We were quite lucky during our trip ... good weather except for a couple of days (only one day had an impact, but it all worked out in the end ... we rested at the hotel), had the Cliffside B&B all to ourselves (you see below why this was great), happen to be there the day they launched Bluenose II in Lunenburg and the scarecrow festival in Mahone Bay. We were going to go to Cape Breton Island for a few days but decided not to since it was difficult to find accommodations (due to the Celtic Colours International Festival), and we realize there was way too much to see. We figure it would be best to plan for another trip.
We drove (correction ... hubbie drove) to Edmundston and then to Saint John (New Brunswick), where we took the ferry to Digby (Nova Scotia). We stayed at the Cliffside B&B ... this was a great find and the best place we stayed at during our whole trip. They opened in August so not too many people knew about the place. When I saw the pictures of the view and the place, I thought it was too good to be true ... see for yourself ... www.cliffside.ca. Here are a few pics I took of the place.
Nope, it was real ... the view was amazing and the place was very clean and roomy. It started to feel a bit like a home away from home since we made dinner a couple of nights and even did laundry :) Diane, who is taking care of the place, is great with her wonderful breakfast and great conversations ... definitely a great way to start the morning! The first morning I came down, the dining room table was set for 2 facing the water ... it was quite fancy for us simple folk :) At my request, the last morning we had breakfast in the kitchen still facing the great view but able to chat with Diane as she made us breakfast (something else were were not use to).
We didn't do everything we planned but then again nothing was set in stone ... we just did what we felt like that day. Since it was too windy, we didn't go whale watching. However, hubbie tried scallops for the first time since Digby is known for their scallops. We both like them ... can't get any fresher than what we had :) We planned to go to Brier Island but ended up at Sandy Cove because we wanted to find the waterfall nearby ... instead we found a beach and took some pictures of the waves.
We ended up at the lightstation in Yarthmouth ... we took a few pictures ... my favourite thing there was the really big yellow beach chair. Hubbie and I each took a turn in getting on the chair and took a few pictures.
We were sad to leave Digby as we knew no other place would measure up. However, it was a great start to our vacation, and we have some good memories. So off we went to Bridgewater, which is not too far from Lunenburg and Mahone Bay ... we made a pit stop at Mr. Fish in Shelbourne and tried the fish and chips ... I read about it in one of the travel books and wanted to try it.
We decided not to try to get there for the actual launch of Bluenose II in Lunenburg as it was happening at 8:00 a.m. and would probably be very crowded. Oh and of course there was a stamping store in Lunenburg that I wanted to go to ;) That's one of the things I decided to do ... wherever we go on vacation, go to their local stamping store to get stamps ... you'd usually find stamps more specific to the region and that would be one of my souvenirs :)
The next day, we went to Mahone Bay ... it was a rainy day. We started by going to Amos Pewter to pick up some souvenirs for family and a friend. We learned about how they made the items ... it was pretty cool to see. I would have loved to give it a try :) We stop by JoAnn's Deli a few times for lunch and snacks :) That's the place below with all the pumpkins. Initially, I didn't notice that the pumpkins were carved ... and each one had a different image!
Next stop Halifax ... and the cool thing is there are 2 stamping stores to check out there ... yup, I have a one track mind ;) Let me tell you I got quite a few stamps ... we even went back to one of the stores a 2nd time, so I could get 2 stamp sets that I did not pick up the 1st time ... I was trying to be good. In the end, I picked up another 5 stamp sets ... however, the really nice lady at the store gave me a 15% discount this time around :) Ok enough about stamping!
We visited the famous Peggy's Cove, which is not too far from Halifax ... the view was amazing and there was someone playing the bagpipes, which added to the visit ... wonderful sights and sounds. Hubbie and I had fun as we waited for people to clear away, so we could take a picture of the lighthouse. It was hilarious ... there was always just this one person that would remain there :) However, in the end, we did get the opportunity! After we got our shot, we decided to head closer to the lighthouse and ruin someone else's picture ... LOL ... no, we made sure we were not there for too long.
In Halifax, we walked along the port and went to the farmers market; however, there wasn't all that much since not all the vendors were there during the week. We went for a walk at Point Pleasant Park the day before leaving ... which was a good thing ... it tired us out so we could somewhat enjoy just sitting in the car for the long drive home.
