Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

Where we do we begin – we are experiencing so many things it is hard to keep up and get the gist of it all in the blog.

We headed for Yarmouth which is at the very bottom of Nova Scotia.  The trip was well worth it and the scenery was unbelievable.  We drove right along the coast – right next to the Atlantic Ocean.   We drove around cove along the shoreline that provided safe harbor for many fishing boats and private sailboats.  The weather was sunny and the tide was in – all the boats were bobbing gently up and down in the rippling water.  Almost all the fishing boats are painted bright colors which makes these little harbors so colorful and picturesque.  This also partly answers the mystery of why so many houses are painted with such bright colors.  Regular house paint is a taxable commodity whereas boat paint is not taxable as it is used for business purposes with the product of the business being taxed.  It turns out that when the fishermen paint their boats they order more paint than they need and use the left over paint to paint their houses or black market the extra paint to a third party.

We stopped at Lunenburg where there is a Fisheries Museum.  There was very interesting film about building boats – there were two model boat builders working in one of the exhibits building replicas of two ships based on the original drawings.  One of the model builders had over 700 hours of work into the boat he was building and it was only half finished.  Amazing attention to detail – not your average hobby shop boat kit – all the pieces this guy was using were created by him from the same type of wood used to build the ship.  At the museum they had a lobster that was 25 pounds – he died just last year.  They had no idea how old he was but he was probably born long before I was.

While driving the meandering road down the coast there was a long narrow inlet stretching many miles inland – this would have taken an hour or more to circumnavigate but we lucked out.  We discovered that there was a cable ferry right at the mouth of the inlet – for some reason the road to get to this ferry was not on our route and was not well marked so we had to stop a couple of times to get directions but finally found it.

We pulled up and got in line to board and the guy waiting in front of us struck up a conversation and was surprised that we were from Arizona and that we had found the ferry.  When we boarded the ferry he paid our ticket and the Captain invited me to join him on the bridge.  The trip across took only 15 minutes but it saves the locals hours and hours of time.

The Captain suggested we stop at the LaHave bakery on the other side of the inlet as their pastries were excellent.  They may have been but we did not see anything we liked. While we were there a couple from Maine pulled up to the dock in their very nice sailboat – ordered a couple of scones to go – got back in their boat and sailed away. Life is tough.

We finally got to Yarmouth and our first night was at the Comfort Inn and Suites – the Airbnb had already been booked that night – so we stayed at the motel until the next day.  We woke up and drove to the Rodd Grand Hotel where we were scheduled to take a “foodie” tour of Yarmouth.  We met our host, Carol, and had a great time sampling foods all over town.  Fortunately we were the only two on the tour so that made it even better.

We checked in at the Airbnb and met the hosts.  The hostess, Sue, lingered on the cottage patio with us for about an hour and we really had a great conversation.  We had a lot of common interests.  We told her we were going kayaking the next day and we invited her to come along with us if she could make the arrangements with the kayak guide – and she did.  That night we relaxed and watched a movie and went to bed.  Up early and Sue was waiting in the driveway for us.  We met our kayak guide, Becky, at the dock and she briefed us on all the safety issues along with what and what-not to with regards to paddling and steering a kayak.  We launched and had a great time.  We kayaked under the pier for about 200 yards, went to an island with a ship wreck and around another island where cormorants, seagulls and great blue herons were nesting or just hanging out.  Then we paddled over to the dock and were provided with lunch that we ate in our kayaks.

We watched another movie that night.  In the morning we had a wonderful fruit breakfast on the cottage patio with the rooster crowing and watched as the sun burned off over shallow bay in the distance. Perfect.  It was soon time to go as we had more adventures planned for the day.  We packed up the truck and headed up the west coast of Nova Scotia.  We stopped to visit the second largest wooden church in the world which is also the largest wood church in North America – it is massive and very beautiful on the inside – it took 1,500 volunteers 2 years to build it.

Church interior.

