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I am not a drinker, so couldn't even attempt to lie on that front. I hear the icewine is good, if you are used to getting drunk on robitussin. You'll end up diabetic from it though. It's like making alcohol out of raisins.
Travel related discussion.
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Yeah, they definitely would not be ok with any sort of outside interference with their schtick.
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CRHeel94
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Just finished a two week trip through Barcelona and northern Spain.
Even in the off season,Barcelona was really busy with tourists...can see why there's a bit of a local backlash. Still a great city.
The gem of the trip however was northern Spain...if you ever need a good food destination for some slow travel, I'd strongly suggest Bilbao and San Sebastián. Some great eating. The beaches were prettier than I expected (wonder how swamped it gets during the summer).
Even in the off season,Barcelona was really busy with tourists...can see why there's a bit of a local backlash. Still a great city.
The gem of the trip however was northern Spain...if you ever need a good food destination for some slow travel, I'd strongly suggest Bilbao and San Sebastián. Some great eating. The beaches were prettier than I expected (wonder how swamped it gets during the summer).
Centerpiece
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Our neighbor just got back from walking the Camino. 2 months in Northern Spain. Loved it.
I agree wholeheartedly on the benefits of travel. It is one of the main reasons that I retired to Portugal in 2018. I wanted the ability to travel Europe cheaply.
And I also agree that while visiting the capitals/big cities is fine, I prefer the smaller cities more. But NEVER miss Florence if you have the ability to get there.
Bordeaux, Malaga, Porto, and many more are full of everything that you could want from a city, but cheaper, less tourists, and easier to get around. If you can, always travel during the shoulder months (spring and fall). Even winter can be great in some places. The Algarve area in Portugal, known for some of the prettiest beaches in the world, is DEAD in December and January, but many days are sunny and in the high 60s and low 70s.
And I also agree that while visiting the capitals/big cities is fine, I prefer the smaller cities more. But NEVER miss Florence if you have the ability to get there.
Bordeaux, Malaga, Porto, and many more are full of everything that you could want from a city, but cheaper, less tourists, and easier to get around. If you can, always travel during the shoulder months (spring and fall). Even winter can be great in some places. The Algarve area in Portugal, known for some of the prettiest beaches in the world, is DEAD in December and January, but many days are sunny and in the high 60s and low 70s.
My wife and I each have a pretty substantial JetBlue credit that we have to use before April. We were thinking of trying their transatlantic service since the credit would essentially cover the cost. My only hangup is the thought of visiting Europe in March when it might be cold and dreary. Their destinations are Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Edinburgh. Anyone have any experiencing traveling in Europe during this time period? Could it be enjoyable or should we try some place warm and tropical?
CRHeel94
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I was once chatting with a CR politician and we were joking about the best embassies to be located. He said hands down, the best was Portugal. Low cost of living, great local scene, easy access to Europe (and for political purposes, not much happens).
No argument here. With the cheap European airlines, I have flown to Madrid for 8€, Milan, Paris, Barcelona, and lots of smaller cities for under 40 r/t. Even flew to Morocco for 20€ r/t. I can use the buses and trains for 5€ and under to get to most of Portugal. No guns, so completely safe.. Cost of living has increased tremendously, both to inflation and increased interest as a place to retire from the UK, Brazil, Australia, the US, China, Israel, and Ukraine, but still rates about half of what I was paying to live in Greensboro. No need for a car, so that saves a significant amount of money right there.
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Ok, here is my missive on visiting Nova Scotia.
First thing to consider is time of year. August and September are hands down the best time of year to visit weather wise with comfortable temperatures and usually sunny days. October has been increasingly nice with global warming, but September and October do risk a hurricane/ tropical storm hit. NS gets hit by them more than NC these days. June and July can be hit or miss. Weather could be beautiful, could also be 50 degrees and foggy as all get out. Also the scourge upon humanity known as black flies are out during those months. These are fruit fly sized biting flies that descend on you in a cloud. September/October also the benefit of leaf changing season, especially in Cape Breton, but that will come with a premium price wise in Cape Breton where rest of the world wants to see the leaves in the highlands.
