NOVA SCOTIA is one of the four Atlantic provinces of Canada. It is bounded on the north by the Northumberland, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Cabot Strait; on the south and southeast by the Atlantic Ocean; and on the west and northwest by the Bay of Fundy and New Brunswick. The province consists of two principal parts, the mainland peninsula and Cape Breton Island, separated by the narrow Strait of Canso. The capital is Halifax, a city of more than 350,000 people.
What induced us to vacation in Nova Scotia? We had seen on our flights to Europe the monitors that keep the passengers informed of the flight progress, always mentioning Nova Scotia and Halifax. Out of curiosity, we started to investigate about the place, and we found that it could be an interesting area to explore.
It proved to be one of the most charming and amazing sites that we had visited. The scenic panoramas, the architecture, the lighthouses and the quaint villages were all magnificent, and the friendliness of its proud people had a pleasing open warmth. The seafood, especially, was very fresh and super delicious, and very economical. But what made Nova Scotia really unique and unforgettable were the ocean tides and the tidal bore, one of Mother Nature’s strangest sights. It is a phenomenon that is seen in very few parts of the world. The Bay of Fundy, on the northern side of the peninsula, is particularly noted for its extremely high tides ––the highest in the world–– and for its tidal bores.
In the open ocean, the tide only rises and lowers a couple of feet. However, in the V-shaped Bay of Fundy, the tide enters the broad end and literally “piles up” as it moves up the bay. At the very head of the bay, this advancing tide becomes a wave varying from just a ripple to several feet in height, and this wave continues into and up the rivers which empty into the bay. This wave is referred to as a “tidal bore”.
We had the opportunity of watching this phenomenon of a river changing its flow before our very eyes, created by the tidal wave, or bore, flowing OVER the outgoing river water. In other words, the river current was going toward the bay (as usual) but, when the tide started to rise, this wave advanced in the opposite direction. We saw a small waterfall flowing upwards!
There are other interesting attractions on this fantastic Canadian province and we will be enumerating them.
First stop of our trip was at BAR HARBOUR, Maine, where we enjoyed the first mouthwatering lobster. This used to be the summer vacation place for the Fords, Astors, Morgans, Rockefellers, Carnegies and Vanderbilts. By 1870 there were sixteen hotels in Bar Harbor, but that hardly met the demand and reservations for rooms had to be made two years in advance. We visited Acadia National Parking before sunrise. There, on top of Mt. Cadillac, we were the very first persons in United States to see the sun ! We also saw there the first lighthouse, probably the most beautiful that we saw in the whole trip.
Then we took the ferry to YARMOUTH, Nova Scotia. This ferry, called The Cat, is a huge speedboat that carries 500 passengers with their cars. As soon as it gets into open sea, the ship elevates itself and it glides in the ocean like if it was skiing. At a speed of 55 MPH it makes the trip in just 2 ½ hours.
CRESCENT BEACH, once featured on the Canadian fifty-dollar bill.
WESTERN HEAD, another lighthouse with a charming two-story keeper quarters.
LIVERPOOL, with its classy lighthouse.
The OVENS. Caves dug by the ocean tides.
PEGGY’s COVE. A very picturesque fishing village with the most beautiful lighthouse on top of a rocky formation. This charismatic cove was easily the highlight of our trip.
PROSPECT, another tiny cove.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia’s capital. Site of a huge fortress. Most of the victims of the Titanic disaster are buried at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery.
COBEQUID BAY, the narrowest part of the Bay of Bundy bay, where the tidal bore is observed.
BADDECK, in Cape Breton Island. Site of the Alexander Bell’s Museum.
CHETICAMP, an Acadian fishing village.
CAPE BRETON NATIONAL PARK, with spectacular views of the ocean along the Cabot Trail.
CABOT’S LANDING, the site of John Cabot’s landfall in 1497, which staked Britain’s claim to North America.
LOUISBOURG, the largest historic fortress restoration in Canada.
GRAN PRE. The famous site of the “Expulsion of 1755”, when British troops dispersed Acadian families throughout North America. Some of them went so far as Louisiana, where they formed their own Acadian communities.
HALL’S HARBOUR. Just a little cove with a dozen fishing boats anchored there, but could easily compete with Peggy’s Cove as the highlight of our trip. At 8:25 AM all the boats were resting at the bottom of the cove. The tide started to come in fast, and I mean fast. In just a few minutes the boats were floating and in a few hours the water level was the same as the ocean.
DIGBY. Home of the largest scallop fishing fleet in the world, and we tried them for lunch. They were huge, juicy and delicious. Nearby is BALANCING ROCK, a thin, rocky formation that stands about 20 feet high and it looked like a miracle that it was still standing.
BEAR RIVER, a small town acclaimed as the “Switzerland of Nova Scotia”. It consists of a few shops in high stilts on the bank of a small river, where the tide ebbs and flows 30 feet, but nothing that could be slightly compared to the European country. It has a different charm about it and I don’t think it needed the flamboyant title.
POINTE DE L’EGLISE. The place is famous for the St. Mary’s church, the oldest and largest wooden church in North America. Next to it is the Université Sainte-Anne, where we watched “Evangeline”, a play based in Longfellow’s famous poem.
YARMOUTH. Site of the ship docks to take a ride back to Maine. On a rocky hill we found CAPE FORCHU, another fascinating lighthouse.
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