Saying Yes to Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia was delightfully cool. It is worth going to this part of Canada during the summer just to enjoy the weather. The natural beauty of the country amazes. One is rarely out of sight of water: lakes, rivers, and ocean. We rarely ate a meal without being able to look out and see the water. The forests and the land are lush green.

Flowers are everywhere--growing wild or placed in gardens and hanging baskets. Pink and purple lupin were blooming throughout the country. Seeing whales by our sides when we went fishing was exciting. The people were friendly, and it was interesting to listen to the lovely French that was spoken by some of the people while knowing they also would speak English for us.

Quick Tips:

Take bug repellent. We were attacked only once by sand flies, but that was a pretty voracious attack. The closer one gets to nature, and that is what one does in Nova Scotia, one will encounter some annoying bugs. Don't go to see and hear the bustle of big cities. We visited Halifax, but we decided that Nova Scotia's main attraction is its natural beauty. Be prepared to drive on winding, bumpy roads that can be really slow going on the scenic routes. Don't expect to find businesses open as late as they are in the states. If you're the nervous type, keep half a tank of gas. Be prepared for the high cost of the ferries that will convey you to and from the U.S. to the town of Yarmouth in Nova Scotia. Take some Canadian dollars with you and remember that prices listed in Canadian dollars are less than if they were in U.S. dollars.

Best Way To Get Around:

Have a car. There were also lots of bikers: pedal and motor type. Some people travelled on tour buses. Walk as much as you can. By all means find a way to get onto the water. We went fishing on a party boat in Cheticamp. It is difficult to charter a boat for my husband who likes to be in control of the helm. We did find a charter boat in Baddeck which we enjoyed, but the expense probably wasn't worth the short time we used the boat. We should have planned that excursion more carefully and slept on the boat.

In Nova Scotia there are 3 Signature Resorts. We stayed in 2, and the Keltic Lodge was our choice after we were so impressed by the Liscombe Lodge, which we happened upon first, by chance, as we were taking one of our many scenic drives. As we approached the Keltic Lodge we were impressed with the surroundings. The setting is idyllic. It is on a high promontory overlooking gorgeoous water, both salt and fresh. It looks out on nearby highlands. It has a links golf course. The grounds include beautiful flowers: lots of the lupin that I liked so much. The swimming pool is outside and overlooking the sea below. The dining area looks out on the water. We thought at first glance that this was an amazing place. There was someone to take our luggage to our rooms and to get towels, etc. That was good because we were on the second floor and there is no elevator. It seems that many hotels in Nova Scotia lack elevators. This is tough for someone who has difficulty climbing stairs. We looked in disbelief after seeing the grandeur of the surroundings and of the building itself when the door was opened to our room and we saw that there were two beds, but each was a small single bed. Our room other than that was fine. My husband thought that the wooden floors were too scratched, but they were clean and the bathroom was large enough. The package price we paid included dinner and breakfast the next morning. The dinner was acceptable. We had to eat at 9 PM because they were very busy. Everyone dressed in at least a jacket for the men. Breakfast was a buffet, and it was adequate. The service was acceptable, too. The only real fault I found with the Keltic Lodge was the beds. Our friends had the same kind of small beds. I hope that there are larger beds and that they were all occupied.

When we arrived in Yarmouth on the CAT, both my husband and I thought, "Surely the rest of Nova Scotia is more than this." We had directions to Water Wood, which is in the very small town of Carleton, which was supposed to be 20 minutes from the ferry. By the time we reached the address following wonderful directions, it was dark. It took us around 45 minutes to get there. We were delighted with what we saw. It is in a wonderful setting on a lake and the house is lovely and spacious. It was our good fortune to be the only guests that night and we had the privacy of the ground floor to ourselves. Our room was clean and nicely decorated. Looking from the room we could see a beautiful lake where my husband who prefers cool water went swimming before breakfast. This is a bed and breakfast, but Carlene MacDonald was gracious enough to see that we did not go to bed hungry. (There was no place open in Carleton when we arrived.) She is a wonderful cook and I loved her homemade apple pie. In fact, one of the best meals we had in Nova Scotia was her breakfast which included homemade tomato pie. I have mixed feelings about bed and breakfasts. I can't relax quite as much as in a hotel because I am so conscious that it is someone's home, and I feel that I need to be especially respectful of that. However, we enjoyed our stay in this home and in another B&B in Nova Scotia. It is a wonderful way to get to know the people and to learn about the area. Also, the food is homemade and more tasty. We hope to go there again.