NS has I'd say 4 main regions. Halifax is in the center of three of them and can easily function as a base of operations. depending on how much you want to travel in a day. So you have the Halifax area, you have the Annapolis Valley, the South Shore and then Cape Breton. It takes less than two hours to drive North/South over the entire province, but a lot more to drive East/West. Halifax is on the Southern end of things, but you can get to the Valley in less than an hour, and to most of the spots on the South Shore in about an hour-90 minutes too. There are some exceptions, but I will cover them. Cape Breton is not a day trip from Halifax. It takes about 5 hours to drive there and if you want to see anything, you will need more time so if you head East you have to plan to stay out there.
Halifax area - The main city is divided into basically two cities, but have been incorporated into one. The west side of the Harbor is Halifax proper - it's a city on a peninsula, like Boston and the vast concentration of restaurants, businesses etc are here. The east side of the Harbour is Dartmouth, which is like Durham to Raleigh. It is has a smaller artsy district with some great restaurants, a nice park around a lake, but also large industrial areas, military bases etc. You can can take a cheap and quick ferry from Halifax to Dartmouth and vice versa - it's the best cruise you can take to see the city if you are just looking to get a good view of things. It also frees you up to look for accommodations in Dartmouth, if they are better priced without fear you are missing out by being stranded in the boonies. Dartmouth sprawls though, so make sure you look at map before you book anything. Public transportation other than the ferries is pretty lousy. The bus service is unreliable and can be crowded. Taxis are hated here by the population from years of not having enough of them and having all the power in the hands of the cab companies, but there is uber now. Ideally you will want to rent a car to leave the city though.
Downtown Halifax is relatively contained and walkable, there are some hills if mobility is an issue, but we are not talking SF here. The prime jewel of things since I moved here has been the renovation of the water front. At some point they figured out this area of old warehouses with great views could be turned into housing and commercial enterprises. There are now brand new multi use buildings, public art, lots of good restaurants (I'll make a general restaurant recommendation list in another post,) outdoor beer gardens etc. It's not huge - it isn't something you'll spend your whole trip, or even a half a day exploring, but it's a good point to return to for food or whatever. There is a great Maritime museum there with Titanic relics and a great exhibit on the Halifax Explosion so if you are a history buff, might be worth checking out. On the subject of history, the city's center is dominated by the Halifax Citadel, which is an 18-19th century star shaped fort at the heart of the city. Which was built to protect Halifax from a land-based attack in coordination with various batteries along the harbor to protect against attack from the sea. Halifax Harbor is one of the largest and deepest ice-free harbors in the world. The entirety of the British navy at the peak of its power could fit in the harbor if it needed to. During WWI and WWII convoys formed up here because the ships could be protected while their numbers gathered. The citadel never fired a shot in war time as no one ever tried to invade Halifax, and it was obsolete by WWI of course. They do tours of it year round, and the re-enacters all dress as a 19th century Scottish highlands regiment with kilts etc. There is also the Alexander Keith brewery, which isn't really a brewery any more, but it has tours. Alexander Keith's is the second oldest beer in North America, behind Molson's. It's older than Yeungling. It's called an IPA, but no one considers it an IPA, but then again it is older than all the other IPAs so they are probably wrong. Locals consider it cheaper beer, but might be worth a taste if you are into that thing. Garrison and Propeller are the much preferred local microbrews, both with stores/ tasting rooms. There are also a bunch of other smaller ones Nine Locks brewery's "Dirty Blonde" being a favorite of the locals, there are also many cider places, which is huge here thanks to the Valley producing a butt ton of apples. Also the Alexander Keith brewery building has a farmers market on the weekends with some good food vendors.
The southern tip of Halifax is a giant park called Point Pleasant park. It took a hurricane hit on the chin in 2004, followed by a blizzard a few months later and even 20 years later the trees are still rebounding. it's a gorgeous park though with remains of old coastal batteries, and a great view of the Atlantic. Just west of Downtown is the Public Gardens, which is a Victorian era garden that is carefully curated and maintained most of the year round by a team of gardeners with a 19th century bandstand in the center and various water features. For sure worth a stroll. To be honest, unless you're a foodie and want to try every restaurant, you can see all of Halifax you want in a day, day and a half. The true power of Halifax is being a central point to branch out and see other things.
