South Shore

Cute, cute, cute.

We spent the last day or two driving around Nova Scotia's winding south shore where tiny towns -- some prosperous, others not as much -- dot a sandy coastal highway. We spent the night in Lunenburg, an old ship-building town with well-preserved architecture, a work-a-day wharf, grandly decorated guest houses, seafood grills, a lot of overpriced art galleries showcasing Maritime-themed prints, beaches, steeply-graded streets, and a handful of amazing restaurants.

To my extreme delight, we happened upon the Lunenburg Farmer's Market when we drove into town, and discovered cold rhubarb punch, Stutz Hard Cider, hot crepes, balsamic and green onion hummus, fat chocolate chip muffins, and wild blackberries picked just that morning. After stocking our little cooler, we asked around town for directions to the closest beach (turned out to be Hirtles) and spent the afternoon trying to warm up to waves that were cold enough to make our feet ache. But the sun was hot and the sand very fine. Very fine, indeed.

We spent the night at the cute and tchotchked Pelham House Bed and Breakfast, where Bill and Ben (two ginger tabbies) and Drum the Dog kept us company. Our room was on the first floor of an up-and-down classic Lunenburg family home with a private patio and squeaky wooden gate just for us. After a night of camping, I was ready for a soft, king-sized bed and free Wi Fi and we both really enjoyed our breakfast of fruit salad and thick slabs of potato and Swiss frittata.

We took our time on the drive to Halifax, stopping in Mahone Bay for a long lunch and dipping our toes into the water at the much warmer Queensland Beach. We tried our best to keep from making plans of any kind and the reward was a slow, meandering afternoon during which we laughed at each others' jokes and remembered to hold hands from time to time.