western girl with eastern eyes

East Coast Adventures

A house on the hill watching the sea 

This has been the busiest - non busy - summer ever. I say "non - busy" because I planned to stick around home this year .. or to at least stay in Canada !! I thought NO big trips. I needed to relax and be present where I am. I am so quick to seek out far away adventures. Often as the wheels leave the ground from one destination, I have a long flight(s) home that allows me tons of time to plan the next big adventure. This year was different.

 My vacations needed to be replaced with stay-cations.. 

• Exploring islands
• camping
• much more hiking. 

I fulfilled this ...  but it's been busy. My OCD will take me back through the events in chronological order so I'll start with a LONG overdue recap of my adventure that brought me to the far east of Canada -  for the first time ever.

Each year I try to visit my family, and roots, in Ontario. When you're born somewhere and move around, sometimes part of you stays there. Especially so if all of the extended family is there. When people ask where I am from. I am proud to say Ontario. I have so much love for the province that raised my parents, and where we were all born and so much of our personalities stem from. I have so much love for so many places. Ontario is really a beautiful province. This year, when I decided it was time to make the journey back .. my ever so adventurous grandmother told me she was going to be on her own journey to Nova Scotia .. and I could come "if I wanted".

Umm ... 

YES

I wanted. Of course. So, I found a stellar deal .. booked my flights .. and away I went on my Canadian (yes, I consider this a semi stay-cation) journey. 

The weather was awful on that end and my grandmas flight got postponed an entire day! There was fog so thick you could touch it... Touch it, see it, taste it, smell it .. There was enough fog for that ... the only thing I think you couldn't do with all that fog was hear it. When I arrived my uncle was there to pick me up on the Halifax end and we toured the dreary wet, foggy city. 

{He recently purchased a home here - on the South East Coast of Nova Scotia} 

It was a quiet night but we covered a lot on foot. As a, more or less, honorary Nova Scotian, he gave a great history tour .. (He won't disappoint if you ever need a tour guide). We stayed in a hostel in the city. Now .. I haven't stayed in a multi-bed dorm room hostel room for about 4 years .. and I have to be honest, it kind of scared me. I NEED TO GET OUT OF MY LITTLE BUBBLE MORE (I am awful). It was so great. It was central, clean, everyone was incredibly friendly, and it was SO cost efficient. Can't say enough great things about this ... I can see why my adventurous family stays in hostels all the time ... 

Yep. Even my Grandma ... in her 80's. 

                                              My Grandma is better than yours.                                             

We rented a car, and after we started our journey the fog slowly parted and we covered some serious distance around Nova Scotia. We started in Halifax and surrounding areas and made our way to Cape Breton. There are more tiny fishing villages than you can count and with the love of the ocean in my heart I couldn't love it more.

I was totally pampered by my uncle the entire trip. It was a luxury vacation for me having someone open my car door and even do my dishes. A girl could get used to that life ... There's something to be said about time away with family. Especially in a hill top cabin over looking a rainy day and the ocean .. It does the soul good. 

We ate fish and chips (of course), found tiny local pubs (trivia night), walked along beaches, and took pictures of old fishing boats. We had sun, rain, and fog. I couldn't have asked for a more balanced and perfect first experience on the other side of my beautiful home country. 

. I can't wait to return one day . 

The best person in the entire world. 

Little local creativity.

There's something about rain on the window ... especially when you're in a quiet cottage beside the sea .. 

Other side of the view

Driving around the Cabot Trail and the sun was SHINING for US!

Peggy's cove. A staple apparently. I can see why.

It's hard not to take photos when it all looks like a beautiful calendar.

Ya'll know how much I love a good door ... AND an old building. Perfect combo.

These towns are like an East Coast dream. They're so tiny and beautiful ..
I grew up with a dream to be a commercial fisher[woman] so this place tugged at my heart strings

Cabot Trail Beaches get an A++