One other thing to say about Halifax is the Peggy's Cove area. I could easily lump it in with the South Shore, but it is technically in the city limits of Halifax (which are gigantic.) This is about 45 minutes away from the city and is basically the biggest tourist destination in the province. It's always crowded, and on unlucky days has many busses from cruise ships there. The main attraction is the lighthouse , set in among very rocky terrain and if the seas are rough you can see waves smashing against the rock that easily go the height of the lighthouse. You can't go in the lighthouse, just walk around it, but there are some really nice views. The town itself is a somewhat preserved old fishing village with various artisans, art galelries, and a few food places. There is usually a truck that sells lobster and offers boil your own, but I recommend going to the place called Tom's lobster shack for a more upscale lobster roll. They do the traditional New England mayo based one, but I am partial to Connecticut style, which is lobster cooked on a griddle in seasoned butter. This place calls it the naked roll. There are some whale watching and puffin tour cruises that leave from here, but these are going to be pricey. Peggys Cove is the tip of the Chebucto peninsula, which is a giant peninsula with several smaller peninsulas jutting off of it, including the one Halifax is on and the one I live on. The vast bit of the Chebucto peninsula is undeveloped and protected land and this especially true for around Peggys Cove. A drive through the area is like looking at an alien landscape with the occasional lone scraggly pine. This time of year the fields around it are firey red with the wild blueberry bushes changing color for the season, and house size erratic boulders left over from the glaciers. Five minutes east of Peggy's cove is a great hiking trail called Polly's Cove trail. Two minutes west of Peggy's cove is a memorial to Swiss Air 111, which is a thoughtful memorial to the plane crash in a beautiful natural setting. (the crux of a memorial is a boulder sliced in half, the other half being in another memorial site on a different peninsula across St Margaret's bay. The plane went down in the water between the two spots.) A few more minutes down the road you get to Indian Harbour, which has a lobster wholesaler where you can buy the big bugs to cook yourself, a great restaurant called Rhubarb with a great patio if the weather is nice, and a place called Oceanstone Inn, which has smaller cabins and rooms you can rent, and has an attached spa. When we came to scout Halifax for the move we stayed here. It's a nice alternative to staying in the city. There is also an Acadian restaurant if you want to try authentic food from the pre-English colonial era of Nova Scotia. You can drive aroudn the whole peninsula to get to Peggy's Cove and back to Halifax. The east side is less picturesque, but it has its moments including the fishing village of Dover. The west side, up St. Margaret's Bay is really pretty though. On the West side there is a nice deli called White Sails where you can get some good take away sandwiches or eat near the inlet picnic tables they have set up. There are scattered art galleries along the way and at the end of it a maple syrup sugar shack in the town of Tantallon, which is at the top of the peninsula. Also a nice beer garden/ wood fired pizza placed called the Rustic Crust in Tantallon. I know that's listing 4 good places to eat all in one section, but it's good to have options...
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First thing to consider is time of year. August and September are hands down the best time of year to visit weather wise with comfortable temperatures and usually sunny days. October has been increasingly nice with global warming, but September and October do risk a hurricane/ tropical storm hit. NS gets hit by them more than NC these days. June and July can be hit or miss. Weather could be beautiful, could also be 50 degrees and foggy as all get out. Also the scourge upon humanity known as black flies are out during those months. These are fruit fly sized biting flies that descend on you in a cloud. September/October also the benefit of leaf changing season, especially in Cape Breton, but that will come with a premium price wise in Cape Breton where rest of the world wants to see the leaves in the highlands.
NS has I'd say 4 main regions. Halifax is in the center of three of them and can easily function as a base of operations. depending on how much you want to travel in a day. So you have the Halifax area, you have the Annapolis Valley, the South Shore and then Cape Breton. It takes less than two hours to drive North/South over the entire province, but a lot more to drive East/West. Halifax is on the Southern end of things, but you can get to the Valley in less than an hour, and to most of the spots on the South Shore in about an hour-90 minutes too. There are some exceptions, but I will cover them. Cape Breton is not a day trip from Halifax. It takes about 5 hours to drive there and if you want to see anything, you will need more time so if you head East you have to plan to stay out there.
