South Shore

The plan for today was to visit a string of towns on the south shore bays and coves west of Halifax. First up was Peggy's Cove where the most photographed lighthouse in Canada (and in the top 10 in the world, according to yachtingnews.com) is located. While I'm still partial to the Gay Head Light, this one lives up to the hype primarily because of the glacially smoothed rock formations that sit under and all around it.

It didn't hurt that the weather was literally picture-perfect and we timed our arrival early in the morning to beat the crowds and tour buses. While there were a few dozen people climbing around the rocks, I was still able to get some good pictures.

The glacial landscape around the lighthouse is quite different from what we've seen in other parts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and for the first time there were smooth erratics all along the coastline and the low hills nearby.

In general, Peggy's Cove was spectacular, but the rocks were really the star of the show. AND I caught another glimpse of a whale, this time only a quick flash of back as it breached. No pics, no spout of water, no second sighting. But I saw it, I swear!

Next on the cove-hop was the village of Chester. I'd read that it was settled by Loyalists from Massachusetts and that the architecture included salt box Capes and cedar-shingled houses (cedar is not a common wood here, so 18th and 19th century wood houses are typically wood sided. We just passed through and I didn't take any pictures, but it did kind of seem like we could have been somewhere on Cape Ann.   

Remember a few days ago when I was giving Canada props for egalitarian coastal housing? Well that went out the window because some of those gorgeous little coves we drove through today had big ol' modern hideous houses crammed right next to each other with every single tree cut down around them. Yuk. They're here, too.

Chester is on Mahone Bay, and Mahone Bay is where Oak Island sits, and that was next on our list. My list. Jen had no interest in seeing or hearing about Oak Island. The TV show shoots all around the island, on the way to the island, and in the neighboring town of Mahone Bay, so it was easy to identify a bunch of places and we drove slowly out over the causeway leading to Oak Island that makes an appearance in almost every episode. 

 

Trailers for production and drilling crews- the closest we got

That was it, though, because as soon as we got to the island side a 20-something guy with a clipboard stopped us and with a total monotone said "Welcome to Oak Island. Unfortunately, because there's filming going on, Oak Island is closed to the public. You can drive through the parking lot to turn around and take some pictures as long as the car wheels continue to turn." Denied! But filming! Meaning the treasure hunting crew was out there today digging the shit out of that poor island and a whole History Channel production crew was right there with them. I was simultaneously disappointed and excited, and left thinking that when the next season airs I can watch for a scene on a sunny August day and wonder if it was today!  

We continued on into town and decided to get lunch because it wasn't insanely busy yet. We knew at least one senior tour bus would be passing through because Jen had memorized its intinerary which was posted in our hotel lobby. It just so happened that the best looking place for lunch was the Mug and Anchor which also just so happens to be the place where the all-male cast of the Curse of Oak Island goes for a pint to talk about their "fellowship" and congratulate each other after a hard day of futile treasure hunting. 

 

The pub sits right on the water (not shown) and we had a great lunch and raised our own pints, then headed on to our most western stop in the town of Lunenburg. The Old Town area is one of only two urban communities in North America designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site- the other is Quebec City. Seventy percent of the original colonial buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries survive and most are still in use.

 

We walked around town and visited the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic to learn everything there is to know about cod and maritime disaster.

Unlike our first stops, Lunenburg was crawling with tourists and the dozens of restaurants and gift shops were packed with people. I think it would have been nicer to see the town and buildings during a quieter time of year, but it was still a beautiful spot and the number of historic buildings was impressive even for a New Englander used to seeing them. Many are also painted in bright colors which adds to the visual appeal and sets it apart from other historic districts.

Wen spent our last night in Halifax having a great dinner on the waterfront. We also got to watch a ginormous cruise ship leave port. Jen checked her marine tracker app and figured out it was headed to... Boston.