Eating Nova Scotian Fare

I have been to Halifax a couple of times before but this is the first time I have ventured away from the province's capital.

In Halifax, I have always eaten pub grub, mostly wings and such, but for this trip I decided to shake things up a little.

I like shrimp, am not a fan of fish unless it is battered and deep fried and not a fan of lobster. For this trip, though, I wanted to try some of the fresh seafood that Cape Breton has to offer.

When I arrived on Wednesday, I did not get a chance to put the plan into action as we grabbed a quick bite at the Burger King at the airport. Then we were off to Antigonish where we ate at The Wheel, a place Teena used to frequent back in her university days.

On Thursday, we drove to Sydney and that night ate at Governor's Pub & Eatery . Instead of going for meat, I went for a Nova Scotian fish dish, the Haddock a la Maison (pan-fried haddock lightly breaded, topped with two scallops, two shrimp and a drizzle hollandaise sauce). It was very good. I usually find scallops to be tasteless but these were good. The haddock was not at all fishy. It was dish I quite enjoyed.

On Friday, we took a trip to the Fortress of Louisbourg and when we got back met up with Teena's sister, Sarah, and her husband, Joey, at The Crown & Moose Pub in our hotel. As it was a pub, I wanted pub grub so went with the wings. A favorite pub snack in Nova Scotia is deep fried pepperoni so I ordered it along with my wings. The pepperoni comes with a honey mustard sauce. Teena thought it was cut too thin and was dried out. I enjoyed it like that!

Saturday we drove around the Cabot Trail and stopped for lunch at the Coastal Waters Restaurant & Pub in Ingonish. It was a good choice as not only was it a nice fresh clean place to eat but also had the Australian Rules Football Championship game on the TV. They said the haddock in the Fish and Chips were fresh so I went with that. There were 2 generous portions of haddock and a mound of chips. It was delicious and I could not eat it all. The fish was tasty and again not fishy in smell or taste.

That night we ate at the pub at the Glenora Inn and Distillery with Sarah and Joey. Usually I do not order an appetizer or soup with a meal but saw Maritime Seafood Chowder on the menu (leeks sautéed in Glen Breton whisky butter top off their creamy chowder with fresh haddock, scallops and salmon). I had to give it a try. I figured it might be quite fishy having salmon and haddock in it. It was very good! I would have that again!

Today was the drive to the airport to catch our flight home. Since Wednesday when we left the airport, we saw signs outside of every town advertising MacDonald's McLobster sandwich. I know what you're thinking but come on! Only available in New England and Atlantic Canada, it is unique enough that I had to give it a try.

Turns out that the lobster is quite tasteless. Obviously not caught that morning!

It is served on a french roll with lettuce and "McLobster sauce". It's not often that lettuce can overpower the taste of the rest of the sandwich. Nonetheless, I did have one and the anticipation of having one was fun. A bus full of tourists came in after us and many of them ordered up the McLobster sandwich too. It's unique, popular and tasteless. I'm glad I tried it once.

I enjoyed all the food I had while in Nova Scotia and am glad I decided to try something that is fresh and local. Next time I am in Nova Scotia, I will again endeavour to try some local fare. I will not have another McLobster, though.

The Glenora Inn & Distillery

Last night was our last night on Cape Breton Island and we stayed at the The Glenora Inn & Distillery just outside of Inverness. We knew of Glenora as, although they are famous for their single malt whiskey, we love their Smugglers Cove Rum.

Teena's sister, Sarah, and her husband, Joey, stayed there the night too in a room a couple of doors down.

Glenora opened in 1990, not just as a distillery but also as a nine room inn complete with a 50 seat dining room and a pub on the grounds.

When the distillery first opened, they knew it would take eight years before they could bottle and sell their first bottle of whiskey so to make sure money was coming in, they made rum. Very good rum too!

We were talking to one the distillery workers who told us that now Smugglers Cove is made and bottled in Newfoundland. They do not sell any at their gift shop but do serve it a the bar.