Halifax area - The main city is divided into basically two cities, but have been incorporated into one. The west side of the Harbor is Halifax proper - it's a city on a peninsula, like Boston and the vast concentration of restaurants, businesses etc are here. The east side of the Harbour is Dartmouth, which is like Durham to Raleigh. It is has a smaller artsy district with some great restaurants, a nice park around a lake, but also large industrial areas, military bases etc. You can can take a cheap and quick ferry from Halifax to Dartmouth and vice versa - it's the best cruise you can take to see the city if you are just looking to get a good view of things. It also frees you up to look for accommodations in Dartmouth, if they are better priced without fear you are missing out by being stranded in the boonies. Dartmouth sprawls though, so make sure you look at map before you book anything. Public transportation other than the ferries is pretty lousy. The bus service is unreliable and can be crowded. Taxis are hated here by the population from years of not having enough of them and having all the power in the hands of the cab companies, but there is uber now. Ideally you will want to rent a car to leave the city though.
Downtown Halifax is relatively contained and walkable, there are some hills if mobility is an issue, but we are not talking SF here. The prime jewel of things since I moved here has been the renovation of the water front. At some point they figured out this area of old warehouses with great views could be turned into housing and commercial enterprises. There are now brand new multi use buildings, public art, lots of good restaurants (I'll make a general restaurant recommendation list in another post,) outdoor beer gardens etc. It's not huge - it isn't something you'll spend your whole trip, or even a half a day exploring, but it's a good point to return to for food or whatever. There is a great Maritime museum there with Titanic relics and a great exhibit on the Halifax Explosion so if you are a history buff, might be worth checking out. On the subject of history, the city's center is dominated by the Halifax Citadel, which is an 18-19th century star shaped fort at the heart of the city. Which was built to protect Halifax from a land-based attack in coordination with various batteries along the harbor to protect against attack from the sea. Halifax Harbor is one of the largest and deepest ice-free harbors in the world. The entirety of the British navy at the peak of its power could fit in the harbor if it needed to. During WWI and WWII convoys formed up here because the ships could be protected while their numbers gathered. The citadel never fired a shot in war time as no one ever tried to invade Halifax, and it was obsolete by WWI of course. They do tours of it year round, and the re-enacters all dress as a 19th century Scottish highlands regiment with kilts etc. There is also the Alexander Keith brewery, which isn't really a brewery any more, but it has tours. Alexander Keith's is the second oldest beer in North America, behind Molson's. It's older than Yeungling. It's called an IPA, but no one considers it an IPA, but then again it is older than all the other IPAs so they are probably wrong. Locals consider it cheaper beer, but might be worth a taste if you are into that thing. Garrison and Propeller are the much preferred local microbrews, both with stores/ tasting rooms. There are also a bunch of other smaller ones Nine Locks brewery's "Dirty Blonde" being a favorite of the locals, there are also many cider places, which is huge here thanks to the Valley producing a butt ton of apples. Also the Alexander Keith brewery building has a farmers market on the weekends with some good food vendors.
The southern tip of Halifax is a giant park called Point Pleasant park. It took a hurricane hit on the chin in 2004, followed by a blizzard a few months later and even 20 years later the trees are still rebounding. it's a gorgeous park though with remains of old coastal batteries, and a great view of the Atlantic. Just west of Downtown is the Public Gardens, which is a Victorian era garden that is carefully curated and maintained most of the year round by a team of gardeners with a 19th century bandstand in the center and various water features. For sure worth a stroll. To be honest, unless you're a foodie and want to try every restaurant, you can see all of Halifax you want in a day, day and a half. The true power of Halifax is being a central point to branch out and see other things.