The only time it is used now is for tourists and special ceremonies.  Typically there is a small service in the basement.   PRC

 

 

 

 

ABUNDANT BLESSINGS

Truthfully, this could be the title of any one of our blog postings; and how we start each and every day. I was just so overwhelmed with gratitude today, sometimes it is overwhelming.

So, this posting gets you caught up with our time away from the (Buen Camino) our travel trailer. You may recall that we spent last Thursday doing laundry in the morning. We spent 3pm – 9pm catching up with our blog at the library. We wanted to get this done as we knew we would be away for a few days.

But let me back up for a moment. Our neighbor, Nancy, here at Wayside RV Park told us that McDonald’s had McLOBSTER sandwiches. I could hardly believe that this fast food place sold lobster rolls! They did but no longer do this due to the rising prices of the crustacean. We were slightly disappointed…

And let me digress a tiny bit more. Our last blog entry included the RCMP Musical Ride which we saw in Halifax. We invited our neighbors Nancy and Bill.  Bill has had some ongoing issues with his knee.  We invited them to join us. The plan was for Peter to drop us off at the venue (the Halifax Citadel) and find parking as getting around is difficult for Bill.  As it turned out we were able to park close by in handicapped parking. It was perfect and we all had a good time.

As I indicated, we did not leave the library until 9 pm Thursday night. Upon our return, guess what awaited us?  Nancy made lobster rolls! I can guarantee that they were much better than any McLobster roll. This was their thank you for taking us to see the RCMP Musical Ride. What a treat! Thank you so much Nancy and Bill!!

And, speaking of the RCMP, here’s a joke we came across regarding differences between Canada and the U.S:

“Canada has the Mounties, the US has the FBI. Can you imagine the FBI doing the Musical Ride?”

Friday, 7/21

We left in the morning and took our time making our way to Yarmouth taking the coastal route which can take all day.   This was one of those vacations from our vacation. We left the trailer at the RV site and traveled with the freedom of not hauling it. On our way we stopped for breakfast (Kiwi’s) in Chester, a very pretty town on a harbor. We went through many fishing villages which Peter loves.  They are quite charming and picturesque.

We heard from one of the locals that there was a ferry that we could take, cutting miles from our trip. We hadn’t planned on that, but it sounded like a lark.  Sure enough we found the ferry landing. It was a cable ferry which I had never experienced. While waiting to board we spoke with a gentleman also crossing by ferry.  Any way, he ended up paying our fare. These Canadians…

We were back on the road again and drove to Lunenburg. Here we stopped at the Fisheries Museum where we learned about local fishing and the making of fishing boats. See the pics of a rare blue lobster and a 25 pound lobster. Apparently the largest lobster on record is 44 pounds!  We spent our first night in Yarmouth at the Comfort Inn which was quite adequate and comfortable.

Saturday July 22. 2017

Next morning we appeared at the Rodd Grand Hotel for a “Foodie” tour of the city. Our good fortune was we were the only two on the tour – so we got all the attention.  It started at the hotel’s dining room with a sampling of Acadian food. The cook, who is Acadian talked about the dishes which included seafood chowder, bread pudding and rappie pie. It’s really not a pie at all but reminds me of hash browns. Apparently it is a well-known and loved Acadian dish made of chicken and potatoes. It was quite good. We also had coffee and mimosas. And this was just the start. Our guide, Carol, took us to at least six other eateries. Remember, we were served samples, not full course meals. But still.. The day ended at a seafood restaurant with two (small) glasses of beer and delicious fish cakes.  Carol was a delightful guide who knew all the folks at the eateries and told us interesting history and facts about Yarmouth. She seemed to know everybody, which is no surprise as she is very active in the community.

It was a good thing we walked from place to place which maybe helped to burn off some of the calories. The food was great but her delightful company and commentary was even better.

The next highlight of Yarmouth was the Airbnb we stayed for the next two nights on Chebogue Point. The hosts are both artists with a farm house just outside the city. They built a “cottage” on the grounds which they use for entertaining and “movie night.” It is decorated lovingly with their own paintings and photographs and that of local artists and artisans.

