We made it out of steerage and have a balcony! See the live-blog of our entire voyage >>
Our Stateroom Aboard Royal Princess!
We made it out of steerage and have a balcony! See the live-blog of our entire voyage >>
Boomerang Brats
The author of “The Benefits Of Being A Boomerang Kid” lists three reasons that full-grown adults should continue to force their parents to support them and, consequently, avoid contributing to the economy and society at large.
On the top of his list, spending Mom and Pop’s money instead of his own.
“Saving Up- With no rent or utilities, you can build up your nest egg as long as you’re disciplined.”
Gee that’s right Kid, no worries. Has it occurred to you that while you’re “building up your nest egg” that you’re depleting your parents’… CONTINUE READING >>
We recently wrote about an article that pointed out the economic benefits to America when Boomerang “Kids” leave the nest.
Then, lo and behold, we found this gem: “The Benefits Of Being A Boomerang Kid” under the heading, “Growing Up Is Hard To Do.” (Phil Villarreal, for The Consumerist)
The author lists three reasons that full-grown adults should continue to force their parents to support them and, consequently, avoid contributing to the economy and society at large.
On the top of his list, spending Mom and Pop’s money instead of his own.
“Saving Up- With no rent or utilities, you can build up your nest egg as long as you’re disciplined.”
Gee that’s right Kid, no worries. Has it occurred to you that while you’re “building up your nest egg” that you’re depleting your parents’ nest egg in the process?
Boomerang Boy’s second point is “Going to School.” We can at least understand and don’t necessarily disagree with this point, sometimes it does make sense for an adult student to bunk with the parents. However, we thought that the way he worded his explanation had an air of spoiled brat to it:
“While persuing [sic] all-consuming graduate degrees, sometimes it’s not realistic to hold down a job that pays well enough to make ends meet. Living with your parents can minimize distractions.”
Yes, Junior, being responsible and having a work ethic can be very distracting. But people do it everyday and do not die. It’s nourishing and builds character.
The third point is the one that really brought brat to mind for us, “Becoming an Entrepreneur.”
‘When you have less overhead, you can be more daring with your time and money. If you launch a business and it fails, you can’t lose your house because you don’t have one to lose.”
We could almost hear him thinking, “Hey, I have a great idea, I could put up Mom and Pop’s house as collateral.” Careful Sonny, where are you going to live when your big idea goes bust?
But wait, maybe we were being too hard on Boomerang Brat, so we checked out other articles he has written. The top of the list? “One-Stop Shopping For Beer Pong” which includes this literary gem:
“Beer pong players, where do you stock up on the equipment for your athletic endeavors?”
Never mind about that “too hard on him” stuff.
But we can’t heap all of our scorn on this author, he was actually referencing another blog in his article, The Well Heeled Blog, where a young woman has a change of heart about moving back in with her parents.
She has been on her own for several years but now thinks it would have been “nice” if she had stayed at home. What brought about this change of heart?
One of her contemporaries had the gall to write this:
“I don’t think anyone should live at home after the age of 20. I don’t care if you’re a student or saving up for a house, or whatever other ridiculous excuse you think justifies leeching off your parents. Everyone needs the experience of being independent in order to become self-sufficient. If you do not have enough money to pay rent, you have to find a way to make more money — this is called problem solving, and it’s an essential skill for coping with that scary thing called ‘real life’ so it’s better to learn it sooner rather than later.”
How dare a full-grown, twenty-something adult state such radical thoughts! Somehow this statement lead the author of Well Heeled Blog to write this (giving Beer Pong Boy a run for his parent’s money):
“One of my friends was a manager making $80K. She lived at home because it was 15 miles from her work, and there was no point in renting an apartment when she can save that money for something else.”