One other thing to say about Halifax is the Peggy's Cove area. I could easily lump it in with the South Shore, but it is technically in the city limits of Halifax (which are gigantic.) This is about 45 minutes away from the city and is basically the biggest tourist destination in the province. It's always crowded, and on unlucky days has many busses from cruise ships there. The main attraction is the lighthouse , set in among very rocky terrain and if the seas are rough you can see waves smashing against the rock that easily go the height of the lighthouse. You can't go in the lighthouse, just walk around it, but there are some really nice views. The town itself is a somewhat preserved old fishing village with various artisans, art galelries, and a few food places. There is usually a truck that sells lobster and offers boil your own, but I recommend going to the place called Tom's lobster shack for a more upscale lobster roll. They do the traditional New England mayo based one, but I am partial to Connecticut style, which is lobster cooked on a griddle in seasoned butter. This place calls it the naked roll. There are some whale watching and puffin tour cruises that leave from here, but these are going to be pricey. Peggys Cove is the tip of the Chebucto peninsula, which is a giant peninsula with several smaller peninsulas jutting off of it, including the one Halifax is on and the one I live on. The vast bit of the Chebucto peninsula is undeveloped and protected land and this especially true for around Peggys Cove. A drive through the area is like looking at an alien landscape with the occasional lone scraggly pine. This time of year the fields around it are firey red with the wild blueberry bushes changing color for the season, and house size erratic boulders left over from the glaciers. Five minutes east of Peggy's cove is a great hiking trail called Polly's Cove trail. Two minutes west of Peggy's cove is a memorial to Swiss Air 111, which is a thoughtful memorial to the plane crash in a beautiful natural setting. (the crux of a memorial is a boulder sliced in half, the other half being in another memorial site on a different peninsula across St Margaret's bay. The plane went down in the water between the two spots.) A few more minutes down the road you get to Indian Harbour, which has a lobster wholesaler where you can buy the big bugs to cook yourself, a great restaurant called Rhubarb with a great patio if the weather is nice, and a place called Oceanstone Inn, which has smaller cabins and rooms you can rent, and has an attached spa. When we came to scout Halifax for the move we stayed here. It's a nice alternative to staying in the city. There is also an Acadian restaurant if you want to try authentic food from the pre-English colonial era of Nova Scotia. You can drive aroudn the whole peninsula to get to Peggy's Cove and back to Halifax. The east side is less picturesque, but it has its moments including the fishing village of Dover. The west side, up St. Margaret's Bay is really pretty though. On the West side there is a nice deli called White Sails where you can get some good take away sandwiches or eat near the inlet picnic tables they have set up. There are scattered art galleries along the way and at the end of it a maple syrup sugar shack in the town of Tantallon, which is at the top of the peninsula. Also a nice beer garden/ wood fired pizza placed called the Rustic Crust in Tantallon. I know that's listing 4 good places to eat all in one section, but it's good to have options...
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The South Shore - The South Shore pretty much describes everything west of Tantallon all the way out to Yarmouth, which is a haul. To be honest i have never gone beyond White Point, which has a traditional New England style resort. Little bungalows with kitchenettes, cold rocky beach, pool, campfires, volleyball courts, mediocre restaurant etc etc. It's a... thing. Some people may like that, for me it's meh. Probably not a bad place to be based to explore the western part of Nova Scotia, I just haven't done that yet in 10+ years. I really don't know what it is out there, There are a few towns like Liverpool and Shelburne that I will have to see one day, but I don't know much about them besides the fact that Shelburne now does a giant pumpkin regatta, where people grow massive pumpkins, hollow them out and turn them into boats. This is picking up something that a town in the Valley used to do but doesn't any more because of a giant fight with the federal government over a flood gate. It's too complicated to go into. The #1 destination on the South Shore though is Lunenberg. This was a town settled by German immigrants after the British needed more protestants to out-compete the French, but then remembered they hated other people. The Brits brought the Germans in to Halifax to bolster their numbers, then told them to take a hike when they were shocked to discover they spoke German and weren't Anglican. The German