Coastal Canada
Old meets new in Nova Scotia, where longtime residents mingle with visitors exploring history at the water's edge.
By Kathleen Ochshorn, Special to the Times
Published January 20, 2008
LIGHTHOUSE COAST, Nova Scotia - One Sunday afternoon last summer I went for a walk on Crescent Beach on the Lighthouse Coast. Folks dug for clams, which they collected in large, white plastic buckets. Kids rode their bikes by the waterfront on the firm sand. Many people kept busy throwing balls into the water for delighted dogs to fetch. The occasional car drove by slowly. All this in a fog so thick you could reach out and touch it. It looked like it had been blown in for a scene in a Sherlock Holmes movie.
At the end of the beach the Yum Yum Bus II, a certifiable antique and South Shore staple, had paid us a visit and was dispensing fried clams, burgers, onion rings and pop. The bus owners bring along a low wooden platform so kids can step up and see in to easily place their orders. I asked for clams and was told I'd have to wait a bit. I said I didn't mind and the cook added, "Well, there's no rush. We're all going to the same place." The young woman next to me piped in, "Never seen anyone come back." It was pure Nova Scotia, a moment of wry intimacy, an immediate sense of community.
Right now high temperatures in Nova Scotia average about 30. The time to visit is in the summer or early fall, when most days are clear and warm and the nights, pleasantly cool. It's best to reserve in advance if you want to rent a cottage, since many folks return every summer and book way ahead. A small hotel in Lunenburg or a B&B in Mahone Bay would be great, especially for a shorter stay. That way you're in one of the lovely port towns, with beautiful historic houses, restaurants and cafes; and then you can drive to more remote spots.
We spent a summer in a cottage in nearby Green Bay 16 years ago and last summer found the region rather untouched. The same lovely wooden houses scattered on the hillsides and waterfronts of tiny communities linked by Highway 331. The eternal house painters in the summer because the winter Atlantic winds chew the paint right off. The old white churches often at the high point of the towns, sometimes with two Protestant denominations facing each other across the road.
And of course the ubiquitous lobster, plump and juicy, its claws and tail full of sweet, nutty meat - really a different creature than the ones shipped down to Florida. All year round it's fresh lobster season somewhere in Nova Scotia. This year we bought ours at Sobey's, a supermarket chain in Bridgewater. In 1991 we shopped at the now abandoned Risser's General Store, where they featured a lobster pound and baseball cards.
Generally the rural communities are losing permanent residents to bigger towns like Bridgewater or Halifax, the capital of the province. The houses left behind are then snatched up by Canadians and Americans for summer homes. The result is a mixed summer population of the gentrified newbies and the genuine Nova Scotians. Boutiques and upscale restaurants are on the rise.
There's plenty to do. Some hardy and brave folks bike the hilly, winding coast, though the roads are narrow with little shoulder and people drive fast there. There's also hiking, camping, golfing, sailing, canoeing and kayaking. Those who want a tour can go whalewatching or ride out with a lobster fisherman.
Numerous small museums dedicated to the area's history and to the fishing industry abound. The best of these is the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg, where guided tours are a must. There you'll get a feel for the dramatic hard times of the cod fishermen, who up through the early 20th century went out to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland on schooners equipped with up to a dozen small dories.
For culture hounds, the coast also offers plenty. First music. That can be anything from the Bridgewater Fire Department Band to indie folk music in the free Sunday gazebo concerts in Lunenburg. Last summer the Music at the Three Churches series in nearby Mahone Bay included classical music and flamenco. The Boxwood Festival in July features classical and Celtic, including the music of Cape Breton. The Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival, set for Aug. 9-12 this year, is a world-renowned event. Halifax also hosts the Atlantic Jazz Festival, July 11-19.
A low-key approach
Although the region is geared up for tourism, most things are done in good taste, in a low-key style that reflects the locals. Shops in Lunenburg and Mahone Bay feature local arts and crafts like woodcarving, pottery, pewter and glass. The Double Whaler in Lunenburg has some of the most gorgeous hand-woven and knit clothing I've ever seen, in spectacular, subtle colors. You can also buy seascape paintings and watercolors everywhere, of varied quality.
