2025 Canadian Maritimes

Halifax, Nova Scotia – 3 Nights

Our tour started at 5:30pm on the Saturday but due to flight times it meant I had to arrive a day early or take the red-eye flight and arrive at 7:00am. As this trip included plenty of time to explore Halifax on your own I decided on the red-eye flight and hoped that I would be able to get some sleep – ya, that didn’t happen. 🙁

Dropped the bags at the hotel and found a nice little place for breakfast, the Bluenose II restaurant, and how could I say no to eggs Benedict with lobster! Now that’s the way to start a maritime vacation. The rest of the day was just exploring and walking along the boardwalk. I must say it has changed, ohh just a little, in the many decades since I was here last. 😉

For dinner we met the rest of the group and had a presentation and dinner at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. I have to admit I did not know this part of Canadian history so it was a very enlightening evening.

The first full day and we pile on the big bus and head out to see the very picturesque Peggy’s Cove. I have to give our guide credit, he got us on the road early in the day and it meant we got there 20 minutes before all the other buses started to fill the parking lot. I would have liked to stay longer to just enjoy the ocean view and the small village but those pesky tourists were quickly invading so it was time to move on.

After a quick drive to Lunenburg for lunch, we had a walking tour of the town. This is the type of town you picture yourself retiring in. Well, except for the fact that it also gets overrun with tourists. I guess I should be happy that it retains it’s small town feel and those pesky tourists do not go more than a few blocks away from the harbour. We headed back to Halifax where we had more time to explore the city on our own, which meant … where is the brewery?

The next day was to explore Halifax on our own, so we took the opportunity to explore the boardwalk and spent time in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Among all the exhibits you would expect to see in a maritime museum they had dedicated two large areas to events that greatly impacted the area.

The first was the 1917 Halifax harbour explosion which gave much more detail than anything I had previously read, and I really enjoyed their exhibit. Maybe “enjoy” is the wrong word to describe the education of this tragedy but they made the learning interesting and relatable, if that makes sense.

The second major exhibit was related to the Titanic disaster. I really had no recollection of Canadian involvement but as survivors were taken to New York, the remains of those that perished were taking to Halifax. I found the exhibits again to be very educational and still making everything very relatable. It was not like reading a textbook, but more storytelling. So glad we went to the museum, as I am now more aware of my countries history.

In the evening we were to meet the group for a tour and dinner at the Halifax Citadel but before that we had to stop at the cemetery. That may sound like a surprising place for a tourist bus to go but it was the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, where many of the Titanic victims were put to rest. After visiting the museum earlier in the day, this visit took on more meaning, especially when you read the markers for the children.

OK, need something a little uplifting after that so we headed to the Halifax Public Gardens with a tour lead by their arborist. Nothing clears the mind more than time with nature on a beautiful day.

That evening we had a tour of the Halifax Citadel and stayed for dinner. The heavy Scottish influence is immediately noticed and that might have something to do with the bagpiper and kilts. After all, “Nova Scotia”, does mean “New Scotland!”

Charlottetown, P.E.I. – 2 Nights

This day was a travel day but a relaxing drive and ferry ride from Nova Scotia over to Prince Edward Island. P.E.I. is known to most people for two to three things, Anne of Green Gables, potatoes, and it’s red soil. Reflecting now, I think I recall seeing the red soil as the ferry approached the port and I’m not sure if I had any potatoes while on the island. I’m not good at this tourist thing. 😀

What’s with these early mornings, don’t they know we found a nice pub with live music last night? OK, off we went to Prince Edward Island National Park to dip our toes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, well, let’s say the North Atlantic Ocean, I’ve heard both used for the water there. Regardless the sand was fine and the water cold. Which meant the next stop was educational, but included food! We got a tour and demonstration of the Oyster farming business, at Raspberry Point Oyster Company. It’s a fascinating combination of manual labour with high-tech oyster sorting thrown in. The amount of oysters processed by this small location just boggles the mind. Naturally, just for scientific purposes, I sampled the three different varieties they sell. Hey, I did learn that you should chew the oyster to get it’s full flavour!

They must have heard how devastated I was that the Anne of Green Gables store in Charlottetown was closed, so we made a stop at the Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place. This is another place that I wish we had a little more time at. The grounds are large enough to wander around but I feel we needed more time to read the exhibits and explore the grounds.

The day ended with a bucket of muscles and lobster dinner, get your plastic bibs out! I nice way to end the day before heading back to hotel in Charlottetown.

Digby, Nova Scotia – 2 Nights

This was another travel day, and lucky me, the guide decided while he had a captive audience that they would show the original Anne of Green Gables movie. OK, I admit, as a Canadian, I knew I should get more familiar with the movie as for many people that is why they come to the maritime provinces. A very smart person (my mother) once told me that whenever you travel you are an ambassador for your home (city/province/country) so you should learn about it before you travel. Advice I try to take to heart when I explore new areas. I am a very proud Canadian, and still feel there is so more more I need to learn about my country. So, how was the movie? Well, it was fine, not my style of movie but now I can talk a little more about it as well as understand it’s significance.

We crossed the Confederation Bridge but I am a little disappointed that we did not get a chance to take some pictures of it. Our guide jumped out the bus, took a couple of photos to share and then crossed it into New Brunswick. New Brunswick is a province that I had not been to before and I am not sure I can say I have now as we just drive through on our way to the Port-Royal National Historic Site. We received a tour of the site and then were given some time to explore on our own. I always find it hard to imagine living at that time. Something we consider as simple as a glass window was considered a luxury.

It’s whale watching day and what beautiful weather we had for it. Passing the Point Prim Lighthouse meant we were headed out into the Bay of Fundy with with legendary tides.

Blue skies, calm waters and three humpback whales, that stayed near the surface for our viewing enjoyment. It is always a special time when you get to see these massive animals, especially when they do not appeared to be bothered by our presence. For a short time you actually feel like a kid in total wonder realizing there is an entirely different world in the water. Definitely something worth protecting for future generations to enjoy and perhaps learn from.

This trip has gone so quickly and it is time to head back home. To break up the drive back we made a short stop at Grand-Pre National Historic Site. I wish we had more time here as this was a part of Canadian history that I had not heard about. Despite rushing through the exhibits and quickly walking around, the grounds were in beautiful condition and we could easily spend hours wandering around but the bus was waiting for the last leg to the airport.

Although this was a relatively short trip it did give you a taste of a more relaxed style of life. No one ever appeared rushed and appeared to be very friendly. Even the tourist areas were not pushing the “Buy This” or have greatly inflated prices. Definitely someplace I could retire if wasn’t for all those pesky tourist, which I was happy to be one of. 😉

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