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town of Pictou. Upon my arrival in Pictou, Nova Scotia, I went by the Northumberland Fisheries Museum to learn a
little about the fishing industry in Atlantic Canada. The museum was rather small and rustic. But, the staff was very
warm and friendly and there was some very good information on the history of the fishing industry in the area and the
local fish and marine life.
From Pictou, I figured I’d drive as far north as possible before finding a motel for the night. I took part of the
Ceilidh trail into Cape Breton Island. Then I caught the Cabot Trail. The Cabot Trail is known to be the second
most scenic drive in North America. The first is the Coastal Highway in California between San Francisca and Los
Angeles. The most beautiful part of the Cabot Trail is located in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. This
National Park “Is known for its spectacular highlands and ocean scenery. Steep cliffs and deep river canyons carve
into a forested plateau bordering the Atlantic Ocean.”
I ended up in Pleasant Bay, which is located just north of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, where I found
lodging at the Salty Mariner for the night. The Salty Mariner was an unexpected find in such a remote place. The
proprietor is an older woman who also owns a very good restaurant on the property, Tin Pan Gallery. I had a
gourmet meal while listening to sophisticated Jazz from the ‘40’s and ‘50’s and enjoying the views out of the large
plate glass windows.
Sunday, September 7: This morning I went whale watching for the first time. The boat left from the Pleasant Bay
docks in to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It was very exciting. I went with a small group aboard a Zodiac boat from
Wesley’s Whale Watch. We drove out about ten to fifteen minutes from the dock, where we found a school of pilot
whales. There must have been five to ten of them. After some time following them around and watching them break
the surface for air, a couple of them got up the courage to come closer to our small boat and check us out. They
briefly peered out of the water at us, before ducking back under. We also saw a few dolphins swimming with the
whales. The ride back was a little choppy, probably due to the remnants of the Hurricane that hit Bermuda.
Since I had already checked out of my motel, I had to clean up in the bathroom of the whale museum that was close
by the docks. I put the top down and hit the road to Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. On the way, I pulled over
a couple of times on the east side of the Island and in Cape Breton Highlands National Park to enjoy the view. A
couple of spots in the Park I stopped at were; Green Cove, Middle Head Peninsula and Ingonoosh Beach. The day
was picture perfect as were the settings of each of these places. Around nightfall I pulled over, made reservations
for the night immediately outside of the downtown area and put the top up, since it was getting a little chilly. Around
a half hour later, I made it to my motel, The Bayview Motor Inn and settled in for the night.
Monday, September 8: I did the self-guided walking tour of downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. I walked down
Barrington Street, probably the main commercial street in downtown Halifax, to begin my tour. One of the first
highlights was the Grand Parade. This area use to be a military parade ground and still serves as a public park
located between St. Paul’s Church and City Hall. City Hall was built in 1888 and still serves as “the seat of
government for the Halifax Regional Municipality.” From there, I walked up to the Old Town Clock, a gift from
Prince Edward in 1800. The view of this Clock Tower is probably the most recognizable one in Halifax.
A little later, I stopped in to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. An example of the friendliness of people in this part of
the world; since I arrived with only an hour left before closing, the attended told me not to worry about the entry
fee. This would hardly ever happen in any big city in the U.S. The main temporary exhibit that they had was of
Maud Lewis’s folk art. Maud Lewis was born in Nova Scotia and lived there her whole life. From an early age her
mother taught her how to paint, she had no formal training. Living in near poverty level conditions, she always
looked for the beauty in the world around her as exemplified in her remarkable paintings. She not only painted on
canvas, but on nearly everything else that surrounded her, including her home, inside and out, her stove, various
cooking utensils, furniture, etc.
From the Gallery, I walked down to the wharf area, where I went by the Privateers’ Warehouse. In the 18th
and 19th Century sailors were commissioned by the British Government to raid French ships. Much of the booty
was brought here and was a large part of the financial wealth of this City’s early days. While walking along the finger
piers I noticed a building with many local crafts. I stopped in to one shop that had pressed flowers attached to the
back of clear glass of different sizes. I thought this to be very unique and decided to buy one for my sister Marla’s
upcoming birthday.
I walked through Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery. This facility claims to be “The oldest working
brewery in North America.” I tried one of their pale ales with dinner and I must say it was pretty good. The various
aspects of the brewery (i.e.: the bottling plant, the brewery itself, the storage for the ingredients, etc.) use to be in
separate buildings dating over a 100 years old with small cobblestone streets between them. Since then this facility
was also turned into a tourist destination and clear glass roof was constructed tying all the various buildings together
in on weather proof environment … pretty cool.
I followed the walking tour by the Old Burying Ground and took some sunset pictures in this wonderful old
graveyard. St. Mary’s Basilica also made for a good photo op, having the “tallest dressed granite spire in North
America.” I walked up Spring Garden Road, past all the shops and restaurants on my way to the Citadel grounds.
The Citadel was closed but I laid out in the lush green grass on one of the hills leading up to the fortification walls.
From there I walked over to the Public Gardens, which is one of the most beautiful and quaint small gardens in the
middle of a city that I have ever scene. There were literally hundreds of ducks; some were napping in the grass,
while other were cleaning themselves, while still others were feeding in the pond. I attempted talking to some of
them in my duck talk and one actually responded. It was a male looking for a mate. As he got closer we kept
calling back and forth. But, he seemed confused when he didn't see another duck in the immediate vicinity and I was
the only animal around. He ended up just walking pass me with a dazed look on his face. I think he’ll need some
therapy to sort his way through this one.
From the Gardens, I took a short walk back to Spring Garden Road to have dinner. I found a place called
Mexicali Rosa’s. The Beef Tamali and Chicken Enchilada combo was really pretty good.
Tuesday, September 9: Woke early to pack so that I could get to Peggy’s Cove, before catching the 1pm Ferry
from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to Bar Harbor, Maine. The small Fishing Villages between the coastlines of polished
stone beaches and various shaped and sized islands just off the coast made for an enchanting drive.
Peggy’s Cove is known to be the most famous fishing village in the world. Many of the homes are built directly
on the smooth stones, the cove itself is lovely and the Lighthouse is a site to behold. The drive to Peggy’s Cove
along the coastline was very scenic and beautiful. The Lighthouse in Peggy’s Cove was all it was built up to be. It is
known to be the second most photographed site in Canada, only behind Niagara Falls. From Peggy’s Cove it was a
short ride before I got to the monument for the victims of SwissAir flight #111. It was a very somber and elegant
monument for these unfortunate souls.
Once back in my car, I got to enjoy some more of this magnificent coast line, before making it to the highway. I
drove very fast in a vain attempt to catch the Ferry in Yarmouth. I ended up arriving about 15 minutes too late, so I
made a reservation for the 8:45pm departure on The Cat. The Cat is advertised to be North America’s fastest car
ferry and claims to reach speeds of 60mph while carrying up to 900 passengers, 250 cars and 14 buses. I spent
most of my time while on the Ferry updating my site. Believe me this is a lot of work, but I enjoy it.