize you have entered another world.  

The grade of the well worn roads suffering from winter’s onslaught rose and fell doggedly around the island's coastline.  

We had travelled from Baddeck, home to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic site and the beautiful Bras d’Or Lakes.  

We were on our way to Ingonish, our base for exploring the Cabot Trail.

Travelling north on to the east side of the Island we arrived at our destination and what turned out to be the most glorious location.  Self contained cottages overlooking mountains and ocean against a backdrop of thick emerald forest.  Installed in our home away from home we quickly realized the BBQ on the cottage deck was going to enable dinner Chez Watson for the next couple of nights.

In spite of our doubts, the local grocery store had everything we needed and it felt so liberating to come home after the day’s activities to a chilled bottle of wine and a home cooked meal while enjoying the views, serenaded by Cape Breton’s noisy songbirds.

We spent the next day driving the Cabot Trail through the Cape Breton National Park and some of the most stunning scenery we have enjoyed anywhere in the world.  

Our day out took us to the coastal community of Cheticamp on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

Cheticamp’s beginnings are rooted in the era of the Acadian expulsion when a number of Acadian families escaped deportation to settle in what was to become a vibrant fishing community.

The town is made up of well kept homes that overlook a busy harbour.  We were on a mission to visit an Acadian bakery established in 1969, the Aucoin Boulangerie.  A popular place, we waited our turn in line to sample the meat pies which we enjoyed while watching the goings on in the harbour.

Returning to Ingonish after another enjoyable day we reflected from the Cottage deck while Chef made dinner.  

BOWLING, MASSAGE AND A SWIM AT THE Y

Our rental car deposited at the airport drop off point we took a taxi to our Sydney, Nova Scotia hotel.  

The driver was a wealth of information offering his thoughts on the best things to do in Sydney.  A lovely young man, but bowling??  We had other thoughts! 

The previous afternoon we had ventured south of Sydney to the Fortress of Louisbourg, now a National Historic Site of Canada which contains a small reconstruction of the large Eighteenth Century French fortress, its displays informative and all manner of volunteers dressed in costume while acting in character doing a fine job. 

The town of Louisbourg itself is the definition of charming.  Well kept homes and gardens, quaint hotels and an attractive waterfront.  There was an important side trip that took us along a winding, and occasionally, treacherous road to the site of Canada’s first lighthouse lit in 1734.  The existing lighthouse which is operational was built in 1923.  The picturesque coastal views from the lighthouse, that included the Fortress, were worth the occasional brush with lead footed drivers along the narrow gravel road to the Lighthouse. 

Strategically placed, the original Fortress of Louisbourg was situated at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, designed to guard the gateway to New France. The Fortress suffered through two sieges that became the turning point in the Anglo/French struggle for what was to become Canada.  From its early beginnings in 1713 it had been a difficult existence for its occupants.

The reconstruction project began in the 1960s and utilized some of the original stonework which provided work for unemployed coal miners and steel workers. It’s ironic that the French quarried the stone for the Fortress’s construction in an area that would eventually become Sydney only to have the British take some of that stone after the French defeat to build Sydney homes and other structures.  

The historical quarter of Sydney itself is flanked by mature oak, chestnut and maple trees and was a lovely stroll the next day with St. George’s Church and the Jost House well worth a look around.  It did make us think about the region’s long history. 

The Mi’kmaq, the First Nations people of Atlantic Canada, the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec and the North Eastern region of Maine were the original inhabitants.  After Cape Breton became a separate colony in 1784 loyalist refugees made Sydney their capital but were soon overwhelmed by successive waves of Scottish immigrants.  In 1820 Cape Breton came under the jurisdiction of Nova Scotia.

Modern day Sydney’s waterfront is charming, the boardwalk winds its way past small hotels, restaurants, moorage and the modest cruise ship terminal, complete with its sixty foot fiddle and seriously oversized Adirondack chair. Required photo opportunities!

The view across the harbour was so pretty with homes and boats casting deep reflections in the glassy water.  

We found the perfect place to have dinner and watch the setting sun.  The following morning’s farmers market was a good stop as we admired (and purchased) a piece of local quilting which beautifully captured our Maritimes visit – lighthouses, seascapes and sailboats.

Our touring holiday of the Maritime Provinces had ended but with the welcoming sight of One Ocean’s RCGS Resolute docked in port the next morning our adventure was to continue.  We were bound for Newfoundland, Labrador and Nunuvut on Baffin Island.

There simply hadn't been any time to go bowling.

WELCOME TO THE ROCK

Placentia Bay is a body of water on the Southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland.  
Fishing grounds in the bay were used long before the first Europeans arrived in the sixteenth Century.  

Nearby Argentia, the commercial seaport averages 206 days of fog a year and because of its position in the North Atlantic extreme weather is the norm.  The temperature had definitely dropped from the previous day’s sweltering heat in Sydney and while the sweeping mountains were imposing we weren’t supposed to be there!

The sail out from Sydney had been spectacular, the landscape casting lengthy shadows as the sun began its decent in the western sky.  The shame was that passenger registration on board and the emergency drill had been slow and we were still in the final throes of practicing for an emergency evacuation as lands end faded into the distance, the lighthouse glimmering one last time in the fading sunlight.

Not that it mattered really.  We were beginning another adventure that would take us to places heretofore unknown.  Comfortably installed in one of the nicest cabins we’ve ever had on our previous sailing adventures we drank a glass or two as the expedition leader made his introductions and delivered the bad news.  

Apparently the vessel had been unable to take on the requisite amount of fuel in Sydney and it would require us to connect with a fuel barge in Placentia Bay so that Resolute had sufficient fuel to reach Greenland, two cruises beyond ours.  Since the fueling process would be time consuming our itinerary would have to change.  It was disappointing.

To say the natives were restless was somewhat of an understatement.  So much so, the following day our intrepid leader reported that after further consultation with Head Office in Squamish the itinerary had been adjusted in order to maximize our journey. We hoped that included fair weather!

It was an expedition cruise after all and while messed up fuel supplies didn’t really compare with being icebound as we had been last year, we decided to take the matter in stride. A happy traveller is a flexible one and we decided that a refuelling experience at sea was something a little different as we took our first zodiac cruise around Placentia Bay. 

Why do I keep thinking about Newfoundland’s Mary Walsh and her alter ego Marg Delahunty when I mention Placentia Bay?

The weather part of the wish list had been taken care of when we awoke the following morning. Blue skies above us we had anchored at the mouth of a craggy looking fjord, its granite formations rising from the sea in dramatic fashion with foamy waves sweeping at its base.

Our zodiac spent the morning cruising the fjord, the rocky outcrops in all manner of disorganized shapes.  Some resembled rosy coloured lego blocks, others slate coloured monoliths jutting out from the ocean interspersed with shale, weathered vegetation and the occasional waterfall. 

As we travelled further the landscape changed.  A verdant landscape soared revealing dramatic rocky crevices and shallow caves.

Southwest Newfoundland.  Boldly going where few have gone before. Who knew?