50+ Lifestyles

The Canadian Maritimes Pt. 1

By Mary Schricker Gemberling

Each Autumn, Gary and I plan a trip hoping to catch a glimpse of fall color.

This year’s adventure took us to the Canadian Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Our twelve day journey provided us with a diverse array of sights and experiences as we visited major economic centers, quaint towns, and picturesque fishing villages. Barbara, our guide throughout the tour, shared a wealth of information about local history and cultures heavily influenced by French, Scottish, and English ancestry.

After a relatively short flight from Chicago we landed at Halifax Stanfield International Airport and were shuttled off to the Prince George Hotel where we would spend our first three nights. Halifax, settled in 1749, was the first permanent European settlement in the region. The capital of the province of Nova Scotia, this metropolitan area with a population of about 400,000, has consistently been ranked in the top cities in North America for quality of life, cities of the future, and business friendliness. Walking the few blocks from our hotel to the water front, we explored and sampled some regional seafood.

Later that night we dined at the Citadel, a British fort completed in 1856 and long the keystone to the defense of the strategically important Halifax Harbor and its Royal Navy Dockyard. Strategically located as North American’s first inbound and last gateway, the Port of Halifax is the deepest, ice-free harbor with minimal tides and is two days closer to Europe and one day closer to Southeast Asia (via the Suez Canal) than any other North American East Coast port.

Our next stop was the Old Town of Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for having the best surviving example of a British Colonial grid-pattern street layout and for its authenticity as a working town. From Cape Cods, to stately Georgians and grand Victorians, to more trendy Arts and Craft style bungalows, the architecture of Lunenburg captures the story of its changing times. The town’s history is that of an important seaport and shipbuilding center, but today tourism is Lunenburg’s most import industry with thousands of visitors coming each year to visit a bit of its past.

Half way between Halifax and Lunenburg is the fishing village of Peggy’s Cove. The community is most likely named after Saint Margaret’s Bay. However, folklore suggests that the village may have been named after a sole survivor of a shipwreck near the cove, who later married a resident and became known as “Peggy of the Cove.” Although Nova Scotia is home to over 160 historic lighthouses, Peggy’s Point Lighthouse is the most photographed one.

On September 2, 1998, Swissair flight 111 crashed into St. Margaret’s Bay approximately 1 km northwest of Peggy’s Cove. A nearby memorial reads, “In memory of the 229 men, women, and children aboard Swissair flight 111 who perished off these shores September 2nd, 1998. They have been joined to the sea, and the sky. May they rest in peace?”