So much to sea ...

Moving to Nova Scotia has had an unexpected benefit.

Friends and family are coming for visits. 

My childhood friend, Betty just left after a whirlwind one-week visit.  Betty and I grew up together in Toronto.  She lived over my back fence and we share the common experience of childish days spent together in play and adventures.  Aside from my visit out west in 2005, we hadn't seen each other in over 30 years. 

The years mean nothing.  That shared childhood links us forever.  The outside wrinkles and older bodies are just fascades covering the children who still dwell within us.  We knew each other as children and that is so wonderful.  The adult bit can be brushed over.  We talk of our children, jobs and lives lived during the 30-year gap, but it is that childhood joy and wonder that glues us together.  So we pick it up as if no time has passed.

We visited beaches.

Betty at 5 km-long Martinique Beach on the Eastern Shore

And historic towns ...

The Lunenberg Academy.  The town of Lunenberg

We had lunch of hot dogs and chips at the "Surfer Dudes Surfing Emporium" bus.  They even had "veggie" hot dogs !   For the rest of the day our speech was punctuated with "dude" this and "dude" that.

We discovered hidden gems.  And learned that Nova Scotia is too shy about publicising its scenic wonders.  There was a definite lack of signage when it came to finding scenic lookoffs and attractions. 

But for each thing we missed we'd stumble upon something unexpected.

One of several caves at Burncoat Head on Minas Basin (Gloosecap Trail - Fundy Shore).

Burncoat Head rivals the heavily publicised, Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick.

 We stopped at a picnic area and discovered that it lead to the shore.  And what a shore it was !   The tide was out and the water that remained was red/orange from the stirred up sediment.  You could wander for ages.  That little black dot is Betty.

We visited airplane and maritime museums, toured the Citadel and a ship moored in Halifax Harbour and we learned that mid-summer may not be the optimum time to visit Peggy's Cove

We learned that unplanned days can be more rewarding than over-scheduled days.

We made multiple visits to Rainbow Haven and sauntered around the boardwalk at Fisherman's Cove.

It was a week crammed with many adventures for two little girls on summer holiday.

And we had a wonderful time !