Since we are not traveling in 2020, we decided to go back to 2019 and write about our adventures in Canada. Spending July, August and September in the Maritimes and Quebec was an adventure of a lifetime for us. We began by tracing our roots in Nova Scotia then touring Prince Edward Island and New Burnswick and ended in Quebec.
When you are standing on a wharf at the water’s edge and the 90,900 ton Queen Elizabeth blows its horn, your teeth rattle. You can feel it deep in your being. So begins the excitement of Halifax harbor.
While we try to follow a chronological account of our travels, every so often we vary for different reasons. Today is one of those times and it is a milestone day. Fifty years ago, May 9, 1970, we committed our love to each other for better or worse; richer or poorer; until death do we part. Fifty years later, yes we are older yet we are also stronger in our commitment to each other. So on our 50th Wedding Anniversary we want to dedicate this blog post to Lover’s Oak in Brunswick, GA.
Continue readingOur Acadian roots drew us to the Canadian Maritimes where our ancestors were deported in 1755. Walking in the footsteps of our ancestors has been a dream of ours and after two previous attempts we finally made it to the Maritimes the summer of 2019.
Adventures are everywhere especially when you least expect one. And adventures are not always overwhelming; some happen in rural areas as you round the bend. One of our adventures on Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) happened just that way – very unexpectedly. While on P.E.I., we wanted to see and do as much as we could. On our way to Malpeque, we could see the steeple of a church miles away. We were intrigued and had to follow the road.
Crawfish we know, Lobster not so much. Growing up, crawfish boils were a fun time for family and friends. A sack of crawfish, lots of seasoning along with corn, potatoes, onions and just about anything someone wanted to add to the pot. Get to boiling and the party began! So what about lobster? Several times we had lobster in Maine, yet we did not develop a taste for it. We know, add lots of butter. So when we found ourselves on Prince Edward Island (PEI) at the beginning of lobster season, we were ready to give it another try.
“You have to go see Hopewell Rocks” was the mantra from friends who knew we were in the Canadian Maritimes. As we travel, people will tell us “you have to go there, you have to see that, etc”. These places and things may or may not be on our route or things we are even interested in. So as we traveled the Maritimes “Walking in the Footsteps of Our Ancestors”, people kept always telling us what to do and see. Since our mission was to trace our ancestors, other things and places were secondary. One of these places was Hopewell Rocks and we wanted to see the rocks yet the time was never right.
The Canadian Maritimes is a beautiful area full of small towns, friendly people and serene coastlines. As much as we enjoyed all the Maritimes has to offer, our mission for this trip was to “Walk in the Footsteps of our Ancestors”. We accomplished our mission – we found cousins, made many new friends, enjoyed what the area offered.
This post is the hardest and most difficult we have ever written. It is personal, about family, about loses, about sorrow and about much joy, fortitude and determination.
Our time on the Cabot Trail was one of awe and beauty and nothing can take away from the sights and sounds. But being foodies, we could not take a drive on the Cabot Trail without stopping for food every so often.
The morning was crisp with a blue sky and mild winds as we set out on our adventure. Knowing it would be a long day, we stopped first for breakfast and coffee. Sitting on the outdoor patio enjoying coffee, we looked out toward the ocean almost smelling the salt air. This was our first stop on the Cabot Trail.
