Family time in Nova Scotia...
After a busy summer, I was ready for some downtime in Nova Scotia and looked forward to a few days with family. We had all travelled to attend my cousin’s son’s wedding. He was the first of that generation to have an official wedding and it was a wonderful reason to visit one of my favourite provinces. I fell in love with Nova Scotia on a trip my husband and I took a couple of years ago. The landscape and coastline remind me so much of England, as I remember it as a child. I feel at peace in Nova Scotia: the farmland, forests, hills and the ocean. I love the ocean, I am always in awe of its beauty and power. If it wasn’t for the brutal winters, I would seriously consider moving to Nova Scotia. My cousin, Krista, has also fallen in love with Nova Scotia and now calls it home while building an amazing horse farm in New Germany, Baker’s Brook Stables
In August, the weather is beautiful and we had 6 days of glorious sunshine and perfect temperatures. I arrived late Wednesday night and spent a quiet night at the Hilton Garden Inn by the airport. Convenient airport transportation and a wonderful made-to-order breakfast were the basis for my choice. On Thursday, I met my mother at the airport and we headed into Halifax. Transportation from Halifax airport into the city leaves a lot to be desired. We planned to take the shuttle bus which only runs a few times a day. The timing was perfect, however, when we went to purchase our tickets, we were informed they were sold out. I had spoken with the ticket rep only 30 minutes earlier and she neglected to inform me that I should buy my ticket well in advance as they sell out. With that option taken from us, we looked into public transit, which is cheap, however, it only runs once an hour and we had missed it by 5 minutes. The only other option is a $60 cab ride. My Mum and I got lucky and snagged an upscale sedan with a wonderful driver. Not impressed at all with Halifax airport transportation and as of writing this, they refuse to allow Uber or Lyft into Halifax.
My Mum and I spent a lovely afternoon wandering around the harbour, being pampered with a manicure and pedicure and enjoying our beautiful upgraded suite at the Hollis Hilton Hotel. We had a wonderful dinner at The Bicycle Thief restaurant, recommended by the hotel. I totally agree with the recommendation. We sat on the patio overlooking the water, watched people amble by and enjoyed our Nova Scotian seafood. We were both looking forward to my sister’s arrival later that evening. She had spent the summer in Iceland and was flying in from Keflavik. We had a lovely girly evening catching up on her Icelandic adventures.
Friday, we headed up to the farm and were treated to the best seafood dinner I have ever had. We started with succulent bacon wrapped scallops, the largest I have ever had, followed by lobster, crab, clams, mussels and shrimp. Absolutely amazing!
Saturday was a glorious day and my sister and I were treated to breakfast on a quiet deck overlooking a lake at the CanadaStays house we were staying at. A beautiful 3 bedroom house with amazing views from every room, perfectly situated close to my cousin’s farm and Lunenburg. Absolutely recommend this place: Bill’s Mahone Bay Retreat.
The wedding was perfect: the bride was stunning, the groom handsome and the service the perfect length. Dinner was another fabulous buffet served by the same caterer as the seafood dinner. Great company and some fun dancing with my 5 year old grand-niece completed the day’s fun.
On Sunday, most of the family had to return East but my sister and I had the opportunity to play tourist, visiting one of my favourite towns, Lunenburg. Such a pretty town with it’s colourful buildings and great views of the harbour from many restaurants. We had lunch with great friends before visiting the unique boutiques and gift stores. Before leaving, we stopped at a local fishmonger and took home 2 amazing lobster sandwiches.
Before leaving Halifax, we had time to drive through Mahone Bay, another fabulous small town in the area. Had we had more time, we would have taken a 2-hour boat cruise but we passed on it this trip in favour of a ride on my cousin’s lovely horses. It was great to be back on a horse and a real pleasure to hang out in the beautifully kept stables.
Luckily we had a late flight on Tuesday and my sister and I were able to drive up to Domaine De Grand Pre winery for lunch and a tasting. It was a fabulous way to end our trip in Nova Scotia. I hope I can return to the beauty of Nova Scotia soon.