Wonder how much Mom and Pop were making? On the plus side, after scanning the comments sections of both blogs, there were some “kids” who wrote in that were highly opposed to sponging off of mom and dad with sentiments like this:
“I would only do it if one of my parents needed care, or I just didn’t have any other options available. I don’t think I would do it to merely save up extra cash. For me, it is fine to live with the rents during school or a move or tough financial times. that is what family is for. But using your parents as a crutch or your personal maids? No. No matter how nice and great the parents are, you have to learn to stand on your own two feet! Except in times of crisis/illness, I think parents’ jobs are done at 18 or after schooling is complete. After that, they are for emotional support only–my parents have enough to deal with already; i’d never add my problems to the mix.”
Nice to see that some of these young adults get it. However, for every one of those there seemed to be at least two of these:
“Though I said I never would, I moved back in with my parents after college to save money for a big trip I was taking. I was able to sock away $6,000 in six months by working full time and living on a really small budget. That money allowed me to travel Europe and America for six months.”
Good for you, Little Man – wouldn’t want Mom and Dad to be able to do any of that pesky traveling themselves! But this statement truly defined Boomerang Brat for us:
“CB lived at home for 2+ years after he graduated, and during that time he was able to squirrel money away (some of which to his retirement funds!).”
Yes Budro, building up your retirement fund at twenty-two is really quite admirable… but not if you’re draining your about-to-retire parents’ funds while you’re at it.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
YOUR TURN: Are we too harsh? Are the “benefits” these Boomerang “Kids” speaking of actually benefits? What to you think?
Don’t Bypass Port aux Basques, Newfoundland
Had we blazed up the highway we would have missed some things that ended up being among the highlights of our visit, beginning with the town of Port aux Basques where we came ashore… CONTINUE READING >>
Thanks to Go Western Newfoundland and Adventure Central Newfoundland for providing much of this journey. As always, all opinions are our own.
Most everyone we talked to on the ferry to Newfoundland was heading straight from the dock to Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland’s best known attraction. The fine folks at the province’s Go Western Newfoundland had other plans for us though, and boy are we glad they did. They had several stops before the famous park on the itinerary they set up for us.
At The Railway Heritage Centre we found a narrow gauge train. One of the last vestiges of the Newfoundland Railway that ran from 1898 to 1988. No doubt that huge snowplow got plenty of work.
Inside the recreated depot there are displays about the railroad’s history, but perhaps the most interesting item has nothing to do with trains.
An astrolabe from the early 1600s, found by Wayne Mushrow near Isle Aux Morts, is on display. The rare old sailor’s navigational instrument is still in working order making it nearly one of a kind.
Had we blazed up the highway we would have missed some things that ended up being among the highlights of our visit, beginning with the town of Port aux Basques where we came ashore.
Once again that good ole GypsyNester dumb-luck played in our favor, as Canada Day celebrations had been postponed for a night due to weather, and were just kicking off as we entered the town.
A crowd was gathering as a band set up in Scott’s Cove Park by the harbor, and vendors had booths with crafts and treats.
We ambled about for a few minutes, getting introduced to Newfoundland, then walked up the hill for dinner at the St. Christopher’s Hotel. We were greeted like old friends by Lloyd Whitehorn at the front desk. Lloyd also gives tours of the area, so he was the perfect guy to give us a few pointers.
See more of our adventures in Western Newfoundland!
See all the exciting food (and drink) we found in Newfoundland!
We had heard about fish and brewis before arriving on the island, and understood that this was a must-have meal if we were to get the full Newfoundland experience.
Salt cod and hardtack are soaked, then boiled, chopped up, and combined for a plate of stick-to-your-ribs seafaring rations. The menu listed Fisherman’s Brewis, but we figured it must be the same thing.
Take a look at a more traditional style of Fish & Brewis here
See all the exciting food (and drink) we found in Newfoundland!
But first we had to try the true delicacy of the North Atlantic, cod tongues. Fried tidbits straight from the fish’s mouth, served with scrunchions, deep fried pork fat bits.
The tongues just tasted like cod, with a very slight gelled consistency. And everything’s good with a little pig fat on it. Scrunchions were also used to dress up the fisherman’s brewis.
