Nova Scotia, Canada – Part I (9/26/17)

After Maine I continued northeast into the exotic foreign land of Canada. Having heard positive feedback about Nova Scotia from three separate people (thanks Tim, Ryan, and Lucy!) I was convinced I had to go. It turned out to be well worth the drive.

Some highlights:

• Best rafting experience
• Best donair (King of Donair)
• Best lobster roll and fish & chips (Fredie’s Fantastic Fish House)

Halifax

Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia and was naturally my first stop. I started my Tuesday with a trip to the Halifax Citadel, a British hilltop fort built in 1749 (not to be confused with Citadel the hedge fund). The fort was built to protect the city and the Royal Navy base, and its intimidating position atop Halifax Harbour is probably why the Citadel has never been attacked.

It is tradition for a cannon to be fired at noon every day of the year (except Christmas Day). Unfortunately I arrived after noon so I am unable to confirm this.

The best part about the Citadel is that it’s a living history museum. There are friendly animators portraying a Scottish regiment circa mid-1800s (78th Highland Regiment); they even play the bagpipes!

After some history lessons from my new Scottish friends I ventured back into present-day Halifax to see some nice plants at Halifax Public Gardens and Victoria Park.

After smelling the roses (so to speak) I headed off to Halifax Central Library, a modern-looking building with a nice rooftop garden and view of the city.

After absorbing some knowledge at the library I walked to the waterfront and downtown Halifax.

I wrapped up my tour of Halifax at Point Pleasant Park, which turned out to be very pleasant!

Donair

Hungry after a long day of exploring I decided to get some donair, a popular local dish often eaten as a late-night food. It’s basically a gyro meat sandwich with onions, tomatoes, and a condensed milk sauce, all wrapped up in a pita. Sounds strange at first but turns out the mix is quite nice. Don’t knock it ’til you try it!

Peggy’s Cove

The next morning I drove south to Peggy’s Cove, a small fishing town with a famous lighthouse and some antique and souvenir shops.

The highlight of Peggy’s Cove was of course the magnificent lighthouse. It gives the lighthouses of Maine a good run for their money! Or rather, a good light for their money..

Shubenacadie Wildlife Park

After seeing the light at Peggy’s Cove it was time to head north to see some animals. I drove to Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park, a large park with wild (and many exotic) animals. Much better than a zoo.

Tidal Bore Rafting

After seeing the animals I went tidal bore rafting in the Bay of Fundy, which turned out to be one of the highlights of my whole road trip. A tidal bore is just outflowing rivers flowing back upstream as the ocean tide comes in; this phenomenon creates rapids that can get pretty wild.

The Bay of Fundy (one of the 7 wonders of North America) is known for having the highest tides in the world – as high as 50ft in certain parts. This occurs for two main reasons. First, the bay is shaped like a funnel and gets progressively narrower and shallower. Second, the size of the bay is just right to cause resonance: water in the bay moves at the same frequency as that of the Atlantic ocean tide.

All of this makes the Bay of Fundy a perfect place for rafting. Tidal bore rafting is different from white water rafting: there are no rocks to avoid and you need a motor boat to travel upstream. This makes it pretty safe but still as intense as a roller coaster!

The video below (not taken by me) gives a good idea of the experience. The rapids come and go in different places every few minutes so the guide has to find them and guide the boat through. Not an easy job.

The rafting was intense so I was unable to take any videos of my own (had to hold on tight with both hands), but I did get some photos before we started.

The experience was amazing and I highly recommend this if you get a chance to travel to Nova Scotia!

And this wraps up the first part of my visit to Nova Scotia! Stay tuned for part II 🙂