This is a really desirable place to stay. It is immediately off one of the main highways coming from Baddeck and is visible from the highway. It overlooks the ferry to Newfoundland, which we would like to visit on another trip. We were told that the best place to fish is Newfoundland. The motel is clean and has an adequate restaurant where we ate breakfast. While eating, we overlooked the harbor and the ferry. We were getting really tired of moving in and out of places with our luggage at night and decided to make this motel our home for 3 nights. From there we made side trips to Louisberg, Sydney (where there is a casino, but certainly not up to the standards of Vegas), Baddeck, and other small towns. North Sydney in itself isn't much of an attraction, but the people seem nice. We walked along the river and watched the locals who were doing small town stuff in a very comfortable way listening to music in a park, playing soccer, and getting coffee at the ubiquitous Tim Horton's, which is a coffee shop that seems to be a major attraction in Nova Scotia. If you drink coffee, you must visit Tim Horton's. The Best Western has an indoor heated pool for those of you who, unlike my husband, prefer warm water. Unlike most places we stayed, this motel has an elevator.

My husband found an advertisement that said this was a 5 star accommodation, and we were lucky to find a vacancy there when we called as we were driving toward Port Hawksberry. (I would advise making reservations earlier. We took the last rooms.) We were unfortunately at the end of our travels on the island, but we were delighted to find such a nice place to stay on our last night on Cape Breton. Port Hawksberry itself reminded us of returning to modern life while at the same time retaining the beauty and the appeal of the island. The Mackenzie family was especially helpful, from the son who carried our luggage to our rooms, to the husband, Sandy, who didn't just give us directions to some places in Port Hawksberry, but who actually drove his car to the places with us. Andree, the wife, was helpful in suggesting places to eat that were excellent. Her breakfast the following morning was beautifully served. Our room had a private entrance and bath and it was very clean, bright, and comfortable. If you enjoy staying in a bed and breakfast, you will not be disappointed with this one.

This was one of our favorite places to stay in Nova Scotia, and we happened upon it by accident. We had been driving for hours, and it was time to stop and to eat our evening meal. We spotted the sign for Liscombe Lodge. In fact, we drove past but our friend said, "Go back, and let's check it out." We turned around and that was a terrific decision. Not only was the restaurant worth the stop, the lodge accommodations were outstanding. Located right on the Liscomb River, the restaurant and lodge have a setting that we would have enjoyed for more than a day if time had permitted. The restaurant's specialty is planked salmon, and we enjoyed listening to the live music with some Gaelic words and looking out at the exceptional boats that had tied up at the dock while we ate. Our rooms were in a cabin/cottage. The cabins looked newly renovated on the inside and were clean and comfortable. There is a shared living space with small refrigerator and stone fireplace. Our friends had their private room and we had ours with our own bathrooms. We each had our own little balcony that overlooked the river. There are several cottages, private chalets, and river-view rooms in the main lodge. We enjoyed the cottage. There is a recreation room with a heated pool, but my husband would have preferred cooler water and fewer people in the pool when he swam. I enjoyed walking along the trails. It is so peaceful and beautiful there. A few people were fishing in the stream and the air was crisp and clean. There was an herb garden by the restaurant. I really had a feeling of being close to nature. Liscombe Lodge is one of 3 Signature Lodges in Nova Scotia, and we stayed at the Keltic Lodge, too, but our rooms were definitely nicer, the beds larger, and the price more to our liking at the Liscombe Lodge.