Might not sound like gourmet dining, but it sure hit the spot after our crossing. Later in our trip we discovered that St. Christopher’s kept the fish and bread in bigger pieces than the more traditional versions.
It seems that can be the difference between calling it fish and brewis, or fisherman’s brewis.
After dinner we watched the Canada Day fireworks over the bay, then drifted off dreaming of what awaited us on this intriguing island at the edge of North America.
See more of our adventures in Western Newfoundland!
See all the exciting food (and drink) we found in Newfoundland!
Sunrise found us learning much more about the island over breakfast of cod cakes and eggs with Stella Pittman, manager of St. Christopher’s.
She explained how so many folks miss the incredible beauty of the southwest portion of Newfoundland by driving through without stopping. She, and several others, told us about visitors who thought the island was small enough to see the whole thing in three or four days.
Considering it is over six hundred miles from top-to-bottom, and end-to-end, that would mean non-stop driving.
We sure are glad we booked the extra time to explore a little more in depth.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
See all of our Newfoundland adventures!
Thanks to Go Western Newfoundland and Adventure Central Newfoundland for providing much of this journey. As always, all opinions are our own.
How To ‘Drive’ to Newfoundland
We’ve been wanting to see Newfoundland for years, but we wanted to do it in our motorhome.
Wait a minute, Newfoundland is an island, and our little RV may do a lot of things, but driving across the North Atlantic is not one of them. Yet there is a way to get a motorhome — or any other vehicle — onto the island... CONTINUE READING >>
We’ve been wanting to see Newfoundland for years, but we wanted to do it in our motorhome.
Wait a minute, Newfoundland is an island, and our little RV may do a lot of things, but driving across the North Atlantic is not one of them.
Yet there is a way to get a motorhome — or any other vehicle — onto the island… Marine Atlantic operates two ferry routes from North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
We began our journey with the shorter of the two passages, a daytime six-hour cruise of about one hundred miles, leaving from the northeast edge of Nova Scotia and arriving at Port aux Basques on the southwest tip of Newfoundland.
Our ship, MV Blue Puttees, was more than big enough to carry any motorhome. In fact, at over six hundred feet long and a whopping 28,000 tons, it can carry hundreds of motorcycles, cars, big rigs and RVs with ease — and did.
Above the vehicle decks we found big, comfortable reclining seats and were ferried across the Cabot Strait smoothly and in style.
After lunch we found a spot in the panoramic lounge where we discovered a Newfoundland original, Iceberg beer. Beer made with water from melted icebergs — we felt pretty darn special drinking that.
Back to our seats for a comfy nap, and next thing we knew we were driving off the ship on to Newfoundland.
Click here to see where this is!
On our twelve day odyssey across the island we covered over fifteen hundred miles, from the northern tip, where the Vikings landed at L’Anse aux Meadows; to the southern shore, where thousands of birds have taken up residence on the rocky cliffs of Cape St. Mary’s.
Sure glad we had our little home on wheels with us, it made it so we could stay just about anywhere.
We weren’t sure what to expect as far as availability of services, but it turns out that Newfoundland is extremely RV friendly.
There are tons of Provincial and National Parks, and private campgrounds, as well as lots of free services like dump stations and places to boondock.
The locals call it gravel pit camping, named for the roadside gravel areas left over after highway construction, but it applies to overnight parking almost anywhere that it isn’t expressly forbidden… often in amazing, picturesque oceanside spots.
We ended our trek in the southeast corner of the island, so we could catch the other route that Marine Atlantic serves, from Argentia back to North Sydney in Nova Scotia.
This is a good-bit-longer crossing, almost three hundred miles, so we booked a stateroom where we could sleep away the bulk of the overnight trip aboard the MV Atlantic Vision.
The largest ship in the fleet, Atlantic Vision is designed with passenger comfort for longer voyages in mind, including roomy cabins featuring full baths and satellite TV.
This is no typical ferry, she is more like a cruise ship, with several dining options, from a snack bar, to The Atlantic Vision Buffet, to the elegant Flowers A La Carte Restaurant. There was even entertainment in the lounge.
