Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg

We were all excited to leave the city of Halifax and get on the road. I was tired of battling traffic to get to the downtown area of the city. Bedford was better, though still more traffic than we're used to in our small town. As one of my readers suggested (thanks Kim), we chose the scenic route to Peggy's Cove, a winding two lane highway, rather than the main highway. Every curve seemed to provide another beautiful view, of the trees, water, and small communities.  Sadly, there are no photos - I was driving and my daughter was so fascinated by the scenery she took no photos!

We arrived in Peggy's Cove ahead of the crowd that would soon arrive. There were just a few vehicles in parking lot near the visitor's center. After a stop to pick up a map (though it wasn't really needed we made our way towards the lighthouse.

Eli was very interested in walking on the rocks, however we managed to keep him away from the ocean.

Unfortunately we were too early in the season for many of the shops, though likely by just a few days.

One of the buildings we had hoped to visit was the old schoolhouse but, it too, was locked up.

Leaving Peggy's Cove, we made our way to Lunenburg. We were able to find a parking spot just a short distance off the main shopping street, where D was lured into visiting. After dropping off her parcels at the car, we walked a little further down towards the water.

After a short walk down the boardwalk, we went to visit the Bluenose II. The original Bluenose was launched in March 1921 in Lunenburg as a fishing and racing schooner. It would reign as an undefeated racing champion until 1946 when it ran aground on a reef off Haiti. The ship is featured on the Canadian dime. Bluenose II was launched in 1963, and currently spends it's time in Halifax and Lunenburg. Open for on deck touring, one can also book a two hour cruise available twice daily. The price was a bit much for my pocketbook so we limited ourselves to a wander on the deck of the ship. Eli was quite disappointed to learn he wouldn't be sailing on it...maybe next time.

Another short walk brought us to the Fisheries museum which featured a restaurant on the wharf with an incredible view of the bay. (Pricey but good). While the temperatures had moderated somewhat from the two previous days, it was still quite hot and the shade of the patio umbrella was appreciated.

After lunch, it was time to visit the museum itself. I had not been there in 2015 and found it very interesting. There is a large room towards the rear of the building that was full of exhibits, ship models, ropes and other equipment, and several interactive displays.

A visit to the museum's gift shop capped off our afternoon, and we made our way back to the car to return to Halifax for our last night at the hotel in Bedford for a few days. 

A road trip to Baddeck was our plan for the next day!

Day 5 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Since I'd been to Halifax (September 2015) I had already planned not to do an excursion.  I'd seen those buses pull in and out of Peggy's Cove while we were there and knew I'd be disappointed in the short time.  Besides which there were several other ships in port that day and I knew things would be hectic. My goal was to visit the Citadel and walk the wharf, and maybe find Alexander Keith's brewery for a beer.

We arrived about 7 a.m., and since I had no excursion planned, I met Pam in the dining room for breakfast at 8:45.  It was so nice to be waited on!  I left her with her coffee and went back to my cabin to shower and get ready for the day.  I finally left the ship about 10:30 - no long line-ups to disembark. 

My goal was to walk to the Citadel and I had in my head where it was generally so off I went.  I walked along to boardwalk until I thought I was would run into as I climbed uphill.  AND it is mostly uphill (as Kim can attest).  I was running out of steam about a half hour into the walk, stopped at a hot dog vendor and he assured I was only about 2 1/2 blocks from the base of the hill to the Citadel.  One foot in front of the other, and when I get there to the top, it's all down hill from there I kept telling myself.

When I finally reached the top of the Citadel I was so happy I'd made the effort.  The view was incredible!  It took me nearly 45 minutes to make the trek and I arrived in plenty of time for the noon gun.

I climbed to the top of the wall (using the stairs) on the opposite side of the gun.  From there I was able to get some awesome photos.

Once the gun was loaded, the two volunteers took a minute for a brief chat.  It was obviously and enjoyable one.

While the one on the right disappeared it was the responsibility of the other to light the gun and set it off.
Good thing for ear-plugs!

I was fine from my vantage point but I'm certain it's pretty loud.

 Then it was time to head downhill to find some lunch.

The clock tower building is beautiful!  

Along the way I spotted the art work on the side of a building.  Beautiful too, in a different way.

   

When I got down to the waterfront I walked along the boardwalk and was thrilled to see the Bluenose II was docked there.  We saw the ship in Lunenburg when we were there in 2015.  

That time, I took a photo laying on my back on the deck of the boat looking up towards the masts.



This time I stayed upright.  I would have appreciated if some of the other people would have given me a clear shot but as I noted, there were several cruise ships in port that day.  


I made my way along the waterfront until I came to a series of food vendors.  I spotted the poutine place and decided what could be more Canadian than that?  With my poutine and a Sprite soft drink I sat on a bench near the water, watching the traffic - both on the water and on foot.  I'm a people watcher at given time.  It was fun because there was a discernible difference between the locals (either jogging, returning from yoga class or walking with purpose dressed in workday clothes) and those from away (from the extreme t-shirt/short crowd to the raincoat or even winter jackets).  It was cloudy and a bit damp but it never really rained.

On my return to the terminal, I stopped to browse the craft shops and picked up a onsie for Eli (the only gift I brought back) then headed back to the ship.  I decided some time in the hot tub was in order.  

That evening I met Pam, Matt, and David at the Crown Grill for dinner.  There is an additional cost to eat there but so worth it.  We all had the filet mignon for our entree, I started with black and blue onion soup and a goat cheese and green salad.  With our entrees we also had asparagus, spinach, mushrooms and mashed potatoes served family style.  For dessert I chose the lemon tart, while the others had the trio of chocolate desserts.  After such a big meal, I was happy I'd done as much as I had that day.  

In total, it was another wonderful day.  I love cruising, I unpack once and wake up somewhere different every day.  Of course, the last day is always a little sad.