Exploring the Coast of Nova Scotia

After a very long drive, I arrived quite late in the evening at my hostel in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  I thought I would have to creep quietly into my room, but to my surprise my roommates were still awake, talking exuberantly to one another.  They were a very lovely group of ladies from Australia and the U.K., and the next morning, one of them and I set out to explore the southern coast of Nova Scotia.

The first place we stopped at was Peggy's Point, a quaint but charming village just outside of Halifax.  It was so lovely and other-worldly!

The busiest area by far was the lighthouse, which was picture perfect.

I loved too all the expanses of boulders with bits of sea trapped in them.

And this cute fisherman's house with starfish dancing in the window!

I could have stayed and explored the cover much longer, but we had more exploring to do before sunset, so had to keep moving.  Our next stop was the town of Lunenburg, a city of historical significance and a UNESCO world heritage site.  

The town is nestled into a hill, with streets lined with ice cream shops, cafes and boutiques above and the harbor, full of boats, below.

One of the most famous ships in Nova Scotian history is the Bluenose.  She was a legendary fishing and racing schooner, and you see pictures of her on all sorts of Nova Scotian memorabilia.  The original no longer exists, but a replica, the Bluenose II, was built to commemorate her, and is kept in the Lunenburg harbor.

After enjoying the harbor town and meeting some very fun locals, we stopped at a food truck for some cheap but delicious local seafood.  And then we continued along the coast.

Our final stop was Summerville beach and it's legendary restaurant, Quarterdeck Grill.  I had read such good reviews about this place, and was very excited to arrive (and was quite hungry too!).

The beach was very lovely - very peaceful, with just a few couples strolling around.

The restaurant exceeded my expectations - the decor was so colorful and lively, and the patio was built so that it actually hung out over the sea.  You could sip on your drink and watch the waves wash in and out over the rocks below.

My travel buddy for the day and I enjoyed a great meal, and I got to learn enough about Australia so that I am itching to visit.  I was very grateful to have met such a nice person to spend the day with.

The next morning, I packed my things and said goodbye to all of my roommates.  Before setting out again, I spent a few hours exploring the city of Halifax.  One fantastic place I found, where I got a delicious iced late and checked my email, was a cafe with tons of character called the Wired Monk.

Sufficiently wired, I then visited the Halifax boardwalk, which was full of touristy shops (got my family some rum-runners cake), seafood shacks, upscale dining and lots of interesting ships.

I ended my brief trip to Nova Scotia with some delicious sauted clams, which I ate out on the boardwalk, watching ships and people go by.  Full of history, beautiful seaside towns, and with a sense of adventure everywhere you go, I loved my mini-trip to Nova Scotia very much, and would love to return for a longer time in the future.

Now it was time to travel inland, up the St. Lawrence river, to Quebec City.