Well there’s a reason people are drawn to the east coast of Canada and I can see why. Although the west coast is beyond gorgeous and has the lure of the Rocky Mountains and varying scenery changes from desert, to cities to redwoods and the coast of California, BC onwards, the east coast is just damn peaceful and quaint. Everywhere we’ve been so far the people are above and beyond friendly, funny and helpful. Those kind hearted helpful people you hear about seem to live in the east coast for sure and that in itself makes you feel safe, comforted and at home. In New Brunswick we explored the Bay of Fundy, the highest tide in the world and the flowerpot islands you see in national geographic magazines. It was definitely cool to explore the sea floor and knowing in a few hours where we were standing would be swallowed up by the sea under 50 feet! Shyla and I decided there we would start collecting rocks from every new place we go. We then went to PEI and is it just me or is Prince Edward Island trending? Do you know people going there for a holiday? I swear so many people I know are checking it out and it’s no wonder why. Its beautiful red beaches and sand and its quaint calm coast sheltered from the open sea made it a great vacation spot to spend on the beach. I loved checking out the Anne of Green Gables stuff, but mostly to see where Lucy M Montgomery wrote this famous story, her birth place, her fight to get the book published because the ‘Men's Club of Canada’ at the time thought it was a child story and worse about a girl child no one would read it! HA! It was a great learning lesson to my kids about perseverance especially for Shyla who ate up the tours and the history of this great author. Oh and the carriage ride at the Lake of Shining Waters was definitely worth every penny. We even met up with another traveling family going on a round-the-world adventure. I love collecting new travelling family friends to keep in touch with and share the like mindedness of ‘world schooling adventures’ So back to moving out east…so NB good, PEI even better and then we hit Cape Breton and boom it was love at first sight! First of all, if you haven’t been, GO NOW and you’ll see what I mean. The peace and calm of this natural gem of land just fills your soul with natures gift of natural beauty and tranquility. The coast is still calmer and warmer waters then most ocean sides we’ve been to considering its location and the water so clear the beaches are pristine!!! No garbage cans or litter anywhere! We surprised the kids with a joint 5 day vacation in Margaree Harbor with our friends from back home and their kids and it was a fantastic week of beach, friends and fun! They showed us this unbelievable gem of a beach called Chimney Corner Beach (look it up!) where we found wild lobster hanging out in the shallows along with many crabs, hermit crabs and oh of course a young bald eagle who fished his fresh meal in front of us! I mean I can’t even describe the natural wild beauty of this place, it’s that amazing. The kids dove into the Acadian and Celtic heritage with Shyla dancing on stage a traditional Cape Breton ceilidh and meeting a few Acadian friends along many of the beaches and small towns we explored. Shyla met a French girl who showed her how to dig up clams when the tide goes out and Shyla was so delighted she spent nearly two hours non-stop gathering clams!!! The boys could forever fill buckets with hermit crabs and chase baby lobsters from the shore. We looked into buying an oceanfront property in Cape Breton on the south west coast and for right now we definitely want to keep exploring the world before putting our roots back in, but when we do Cape Breton’s coast is calling us for sure! Along the Cabot Trail we then stayed at Cheticamp in Cape Breton’s National Park which was beautiful as we took in a few picturesque hikes with scenic lookouts over the ocean cliffs. We ran into another fun traveling family in Cheticamp, but never really got to introduce ourselves as we were leaving the next day. Ironically, the very next day when we arrived at Ingonish Beach (a few hours down the road on the other side of Cabot Trail) we bumped into the same traveling family on the beach!! How crazy is that? We spent the afternoon and evening hanging out on the beach as our kids played. Madden finally had a little buddy to play with his own age and we all enjoyed the incredible weather and beach of Ingonish. The Cabot Trail is spectacular with many awesome hikes we did along the way picking wild blueberries and raspberries, talking about their ancestors who arrived from Europe by boat to the shores of Nova Scotia way back in 1700’s. How cool is that? Oh and of course miss Shyla turned 9 and we went whale watching! We got so close to see a few pods of pilot whales and hear them breathing as well as watch their sleek bodies glide in and out of the water! We were also lucky enough to see a proud bald eagle, jelly fish and seals on our tour as well. The wildlife is plentiful and of course I could not leave without seeing a moose and that we finally did along the Cabot Trail, a female eating grass and she was magnificent. The memories I am making with my kids on this trip so far have been immeasurable! At a 553ft mountain peak over the Laurentian Trench we as a family watched the sunset after an amazing day of exploring Cape Breton. I mean it’s been a magical time out east that I’ll never forget. We’re now in Halifax where we showed the kids Pier21 and told them of their ancestors who had arrived by ship to this harbor. They were somewhat curious, but mostly wanted to run down the boardwalk and find ice cream lol. I am one lucky gal I tell ya that much. I haven’t even thought of anything else except the glorious time I’ve been having and how grateful I am to be apart of this 5FreeSpirit pack. Cape Breton we shall return….. |
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