Blogs from Nova Scotia, Canada, North America - page 47

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, is mostly populated by Scottish and Acadian descendents in small villages and towns on the coast and the Highlands. You will hear Gaelic and French spoken, and signs are sometimes in two languages. We visited historic Fort Louisbourg, a reconstructed 18th century French fort which protected France’s interests in the New World. To condense history, the fort was captured by the British twice, and the French were evicted both times. The Fort is akin to Colonial Williamsburg in that period-costumed soldiers, servants, and residents provide a taste of settlement life in the 1700s. We also drove the beautiful Cabot Trail which will require its own blog entry. Some general observations since we’ve been north of the border: Quirky Maritime food tidbits Poutine - French fries smothered with gravy and cheese. Hot ... read more

What more could you ask for?! That's what I thought. Nada. Welcome one and all to the beginning of my global adventures... for the rest of the summer I will take you into the world of Antigonish in all of it's small town glory. The town has a population of roughly 4,500 and is located 2 hours north of Halifax, about a 10 minute drive in any direction from long stretches of sandy beach opening out onto the Atlantic ocean. Beautiful indeed! The weather finally started to turn this past week and we have been enjoying hot days in the mid 20s with a nice breeze -- none of this muggy Ontario business! With good weather comes the beginning of beach adventures, the most current being my first experience with jellyfish! We couldnt' go swimming ... read more

Dim Sum this morning with Aunty Chrissy, Uncle Daniel, Aurie and Robyn. I even tried the tripe, maybe not my favorite. A little down time, and some more watching the tall ships and then it was time to take Aurie to the airport. We talked a lot about music recording and processing and exchanged information. It would be great to keep up with her and Ling and Hans. They’re all so cool and laid back and kind. Then we went to an Acadian museum a little ways from the airport.... read more

Today we drove to Portuguese Cove to the other house. The view is incredible with about 180 degrees of ocean shoreline in sight. A beautiful walk around the property was a welcome escape from the car-ride. The boulders on the water were great to play on and photograph. We went on to Halifax and got some dinner at Piccolo Mondo Ristorante. After dinner we walked Ling and Hans to their hotel and then Chrissy/Daniel and Robyn and I went for a walk on the boardwalk. We are in Halifax just at the right time to see the Tall Ships Festival and it’s the coolest thing. These enormous 2 and 3 mast ships that look like they’re straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean are in port. Over the weekend there should be around 50 ships ... read more

Got up and Aunt Chrissy drove us 2.5hrs to Guysborough. We stopped for lunch at The Alcove in Atigonish. The seafood chowder up here is really great! I also got a pulled pork BBQ sandwich. Good stuff. Got to Guysborough and got to see Uncle Daniel’s children, Ari, Ling and Hans. They’re all around Robyn and my age so it’s good to hang out with them. They are really laid back and easy to be around. We all went for a walk around the property with Kira the dog. Beautiful landscape here and so quiet and calm. We all got dinner at a nearby pub called the The Rare Bird Pub. Had battered Haddock and some good brownie desert. After dinner another walk around and then off to Steven’s cottage where Chrissy, Robyn and I ... read more