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Driving around the Cabot Trail on a beautiful summer

day with the windows rolled down, you can be forgiven

if you momentarily forget Nova Scotia is a province,

with an exciting, multicultural history that extends

back before Confederation, and simply be content to

lose yourself in a breath of ocean air. Particularly if

you’re driving towards the Fortress of Louisbourg,

where you’ll soon find yourself back in the year 1774.

NSA TALE OF MANY NATIONSTouring Nova Scotia’s history

B Y S U E B O W N E S S

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ut that’s notwhere this storystarted. In factit began severalmonths earlierwhen I men-tioned to myparents that Iwas thinking ofvisiting Atlantic

Canada. Although I’d travelled a bitthroughout the world and even intowestern Canada, I’d never venturedeast of Montréal where I grew up and I was eager to see the rest of Canada.

As it turned out, my parents hadbeen thinking about the same tour, onlyfor them it would be a nostalgic trip backto 30 years ago. “When we first went,your mother was younger than you are

now,” my father gleefully pointed out.As an adult approaching 30, I wonderedwhat I was getting myself into when Idecided to take a good old-fashionedroad trip with my parents, but thethought of shared expenses and a driverwho’d been down this road already wastoo good to pass up.

We decided our itinerary in NovaScotia would begin at Digby, diparound to Yarmouth and up toLunenburg and Halifax, and finishwith the spectacular Cabot Trail beforewe headed off to Prince Edward Island.

Acad ian roo t s

After the ferry crossing from Saint Johnto Digby — just changing our mode oftransportation briefly from land to seawas a welcome adventure considering

we’d driven for a day and a half fromMontréal — we headed straight forAnnapolis Royal. A visit to the nearbyFort Anne and Port Royal NationalHistoric Sites, the military and adminis-trative centre of Acadia in the 1600s, wasa priority for us. Widely acknowledgedas one of the most historically importantsites in North America, Port Royal wasa colony and fur-trading post built in1605, which makes it the earliestEuropean settlement in North Americanorth of Florida. The current recon-struction is based on detailed drawingsby Samuel de Champlain, and as thecostumed interpreters lead you around,it is quite a place to contemplate. Thearea was originally inhabited by a strongMi’kmaq community as well. For myparents, visiting Port Royal was the first

opposite page: Fourteen hiking trailscover more than 35 kilometres in theMabou Highlands on Cape BretonIsland. Nova Scotia Tourism Centre

top right: Dating as far back as 1606when Samuel de Champlain estab-lished the Order of Good Cheer inPort Royal, Nova Scotians haveenjoyed each other’s companyamidst a pleasurable meal. NovaScotia Tourism Centre

B

Springinto fun!

Taxes (including GST), other governmentally-authorized or imposed surcharges, license recoupment/air tax recovery fees, concession recoupmentfee, airport facility fees, fuel, additional driver fee, one-way rental charge and optional items are extra. Renter must meet standard age, driverand credit requirements. Standard AIR MILES offer of 5 reward miles per day up to a maximum of 50 reward miles per transaction at participatinglocations in Canada and the U.S. Rates may be higher for drivers under the age of 25. Standard rental conditions apply. One-hour advance reservation is required. May not be combined with any other discount. Availability is limited. Subject to change without notice. Weekend rateonly available on the rental of a standard SUV (SFAR,IFAR). Minimum 1-day rental and maximum 4-day rental. Offer valid until June 24, 2006.Blackout dates may apply. ®†TM Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by Loyalty Management Group CanadaInc. & Alamo Rent A Car (Canada) Inc. ®Registered trademark of Alamo Rent A Car (Canada) Inc.

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evidence that much had changed in 30years since they’d been in the area —they were amazed at the restorations.

From Port Royal, we made a pointof stopping in Digby for some world-famous scallops, lightly sautéed in garlic butter, which we enjoyed on apatio by the water overlooking thefleet of scallop boats that collectedthem. After a good night’s sleep, weheaded out on the Evangeline trail(named for Longfellow’s epic poemEvangeline: A Tale of Acadie). Dippingin and out of little port towns along theway, we spent a great day photograph-ing fishing villages and were blessedwith sunny weather all the way downto Yarmouth and Lunenburg. InLunenburg, we walked around colour-fully painted houses along narrowstreets, admiring the historic homes.Lunenburg is perhaps best known asthe usual home of the Bluenose II, areplica of the legendary schooner thatgraces the Canadian dime, but wewould have to wait to see her — shehad already beat us to Halifax.

En route to Halifax, we stopped inat Peggy’s Cove, one of Canada’s mostphotographed spots thanks to its per-fectly positioned and highly symboliclighthouse.

