For our big vacation of the summer, we decided to take a trip to Nova Scotia. Apparently it was my dad who suggested the location since he visited Canada many summers as a boy. Once Jeff looked into it he was convinced. With two beach vacations happening this year, he was ready for a vacation of the type he likes - nature, hiking, beautiful vistas, new cities to explore, etc. And Nova Scotia definitely fit the bill.
Day 1: Tues, June 24th
Travel Day - Atlanta to Toronto to Halifax
We couldn't get direct flights, so we had to do a layover in Toronto. It was a day full of issues. First there were problems checking in. They couldn't find Ellie's reservation, saying it had been "returned." We have no idea what that means. They finally get it sorted out but they can't give us seat until we get to the gate. When they give us seats, Claire and Jeff have 20 C and D, an aisle and window on one side. I'm in 19A, a window on the other side. But only the C/D side has the extra oxygen mask. So I can't have Ellie with me. So someone has to sit with both kids. The gate agent didn't seem to think this was an issue at all. Once on the plane, I was able to switch across the aisle to the C/D side so I could hold Ellie. But I was by the window so I had very little room to maneuver. Bending over to retrieve the toys she dropped every 5 seconds killed my pregnant belly. Plus I was hungry and miserable since Jeff had my lunch and it would have been impossible to eat with Ellie grabbing everything. Finally I passed Ellie back over the seat to Jeff so I could eat. She fell asleep while he was holding her! Hooray!
Then we get to Toronto and go through customs, which we expected. But we also have to do security again, which we didn't expect. And we have an hour! We have bottles and bottles full of liquid. We are stressed trying to hurry through and make it to the gate in time to join the line for boarding. Phew! We arrive in Halifax that evening and think all is well. Until our car seats don't show up. They are lost in transit. The airline gives us new ones and promise to bring ours to the hotel in the morning if they show up (they did).
We get the rental car with no major issues and get to our hotel. The Quality Inn is perfect for our needs: close to the airport, a suite with a separate
bedroom with a sofa bed for Claire and pack n play for Ellie. Nice, clean, updated. We head out to Wellington for dinner. We drive past the chosen place and it seems closed. We loop back around to discover it's open, just a small hole in the wall place. The pizza was decent and the ice cream was good. The girls perked up enough to make it back to the hotel for a late bedtime.
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| Ellie catches some zzz's on the plane |
Day 2: Halifax to Cape Breton Island via Ceilidh Trail and Cabot Trail
We started the day with a complimentary breakfast at the hotel and then hit the road for Cape Breton. We took what we thought would be the scenic route, following the Ceilidh (kay-lee) trail to the Cabot trail. We stopped for lunch and a ceilidh (traditional gathering with music) at the Celtic Music Center in Judique. We followed a tip in a guide book to take a picturesque road by the coast from Port Hood to Mabou. The guide neglected to mention that it was a dirt road! But we did get a few nice views and Jeff enjoyed the "off-roading."
We make our way on to Cabot Trail which goes around and through the national park. And the fog starts rolling in. So our beautiful scenery is largely obscured. We drive through the mountains and check in at our next home away from home - a cottage at Ingonish Chalets. Which Claire called a "cobbage." After grabbing some dinner we follow the path across the road from the chalets to the beach. We were hoping for a nice evening walk on the beach. But we were driven away by relentless bugs and Claire screaming and whining about not liking the waves.
(A funny Claire note: throughout the trip Claire kept wondering when we were going to Nova Scotia. We could not make her understand that we were there. Everywhere we went was Nova Scotia!)
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| A few nice views on the Ceilidh trail |
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| Our picturesque detour |
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| Time for lunch and some fiddle music! |
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| On the Cabot trail |
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| Village down the coast |
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| Gorgeous! |
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| I loved these flowers we saw all along the trail! |
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| Our cobbage at Ingonish Chalets |
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| Living room, plus a kitchen and 2 bedrooms |
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| And a playground! |
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| Path to the beach |
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| Beautiful beach vista. Not pictured: a million bugs! |
Day 3: Exploring Cabot Trail and Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Finally time to do what we came for! Time to take in some nature. The forecast called for rain all day with the worst in the afternoon. So we didn't plan anything too ambitious. It was pretty dry in the morning so we decided to try a "long" hike. Which was about 1.5 hours round-trip. Wimpy on Jeff's hiking scale but with the girls we didn't want to push it. So we headed out for Middle Head trail, which goes out onto a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful! We did get some some misting rain, just enough to keep us cool without making us wet and miserable.
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| Our trail was on the green "finger" in the middle |
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| What the peninsula looks like from the air |
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| First view of the water as we head up |
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| Claire gets a ride in style |
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| Lobster boat |
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| Water and rocky cliffs and mountains = happy |
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| Back in the trees |
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| Ellie's ride |
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| Part of the path |
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| The end is in sight |
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| We made it! |
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| Family photo! |
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| Well worth the effort |
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| Jeff and Claire go exploring |
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| Ellie and I take the easier way around |
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| Claire wanted a picture of them on the rock |
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| Headed back, Jeff and Claire are in the middle of the photo |
Freshwater Lake Look Off:
After we finished up our hike at Middle Head, we wanted to attempt a few short walks to various overlooks. First up was freshwater lake look off. A short but steep climb up the hill just off the road. Ellie snoozed through this one on my back.
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| Just a few stairs |
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| The reward for our work |
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| The lake view |
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| Queen of the mountain! |
Green Cove Trail
After the lake look off, we headed back north. We stropped at Green Cove Trail, a short walk out onto a rocky outcropping. The fog obscured much of the view and the wind had picked up making it a little chilly.