This inn is conveniently located right off the highway and is near Halifax. More importantly for those who fly, the inn is only an exit away from the Halifax Airport and has a van that can take you to the airport if you spend your last night there. Like so many of the buildings where we stayed in Nova Scotia, the inn has no elevator, and we spent one night on the second floor and one night on the third floor. There are people to carry luggage to the rooms if yoou desire help. The rooms were adequate, but the night we spent on the third floor, we were in a room that was a smoking room because there were no non-smoking rooms available. We didn't care for that. The hotel has a restaurant and it too was adequate. We did not find the service to be very prompt our first time eating there. Mentioning this seemed to get us better service the second time. Actually, while people are nice and friendly, we found that in our experience, waiters and waitresses could learn a lot from American restaurant workers who understand how to be more solicitous and speedy with service everywhere we ate throughout the country. Also while food in Nova Scotia can be good, in general, it was not the mouthwatering experience that perhaps we had our hopes too high to realize. On the positive side, the Inn on the Lake is certainly conveniently located in a beautiful setting. If one takes time to take advantage of the amenities, there are tennis, horseshoes, basketball, and lake and pool swimming. My husband really enjoyed his swims in both, especially because the water was cool and clean. The inn has sports equipment for guests, and if we had had the time, the temperature would have been delightful for tennis or a little one-on-one. There were people kayaking on the lake and the flowers all around the inn were wonderful. While the inn might want to replace some of the entrance carpet, there was certainly a real effort to maintain the grounds and the rooms. One of the things we noticed occasionally was a funny taste and smell to the water in the rooms here. That really bothered us. Otherwise, we enjoyed walking around the grounds. In fact, experiences we had with the Inn on the Lake were most positive when we went outside and enjoyed what is best about the inn: the grounds and natural setting.

My husband and our friends wanted to fish, and I wanted to take pictures. We boarded the boat at 5:30 PM in hopes of doing both successfully. Cheticamp is a small fishing village along the Cabot Trail and the scenery is wonderful, especially from a boat. Our captain was pleasant and helpful, but very few fish were caught. Lots appeared on the radar, but there were seals in the area, and they hurt the chances of successful fishing. My husband didn't really enjoy dropping a large hook with no bait into the water. The captain only took us, our 2 friends, and a young couple so we had adequate room and attention. The highlight of this "fishing" was seeing at least 20-30 whales swimming very close to the boat. That was spectacular. The weather was pleasant and no one got seasick. The cost was $30 per adult and we were on the water until dark at around 8:30 PM. We went around 3 miles out. Sunsets are beautiful on the water and on the cliffs surrounding it. It was fun seeing the few lights of cars that were still on the Cabot Trail. This was a very pleasant experience for us even though we didn't catch fish. No one was disappointed.

When you enter this restored fortress/village, you are met by a uniformed guard who is French and who asks you for a password which you are expected to know in order to enter. Expect some difficulty there, especially if you are wearing British red and don't speak French. All of this is done in good fun, and of course you wiil be allowed to enter the walls. After being admitted, you are transported back in time. The fortress at Louisberg was built in the 1600's by the French. At the time it was built, it was the largest military fortification in North America. It was captured by the British, and later returned to the French by treaty. The British recaptured it and thus ensured that Canada would be British rather than French. Currently there are soldiers in French uniforms throughout the village who march and who fire their rifles at prescribed times. There are interesting farm animals. There are people in the various buildings who are happy to explain how the buildings were used and by whom. We ate a 17th century meal in one of the cozy and authentic tavernlike restaurants. The food was simple, but good, and our hostess who was also in period costume was very friendly and conscientous about serving us as if we were eating during a time long. Don't ask for Pepsi or Coke. It didn't exist back then. For anyone interested in history, the Fortress at Louisberg is a treat.