community became master shipwrights and spent centuries making the wooden fishing vessels that eventually depleted the cod in the North Atlantic. When they weren't buildign ships, they practiced their wood working skills on the houses in the area and now the town is a UNESCO heritage spot full of colorful houses with ornate wood carvings, a massive historic school/ public library that looks like a palace overlooking the city, fancy churches etc. It is worth the trip out to see it and walk around. it's a city that shutters early, but has more than a few restaurants worth checking out the primary one being the South Shore Fish shack, which is a counter order fish and chips/ burger place with great fries. it's run by a guy who used to run the best restaurant in NS (which was in Lunenberg) but he got tired of living up to the haute cuisine label and just now makes really good take away food. The seafood places are worth checking out too if that is your thing. I think the two main ones are actually the same owner, but both have good patios with a nice view of Lunenburg harbor. There are whale watching tours that leave from here and a fisheries museum, which is a little nice and boring, but you can go on to old ships. It's also the home port of the BlueNose II, which is beautiful ship (that you can also book sails on) and is a reconstruction of a famous Canadian Sailing vessel, built in Lunenburg, which was a top racing ship in its day. The ship ended up on the Canadian dime. It's not always in port here, as it tours around, does Tall Ship things around the world etc. There is a distillery in Lunenberg called ironworks which is in the old town blacksmith shop. It does tours and tastings if that is your things. They specialize in rum and brandys, but do other things as well such as a rhubarb esprit which the restaurant Rhubarb (near Peggy's cove if you remember) used to make a cocktail out of by mixing it with local spicy ginger beer. They also make a blueberry esprit from wild blueberries, which is somewhat sweet so if you liked icewine like you said... There are other restaurants that are pretty good in Lunenberg like the Salt Shaker Deli and a mexican place whose name I can't remember, but this is a seafood town so that is likely the priority. Laughing Whale Coffee roastery has great hot beverages as well. Whatever you do, avoid the barbecue place, it will not live up to any standard of barbecue you can imagine.
Between Lunenberg and Halifax are several other towns worth seeing. The whole route to Lunenberg has two different options. There is highway 103, which is super highway, and there is Coastal route 3 which is slower but much more scenic, and it weaves through these towns, with the occasional great view. Mahone Bay is the one closest to Lunenberg and is a favorite of ours. It's a small place that curves around a bay. There are three churches that dominate the view all along the water and make for a great picture. Amos Pewter is based here (they have smaller places on the Halifax waterfront, Peggy's Cove etc) but their main shop is here, and they show you how they make it. They also have a nice Christmas ornament of the three churches along the bay. Jo Anns Deli is my go to lunch place here, serving up tasty to go sandwiches and baked goods. There are a few other restaurants, which I sadly really haven't gone too, creature of habit for Joanns. The Barn coffee shop is a nice place, and there is the Saltbox brewery just on the edge of town which also has food trucks set up there. There are some nice B&Bs you can stay in around here. Again not a huge place, but worth stopping in. Next town is Chester, which is a yachting community I think full of rich Americans. I don't go there too much. i think there is a a good ice cream shop there and a decent diner like place. Hubbards is the next small town back to Halifax. It has some picturesque drives along the water way and two restaurants. The Tuna Blue Inn, which I have never been to and the Shore Club, which is famous for their lobster dinners and live music performances. The lobster dinner is like the local equivalent of the Pick Picking or the Clam Bake or the Fish Fry. It's traditionally lobster (or surf and turf for more, or chicken for not fish eaters etc,) mussels, sometimes raw oysters, salad bar and a desert. They are probably better if there is a good band playing. The Shore club claims to have invented the lobster dinner but I am sure 900 other places claim that too. Between Hubbards and Tantallon there are a lot of scenic views and some very cold water beaches. The occasional cafe, but I haven't really frequented any of them. Depending on how far you go on the South Shore you can spend a day or two. An interesting place to stay are the Shobac cottages, about 15 minutes outside of Lunenburg. These are a bunch of cottages designed by the current premier architect in NS, and he actually lives in one of them. It's set up through air BNB I think. It's in a nice spot. we have stayed there a couple of times.
