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The Citadel |
September 12, 2014
Halifax is not a large city – according to Wikipedia it’s
rated 14th in population size in Canada
– about 300,000 - just a little
smaller than Victoria on the opposite coast.
Both cities boast small downtowns with few buildings over 10
stories. Both were important British
naval ports and their layouts are similar.
Our hotel is right across the street from the Citadel – a
must see sight in Halifax – we wander over right after breakfast. As with many of the attractions (as we
discover around the trip), the events at
the fort are in the “shoulder season”
which means that things have been scaled back. The reconstruction of the
fort is impressive as are the tours led by docents in period costumes answering questions. Plan to spend a couple of hours there.
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Halifax to Dartmouth Ferry |
We have been warned that in Halifax the pedestrian is
King. Cars must give way to pedestrians
or face a healthy fine. It’s a novel
experience to see that as soon as we approach an intersection cars and trucks
immediately screech to a halt. It’s also
scary to watch pedestrians blindly crossing streets without even looking
sideways – absolutely certain that the cars will stop for them. I feel sorry for these people: they wouldn’t last two minutes in Vancouver
or two seconds in Montreal.
My son-in-law highly recommended the Alexander Keith’s brewery tour. It turns out to be the
lowlight of our day. It’s way overpriced
for a glass of beer and bad theatre ($17.00 Geezer rate). You can definitely give it a miss. (NOTE: TripAdvisor gives it a 4.5/5 out of five )
September 13, 2014
The following day we climb into our rental
car and head out into the wilds of Nova Scotia. For someone from British
Columbia where a short jaunt would be two or three hours I am surprised how
close everything is – usually only 30 or 40 minutes.
For the most part we rely on Google Maps. I brought my dashboard mount for my cellphone
and we have, for the most part, a reliable guide. The friendly guy at Budget Rent-a-car was
willing to rent me a gps unit for only $15.00 a day. For the cost of a two week rental I could
have bought a deluxe GPS unit. Don’t
fall for that: use your phone.
September 17, 2014
At Haida Gwaii we had arrived at the water’s edge early in the
morning –
just as the tide was falling. We carried
the first kayak down to the water and returned to the truck to get the next
one. When we arrived back at the water
the first kayak was high and dry and the water had retreated about twenty
feet. We moved both kayaks back to the
water’s edge and leave to get the next kayak.
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Queen Charlotte City: Tide out! |
By the time all four kayaks are down to where the water’s
edge was previously the water in the harbour was completely gone – leaving only
a mud flat. We were forced to reload
the kayaks and drive around the island to find a suitable deep water launching
site. I am told the tides in the Bay of
Fundy are even more impressive.
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Alma at Low Tide... |
Alma is a small fishing village on the Bay of Fundy and a
great
place to experience the most extreme tides. Like most of the other areas we traveled to
the town is basically closed for the season.
Most of the restaurants and tourist attractions close after Labour Day
leaving only a couple of restaurants, a motel and a gas station open to service
the local residents.
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...and a few hours later |
We pull over at the public wharf on the edge of
town. Several large fishing boats were
resting on the mud twenty feet below the wharf.
We continue on to check into our lodgings then head back to town to
check out dinner possibilities. When we
pass the wharf we visited only a few hours earlier, the fishing boats are all
afloat and just about up to the wharf level.
This in the space of only a few
hours.
September 19, 2014
As I mentioned earlier Google Maps was fairly reliable
with one notable exception. I’d heard a
lot about Malpeque Oysters. They are supposed to be among the best
oysters in the world. A visit to
Malpeque Bay on Prince Edward Island was one of the first “must sees” I put on
our “to do” list.
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Confederation Bridge |
Checking the guide books I find that “the” place to have
Malpeque oysters is the “Oyster Barn”
right on the water. I program the address
into my GPS and we head off.
It’s about a 40 minute drive from Summerside and I am
encouraged by the numerous signs along the way proclaiming the culinary
excellence of the Oyster Barn.
As we arrive in Mapeque Bay the Google Map Lady (GML) announces our
destination is just ahead on the right.
The only building in sight is a shuttered barn-like structure. The faded sign proclaims it to be the “Oyster
Barn.” It appears to have been closed
for some time. We look around for
another eating establishment but can’t find any. In fact we don’t see a single soul. It appears like with many other attractions we
have arrived too late.
I consult Google again and am surprised to find in one of
the many listings for the Oyster barn there is another address. I assume perhaps we have arrived at an older
establishment or perhaps they have another restaurant in a nearby town.
I program the address into Google Maps and off we go. We follow
GML’s directions down a paved highway.
After about ten minutes she has us turn onto a gravel road; a short time
later she has us turn onto a rutted seldomly used road, and finally as we come
into a small complex buildings she informs me to“Turn left now” onto a grassy
strip that seem to run between the backs of two rows of houses. A short time later she proclaims:
“You have arrived at your destination.”
The only thing I can see is a guy pressure washing his
driveway. He looks up as well pulled to
a stop.
I roll down the window.
“I’ve come for the Oysters,” I inform him.
“I’ve come for the Oysters,” I inform him.
“What?” was the puzzled reply.
“According to the Google Lady, this is the Oyster Barn.”
“Never heard of it,”
“That can’t be.
The Google Lady says it is, and at that moment she confirmed it.
“You have arrived at your destination.”
“This ain’t the Oyster Barn.”
I hold out my phone.
“Do you want to argue with Google?”
After a short conversation the gentleman tells me that he
knows of a fish store a bit down the road that might have some Oysters.
I get the name of the place from him, look up the address
in Google, program it into the GPS and off we go for round three.
After retracing our steps, GML puts us on a paved road
and twenty minutes later we arrive at the fish store. There is only a bike in the parking lot, but
it appears to be open, so I am encouraged.
I enter and find the store manager loading the last of a
tray of Oysters into the bike owners saddlebags.
“You do have some more in the back don’t you?”
“Sorry,” is the reply.
“That’s the last of them. As of
tomorrow we’re closed for the season.”
I briefly entertain the thought of grabbing the
bicyclist’s saddle bags out of his hand and making a dash to the car. But since he appears a lot bigger and more
fit than me I give up the thought.”
I explain to the store owner that I have come all the way
from British Columbia for Malpeque Oysters and am am sadly disappointed I can’t
find them.
“If you don’t mind a bit of a drive, there’s a bar in
Stanley Bridge, that probably has some.”
Well, in for a dime in for a dollar. We’ve come all this way and the day is half
over. Why not?
I program the bar’s address into Google and off we go
again. About half an hour later we pull
into the tiny town of Stanley Bridge and find Carr's Oyster Bar. I’m not encouraged – there are no cars in the
parking lot.
We park and walk up to the door and are pleasantly
surprised to find it open. Once inside I
am confronted with a huge table filled with ice and oysters. The waitress observes me staring at them.
“How many of them would you like, sir?”
“You’re joking, right?” she replies.
After a brief discussion on the merits of the different
sizes a compromise is reached. I will take twenty of the small ones. Michele
and I retreat to the outdoor deck overlooking the bay and wait for the waitress
to shuck the oysters.
A few minutes later my oysters and a cold beer
arrive. It had taken the better part of
a day and I don’t know how many hundred kilometers to get these oyster and I am
suddenly worried that it might not have been worth it.
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