Friday, Nov. 07, 2008

Travel: Nova Scotia

From Past to Future, There’s Much to Explore in This Canadian Territory

By Rita Cook | Contributing Writer

Nova Scotia — it’s about as close to feeling like you’re in Europe as you are going to get unless you actually do cross the pond. For short jaunts heading up to the Maritime area of Canada — and especially Nova Scotia — is a great way to get away from it all and feel like you are in another world.

Nova Scotia is actually called the gateway to Canada.

Many an explorer from John Cabot — don’t miss Cabot Trail — to Samuel de Champlain and his men have found their way to the Americas through this slice of land.

Even today Nova Scotia feels somewhat like it still lives in the past. With the lovely fishing village of Lunenburg — a must see — and a UNESCO World Heritage site, indeed, history in Nova Scotia plays right alongside the present at every turn.

You can visit the immigration sheds of the Pier One National Historic Site located in Halifax, a truly modern city these days, and get an idea of the many people who found this place to be the gateway to a new life.

Visiting Nova Scotia in the fall is an especially good time to feel the energy of the place and take part in Canada’s oldest farmer’s market. You can even get up close and personal with the Great Pumpkin in a pumpkin race.

And don’t forget the beautiful fall color: The leaves here change from bright reds to yellows to orange, a cacophony for all the senses.

A myriad of festivals, including film and theater festivals, the Celtic Colors International Festival and the Maritime Fall Fair, where pumpkin races take on a whole new personality with the Windsor Pumpkin Regatta.

Pumpkins grow much larger in this climate – some more than 800 pounds, and it’s fun to watch contestants attempt to get them across the lake.

Even in the fall, golf is quite popular in Nova Scotia, with as many as 60 public golf courses to choose from.

Some of the courses overlook the sea, which gives the entire experience an otherworldly feel.

Be sure and check out Cape Breton where you will find the fabulous foursome of golf courses: Highlands Links, voted the Best Public Course in Canada (2006); Bell Bay Golf Club ranked 40th in Canada in 2006; Dundee Resort and Golf Club; and Le Portage Golf Club, with some amazing views.

The culinary delights in Nova Scotia are also out of this world. There are a number of vineyards where you can even stomp grapes and visitors can go apple picking in local valley orchards.

In addition, Nova Scotia boasts more than 1,000 restaurants, so you can be sure you will find that perfect lobster. In fact, you might even consider going native and buy your lobster fresh from the wharf. You can boil it yourself over an open fire.

Other foods to sample include fish and chips at the harbor front, or try a homemade fruit pie, which you can find just about anywhere in the area.

Other local festivals are just perfect for the food lover, such as the Food and Wine festival, Musselfest in Cape Breton, the Craft and Chowder festival or the Nova Scotia Multicultural Festival, which offers as many as 25 cultural cuisine options.

With 4,750 miles of coastline, Nova Scotia offers an array of outdoor activities to enjoy when you want some fresh air.

The John Cabot Trail is a breathtaking scenic drive taking the adventurer around the Cape Breton shore on the north through rocky and rugged roads that eventually end up at the Cape Breton northern shore plateau.

It’s enough to take your breath away, and on some days you might even get lucky enough to see pods of whales traveling not too far offshore. Another outdoor must is the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

The most-often seen animal here is the moose, but the wilderness has 25 trails and lots of foliage and many bogs to discover. In fact, the national park makes up about 366 square miles in all and it is within this park that Cabot Trail begins and ends.

There is also a must-do lighthouse route with coastal views you will never forget and 20 lighthouses along the way. History craves to be discovered too, as you take the south shore and meander along old roads and through coastal villages where the past and present still live hand in hand.

It’s true, the rhythm of life moves slower in Nova Scotia, and it won’t be long before you get on its wavelength. Unwind as history reminds you of bygone days while food and wine keep you happily connected to the present. For sure, Nova Scotia will not only enchant you, but call you back again in the years to come.