Today we have a South Shore tour route all planned. Unfortunately we are over an hour late docking (have no idea why it took so long to dock – very odd!). That put us behind, but we fast walked through town to get our car and get on our way as quickly as we could. We had enormous luck with the car too! For some reason Budget upgraded us to a luxury Chrysler 300 with leather and all the bells and whistles, including GPS. Nice!
Once ensconced in our car, we struck out along the coastal route. Since we were late, we decided to reverse our itinerary and go to the furthest point of the tour first: Lunenberg. This is a precious little fishing village that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is the best example of planned British colonial settlement in North America. It is incredibly picturesque with its vibrantly painted houses and commercial buildings, and the lovely wharf and bay area.
We enjoyed a quiet walk along the bayside streets, finishing at the end of the dock where a replica of the Bluenose II was moored. The town is famous for the original Bluenose, launched in 1921, and designed specifically for competing in the International Fishermen’s Trophy racing series. The Bluenose won every racing competition she entered while also serving as a working fishing boat. In 1942, she was sold, and subsequently foundered and was lost on a Haitian reef.
Next we backtracked to Mahone Bay, an even smaller little fishing village that is known for its 3 churches which are visible from every viewpoint around the town.
We had come this far by the interstate, so now we headed back to Halifax along the more scenic coastal drive which winds its way around the picturesque South Shore. Timing is perfect too – because it is now right about lunch time and we are coming up on Chester Basin, where the Seaside Shanty is located – our planned lunch stop. The Shanty lives up to its good reviews – a quaint little place right on the water with excellent seafood and chowder!
We dig into a Lobster roll, Caesar salad, seafood chowder, Haddock sandwich, special Maple roasted squash and apple soup along with tarragon scallops. Yummy!
After stuffing ourselves with that great meal, we step outside and revel in the sunshine while taking in our picturesque surroundings.
Back on the road, we follow the winding coastal lanes to Bayswater, , where we visited the Swissair Memorial site, a monument in memory of the people who lost their lives on September 2, 1998 in that awful plane crash. It is a lovely, but somber memorial. One that deserves much silence and thoughtful reflection. This was especially relative since not only are Gaby and Sigis Swiss, but also on their flight over to the States, their flight attendant was the widow of the Captain of Swissair flight 111.
Once again in the car, we realize we don’t have enough time to make it all the way around to Peggy’s Cove and back to the ship on time. While this is disappointing, it isn’t really too devastating. We’ve had a lovely day, and Peggy’s Cove, while being the most photographed site in Atlantic Canada, is also renowned as a tourist trap. Virtually every tour from the ship goes there – so we don’t consider it too much of a loss from our itinerary.
We make it back to Halifax with plenty of time to walk down the seaside boardwalk and back to the ship. We even have time to stop at the Garrison brewery across the street from the pier for $2 samples of their beer. Very refreshing! Then through the shopping gauntlet at the pier – losing Sigis to the Internet – and back on board for another lovely night at sea.
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