There is also a beautiful garden where we had a lovely breakfast one morning – fresh fruit, tea and muffins provided by the hosts. Most Airbnb hosts provided a comfortable and unique place to spend the night. However these folks also provided wine, cheese, crackers, and fresh eggs from their own chickens. Best of all, we had the opportunity to spend time with Sue and had much to talk about.  She and her husband are kayakers and in fact have taken very long kayaking trips. We told her that we were going kayaking the next day (Sunday). She expressed an interest in joining us and of course knew the owner/tour guide (Becky) of the kayaking business.  It was fun to have her along on the trip as we were able to spend more time with her.

Sunday, July 23. 2017

Sunday morning the three of us met business owner and tour guide Becky where at the dock where we embarked on our kayak trip of Yarmouth Sound. Before we left Becky gave us instructions regarding how to maneuver our kayak. This was much more detailed and helpful than what they told us when we went kayaking at Hopewell Rocks.

Before I go any further, let me tell you that Peter told me about the kayaking trip several days ago and said they our lunch (fish and chips) were going to be lowered down to our kayaks from the dock. I didn’t believe that we were going to eat our lunch in a kayak. However, this was truly a part of our tour.

Becky provided a tour of the bay including “Bird Island” where several species of birds nest. There is also a ship wreck. We also paddled around a ship that had been maliciously torched. The owners spent much of the year living there but were not in residence when on October 31 someone set it on fire. Becky’s told us of the history of Yarmouth harbor – past and present. In addition, we learned more about the city itself.

I gained so much more appreciation of Yarmouth because of the information provided by Carol, Sue and Becky. They are all movers and shakers of the community.

After the kayak tour and lunch shipboard we went home for a shower and rest. Later that afternoon we drove out to the lighthouse at Cape Forchu on the east side of Yarmouth Sound. We then stopped for dinner before heading back to the AirBnB. It should be noted that Peter seems to be losing interest in lobster. He has only had it once in Nova Scotia, over a week ago. Don’t get me wrong, we still love and appreciate seafood such as scallops, shrimp and fish, mostly haddock.

Monday, July 24, 2017

Monday morning we had breakfast in the garden and said our farewells to Sue and Dan. We headed back to our trailer at Glenn Margaret taking the Evangeline Trail which is scenic roadway along the western part of Nova Scotia. I was interested in making a stop in Saulnierville for a particular reason. Since coming to Canada I have wanted to pick up some really good smoked salmon. I mentioned this to Carol on the Foodie tour and she told me about a fish market in Saulnierville. The product she recommended was by Willie Krauch sold by a company named Comeau’s. We did find it but were surprised that it is located in an automotive parts store. I did purchase some frozen smoked salmon and herring.

Our next stop along the Evangeline Trail was St. Mary’s Church in Churchpoint. This is the largest wooden church in North America. It was built in two years between 1903 and 1905 with the help of 1599 volunteers. The master carpenter could neither read or write. He built the church from the blueprints of a church made of stone in the parish priest’s native home in France. There are 41 stained glass windows, some of which depict events in the life of the Virgin Mary to which the church is dedicated. The windows were shipped from France in crates of molasses. The church is beautiful along this Acadian part of the country.

I lit a candle to all my friends and family, people we have met along the way and a special Acadian friend in Louisiana. I also reflected on my multitude of blessings including this trip through eastern Canada and the Maritime’s. In addition, I prayed for all the people who nobody is praying for. These few moments in this church built by Acadiens provided a “still point” for me on this long journey into Canada.

There have been several times on this trip we have called upon St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things and lost causes. Peter is not a religious person. However his faith may have increased because of the help we have received from St. Anthony (God, the Universe). When we are in need, he tells me, “Talk to your friend, Tony.” Consequently, we bought a small medal of St. Anthony.

We had lunch in Digby which ids known for it’s scallops. This is what we both had for lunch.

We arrived home tired but refreshed from our sojourn to Yarmouth appreciating it’s history, culture and people.   JY