The rooms were not a bad size but our TV did not work. We spent very little time in our room anyway.

The pub is quite nice. Last night there they had two musicians, one on the fiddle and the other on the piano. They switched places halfway through the night. They were quite good and it was the only time I heard fiddle music on the island.

We all enjoyed our meals and I loved their draught selection which featured just Nova Scotia craft brewery selections from Garrison and Propeller Breweries

Strange rules at the pub, though. We asked when the pub closed and was told the pub closes when the music stops and the music stops at 10pm.

10pm?

Sure enough the music stopped at 10pm and they stopped serving. Teena and I were exhausted anyway after the long day's drive around the Cabot Trail and were glad to get to our room. Sarah and Joey were also tired after a full day of visiting friends in Sydney, then driving across the island, so they were glad to retire.

Still, a pub that closes at 10pm?

Even stranger was when we got to the room we decided we wanted one more drink so I went to grab some ice from the ice machine and found the area locked tight.

Wow! The place locks completely down at 10pm on a Saturday night!

The next morning we slept in a little then headed off for a 4.5 hour trip to the airport.

I found the Glenora Inn scenic, the food good, the draught excellent and the music excellent. The rooms were a little expensive and the closing time rules very strange. It was good to give the place a try. I don't believe there are many other places to stay in the area.

A photo comparison.

We pulled in just as night was falling and the next morning fog greeted us.

If it had of been a nice day, this is what we would have seen.

Driving the Cabot Trail

This morning Teena and I left Sydney and headed for the Cabot Trail.

We knew it might be rainy for the drive through the mountains and that I have a fear of heights. Last night Teena gave me the option to back out. We could head straight inland across the island to Inverness or do the trail.

I agreed to do the trail.

"The Cabot Trail, named one of the best road trips in the world by Lonely Planet, is a trail that winds through stunning landscapes, along the Margaree River, a Canadian Heritage Salmon River, and through spectacular rugged highlands of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada.

The Cabot Trail loops around the northern tip of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, 185 miles or 298 km long. The trail passes through many charming communities, each with breathtaking scenery and unforgettable hospitality."

The scenery is breathtaking. Because of the rain and fog, we had to pass by a few lookoffs as the fog would be so thick that you could not see anything off them. The weather made the trip a little more exciting than usual as we traveled roads that hugged the side of mountains and had a straight drop-off on the other side of the guard rail.

For ultimate scenery, it is recommended to drive counter-clockwise around the trail. I would recommend that if you are nervous about driving along a road that sits on a cliff or have passengers that have a fear of heights that you drive it the other way. Doing the drive as we did from Ingonish to Cheticamp means that 90% of the mountains you drive through will have your vehicle on the outside against the guard rail.

Again it is true rugged beauty. I enjoyed going up Smokey Mountain and driving the long slope down North Mountain, which follows a canyon down with the car being against the mountain. MacKenzie Mountain and French Mountain totally scared me. We would come to a corner that said to do 50km an hour, Teena would be doing 40km and I would be telling her to do 30km. Heights make me irrational and I did not enjoy most of the last 2 mountains ... although I did find the view spectacular.

It is a trip worth taking and I'm glad we did it. Thanks, Teena, for being so very patient with me!

The pictures do not do it justice.

On the way to the trail, we had to cross a short straight across St. Ann's Bay on the Englishtown Ferry. It's a small cable drawn ferry that can carry about a dozen cars.

Our first stop was the lookout at the top of Smokey Mountain. After this shot, the fog you see at the bottom hiding the ocean rolled in over us. It was so cool to see the wall of fog climbing the hill and enveloping us in less than a minute. You will notice in the picture of us at that same spot, fog replaces the scenery.

Some pictures of the drive along the east coast.

When we hit Ingonish, we stopped for a break at the Keltic Lodge on a scenic point on the Atlantic, then about 5 minutes up the road we had a great lunch at Coastal Waters Restaurant whose Coastal Ringer burger will be featured on a new Food Network TV show.

North Mountain was a spectacular drive down the canyon road around dozens of corners. Would have been even more beautiful without the fog.