Br i t i sh fo r t re s s

Once in Halifax it was a question ofwhat to do first. Walk along the portwatching the sailboats, track down theelusive Bluenose, or check out the historicHalifax Citadel, one of the largestBritish fortresses in North America?History-obsessed as we are, we opted forthe latter.

Built between 1828 and 1856 andarranged in a huge star shape, theCitadel sits like a crown atop the city ofHalifax. Soldiers and bagpipers bringthe scene alive with regular paradeswhile sentries defend the gates. Thenoonday gun-firing tradition datesback to the 1800s. We soon discoveredanother reason why we had made asmart choice to begin our touring here.The view of the city and the harbour ismagnificent!

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According to legend, Peggy’s Covewas named after a woman namedMargaret, whom local folk calledPeggy, the only survivor of aschooner that ran aground and sankin 1800. Nova Scotia Tourism Centre

NSPEGGY’S COVE, ONE OF CANADA’S MOST

PHOTOGRAPHED SPOTS

(902) 563-4636 • WWW.CBISLAND.COM

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Climb to new heights at our 10-day Hiking Festival,

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For more information on the various hiking trails or to register for the Hiking Festival, please visit our website at

www.hikethehighlandsfestival.comor call 1-888-897-4094

The view lured us downtown,where we walked around waterfrontwarehouses, originally built in the late1700s and early 1800s that comprise theHistoric Properties. Looking in nearbyrestaurants and specialty shops slowedus down a little. When we finally madeit to the harbourfront, we wanderedamong the different ships, which, at last,included the Bluenose. Not content tosimply look at the ships, we decided anouting was in order, and joined a sailingcruise around the Halifax harbour — adefinite highlight. Not only did we getto sail but also the tour afforded a niceopportunity to take pictures of theHalifax skyline from the water.

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The 298-kilometre Cabot Trail loops around the north-ern tip of Cape Breton Island through many charmingcommunities, each with breathtaking scenery andunforgettable hospitality. Nova Scotia Tourism Centre

If you drive to Nova Scotia from Ontario orQuébec, definitely allow yourself a couple ofdays for the journey. Depending on whereyou’re coming from, a stopover in Rivière-du-Loup, Québec or Edmundston, New Brunswickare good halfway points.Another option is to fly to Halifax on Air Canada,WestJet or CanJet and rent a car from AlamoCar Rental. Visit alamo.com to check out theirrental locations and hot deals.Before you leave home, request a free copy ofthe Nova Scotia Doers and Dreamers Guide bythe province’s tourism department, which offershistory and cultural background, hotel andrestaurant suggestions, as well as driving toursand maps. Order it online at destination-ns.com/forms/guide.asp.2006 commemorates the 100th anniversary ofthe historic shift of British to Canadian Forces.From July 18–23, Halifax will be transformed intoan exciting panorama of military heritage andpageantry with more than 1,000 re-enactorsand military personnel participating. Visitchangingoftheguard.ca for details.

travelplannerFrench se t t l ement

As sad as we were to leave Halifax andend our much-appreciated hiatus fromdriving, we were looking forward to theCabot Trail. While Ihad fought my Dadfor control of thewheel thus far, hewillingly surrenderedit on this stretch, hiscamera aimed outthe car windowalmost constantly. With its high cliffsand ocean views the Cabot Trail wascertainly the most breathtaking. Thenumber of very similar photos webrought back is a testament to our disbelief at the views. And in the mid-dle of it — Louisbourg.

As Canada’s most ambitious histor-ical reconstruction, Louisbourg invitesvisitors to sample life in an 18th-centu-ry French colony. With 60 reconstructedbuildings representing about one-fifthof the original community, Louisbourgschedules daily demonstrations thatrange from military drills with musketsand cannon firings, to blacksmithing.Once housing 2,100 civilians and a garrison of 700 soldiers, Louisbourg wasan important hub not only for fishing

but also for international trade betweenFrance, the West Indies, Québec,Acadia, New England and Native peoples — quite the cosmopolitan city.

Thanks to existingfoundations, as wellas the original Frenchcolony’s insistence oncreating meticulousplans for the settle-ment and recordingthem in triplicate,

abundant detail is available to modern-day reconstructionists. Today’s operatorsare so dedicated to accuracy that theywon’t display a home until it’s fully pre-pared. For us, it was a great immersionin history and we took full advantage.

After Louisbourg, it was time towind our way around the Cabot Trailand off the island at Pictou. While we felt proud at how much ground wecovered in Nova Scotia, it was clear toeveryone that there was definitely reason to return. As we drove along theCabot Trail, particularly near the Brasd’Or lakes, my parents pulled overmore and more frequently to inquireabout the cost of two-week cottagerentals. I think that’s a good sign we’llbe back. �

NSCABOT TRAIL WAS CERTAINLY THE MOST

BREATHTAKING

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