The people make the place

I mentioned in my previous post that I really enjoyed Nova Scotia, and I think a large part of that was due to the people.
Nova Scotians (at least the ones we met) are so friendly and helpful and seem genuinely pleased to share their culture and lives with whomever they meet. It really makes a difference when you're traveling, especially with a great big fifth wheel (have I mentioned lately our 55' long rig set up?).

Over and over again we encountered this attitude, and it definitely made our travels around Nova Scotia memorable and comfortable. (A dad we met in PEI, who was from NS, remarked "Oh yeah, Nova Scotian's are friendly. They'll open their house to you and give you the keys to their car...")

In Yarmouth, we parked our big rig in the small Visitor Info Center parking lot. Lily immediately received a Nova Scotia pin (which we still have) and the helpful staff gave us a walking map of town and directed us to the wharf where a fisherman was demonstrating how to make nets and lobster pots. With their Living Wharves program, Yarmouth employs fishermen in their off-season to demonstrate a variety of skills to inquiring tourists, and spread knowledge and understanding about their lives. The kids got a bit squirrelly, but I found it fascinating to watch the net making process. Kind of like braiding with a great big chunk of rope! (Morgan would rather balance on top of the low rail around the wharf, and give his mother a minor heart attack thinking I'd be fishing him out of the water at any moment.)

Some of the houses

This is his "we are not impressed" face

The fellow also spoke of the concerns and life of a fisherman, and noticing that my kids were full of energy, directed us to some of the good sights and activities for kids & adults alike that were in the area. (The walking tour of the Sea Captain's houses might not excite the kids, but the walk through Yarmouth's old streets is easy - even for little tired feet- and the big, beautiful old houses are an interesting mish-mash of styles.)

 The next day we drove to Pubnico, to visit the Historic Acadian Village of Nova Scotia, a small village reconstruction, with original buildings from the region, staffed by locals (in costume) who are more than happy to share their history with inquiring minds. The harbour is beautiful, and the combination of greenery and ocean waves made me want to sit and stare at it all forever. (I may have to move to the ocean some day. Bob's in agreement with this... We also were here in late June.  It might not be so nice in January!)

Listening to fishing stories

In the blacksmith's shop

Morgan did his usual running around without appearing to take in any of it, but Lily charmed the fellow who was at the boat shack with endless questions and came home with a handful of wooden lobster pegs. (I've finally them out of her carseat into the house. Sharp bits of wood do not belong in the back seat of the car! Especially when they are used on her big brother.) Everyone working at the Village wanted to make sure we saw every last bit of the village, and then offered up some ideas for things to do after we were done there (directions too).

After we finished up our visit to the Village, we headed a short ways down the road to Dennis Point Wharf. Here we played Boat Name Bingo from an area brochure we had picked up. Basically, you go to the harbour and try to find boats with different characteristics and make a Bingo! from the sheet (colors, names, radio antennae, accessories,etc.). Sound silly? Actually it was great fun. Morgan even remarked. "Okay, I thought this was going to be lame, but it's actually kinda fun." (See! I told you so.)

Bob goofing around with a giant lobster!

Science experiment with the blocking in the background

Then we drove on to Lunenburg, where the people were even friendlier. We had planned only two days there, but a mechanical failure on our landing jack as we were packing up to go forced us to stay until it was repaired. The campground owner helped us find blocks to jerry-rig a way to hold up the trailer, his wife brought us some fresh fish to try out and they extended our discount (we used Passport America) to cover our whole five day stay, rather than just the original two (which they did not have to do!). They definitely went above and beyond the call of duty and we greatly appreciated it. The local RV dealer even managed to squeeze us in that week (unlike the others we called around Halifax who had a 2-3 week lead time). The delay was a blessing in disguise, really, as it allowed Morgan and I to finish up his school year without adding the stress of moving to it, gave us a chance to explore more of the area and let us just settle a bit into living mode, rather than travel mode. The kids even had a chance to set up a lemonade stand (which Lily had been wanting to do for weeks), and the long term residents were happy to buy a glass (for much more than the requested fee - these kids do well on their money making schemes! In case you wonder what happened to their earnings, all the money was spent on chocolate. I even got a piece!)

I've already remarked that my memory of details is fading, but I'm pretty sure that the friendliness of the people we met in this province will stick with me and influence the way I think of Nova Scotia forever. The people really do make the place.

Remembering: Nova Scotia's Fundy side

Looking back at the blog, you'd think that we went straight from New Brunswick to PEI in June, but that isn't true. We actually spent two weeks in Nova Scotia, looping around the western and southern shores.
I can't quite remember why I didn't write about it, as I know I thoroughly enjoyed those two weeks (I think I was behind - as usual - and still writing up NB, or possibly I decided to live in the moment rather than focus on recording it all, or who knows!). But, I'm finding that already my memories, and my knowledge of where we were when is getting fuzzy and I Need to write it down.
Preserve our time there. Share it.

I'm also still having more trouble settling into stationary life than the rest of my family. The urge to be on the move is strong, and getting stronger as the days shorten and get cooler (although right now is really beautiful for mid-October).
The recent words of my Grandma ring strong in my head... (paraphrasing) "While no adventures are available to you right now, maybe you should write about them."  Good advice!

And so, here goes..

It's a short drive from Moncton, NB (where we were) into Nova Scotia. The boundary between the provinces is really noticeable as the rolling land gives way to a flatter windy area that makes you believe that at one point in our geological history this section of Canada really was smashed together and then tried to rip apart. The wind blows strongly through here, and windmills dot the landscape.