Baddeck is one of the not to miss places on Cape Breton Island. It is right off one of the main highways and is on the Bras d'Or Lake. Bras d'Or is French for arms of gold which describes the shape of the inland lake and its surroundings. The lake itself is a wonder and we chartered a boat in Baddeck and drove but a portion of it. We were able by boat to get closer to the imposing A. G. Bell home which is still occupied by, I believe, his elderly granddaughter. Tourists can not visit the home in which Bell and his wife spent so much of their life together. The museum across the lake from the home is in the town of Baddeck and is very interesting. I was struck by the fact that Bell was poetic in his way of stating what he thought. He was responsible for more than the telephone and was extremely interested in aviation. There is a model of a hydroplane he had built. It was fun to be on the lake which had inspired some of his creative genius. Bell appears to have been devoted to his wife who was deaf and she to him. The museum has mementos from their life together and quotes throughout. There are films in French and English and the visitor is able at his own leisure to sit and watch the films in different rooms by selecting the language and pressing the button. Graham said that inventors see things as they are and say that they can make them better. The museum fee is $5 for adults, $3.75 for seniors, and while the museum is not spectacular, it is in a wonderful setting, interesting, and worth a look. Chartering a boat gave us an additional ability to explore and enjoy the area from the water. My husband enjoyed swimming in the cool waters of the lake and especially swimming over the ruins of a ship which can be seen below the water.

We met our friends who flew rather than drove to Halifax. They had toured Nova Scotia before this trip. They said that everyone would ask us if we had been to Peggy's Cove. They said that they had been there and that it had been cold and that there wasn't much there but that we had to go so that we could say we had been there. It isn't that far from Halifax, but due to the winding country roads, it took us about an hour to reach the cove. There is a very small fishing village, a gift shop, a lighthouse, and the most impressive thing is the rocks on which the lighthouse is located. The rocks are granite that is supposedly over 400 million years old. Peggy's Cove is also a major spot for photographers to visit. It is picturesque. There were certainly enough tourists the day we visited. It was not cold. A short drive up the road from the lighthouse is a memorial to a tragic Swissair flight that went down in the waters. It was very sad, and it began to rain as we walked up to the memorial. We backtracked a few miles to a restaurant for lunch. It was on a lovely lake, the sun was out again, and the lunch was filling (Big Lake Lodge and Restaurant, 5849 Hwy 333, Big Lake, Nova Scotia). So, we can say that we saw Peggy's Cove and we are very glad that we did.

Getting to Nova Scotia requires some thought. We chose to board a ferry at Bar Harbor, Maine (which is a lovely departure point) going to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. We took the "CAT." This is a catamaran that can travel up to 55 mph. That is fast! It carries up to 267 vehicles and 900 passengers, and it makes the trip in less than 3 hours. Going to Yarmouth there were a few people who were seasick. Coming back to Bar Harbor, I didn't notice any queasy people. The hours the ferry departs twice a day are not the most convenient for travellers who don't spend the night in Bar Harbor or in Yarmouth. Be very careful about checking the schedules. We wasted several hours by arriving too early when returning to the states and arrived at our first destination in Nova Scotia after the one restaurant in our small town was closed.(We had not taken time to get something to eat in Yarmouth since we were not staying there and were accustomed to finding food at any hour in the states.) The CAT is an interesting experience in and of itself. It has a small casino with slots, decent food, a duty free shop, 2 movies on relatively small tv screens (one for children and one for older passengers, but difficult to hear unless you're in the front rows). The seats are comfortable. We enjoyed the experience, but beware. It cost us a little more than $200 EACH WAY. Getting to Nova Scotia definitely is not the cheapest part of the trip. However, it is a very memorable part. If you decide that of the various options for getting to Nova Scotia the CAT crossing appeals to you, the number for reservations, rates, and schedules is 888-249-SAIL.

The main reason to go to Nova Scotia, in my opinion, is to visit Cape Breton Island. Cape Breton has among other attractions the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, which is claimed by the natives to be the 8th natural wonder of the world. You will find many scenic areas there, but follow all the clearly marked signs along the Cabot Trail. The trail reminds me of Highway 1 in California. There are quaint towns, breathtaking scenery, and friendly people all along the route. There are more photo opportunities along the trail than one can imagine. Driive slowly and carefully on the steep, winding roads,and be prepared to take the time to soak up all the beauty you can.