I think I will pick this up on the Valley and Cape Breton in another post or two at some point
Between Lunenberg and Halifax are several other towns worth seeing. The whole route to Lunenberg has two different options. There is highway 103, which is super highway, and there is Coastal route 3 which is slower but much more scenic, and it weaves through these towns, with the occasional great view. Mahone Bay is the one closest to Lunenberg and is a favorite of ours. It's a small place that curves around a bay. There are three churches that dominate the view all along the water and make for a great picture. Amos Pewter is based here (they have smaller places on the Halifax waterfront, Peggy's Cove etc) but their main shop is here, and they show you how they make it. They also have a nice Christmas ornament of the three churches along the bay. Jo Anns Deli is my go to lunch place here, serving up tasty to go sandwiches and baked goods. There are a few other restaurants, which I sadly really haven't gone too, creature of habit for Joanns. The Barn coffee shop is a nice place, and there is the Saltbox brewery just on the edge of town which also has food trucks set up there. There are some nice B&Bs you can stay in around here. Again not a huge place, but worth stopping in. Next town is Chester, which is a yachting community I think full of rich Americans. I don't go there too much. i think there is a a good ice cream shop there and a decent diner like place. Hubbards is the next small town back to Halifax. It has some picturesque drives along the water way and two restaurants. The Tuna Blue Inn, which I have never been to and the Shore Club, which is famous for their lobster dinners and live music performances. The lobster dinner is like the local equivalent of the Pick Picking or the Clam Bake or the Fish Fry. It's traditionally lobster (or surf and turf for more, or chicken for not fish eaters etc,) mussels, sometimes raw oysters, salad bar and a desert. They are probably better if there is a good band playing. The Shore club claims to have invented the lobster dinner but I am sure 900 other places claim that too. Between Hubbards and Tantallon there are a lot of scenic views and some very cold water beaches. The occasional cafe, but I haven't really frequented any of them. Depending on how far you go on the South Shore you can spend a day or two. An interesting place to stay are the Shobac cottages, about 15 minutes outside of Lunenburg. These are a bunch of cottages designed by the current premier architect in NS, and he actually lives in one of them. It's set up through air BNB I think. It's in a nice spot. we have stayed there a couple of times.
I think I will pick this up on the Valley and Cape Breton in another post or two at some point
Centerpiece
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This^^^ a 1000x this^^^
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March is fine in Europe. Go. Don’t think twice.
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As @CRHeel94 knows, I spend a good deal of time in Guatemala and have now for the past 40 years. The family and I will head down for the Thanksgiving holiday very soon. I lived there (tended bar) and often do research in various archives. I very much contemplate retiring there as well. If anyone wants any tips on travel please don't hesitate to hit me up (@4thgenheel mentioned Guatemala on this thread).
My wife and I were looking for a place to end up other than Guatemala a few years ago and traveled some in Costa Rica. We found the town of Heredia to our liking -- just kind of wandered onto the college campus there and were immediately scooped up and given a tour even. We check out Monte Verde, the historic Quaker colony there our of curiosity. Quite enjoyable place -- an expat haven (not that my wife and I find anything wrong with that in certain permutations).
I love Colombia and definitely want to take my wife and daughter there. Cartagena is a great historic beach town. Bogota is fun but I really like the entire country, at least what I have seen of it.
I backpacked around the Rio de la Plata years ago and had a blast...Paraguay, Argentina, and Brasil. Went to the Itaipu Dam (you can see it from space) and Iguaçu Falls (the end and the beginning of earth in one place) -- it plays a prominent role in the film The Mission.
Next stop is Machu Pichu I hope...
Helene completely crushed a study abroad trek I was going to lead on the Camino in Spain (though I've never done it) -- I hope we can get that up and going again next year. Love Spain...we spent some time last summer in a beach town just an hour train ride outside of Barcelona called Sitges...wonderful place. We're trying to talk our daughter into going to school there. That would be mighty fine.
I'm a Latin Americanist through and through though and that's where I want to spend my traveling time most of all. Wife wants to return to Africa where she did study abroad many years ago.
She also lived in Bermuda for a couple of years we we have great friends there (Carolina grads to boot) and try to visit them often though I get left behind about as often as I get to go.
