Wolfville, Nova Scotia is a lovely town and home to Acadia University. We had the pleasure of staying in one of Nova Scotia’s most famous and historical guesthouses, the Blomidon Inn. This was our last overnight stop before we got to the cottage.
I had not told the Love-goddess we would be staying here. Rather, I saved it as a surprise, because the Inn is owned by a high school classmate of hers, Donna Laceby. I communicated with Donna after I made the booking to see if she would be around when we arrived.
It all worked out well and our arrival provided a bit of a spontaneous reunion for both. I don’t think they had seen one another for several decades. The Love-goddess was definitely surprised.
We weren’t able to check into our cottage ’till late in the afternoon, so we decided to check out some interesting sites around Wolfville.. We wanted to make sure we stopped at at least one winery. There are many operating in the area now.
As you can see, it is a magnificent structure. We really did enjoy our stay and would recommend booking there to anyone… especially those amongst you who love old inns and antiques. Unfortunately, we did not get to eat in its restaurant, which has a wonderful reputation.
This photo of the main staircase will give you a sense of the Inn’s historical charms. You can access the Blomidon Inn website here.
We did take the time to check out a couple of interesting sites in the Wolfville area before we headed over to the South Shore. First up amongst these was Grand-Pré the National Historic Site that tells the story of the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia by the British. It is the heart of the Acadian diaspora.
This map lays out the area covered by the original Acadian settlement in this location.
There are many images and statues of Evangeline the fictional Acadian woman romanticized in Longfellow’s poem “Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie”.
There is a scale model of dyke construction. These were used to cordon off large areas of salt marshes that could be turned into fertile farmland.
The various routes the deportees followed.
Not sure what part of the Acadian story this falls into, but I thought it was too delightful to leave it out.
The Covenanter Church at the Grand-Pré Historic National Site is the oldest existing Presbyterian church in Nova Scotia.
The last time we were in Nova Scotia the winemaking industry was in its infancy. It is now big business. We saw many vineyards as we traveled through the Annapolis Valley. This is the one at which we stopped, and one of Nova Scotia’s oldest, the Domaine de Grand-Pré.
We decided a tasting flight was in order… as if we would’ve stopped without doing a tasting. :-). Their Tidal Bay offering is wonderful. The Rosé, to put it bluntly, was terrible. Their reds are somewhat thin, but palatable.
Like every other winery we have ever visited in Ontario, there is a lovely shopping opportunity. In all fairness, there were lots of people in the store a few minutes before I took this photo, but I waited for them to clear out to get a clear shot. It is worth a visit if you are in the area.
As I was taking the photo of the mesh draped over the vines to protect the fruit from birds… I’m assuming… A bald eagle flew over. Unfortunately, I did not get it in the shot.
The end of the road. We arrived at our rental cottage in the Chester basin. The “Travel Companions” have already “gone Oceanside”. :-)/caption]
One thought on “Retiree On the Road – Nova Scotia #4 (Road to the Cottage)”
Great photos and descriptions, keep them coming…hopefully the weather works out, with a couple of Atlantic storms coming…enjoy the cottage life….cheers
The end of the road. We arrived at our rental cottage in the Chester basin. The “Travel Companions” have already “gone Oceanside”. :-)/caption]
Great photos and descriptions, keep them coming…hopefully the weather works out, with a couple of Atlantic storms coming…enjoy the cottage life….cheers