Best Of

kfnknfzk -- Yes, I had lots and lots of seafood. I'm sure that I had at least one seafood meal every day, but there were always other options for people who did not eat seafood, even on our lobster boat cruise. I also chose "potato pie" for lunch at the PEI Preserves Company (very tasty) and "Acadian meat pie" (not so tasty -- I asked what the meat was and was told that it was chicken) another day. We were able to order off the menu many places, including Gio, the upscale restaurant in our Halifax hotel. I chose the wild boar. Ten days later, on my "bonus" night, I returned to that restaurant, and the server remembered me and what I had ordered!

MCD I did the Nova Scotia and PE Island tour, we had our welcome dinner at the Maritime Museum of Immigration but we also had a tour and dinner at the Citadel which was just like yours.

I enjoyed this trip, that began Aug. 11. There was nothing particularly exciting, and no “wow” moments, but it was a very nice trip. I live in New England, and driving along the coast just reminded me of driving along the coast of Maine. As a result, I was rather underwhelmed by Peggy’s Cove, which I felt I had seen many times. However, I did enjoy seeing the many small coves on the ride into Peggy’s Cove that we were told were used by many rumrunners during the Prohibition era in the US. (One of our prominent Boston families, one of whom became a US President, allegedly made its fortune that way.)

Our welcome dinner was at the Citadel, which I enjoyed. I see that the 2025 welcome dinners are at the Immigration Museum. I think that that’s a shame. I enjoyed the tour of the Citadel and the demonstration of different kinds of firearms. The young man who was dressed as one of the Highlanders stationed at the Citadel (who was a university student) wound up sitting at my table at dinner that night.

We were informed before the tour started that because of a change in the ferry schedule from Digby, NS to St. John, NB, our itinerary would be changed. The new itinerary provided for a guided tour of the Immigration Museum in Halifax, and a visit to the Port Royal National Historic Site. It meant that we would have less time to explore St. John. I was very happy with the change. The Immigration Museum tour was excellent, and some members of our group were able to find information about their ancestors there. St. John did not have much to recommend it, in my opinion, except for the evening session with the First Nation storyteller. The visit to the sturgeon farm and caviar tasting was interesting, but the 7-course sturgeon/caviar luncheon was over the top. (Admittedly, I’m not a caviar fan, and passed up several courses.)

We were fortunate to be in Moncton, NB, during Acadia Day (Aug. 15) the celebration of the French settlers who were forced out of the area by the English. A few of us just happened to leave the hotel in the early evening, and we wound up enjoying the local celebration, where people decked out in the Acadian colors (red, white and blue, like the French flag, but with a yellow star) banged pots and pans in a parade to celebrate the day.

My impetus in taking this trip was to visit the “home” of Anne of Green Gables. I loved that book as a child, and have wanted to visit Anne’s homeland of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island ever since. Of course, the book is fiction, but that didn’t matter to me. I loved walking through the recreation of her home, and the woods nearby. Charlottetown was a lovely town to walk around, and I was thrilled that on our free night there, the local theatre was performing “Anne of Green Gables.” I went to the performance, which was a lot of fun (though it took several liberties with the book, that I had re-read before the tour). I later learned that the theatre offers that show every summer, alternating with a different performance. (When I was there, the alternate was “Jersey Boys,” which I had seen in New York.)

We had an interesting experience at the Keltic Lodge in Cape Breton. When we arrived there, we learned that there had been a fire in one of the outbuildings, and there was no power to the kitchen. Fortunately, our rooms were not affected. In true Tauck fashion, pizzas were ordered (from God knows where, because we were in the middle of nowhere), and there was an open bar, and we had a great, fun night. By the next morning, power was restored, so we had a normal breakfast.

I very much enjoyed our visit to the Gaelic College in Cape Breton. We were given demonstrations about kilt-making, a milling frolic, and Celtic music. It was a very informative visit. It’s also a good place to buy souvenirs,

I stayed an extra day in Halifax and very much enjoyed a visit to the Public Garden and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. On both of my first days and last days, on my own, I enjoyed walking along the waterfront, and a visit to the Maritime Museum located on the waterfront. I had an added surprise on that “bonus day” when I went out of the hotel and heard bagpipes and drums. I followed the parade of the 78th Highland Regiment as it turned into Government House, and learned from a very friendly police officer that they were celebrating “Freedom of the City” day, where they exercised this privilege by marching through the streets of Halifax with bayonets fixed, pipes piping, drums beating, and colours flying. The Leftenant Governor of Nova Scotia came out to review the troops.

There was nothing particularly exciting about this trip, but I enjoyed it very much. I learned a lot of Canadian history. I met many very nice fellow travelers and had a great tour director, Jay Gould. And Canadians are so friendly! I'm thinking about doing another trip north of the border,