NOVA SCOTIA

It never fails, when you*re not expecting to enjoy something you*re always proven wrong, and such is the case with Nova Scotia. We really enjoyed ourselves and liked "New Scotland" very much.

We met everyone at our hotel in Halifax, the second largest natural port in the world, and walked around old town, learning the history of this interesting historical city. We then drove to Wolfville where we spent our first night in a beautiful Victorian mansion that was a nineteenth century sea captain*s mansion. Much too posh for these two humble travelers.

We took a tour of a local vineyard and had a wine tasting. I forced myself to sip six different wines and was just moderately obnoxious. I*m such a cheap drunk.

The French Acadians (ancestors of the Cayjuns) were the first Europeans in Nova Scotia and feuded with the British for 100 years until they were expelled and exiled throughout the world. They built a dyke system 400 years ago to protect their lands from the extremely high tides in the area and these dykes are effective to this day.

We took a nice walk along the dykes to the Gran Pré National Historic Site which outlined the history of the Acadians. Later in the day we arrived at Annapolis Royal and checked into an every posher, prettier inn where we stayed for two nights. We really liked Wolfville but Annapolis Royal was even better. It has the oldest street in North America and all the centuries old homes remain in perfect condition.

Day 3 takes us to the thing that made me decide to take this trip, whale watching in the Bay of Fundy. The bay is known for its 45* tides and foggy conditions. We were not disappointed by the fog and my hopes were dimmed about seeing any whales. Happily, we traveled out of the fog just in time to have two humpback whales right by our boat. They were just kinda sleeping and not doing much and, being an experienced whale watcher, I let the people that have never seen one (most of our fellow travelers) get the spaces along the rail. Yawn . . . doubt if I*ll ever bother with either of my cameras . . . Next thing I know I hear a loud splash and jump to my feet yelling "BREACH" . . . I missed the whole thing. So much for being blasé . . . I guess the whales decided their nap was over. They were so close to the boat you got *whale snot* all over you when they blew (good thing I carry a lens cloth). Well, they did all kinds of *whale things* - breaching, lobtailing, spyhopping, flipper slapping, none of which I got on film (still being benevolent with the good spots). Benevolence sucks!!! Sadly, we had to leave because the boat had to get back for their next group.

That evening we went on a candlelight walk through a 17th century cemetery where we learned about some of the famous residents and the town*s history.

This morning brings us to Port-Royal, one of the earliest European settlements on the continent. It was established by a small party of French explorers in 1605 and has been rebuilt on the exact site it stood 400 years ago. It was very interesting and one of the highlights of our trip.

Later in the day we head inland to Kejimkujic National Park which consists of 381 square kilometers of beautiful scenery. This was an area inhabited by the native Mi*kmaq Indians and our guide took us to some petroglyphs along the waterline. After lunch in the park, we took a walk through this beautiful area.

Our next stop is Lunenberg, the first British Colonial settlement in Nova Scotia outside of Halifax, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the morning we had a guided walk throughout the village and learned about its history.

Later, we were picked up by a lobster fishing boat and taken to a private island for an outdoor lobster lunch after which we took a walk.

We leave Lunenburg and head for Mahone Bay and, by popular demand, cut the stay short to go to Peggy*s Cove. Legend has it that there was only one survivor to a shipwreck, a little girl named Peggy, and the town has been called Peggy*s Cove ever since. It is known for the native granite because one cubic foot weights 160 pounds. Don*t think I*ll be carrying any of that home in my suitcase.

We overnighted in Halifax and got to the airport in time to catch our flights to NYC/Washington, D.C/St. Louis. When we checked in, we were told our flight was delayed but we*d have plenty of time to make our connection. Whilst waiting, we enjoyed the air show going on at the airport. We were called to our flight at 1:00 and after a few minutes, were told the flight had been further delayed because the airspace was closed while the Blue Angels were in the air. We finally took off and arrived in NYC but it was too late to make our connection. We went to an agent for rebooking and the best he could do gave us just a half hour to make our flight. I told him to get us anywhere where we could get an early flight the next morning. We were routed to Raleigh/Durham and luckily Dave noticed that the idiot agent had our luggage going straight through to St. Louis . . . D*OH . . . you can*t do that. We got it all straightened out and got home early Sunday morning.

Except for the last part (at least we got to enjoy a free air show) we enjoyed our trip very much, especially our fellow travelers. What a nice group of people . . . putting up with Dave & I is not easy.

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