WATCH: David shows you around our cabin aboard the Atlantic Vision!
So after stuffing our faces at the buffet, we slept like babies rocking on the waves. In the morning, we drove back on to the good old North American continent rested and refreshed.
And with mountains of amazing memories that will last a lifetime from our visit to Newfoundland.
Traveling by motor vehicle is great and allows you to experience certain freedoms that you couldn’t with the demands of air travel. However, getting in a wreck can leave you with serious damages. If someone else causes a crash, it’s best to speak to a trusted car accident law firm as soon as possible.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Visit Marine Atlantic’s Website
See all of our Newfoundland adventures!
We are so grateful to Marine Atlantic and Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism for making this adventure possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
Veronica Screams Her Way Across a Canyon!
My most embarrassing video to date – and there are a lot to choose from! -Veronica See the entire adventure! >>
My most embarrassing video to date – and there are a lot to choose from! -Veronica See the entire adventure! >>
Live-blogging Atlantic Canada – Having a Merry Time in the Maritimes!
The Maritimes is a region rich in history — involving sailors and fishermen, pirates and generals, battles and treaties, shipwrecks and rum running, and the birth pangs of two great nations.Our journey sets out where Canada began, on the stunning red cliffs of Prince Edward Island… CONTINUE READING >>
Thanks to Road Scholar for providing this lifelong learning adventure through Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick! As always, all opinions are our own.
Where we’re exploring:
The Maritimes is a region rich in history — involving sailors and fishermen, pirates and generals, battles and treaties, shipwrecks and rum running, and the birth pangs of two great nations.
Our journey sets out where Canada began, on Prince Edward Island…
Day One: Red Cliffs and Readiness
We could hardly wait for our Road Scholar program to start so we’re kicking off our day with a stop at the red cliffs at Cavendish. We have just finished re-reading Anne of Green Gables and couldn’t wait another second to visit these cliffs that Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote of. This soft sandstone shoreline is ever changing, as it erodes away at a rate of three feet per year. Beauty in motion.
You always take me to the nicest places!
Stanley Bridge, Prince Edward Island
We can’t believe how incredible the weather is – and it’s supposed to hold all week!
We’re all checked in to our room at Stanley Bridge Country Resort – our home base for the next few days. Headed out to explore a bit on foot before meeting our fellow Road Scholar participants after dinner. Excited!
Day Two: Shipwrecks, storms and a little girl named Anne
Morning:
Our morning starts with Boyde Beck, Curator of History for the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation, for an informative and (very) funny presentation about the history, culture and colorful characters of the Maritimes.
Stay tuned for an action packed day – we will be visiting Green Gables National Historic Site to learn the facts behind the fiction of Anne of Green Gables, heading to French River (the most photographed spot on PEI) and exploring the Yankee Gale and the organic farming movement. This evening we will be
attending a community ceilidh.
Afternoon:
GypsyNesters of Green Gables
Green Gables, the house that inspired the novels
So happy: Fellow Road Scholar participants Nancy and Debby have dreamed of Green Gables since childhood!
Click here to see more about Green Gables National Historic Site
Authentic furnishings from the late 1800s were used to lovingly recreate rooms as they were described in Anne of Green Gables.
In 1937, Parks Canada preserved Green Gables by adding it to the National Parks system.
Dave and Conni take a stroll along Anne’s “Lover’s Lane”
Click here to see more about Green Gables National Historic Site
The Yankee Gale
French River has been a quaint fishing village along New London Bay on the north shore for over 300 years. Known for tranquility, it was anything but when the fiercest storm in Prince Edward Island‘s history blew in the night of October 3, 1851. The storm became known as The Yankee Gale because a huge contingent of fishing vessels up from New England was working off shore. When calm returned after two days of blowing, some one hundred ships had gone down and hundreds of sailors perished.
New London Bay Lighthouse
See more about beautiful, red-cliffed Prince Edward Island
What’s Growing On?