The view off MacKenzie Mountain.

The view from French Mountain. I found this part of the drive the most scary. I only took 3 pictures as the rest of the time I was staring back and forth between the guardrail and Teena's speedometer. Although she was way below the speed limit, I preferred slower although the people behind us may have wanted faster.

Finally back on flat land. This is a beautiful trip that is definitely worth taking.

Lighthouse Point. - Louisbourg Nova Scotia

After visiting the Fortress of Louisbourg we decided to head around the harbour to Lighthouse Point. It is the sight of the very first lighthouse in Canada which was built in 1734.

3 Lighthouses has occupied the site. The was ruined during the 1758 British siege of Louisbourg when James Wolfe took it by force and erected batteries to shell the fort in a crossfire.

The second was a square wooden 2 story house built in 1842 but burned to the ground in 1902. The foundations of both are still there. The last one was built in 1923 and stands today.

The Atlantic Ocean was very rough.

Teena loves the ocean

It was windy!

The harbour is well protected from the ocean and the home to many lobster fishermen. It was quite scenic. If you are visiting the fort, I would recommend that you set aside some time to visit Lighthouse Point. We sure enjoyed it!

Fortress of Louisbourg

Teena and I took a step back in time to 1744 when we visited the Fortress of Louisbourg. Although I make it sound like a catchphrase for a commercial for the fort, it is very true. Visiting the Fortress of Louisbourg is just like going back in time.

The Fortress is an excellent reconstruction of the original fort and town which stood for 38 years until its demolition by British forces in 1760. It was rebuilt in 1961 and is now a national historic site. Although just one quarter the size of the original fort, it still is massive! The town is full of soldiers, and townspeople all dressed and reenacting the part of someone in 1744.

I enjoyed listening to them explain what they were doing and why. As it was the last day, the fort would be in full operation for the season and it is now off season, there were not many visitors there, which gave us more time to chat with the reenactors who played the roles and talk to them out of character too, what they did in the off season, where they live, all that kind of stuff. It was nice to wander the entire fort and town without it being crowded.

When we first arrived, it was cool and misty and remained that way for the day. At first we were disappointed that it wasn't a nice sunny day until we realized that this is the weather most of the time here and was what the people of that era had to live through daily, so the weather really added to our experience.

I cleaned up some of the shots but you will find most pictures below misty, as that was the day we experienced. Funny thing, though, is that when we left, we were on the road for just 5 minutes and the sun broke through and the weather was gorgeous! Looking back, we could see the mist and fog that seems to hang forever over Louisbourg.

The Fortress of Louisbourg is really something special to experience.

The pictures of our day.

We waited 'til we got to Louisbourg to eat but could not find a place open. A tour bus driver recommended the Louisbourg General Store and which sold pizza.It was good!

The Visitors Centre. In order to preserve the archeology, visitors enter here and have a 6 minute bus ride to the fortress.

The bus drops you off at a fisherman's house and the "owner" tells you of life in those times. He was quite comical and made you realize quickly that everyone in the fort will be in character.

The entrance to the fort. The guard will hassle you here, especially if you wear red. Joey, Teena's sister's husband, told her to have me wear red. I did. I was hassled for most of the day on suspicion of being British. Thanks, Joey!

The town in the distance. They only had 30 days of sun this summer.

I love cannon and there was lots of them to be seen. As always, I pose to direct fire.

The blacksmith at the armory forge.

Everyday at the fort they make bread in the same way it was done in 1744. The full loaf is a 4 day ration for a soldier. It weighs 6 pounds and is quite hardy. I bought a smaller soldier's loaf and munched on it for the afternoon. It actually was quite good!

The was a musket demonstration. Usually I can capture the actual shot with my camera but missed. I did get to hold the musket though.

A cool shot of Teena!

The soldiers' quarters. They slept 3 to a bed. One was always on guard duty so the bed was less crowded.

The Governor's quarters.

Some more favorite shots. Again, if up that way, this place is a must see!