At her shop, the Spotted Frog in Lunenburg, Inge Hatton sells fine local folk art, including the whimsical wood sculptures of seagulls and roosters by Bradford Naugler. She also has an excellent ice cream shop next door, Sweet Treasures, where she makes gourmet flavors, including a refreshing ginger ice cream.
There's a folk art sale and auction in early August at the Lunenburg Arena. The Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival is mainly attended by locals and some of the wood sculptures and the hooked rugs are remarkable and very affordable, but get there early. Get more information at www.nsfolkartfestival.com.
From casino to culture
Take time to circle the coast to East LaHave and hop the cable ferry across the LaHave River to LaHave. You can take your car or bike along. There you should stop at the LaHave Bakery for lunch and then wind south to Crescent Beach, or Rissers Beach Provincial Park with its lovely, curving boardwalk that extends over marshlands and wildflowers. Or the Cherry Hill Beach further up the road: turn left at Henry Conrad Road before you get to the firehouse in Cherry Hill - they're not exactly advertising the place. Swimmers note: only Rissers has lifeguards.
The Petite Riviere area is en route and worth a visit for a wine tasting at Petite Riviere Vineyards, the Mariner Craft shop, or the charming Maritime Painted Salt Box gallery.
From Lunenburg or Mahone Bay, Halifax is a little over an hour away on Highway 103. It's a beautiful harbor town with plenty doing for tourists on the waterfront, including a casino. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the idyllic Halifax Municipal Gardens are nearby. Go on a Saturday morning so that you can visit the farmer's market, currently in the old Alexander Keith's Brewery but scheduled to move to a new waterfront facility soon.You might walk a block from the brewery to the Mu Lan Chinese Cultural Centre at 1360 Lower Water St. for tea or a light lunch. Chai Chu Thompson, the proprietor, is a retired biochemist. She's got dozens of teas, including Empress Dowager.
Of course, many people visit the Lighthouse Coast for the lighthouses. Pick up a free brochure at a tourist office listing which ones are open to the public. The most famous is at Peggy's Cove, about a half hour south of Halifax. It attracts teeming crowds, but it is still well worth the trip for its dramatic setting atop the granite boulders of Peggy's Point. Also visit the charming Fort Point lighthouse in Liverpool, built in 1855.
The province is becoming more of a gastronomic destination. In Lunenburg, Fleur de Sel offers traditional French and Atlantic Canadian cuisine. The restaurant occupies an exquisite old Lunenburg home with the distinctive "bump" or dormer that extends out over the doorway and eaves. Weekend brunches are especially popular, with terrific Lobster Benedict and the best coffee in the region. Dinner is pricey and you might need reservations. Try the scallops with morel mushrooms and Jerusalem artichokes or the seared duck breast.
In Mahone Bay, the Salt Spray Cafe and Chowder House are good places for a reasonable meal, with fine seafood chowder and incredible homemade pies. The Biscuit Eater Cafe and Bookseller in town also offers light lunches, homemade buttermilk biscuits and a wondrous selection of loose teas. Grab a book and a pot of tea and relax in this inviting spot.
A peaceful pace
Though there's plenty to do, dreaming or just being may be the real lure of the region. It's a good place for Americans to slow down and for Floridians to cool off. The pace there is so relaxed.
For me, Nova Scotia is the wildflowers - the purple, pink and white lupin; the wild irises and roses. It's the plentiful Balsam fir. It's the nearness to the natural world - the deer or rabbit we saw on walks; the crystal light on the LaHave River; the constantly changing color of the sky. It's the huge ravens and that giant seagull that flew off with the steak my husband, Mike, was defrosting on the back deck.
It's that fog that should have a dozen names. Sometimes it barrels up the rivers and bays like a dark boa constrictor eating up the shoreline. Other times it appears sudden, soft and white, like a cloud of talcum powder, as gentle as the Nova Scotians themselves.
Kathleen Ochshorn teaches English and writing at the University of Tampa, where she also edits fiction for Tampa Review.
IF YOU GO
Nova Scotia
For information about food, lodging and activities, go to www.destination-ns.com, Nova Scotia's official tourism site. There you can order a free copy of Doers and Dreamers, a compendium of where to stay and what to do. You may also order Scenic Travelways Map, Nova Scotia Golf Guide, Nova Scotia Guide for Nature and Outdoor Lovers, and Festivals & Events Guide.