Agriculture is the island’s biggest business, with potatoes being the leading crop. In fact, one third of all of Canada’s potatoes are grown on this small island. We pass fields of the spuds, plus barley, beans, hay, and oats on our way to meet Raymond Loo at his Springwillow Farm.
Springwillow stands out from the surrounding farms as an organic operation. Crops are naturally fertilized, and plots rotated between crops and use as pasture… even pig pens.
Veronica was very enamored, but luckily just as she was thinking “Wilbur,” Raymond announced “we don’t name them.”
David has never had the opportunity, much less the desire, to milk a cow… well he finally got the chance in the barn at Green Gables National Historic Site.
Evening:
We stop in for a Céilidh (pronounced Key-lee) in the town of Kensington, where the Long River Players keep the musical traditions of Scotland and Ireland alive. Céilidhs serve up community entertainment and, in the past, facilitated courtship for the young folks. One of our guides, Pete Blanding, leads the players on guitar and vocals as fiddle, banjo, whistle, and the traditional hand drum a bodhrán, round out the group.
See more about beautiful, red-cliffed Prince Edward Island
Day Three: Fox Fur, a French Fort and Frozen Cow Chips
Morning:
We begin Day Three in Summerside, the second largest city on the island with a visit to our guide George Dalton’s family home. We look over the furnishings and heirlooms while he gives us a brief history centered on the work of surveyor Samuel Holland.
Holland was sent by King George in 1764, after England had defeated the French in North America, to survey the newly aquired British holdings beginning with Prince Edward Island. He divided the island into 67 lots of 20,000 acres each, then the lots were distributed to nobility and aristocracy as farms in order to populate the island.
Recently his two hundred fifty year-old maps were compared with satellite photos and proved to be remarkably acurate. His original lines overlay perfectly with many of the current roads, and since he had no interest in drawing these borders with any desire to get from one part of the island to another, the roads based on Holland’s work make for some interesting driving routes.
Veronica attempts to model a fox stole, but is quite
creeped out because the head is still on it!
We also learned about the turn of the century fox business that played a huge part in Summerside history. When Charles Dalton and Robert Oulton came up with a viable way to breed silver foxes in captivity, the boom was on.
Fortunes were made as pelts and breeding pairs were sold for higher and higher prices, until war provided the pin to pop the bubble.
A fox house in Summerside
The prosperity gave rise to the term “fox house.” This does not refer to a place where little furry fellahs live, but the mansions that their owners built with the new found wealth.
Afternoon:
We make a quick stop in Victoria-by-the-sea and take a walk out on the dock, just in time to watch a crab fisherman unload his catch for the day.
See more about beautiful, red-cliffed Prince Edward Island
Then off to Port-la-Joye, former capital of the island when it was under French control and called Île Saint-Jean.
Red cliffed Port-la-Joye Fort Amherst (Charlottetown is seen in the distance)
The Acadian Monument at Port-la-Joye
Once again Boyde Beck brings history to life with his description of how Port-la-Joye was captured in 1745 by New Englanders from the colonies to the south, who built a new fortification called Fort Amherst. British rule ultimately led to renaming the island in honor of Prince Edward.
Fourteen years later this was the site of a second Expulsion of the Acadians, the French settlers in the Maritimes, when three thousand were sent away during The Seven Years’ War. Perhaps even more tragic than the first, only half about half made it to France due to shipwrecks and disease.
See more about the Acadian, Canadian and Cajun (Louisiana) connection
Evening:
The Cradle of Canada
Just across the harbor, in Charlottetown, we find some slightly more recent history in the very room in Province House that hosted the Charlottetown Conference. This housed the first meeting in the process leading to the creation of Canada in 1867, the cradle of the confederation so to speak.
The provincial legislature still convene in a room at the other end of the second story hall.
See more about beautiful, red-cliffed Prince Edward Island
Having a cow!