Bob had contemplated going on a tidal bore jet boat tour on the Subenacadie River, near Truro, but by that point we were all pretty Fundy phenomenon'd out. The enormous tides are very cool (up to 50 feet!), but after a while, it loses its novelty.

Checking out Periwinkles in the Grand Minas basin

We chose, instead, to head towards Grand Pre (NHS), for a history lesson. Morgan had been studying the Acadians in Social Studies and Nova Scotia is a great place to learn about them & their history. The Acadians were settlers from France who came to the East coast of Canada looking for a simpler life (back before Canada was Canada, and the British and French fought constantly over the land). They utilized the poor soils of the coastline - building up solid land from the tidal flats using ingenious dikes and a whole lot of labor and community cooperation. A really amazing feat, when you look out on the land they created.

Admiring the expansive gardens

However, in the conflicts between the British & French, these people were caught in the middle, and ultimately forcibly exiled from their homes (going many places, France, other parts of Canada, and the US - including Louisiana, where their descendants are known today as Cajuns). Some eventually returned to Canada, but rarely were they able to come back to the land they had worked before. Their history is both sad and fascinating, and the people who are of Acadian descent here are extremely proud of their tenacity, and spirit.

The history is evident in the language - Nova Scotia is truly bilingual, and you are as likely to hear French spoken as English. The schools teach both, and so the children's French/ English sounds different than you might hear in Quebec - no accent. One little girl who was speaking to Lily in French, quickly realized that Lily didn't understand and seamlessly switched to English mid-sentence.



It's the way I imagine Canada should be. Both languages, spoken by all - no politics or anything attached. I've stated that fact to people since then, and have been met with all sorts of reasons why this is a bad idea. Ah well, everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Onwards to Digby, the scallop capital. Chances are good that when you purchase Nova Scotian scallops they'll have come from around here. Bob had some & thought they were delicious. Everything tastes better at the source!
Our main reason for going to Digby was to go on a whale watching tour, hoping to see the famous whales of the Bay of Fundy.
A little tip for everyone - don't go whale watching the day after a storm (especially early in the whale watching season). The whales will have scattered, and the waves are still strong (as my stomach is not). An unfruitful trip, but the scenery on the drive down the Digby Neck was beautiful enough to make up for the disappointment of not seeing our much longed for aquatic denizens. (Bob calls this day the no whale watching whale watching trip.)

Looking at a the south end of town from the boat

We chose to take our tour out of Brier Island, the southern most island on the Neck. It takes two small vehicle ferries to reach, both of which we caught in perfect time. I would have loved to stop and admire the scenery of the drive (there was a cove called Beautiful Cove, and it truly was), but the ferries are timed such that you need to keep moving if you want to catch the next one (or wait an hour). It was here, on the island, that the Fundy tides impressed me most. When we headed out on our tour we walked down a long, steep stairway ramp from the dock to board our boat. Upon our return we stepped directly from the boat onto the dock. No fanfare. No signs saying look how amazing this is. Just part of the daily life of an island who's entire culture revolves around the ocean.

While staying near Digby we drove to Annapolis Royal to see sights both modern and historical.  First stop, the Tidal Generation Station. This innovative power plant uses the tides to generate power. It is small in scale, only providing enough power for 4500 of Nova Scotia homes, but it uses natural forces to provide us energy (which I always find very cool). In many ways, this plant is a research center, as only a few of these types of facilities exist in the world, and it's the only one that deals with such tidal extremes (both in size and water velocity). It's free to tour the upper level, which has many interpretive panels and displays and when available, a tour down under the plant to the turbine, to learn more about the inner workings of the plant can be taken. Bob went down to see the turbine, while I stayed on the upper level with the kids. The government run plant is very aware of its environmental obligation to protect the environment and learning about how they are working and learning to balance the people's energy needs while considering nature was very heartening.

Onward, to the history lesson... Near Annapolis Royal is Port-Royal, site of the first French settlement in North America. Port-Royal was where French explorer Samuel de Champlain put his first foothold on the continent in 1605, an act which influenced the make-up of all of Canada (he also founded Quebec City). All these firsts along the east coast of North America get confusing - and it seems quite complicated as everyone vies for first... St. Augustine, FL was the first European (Spanish) settlement, and Jamestowne, Virginia was the first English (I've heard it stated as the first European north of Florida, which isn't strictly true - it was actually settled later than Port-Royal, but their settlement was permanent, whilst Port Royal's settlement was temporary, and was abandoned after it was burnt down - by people from Jamestown! The French & English didn't want to share, apparently.) We've visited all during our trip, and learning each facet has certainly fleshed out the continent's history in a way no book ever could have (woo for hands on learning!).

The rebuilt fort is very authentic looking, from the hewn wood walls, to the scraped hide windows, it looked very much like the fur trading forts I've been to in Alberta (Parks Canada did an awesome job in the rebuilding). Many of the items there were touchable (its so nice when you go to a place and don't have to repeat to the kids "don't touch" until it becomes a tiresome, limiting mantra), and the kids and I were especially interested in the blacksmith tools. (I mean, who doesn't like to pound on stuff with a big ringing hammer!) The entry fee is quite reasonable (around $10 when we went), and I felt it was well worth the visit.

OMG! I didn't think they made this stuff anymore!

We polished off our trip to Annapolis Royal with a tour of  Fort Anne (NHS), a walk through the graveyard for Lily and I, and a drive through town to see the historic buildings (oh, and a stop at the grocery store, cause it can all be fun and games!).









And then we said goodbye, to the Fundy coast and headed to Yarmouth, at the tip of Nova Scotia. Although we were not to return to see more of the tides, we came away with lots of pictures, a new found understanding and appreciation of  our country's history, and Morgan's red-mud stained socks (which are still nicely stained today).