St. Dunstan's Basilica
We went from PEI to Nova Scotia to New Brunswick over the course of one week. This jam-packed trip happened despite seemingly impossible odds: last minute flight cancellations, car rental rearrangements, oh and the PEI ferry caught on fire?
Greenwich Dunes
We reunited with Brendan in PEI. Pretty much the entire trip was dependent on him because he was renting and driving the car. And yet Brendan almost didn't make it because his flight got cancelled and then rebooked for 3-4 days later... for a one-week trip. Thankfully his patience and negotiation skills helped him find an alternative route, except we didn't actually know it because Ran & I had to board our own flights while he was still figuring his out.
But when we landed, we got a text officially confirming he was on his way! The sense of relief I felt was immense.
We started off strong with the first dinner of the trip being lobster. It's been a hot minute since I've had lobster like this, so I didn't really remember how to properly crack open the shell. I also wasn't finding success with the instructions on the placemat. Luckily, we got to experience the renowned Maritime hospitality because our neighbouring table saw us struggling and kindly showed us how to properly eat lobster. This hospitality was evident in every single province we visited.
Then we took the ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia. Apparently the ferry caught on fire. Thankfully, this was the ferry after ours. Otherwise this would have led to the complete derailment of the trip because the cars on that ferry were stuck for about a week and you can't do a road trip without a car.
Our first stop in Nova Scotia was Cape Breton. Specifically, we drove along Cabot Trail and stopped for different hikes along the way. This included a guided night hike at Warren Lake, where we made our way into the forest while the sun set until we were immersed in complete darkness - yet could still see a surprising amount because our eyes had adapted as it got darker and darker! Our hike ended with Nova Scotia oatcakes and blueberry tea while we stargazed. There was a lot less light pollution where we were, so I got to see the Milky Way in real life for the very first time. I guess I get to strike that off the bucket list.
Along Cabot Trail we had the absolute best seafood chowder at Charlene's Family Restaurant. It's funny because we knew it was world famous so we were like yeah, it's probably pretty decent. Then it was actually so good. I wish we had opted for the larger bowl, but at the time we chose a smaller portion because wanted to try more of the other dishes.
If you ever go to the aforementioned restaurant, please promise me you will get the largest portion possible and savour it.
Ingonish Beach
Skyline Trail
Cape Breton definitely deserves more than just a couple days. There are so many beautiful hikes along Cabot Trail and it is so peaceful being by the sea - I can understand why people in the Maritimes seem to be so much happier. The biggest source of stress was me and Ran having to repeatedly tell Brendan that yes, he did need sunscreen, and no, you can't just drink all your water before we go hiking, you need to hydrate along the way, will you please just bring your water bottle with you?
Lobster rolls! All the food was so good. We subsisted on exclusively seafood and PEI potatoes for the first several days, absolutely no greenery, which resulted in all 3 of us being constipated. It is important to me that you know this information.
Perhaps my personal favourite was this hidden waterfall. The road was more of a narrow dirt path deep in the forest so there were a lot of mosquitos. But it was worth it because you could climb up the rocks and dip your hands into little pools that formed higher up along the waterfall.
Eventually we made our way to Halifax in time for a fancy dinner and a brewery. This was the first time I had raw oysters. I had been turned off on the idea of raw oysters ever since Valen told me (many years ago) that they were really good and described the process of eating them like "slurping snot". Well, his description turned out to be extremely accurate. And they were also really good.
And our breakfast the next morning. I was convinced to get the fish cakes at the recommendation from a fellow restaurant patron. Well, technically he said all of the menu was his recommendation, but the fish cakes especially. Like I said, that Maritime hospitality.
Peggy's Cove
We had to go to Peggy's Cove, of course. Ran & I both had vague memories of seeing Peggy's Cove on a family road trip when we were young, but this was a long time ago so it was time for another visit.
Polly Cove
And after Peggy's Cove was Polly Cove! This quiet trail was a nice break after the crowds at Peggy's Cove. This trail was so large and isolated that we ended up wandering away and briefly losing each other, oops.
Halifax Public Gardens
It was a lovely day to visit the gardens: a hot summer day with beautiful flowers and live music ("Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You"). Turns out we were lucky because the next day these gardens would be vandalized and subsequently closed for a bit. It wasn't us, I swear.
Halifax Central Library
As I mentioned, my family did a road trip of the Maritimes when I was young and Halifax made the biggest impact. I remember clearly telling my mom I wanted to live here. Many years later, I'm delighted to discover I feel the same. But I don't think there's a lot of job opportunities for me here and I don't think they want even more GTA people taking up space and jobs in their province.
Our last leg of the trip was New Brunswick, where some of Brendan's extended family lives. We definitely took a more relaxed pace here - his cousin showed us around and we frequented various breweries. I don't like beer so I always asked for the sweetest thing they had. Usually this was cider, which I am not complaining about.
There is so much of the world I want to see but these trips are great reminders of just how much there is to explore in Canada alone. One thing I learned about myself is that I should, at some point, seriously consider living near the sea. I also confirmed through first-hand experience that fibre is important for regular bowel movements.