Chip Chip Hooray! Fellow Road Scholar participant, Martha
Charlottetown is also home of arguably the world’s best ice cream at Cows Creamery. By using only premium ingredients, upping the butter fat content to 16%, and reducing the air content to nearly zero, they have created the richest dairy dessert we’ve ever had the pleasure of licking off a cone.
Ignoring the calories and just goin’ with it. Mmmmm.
The names for the flavors are an absolute hoot, like Wowie Cowie, Moo York Cheesecake, and Messie Bessie. We indulge in Gooey Mooey, with burnt sugar ice cream, English toffee, caramel cups, and chocolate flakes; along with Chip Chip Hooray, featuring their “cow chips” – P.E.I. potato chips dipped in chocolate.
Day Four: Lobster, A Really Long Bridge and New Brunswick
Morning:
Loretta Jollimore, the “L” of L & C Fisheries since it began in 1978, gives us the low down on lobsters.
How to catch them, band their claws, measure them, tell the sex, store them, ship them, and most importantly… cook and eat them.
WATCH: Loretta shows us how a lobster trap works and explains the difference between the boys and the girls!
L & C also farms mussels, grown on lines out in the bays, and ships them on ice all over the world under the brand name Green Gables Mussels. Cultured mussels is a rapidly growing business on Prince Edward Island with about forty million pounds produced each year.
See more about beautiful, red-cliffed Prince Edward Island
Afternoon:
To make our way to New Brunswick, we cross eight miles over the Northumberland Strait on The Confederation Bridge.
Our first stop in New Brunswick is Fort Beauséjour, built by the French to protect the route to Quebec. It was still unfinished in 1755 when the British attacked and captured it in what was a key battle in Father Le Loutre’s War.
The defeat ultimately led to France losing control of Acadia, and finally all of its colonies in North America except the tiny islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon just off the coast of Newfoundland. After the victory the fort was renamed Fort Cumberland and was the site of the proclamation that led to the deportation of thousands of Acadians.
See more about the Acadian, Canadian and Cajun (Louisiana) connection
Nearby, we make a stop on the shore of the Bay of Fundy, renowned for the highest tides in the world. During just a few minutes while listening to our guide, Al Smith, explaining the phenomenon the water rises several feet on its way to a high tide of about forty-five feet.
The shape of the bay, like a funnel and, its length out to the open Atlantic, combine to cause the giant tidal fluctuations.
See more about beautiful New Brunswick
We stop for lunch just off the bay at The Bell Inn in the town of Dorchester. The inn is housed in New Brunswick‘s oldest stone building, and served something that tied in nicely with this morning’s activity at the fishery, lobster rolls.
The Wheaton Covered Bridge is the last left of the covered bridges in the Tantramar Marshes and traditionally lovers have been kissing under it since the horse and buggy days. We caught fellow Road Scholar participants Dottie and Jerry living up to the custom.
The area takes its name from the Acadian French word tintamarre, meaning din or racket, in reference to the noisy flocks of birds living in the swamp land that is now a National Wildlife Area and bird sanctuary.
The Acadians built earthen dykes throughout this region to reclaim the salt water marshes from the sea. Once the new land was blocked off from the tide and exposed to fresh water it became fertile farmland.
See more about the Acadian, Canadian and Cajun (Louisiana) connection
Evening:
In the town of Sackville, known as Pré des Bourgs to the Acadians, we pass by the last octagonal house in New Brunswick. The home, in the once popular style, was built in 1855 by Captain George Anderson.
Sackville is also home to the Campbell Carriage Factory, which is now a museum.
A walk through gives us a start-to-finish look at the construction of horse drawn carriages and sleighs.
See more about Campbell Carriage Factory Museum
Day Five: Blueberries, The Great Upheaval and Nova Scotia
Morning:
Leaving New Brunswick we make our way into Nova Scotia, Latin for New Scotland, and the Annapolis Valley. At Blueberry Acres we are in the middle of two hundred acres of high bush blueberries, and get an introduction to the business of growing berries, from planting, to picking, to packing.
