The Sea Bound Coast

How High are Your Tides?

Our first day in Nova Scotia we drove out to the Bay of Fundy, which was beautiful despite the rain and fog that day. We ended up at a place called Harbourville, with lovely colourful homes, dramatic cliffs and views. The Bay of Fundy is home to 50 foot tides and St. Croix Island, a small island in the bay that became the first European settlement in North America in 1604.

The Birthplace of Hockey!

How could we resist visiting Windsor - the cradle of hockey. Nova Scotia is full of important Canadian historical events, but can any be as important and world changing as the moment some people decided to drop the puck on Long Pond (c. 1800)?

Sunset at Peggy's Cove

We visited Peggy's Cove, a small fishing village founded in 1811, on our second day in Nova Scotia. The famous red and white lighthouse on St. Margaret's Bay was originally built in 1868 and then modernized in 1914 to the current lighthouse. We loved Peggy's Cove so much we went back a second time just to sit on the point and watch the sun go down! Romantic or what? As we sat their with the sky turning orange we also watched the full moon rise across the sky.

Bluenose II - Canadian Icon

The Town of Lunenburg (1753) is a lovely Atlantic village that is home to the tallships Bluenose (sunk in 1946) and Bluenose II. We had a lovely meal of Lobster and Haddock at the Grand Banker.

One of the most popular beaches in Nova Scotia

On the way to Lunenburg we enjoyed driving through Mahone Bay (which has more churches then anywhere I have ever seen) and we stopped for a short while to splash in the surf at Queensland Beach. The drive along the Atlantic Coast is beautiful and the stop at the beach was a perfect interlude.

On History's Doorstep

A visit to Pier 21 allowed us to do some family research and learn more about how integral Halifax is to the immigration and war history of Canada (immigrants, refugees, troops, wartime evacuees, displaced persons, war brides and their children all passed through Pier 21). I found the exhibits moving and the staff at the Research Centre to be very helpful. After Pier 21 we walked over to the Keith's Brewery and took the tour - likely one of the best tours in Halifax (highly recommend). We finished off that night with singing at the Lower Deck in Halifax's Historical Properties, and drinking more Keith's (of course).

Lighting the Way

The George's Island Lighthouse (1876) is easily observed from the the Halifax Harbour. I took many pictures of this lighthouse while walking up and down the harbour front but I chose the night time shot for the blog since I spent a lot of nights on the harbour. George's Island is part of the fortifications in the defense of Halifax, in conjunction with the Citadel, Prince of Wales Tower, and the Point Pleasant, York Redoubt and McNab Island gun emplacements.

A Clearer View

It wasn't until I neared the end of our trip in Halifax that I discovered the extent of the pollution in the Harbour (200 years of raw sewerage). A massive clean up effort resulted in the beaches re-opening for swimming in June of this year but they were already closed again when we were there (due to high bacteria levels). Luckily I had resisted the urge to paddle around in the water! After disembarking one of the harbour tours I took I noted some of the locals peering into the water exclaiming how clear the water had become. When I stopped to see what they were looking at, these sea stars were what I saw.

To the Lighthouse...

The McNab Island Lighthouse as seen on my journey to the Atlantic Ocean (aboard the Sea Tiger) in search of whales. In the end there were whales that refused to surface to give us a show and then the weather changed suddenly making the calm ocean breeze bitter and cold. But before we headed back to Halifax I was able to also photograph the Devils Island Lighthouse, which made me happy. Maybe even the happiest person on the boat.

Lost in the Titanic Disaster

The history of Halifax held my imagination this whole trip and I couldn't resist the lure of the Titanic graves. I visited the Fairview Cemetery on my last day in Halifax, as well as the churches that held the Titanic Memorial Services. I think that the graves at Fairview, which hold the largest number of Titanic dead to be found in Halifax, is a fitting tribute to the victims and I enjoyed visiting them. I took many pictures that can be seen on Flickr with much more detail (about the people themselves).

Here's the usual Hooters pic (Dartmouth).