My wife and I were looking for a place to end up other than Guatemala a few years ago and traveled some in Costa Rica. We found the town of Heredia to our liking -- just kind of wandered onto the college campus there and were immediately scooped up and given a tour even. We check out Monte Verde, the historic Quaker colony there our of curiosity. Quite enjoyable place -- an expat haven (not that my wife and I find anything wrong with that in certain permutations).
I love Colombia and definitely want to take my wife and daughter there. Cartagena is a great historic beach town. Bogota is fun but I really like the entire country, at least what I have seen of it.
I backpacked around the Rio de la Plata years ago and had a blast...Paraguay, Argentina, and Brasil. Went to the Itaipu Dam (you can see it from space) and Iguaçu Falls (the end and the beginning of earth in one place) -- it plays a prominent role in the film The Mission.
Next stop is Machu Pichu I hope...
Helene completely crushed a study abroad trek I was going to lead on the Camino in Spain (though I've never done it) -- I hope we can get that up and going again next year. Love Spain...we spent some time last summer in a beach town just an hour train ride outside of Barcelona called Sitges...wonderful place. We're trying to talk our daughter into going to school there. That would be mighty fine.
I'm a Latin Americanist through and through though and that's where I want to spend my traveling time most of all. Wife wants to return to Africa where she did study abroad many years ago.
She also lived in Bermuda for a couple of years we we have great friends there (Carolina grads to boot) and try to visit them often though I get left behind about as often as I get to go.
8992Tiger
Well-Known Member
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Our family took a trip to Ireland for a week and then Scotland for a week. It was probably the last full family vacation we will have because our boys are 21 and 23. We stayed in Dublin most of the first week and then 2 nights in a country inn between Dublin and Belfast. It was a great mix of town and country. We stayed right in the middle of town. Highlights:
> Guiness tour
> pub walk
> Military museum, especially the 45 minute conversation with the historian
> Watching the locals pull against England in the Euro cup in a pub and understanding why (after our museum trip and conversation.)
> Day trip to Hawth.
> Walking around in the stereotypical Irish countryside, complete with heards of sheep.
Then we stayed in the middle of Edinburgh for most of the next week and two nights in a Castle in the country. Highlights:
> The castle
> the architecture
> a run through the countryside to a small town on the coast
The best part was hanging with my sons and buying rounds in the pubs. I also loved seeing them hit the town together after mom and dad turned in for the night.
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Will definitely try the Connecticut style, I do not like mayo.
June is my anniversary, so probably a good target.
May have to make a weekend trip to Duluth Minnesota in Feb., to see if that is possibly our future residence.
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When my daughter was in Ireland, she did the Guiness tour and brought me back a Guiness puzzle.
I'm old, I like puzzles.
Having lived in Maine for 10+ years and “vacationed” in it for the 12-15 years prior to moving to it, if Nova Scotia’s weather is remotely similar to Maine’s, I would NOT go to Maine or Canada’s Maritime Provinces in June. When “vacationing” in Maine, every even year we were there in June; every odd year in September. June sucked. September was glorious.Will definitely try the Connecticut style, I do not like mayo.
June is my anniversary, so probably a good target.
May have to make a weekend trip to Duluth Minnesota in Feb., to see if that is possibly our future residence.
Chilly, damp, rainy, foggy…..
Each year, locals say, “This year the “season” will start early.”
Early means BEFORE 4th of July Weekend.
The “season” does not start before the 4th of July. EVER.
Type “Nova Scotia weather in June” into Google and on the first page, the links are to sites bundling June’s weather with July and/or June-September…..they don’t bundle June’s weather with May for a reason. June resembles May more than it does July-September.
If you go in June and book to stay near the coast, be prepared to go inland each day to see the sun and have temps above 50-55 F.
The Labrador Current is a HUGE influence on weather in the Maritimes and Maine, especially close to the coast. The Labrador Current is what brings icebergs south.
When it hits waters warmed by the Gulf Stream, cloudy, foggy, drizzling weather results.
If you’re inland in the Maritimes and/or Maine in June, the weather is likely nice.