Meanwhile — randomly — a canon goes off in the never ending effort to keep birds from eating all the profits. Our guide describes the various ways this is done – the canons, piping in predatory bird sounds (a walk through the bushes sounds like a jungle excursion!) and statues of swooping “eagles” in strategic locations.
Between the Bushes Restaurant is also a part of the complex, situated smack in the middle of the farm, and blueberries are incorporated into many dishes.
We start off with pure, sweet blueberry juice, then move on to their signature blueberry barbeque chicken. Somehow, even with a blueberry dessert, we felt not an inkling of overload.
Afternoon:
Evangeline and the Acadians
See more of Grand-Pré National Historic Site
Honored: We shared a special moment with fellow
Road Scholar participant, Dottie, as she found her Acadian ancestors
The town of Grand-Pré was first settled around 1680 by Pierre Melanson dit La Verdure, from the nearby first capital of Acadia, Port-Royal.
As the settlers built dykes to hold back the tides along the Minas Basin it outgrew Port Royal and became the bread basket of Acadia.
It was also the site of one of the biggest deportations of Acadians, when in 1755 the city was burned and the inhabitants sent away during what became known as The Great Upheaval.
In 1847 Grand-Pré was immortalized in the epic poem, Evangeline, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as the home of the tragic heroine by the same name.
See more about the Acadian, Canadian and Cajun (Louisiana) connection
Evening:
Our final stop of the day is Gaspereau Vineyards, the first of several wineries that have sprung up in the Annapolis Valley since 1996. They’ve planted thirty-five acres up the side of a south-facing hill that provides the sun and drainage ideal for growing grapes.
The white wines are the stars at Gaspereau, especially L’Acadie Blanc, named in honor of the local Acadian culture, and Tidal Bay, in a nod to the nearby Bay of Fundy. Both are crisp, light, and refreshing. Another unique, and very Canadian, ingredient is used in their port — maple syrup. Makes for a tasty after dinner drink… or it could be poured over pancakes. 😉
Day Six: Halifax. Titanic Tales and an Epic Explosion
Morning:
Fellow Road Scholar participant, Barbara, poses with
a very handsome (and very serious) Highlander
Overlooking downtown and the harbor, our first stop is Fort George, named for King George II, on the summit of Citadel Hill. What we see is a reconstructed version of the forth incarnation of the fortress that has been on this spot since 1749. No longer a military installation, it is a part of Parks Canada and guarded by re-enactors of the famous 78th Highlanders Regiment.
We continue with a stroll through the Public Gardens. This is truly a Victorian garden since it dates back to 1867, during Queen Victoria’s reign.
Flowers and plants from many varied climates line the walkways, with everything from cactus, to yucca, to roses, to towering trees represented. The roses smell so sweet, it’s like walking through a cake!
See more of Halifax’s Public Gardens
On a more somber note, we stop by the Fairview Lawn Cemetery to pay our respects at the graves of over one hundred of the casualties of the Titanic. Many of the headstones are marked with only numbers, as the identities of the victims remain unknown.
Click here to see our full story on Halifax
Perhaps the most poignant is an unknown grave of a two-year-old child brought back aboard the MacKay-Bennett, one of three ships sent out from Halifax to retrieve the deceased from the site of the disaster.
Just recently the boy was identified through DNA samples, but his family prefers that he continue to be a remembrance for all of the other unknown victims.
See more information and photos of the Fairview Lawn Cemetery
Afternoon:
At Pier 21, sometimes called Canada’s Ellis Island, we learn about how over one million immigrants entered the country. Many were fleeing wars or oppression, others seeking economic opportunity, and still another group reuniting with spouses met during World War II. These were known as war brides, and nearly 50,000 arrived here to enter their new home.
We spend the remainder of the afternoon in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic investigating the rich seafaring history of Nova Scotia.
The collection includes a nine foot high lens from the Sambro Island Lighthouse, the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America.
