Day 2: First Full Day in Nova Scotia

Bedford, Canada

Today was such a fun Sunday! We had a great time making our way up the Arcadian Shore from Yarmouth landing in Bedford for the night. We started our morning with gorgeous views at the famous apple-core shaped Cape Forchu Lightstation just a few minutes from our hotel. This is an extra popular spot in just a few more months, when they officially drop all the lobster fisherman off at this waterfront and say a prayer for their safety during the frigid Nov-May lobster catching season. We met a nice man from Toronto strolling through this area, and were so impressed his dog was “posing” for photos and listening so well to him without going astray with the many surrounding distractions. As we passed through town we loved spotting the clusters of lobster cages (which we have started calling “lobster homes” lol) aligning the road and waterfront. Our next stop along the drive was a quick viewing of the smallest operating drawbridge…although a brief stop, this may have been one of our favorite little detours! This wharf in Sandford had a few cars and boats, but we didn’t spot any people…so, we enjoyed climbing this tiny, but steep bridge and catching some of the miscellaneous murals on the surrounding buildings. I’ll be the first to admit my fear of heights, and quickly found myself “stuck” as we worked our way to the top. Bry naturally bounced ahead to show me if was safe and sturdy, and finally got me at ease to make it to the very point of the raised bridge! Definitely a cool stopping point even if you don’t have much time passing through! Ps. At this point in the day tide was very low, so you can actually see the boats “sitting” on the ocean floor. It was onward to Digby for us from here…where we caught our first up close view of the Bay of Fundy (naturally, today became “Sunday Fundy!” We were excited to find their local Scallop Festival, and had to try their “Scallop Roll” AKA fresh grilled scallops on essentially a hot dog bun. We casually picnicked, looked around this little town and the many street vendors, and saw an antique car show. The festival even had “Aqua Golf” set up, but weren’t going to start until later in the afternoon…so we missed the fun, but looked like a pretty cool shot to attempt (see pic)! With fully satisfied bellies, we got back in the car to drive to Annapolis Royal. Pulling into this area we noticed several lovely Victorian style homes, many of which were inns. Our destination here was the Historic Gardens, 17 acres to wonder through. We loved the manicured garden areas in bloom, pine tree forest walk, and exploring the open “Dyke Trail” which was a marshland that natural habitat can be free in (but, they keep gated to protect their gardens from deer). After the gardens, we headed to Hall’s Harbour Lobster Pound about an hour further up the coast. At this point, the tide was high and boats were back to floating vs sitting on the floor. We made our way down the stoney beach to see the beautiful cliff faces and driftwood, then caught (almost literally) our lobster dinner! One of the local artists pointed our her recommendations for a few more stops for the day, so we decided to take her word and made a stop at Luckett Vineyards (check it out…they have a British phone booth in their vineyards) and a nice lookout point to spot the red rocks across the bay of Five Islands, Provincial Park (a destination we don’t have time to get to on this trip, but is a must if we have the chance to visit again!). As we wind down to relax in Bedford for the night, I’d say we had a pretty successful day 1! Can’t wait for what’s still in store for us this week!