The Turn of the Tide
Back to the mainland on the ferry
Our Maritime adventures ended in Lunenburg and Digby, Nova Scotia, with a side trip to Port Royal. We drove from Baddeck on Cape Breton to Lunenburg, NS, eager to get to the seaport and have some time in the village since we were only staying one night.
Lunenburg is on the southern Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. It was settled by the British in 1753 to establish a Protestant stronghold in a region where the French Acadians were living peaceably, trading and intermarrying with the local Mi’kmaq since 1620. Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Lunenburg is considered the best example of wooden vernacular architecture of the 1800s, a style that made use of local builders and traditional building methods. Well-preserved and picturesque, Lunenburg served as a film site for some scenes in the new series, Washington Black, currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Since I recently read Canadian author Esi Edugyan’s, fantastic story about a young man born a slave on a Barbados sugar plantation and his journey to freedom and a life beyond his wildest dreams, I checked out the trailer the day we got home and saw the unmistakable wharf where we had just been.
We skipped dinner that night and enjoyed the view from our deck that overlooked the busy wharf with horse-drawn carriage rides. We walked over to see the Bluenose II, an iconic sailing vessel operated by the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society. Then we wandered through the town, looking for some traditional music in a little pub. There was none to be found, but John found something going on at the Lunenburg Academy of Music and walked into a performance that was part of the summer music festival.
The next morning, we walked out for a beverage and found a tasty scone at the No. 9 Coffee Bar, and we sat in the garden and shared crumbs with a little bird.
Along the street, we saw a Subway sign advertising a Lobster Sub. We didn’t try it.
Port Royal is another Living History site with reenactors in period dress eager to engage visitors. The modest fortress was filled with period articles and looked like it had only recently been vacated. It is the birthplace of the Nova Scotia Order of Good Cheer, in its original French, L’Ordre de Bon Temps, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1606, and was formed to boost morale during the winter months. Considered the first gastronomic society in North America, the Order held weekly feasts with members taking turns hosting and sharing time at the table. The table was large and well-appointed, and the gourmet meals of game and seafood were accompanied by storytelling and music to cheer the long, cold winter nights.
After touring the site, we headed to Digby, our final Maritime destination, and on the opposite side of the Bay of Fundy from where we began. We flowed with the tide, down and up, enjoying the view of the mighty bay from a terrace at our hotel. Of course, we headed out for the famous Digby scallops, and weren’t disappointed at the Crow’s Nest, a busy restaurant with water views and lots of hungry tourists. We sat along the ledge next to a couple from Scotland and compared travel notes and enjoyed our own little Order of Good Cheer on our final night.
The next day, we took a two-hour ferry ride on the MV Fundy Rose from Digby to St. John, New Brunswick. Crossing the border was easy, and we made it down the coast to Freeport, Maine, home of the L.L. Bean brand, that night. Freeport was also on the water, but we arrived too late—it was 7:30!-for dinner on the wharf. Instead, we found a gourmet supermarket and opted for a take-out Asian noodle salad with a side topping of Maine lobster from the seafood counter and sat in a town park until dark, relishing our good fortune to have made the trip.
We were gone for 12 days, and John drove every one of the 3300 miles. It was time to go home and face reality. And dream of that rising and ebbing tide. We will return, I hope, contrary to what Mr. Wordsworth says.
The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Wow, what a great sojourn! thank you for sharing it all. I am even more interested and inspired to venture up there, breathe that lovely sea air, scallops, lobstah, music, history... The all of it❣️
Thanks Jo! You are smitten and must go.