Click here to see our full story on Halifax
Shipwrecks are a big part of Halifax history, and the museum chronicles hundreds of them. Salvaged artifacts from dozens are on display, including a few from perhaps the most famous ever, the Titanic.
Once again we are reminded of the unknown child victim of the disaster when we come upon his little shoes in one of the cases.
A deck chair from the Titanic
See more Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Another disaster struck the city just a few years after the sinking of the Titanic, the Halifax Explosion. On December 6, 1917 the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship filled with wartime explosives, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the harbor. The Mont-Blanc caught fire and the resulting blast was the largest ever until the atom bomb.
At least two thousand people perished, with thousands more injured and left homeless. Aid poured in from all around, but Boston stood out in the relief effort, sending many ship loads of supplies. To this day, the city of Halifax sends a Christmas tree to Boston every year as a continuing thank you gift.
Read about Vincent Coleman, an amazing hero of the Halifax Explosion
Click here to see our full story on Halifax
Evening:
On the pier we have some free time for a bite, and we set out alone, GypsyNester style, to find some quintessentially Canadian street food. Good old poutine, french fries with gravy and cheese curds, which typically doesn’t include bacon (but bacon is always good!) and is more common inland around Quebec and Ontario; and a new item for us, donair, which is like a pita wrap of gyro meat served with a sweetened condensed milk sauce, and is unique to the Halifax area.
We sit and eat in the shadow of the tall ship Acadia. As always, poutine may not sound great, but no matter who we are with or where we try it, we never seem to see any leftover in the basket.
As for donair, the blend of spicy meat and sweet sauce works, but the sweet could be dialed back a notch or two without any complaints from us.
Click here to see our full story on Halifax
Day Seven: Scottish Settlement, Crossing the Strait and Fond Farewells in Lobster Bibs
Morning:
At Pictou we stop to see the Hector, famous for being the ship that brought the first Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773. A perfect replica of the ship, made from the original blueprints, highlights the museum. The exhibit chronicles the Scots fleeing the Highland Clearances in Scotland and making the arduous journey across the Atlantic to start new lives in Nova Scotia.
See more about the Hector and Pictou
Aboard The Hector, we get a small sample of just how crowded two hundred people would be on a one hundred foot ship. In the holds there was only room for one bunk per family, so everyone had to take turns sleeping. Because of a horrific storm, the trip that should have lasted six or seven weeks ended up taking eleven, and eighteen passengers died out at sea.
Scores of tartans line the walls of the museum, representing the clans of the families aboard. Veronica’s maiden name is Stewart… perhaps a relative?
See more about the Hector and Pictou
Afternoon:
Fellow Road Scholar participants, Nancy & Floyd,
find the romance of the sea
Straight from that harrowing story to a crossing of our own, without any of the hardships of course, the The MV Confederation ferries us across the Northumberland Strait back to Prince Edward Island.
To make the trip especially enjoyable, we are treated to live, local music as we watch the red cliffs dreamily come back into view.
See more about beautiful, red-cliffed Prince Edward Island
Evening:
We finish our amazing adventure through Canada’s Maritime Provinces with a traditional island lobster supper. Since we are back on Prince Edward Island, potatoes are also an important part of the meal. Over our delicious dinner we look back over our phenomenal experiences of the preceding week, rehash, recount and, after lingering as long as we could over dessert, bid fond farewells to all of the amazing new friends we have bonded with along the way.
Bon voyage to wherever the travel bug takes us all next!
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
YOUR TURN: Have we inspired you to embark on a Maritimes adventure? What would be your first stop?
Thanks to Road Scholar for providing this lifelong learning adventure through Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick! As always, all opinions are our own.
Learning About Lobster on Prince Edward Island
How do you tell a girl lobster from a boy lobster? How does a lobster trap work? Find out from a real fisherwoman! See our entire Canadian Maritimes adventure >>
How do you tell a girl lobster from a boy lobster? How does a lobster trap work? Find out from a real fisherwoman! See our entire Canadian Maritimes adventure >>