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| Me and my silly girls :) |
Black Brook Beach
Next up was Black Brook beach. This just required a walk down a flight of stairs and there we were! Ellie finally got to run around a bit. A great way to celebrate her 11 month birthday!
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| Waterfall on the ocean? Excellent! |
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| Exploring |
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| Crazy girl set free! |
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| Experiencing this sand stuff |
Lone Sheiling
We continued north into the park to do the Lone Shieling trail. The shieling is a replica of a crofter's hut, a seasonal dwelling used by shepherds in Scotland when sheep were moved away from the village to graze in the highlands. It illustrates the heritage of the local inhabitants from the crofter class of the Scottish Highlands. The path winds through an old growth sugar maple grove. Which thrilled Jeff, who has a great appreciation for old growth forests.
We rounded out the afternoon with a small museum and a ride out to Neils Harbour.
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| North Highlands Community Museum |
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| Neils Harbour |
I indulged in lobster for dinner and then we got the girls back to our cottage for bath and bed. They were sharing a room and kept each other up for a while both nights. And Ellie woke up both nights, probably due to teething.
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| Dinner is served! |
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| Bath time! |
Day 4: Cabot trail, Fortress of Louisbourg, downtown Halifax
A day of driving again. I am definitely ready for no more road trips for a while! Ellie has not been great in the car. We headed east from Ingonish to Sydney and Louisbourg, finishing out most of the stunning Cabot trail. We had lunch at a place right on the water in Louisbourg before heading for the fortress. The Fortress of Louisbourg is a reconstruction of an 18th century French fortress with costumed actors. We only had time for an express visit unfortunately. But it was pretty cool.
Then we headed for Halifax, with more scenic views by Bras d'Or lake. Ellie was so tired so passed out with the bottle still in her mouth! After multiple hours of traveling we crossed the bridge into Halifax as the sun set.
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| Views from Cabot Trail |
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| Lunch spot in Louisbourg |
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| Our view for lunch |
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| Ready to visit the fortress! |
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| Chapel |
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| A few cannon barrels |
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| Barracks and govenor's quarters |
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| Claire at the entrance |
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| View from the top of the wall |
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| Claire tries to pick up a cannon ball |
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| Headed back to the village |
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| Ellie passed out on the way back to Halifax |
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| Crossing the bridge into downtown Halifax |
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| Sunset in the city |
Day 5: Exploring Halifax
Except the noise at night, our Marriott hotel in Halifax was great. Centrally located, all the amenities we needed and a separate bedroom! So we were ready for our first day exploring the city. Our first stop was the Citadel, an old fort at the top of the city (yep, straight up the hill!). The we walked through the Public Gardens before stopping for lunch.
After lunch we visited the Discovery Centre, which is a children's museum. We figured we needed to do something kid-centric. Claire was in heaven. After that we did a Harbor Hopper tour, which uses the amphibious vehicles that do both land and water. We figured it would be a good overview of the city and a good exposure to a boat ride for Claire. She didn't want to do the whale watching trip we had planned for the next day but it turns out the whales were the issue not the boat. She squealed in excitement when the Harbor Hopper entered the water!
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| Heading up the hill to the Citadel |
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| Courtyard |
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| Part of the interior |
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| Inside the wall |
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| View from the top of the wall |
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| Heading into the gardens |
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| There's Claire running out from the giant rhodedendron |
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| Claire and I pose among the rhodedendrons |
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| Claire and Oscar at the Discovery Centre |
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| Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Oh, here we are! |
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| Making bubbles! |
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Down at the harbor, Claire discovered Theodore Tugboat,
based on an older children's show in Canada. She fell in love
and talked about him the next few days. Unfortunately we
didn't have time to ride. |
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| Our Harbour Hopped ride |
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| My loves |
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| Ellie enjoys her tour of the city |
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| In to the water we go |
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| Someone's enjoying their harbor ride! |
Ellie got us all up early. So we had time to visit the indoor farmers market and walk along the water before our whale watching trip. We didn't see any whales. But we did get to see
the staff pull up a 5 lb lobster in their trap and saw a huge leatherback turtle. Claire also enjoyed feeding the seagulls. Back at the harbor we grabbed some lunch and then drove out to Peggy's Cove to see the much photographed lighthouse.
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| Indoor farmer's market |
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| Took the Harborwalk over to our boat |
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| Ready to go! |
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| Leaving the harbor |
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| Trying to keep Ellie happy |
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| What did we catch?? |
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| A few small lobsters and this giant guy |
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| Turtle! |
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| Finally got Ellie to sleep! (She's in the carrier Jeff is wearing) |
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| Hamming it up |
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| Heading back in |
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| Who's that handsome man and that gorgeous baby?? |
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Off to visit the fishing village turned
tourist destination of Peggy's Cove |
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| Mommy and Claire needed a quick ice cream break! |
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| And there's the lighthouse! |
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| Off to explore the rocks |
Day 7: Headed home
Time for the trip home. We had to do customs and security in Toronto again. Fortunately we had a much longer layover so we weren't in a rush. Flights and seating and luggage went a little better this time. We landed around bed time. Ellie passed out hard on the way home. Claire hit that hyper over tired state and chattered non-stop the whole ride.
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| Get me to my bed, stat! |
All in all, we had a great trip! Traveling with two young kids has it's challenges of course. And we did a little too much riding in the car. But it really was a good trip.
