Since I don’t travel full-time, I figured that instead of doing a monthly recap, I would recap each of my trips following the full posts. These recaps will contain highs, lows, logistics, funny anecdotes, pictures, etc. that I likely didn’t include in the full posts.

Without further ado, my Nova Scotia trip!

Countries: 1 – Canada
Year: 2008
Number of Days: 12, excluding the drive to and from Nova Scotia
Cities Visited: 2 – Antigonish & New Waterford (to my memory, at least)
Favorite experience: Driving along the Cabot Trail
Favorite site: Mary Ann Falls
Type of trip: Family
Money Spent: It was a family trip, so my mom paid for most things

It might not be the closest picture, but if you look carefully you can see the bald eagle we spotted on our whale watching tour!

Highs:

• Driving along the Cabot Trail. The Trail is beautiful and boasts stunning views and stops for you to enjoy along the way. My favorite stop was Mary Ann Falls, but I truly did love every moment of our day trip.
• It was just a little moment, but there was one night where the cousins on the trip played an impromptu game of Pictionary with my white board (more on the white board in the Lows section). Our drawings were ridiculous, but we had a great deal of fun trying to guess the answers.
• Getting to see a Highland Games showing. I have thus far been to two Highland Games, neither of which took place in Scotland. Regardless, the displays of strength and finesse provided ample entertainment and were incredible to witness.
• Delving into history with Fort Louisbourg and the Hector. As a major history lover, I feel guilty when I say that I just don’t find Canadian history as fascinating as ancient history. Even so, I enjoyed Fort Louisbourg and the Hector, and found the history at both to be extremely interesting.

Lows:

• Not having enough time to spend along the Cabot Trail. It was a bummer to try to fit what we wanted to see in one day. While we did make several stops and also experienced an incredible whale watching tour, it would have been wonderful to spend at least one more day along the Trail.
• I had laryngitis for most of this trip. It was the strangest thing – one morning a few weeks before our trip, my voice completely quit on me. It was as though someone had flipped a light switch. I bought a dry erase whiteboard, and it became equal parts amusing and frustrating to have to use it, particularly for medical appointments. It also wasn’t amusing when people would tell me stories like “Oh, I knew someone in high school who got laryngitis and couldn’t talk for a year!”. About a week and a half into the trip, I was finally able to use my voice intermittently without it breaking up or hurting. To this day, I continue to credit the fresh Nova Scotia ocean air with healing it!
• After an accidental go kart incident, one of my cousins ended up having to go the hospital via ambulance. He was thankfully okay, but it was a bit of a scary time for awhile.

Funny Moments:

• The entertainment provided by the Big Fiddle. Family members danced in do-si-do patterns as we listened to the lovely Celtic music.
• We went out on a speedboat ride shortly after arriving with family, and we had a blast. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed a fast boat ride!
• On the bus ride from the welcome center out to Fort Louisbourg, my uncle gave us all a laugh by sitting beside each family member and taking an hilarious selfie with them. Unfortunately I do not have access to any of the pictures.
• During our Cabot Trail day, we had walkie talkies to use between the three vehicles. At one point, someone nicknamed my aunt and uncle’s van – in the lead position – Mama Duck. My mom named ours Baby Duck, and I believe she was the one to give my other uncle’s car the nickname Lame Duck. My favorite message over the walkie talkies that day was, “Lame Duck to Baby Duck – you suck!”

Overall Experience:

I loved Nova Scotia, and honestly, I can’t wait to get there again. There’s something very peaceful about being there, and I felt more relaxed than I had in years. Again, I think I can chalk a lot of that up to being with family, but Nova Scotia itself is also an incredibly healing place.