Lunenburg ~ Nova Scotia ~ What Can I Say

If you ever visit Nova Scotia, try to spend a day at Lunenburg. This quaint, beautifully kept heritage town was established in 1753 as the first British Colonial settlement in Nova Scotia outside of Halifax. These early settlers were from various parts of Germany, Switzerland, and France. Many of the settlers were enticed to come to Nova Scotia by being offered freedom of religion - there are five rather large churches in this small town, one of them being the oldest Lutheran church in Canada and there is also a larger beautiful St. John's Anglican church built by the British .

St. John's Anglican Church ~ Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Lunenburg prides itself on its many historic churches — St. John's Anglican (built 1754), Zion Evangelical Lutheran (1890-91), St. Norbert's Roman Catholic (ca.1840), Central United, formerly Methodist (1883-85) and St. Andrew's Presbyterian (1828).

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church ~ Central Untied Church ~ St.'s Roman Catholic Church

All the beautiful Historic and really great homes.... These homes were painted in such vivid colors and designs with each one having it's own great personality ~ Here are just 8 of the many

Historic Homes from the late 1700's to the early 1800's

The fabulous waterfront..... was charming and full of energy!

Also the world renowned Bluenose II  Sailing Vessel is located here in Lunenburg ~ Bluenose II is a replica of the fishing schooner Bluenose which was built in 1963 as a promotional yacht for Oland Brewery and became Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador in 1971. It is being refurbished and should be ready soon to sail the seas once again.

The Bluenose was a Canadian fishing and racing schooner from Nova Scotia built in 1921. She was later commemorated by a replica Bluenose II built in 1963. A celebrated racing ship and hard-working fishing vessel, Bluenose became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia and an important Canadian symbol in the 1930s. The name "bluenose" originated as a nickname for Nova Scotians from as early as the late 18th century.  The Bluenose sank on a reef  off the coast of Haiti in 1946.

Bluenose II being renovated and will soon be sailing once again

Last but not least the sweet historic walk down the main street along the wharf ~ with all the colorful historic buildings ~  gift shops and many good restaurants to choose from ~ there were also horse and buggy rides and buildings to explore.  What a fun town...

Lunenburg is right up there as one of our favorite towns to visit in Canada ~ with it's historic buildings and the color explosion throughout the town and unique architecture... It definitely should be put on your BUCKET list if you haven't been here.

Have Fun & Travel Safe

Two Charming Towns

I was finally getting caught up with my blogging but atlas I am in Cape Brenton and still haven't finished my post on around the South Shore area of Nova Scotia so here I go again...

We started out towards Lunenburg but got sidetracked by 2 other quaint little towns ~ Chester & Mahone Bay.  What a beautiful day it was indeed... we drove along the coast until we came to the Old Train Station in Chester, which is now a visitor center.  Gorgeous coastal drive...



Chester, a charming historic seaside village, rich in tradition and hospitality, which was officially founded in 1759.   The first permanent European-descended settlers were a group from Massachusetts who came to the area in 1761.



Chester is one of the wealthiest communities in the province of Nova Scotia with many seasonal and year-round residents. The nearby waters of Mahone Bay and its numerous islands are well known for yachting and have made Chester into a vacation destination.  The day we were there, there was a lot of sail boats on the bay ~ we sat for a long time and just enjoyed watching them as the glided through the water so gracefully.

Our other stop for the day was at the very touristy town of Mahone Bay... So beautiful and is Mahone Bay which was founded in 1754. The harborfront is the heart of Mahone Bay. Three historic churches are perched on the water’s edge and is an awesome site as you head into the area.  The downtown area is filled with historic homes, craftspeople, art galleries, quaint shops and restaurants. You could spend hours walking & driving through the area.

We love these small coastal towns and enjoyed our day driving and walking around them. 

Have Fun & Travel Safe

A True Tragedy ~ SS Atlantic

We headed out early in the morning to find a Lighthouse and a memorial on the SS Atlantic.  The SS Atlantic was a White Star luxury liner that sunk on April 1st 1873 ~ the same people owned the RMS Titanic which sank on April 15th, 1912.  Both of these ships has history with Nova Scotia and we went to visit the area that was involved with the SS Atlantic while down in Lower Prospect.

Sandy Cove Lighthouse ~ coastal views and a small replication of the town that some man made in his front yard
(it was very cool)

Here is an old photo from the museum of the retrieval efforts of the SS Atlantic ~ all you can see is the mast of the ship.  It sunk here but within 5 days had fallen further down into the ocean.

Sailors scavenge the wreck of the The S.S. Atlantic—the other White Star catastrophe—for bodies and valuables. The Atlantic has more casualties buried near Halifax than the Titanic, and its hulk lies on the floor of Nova Scotian waters.

The White Star’s luxury steamship S.S. Atlantic ran into Mar’s Head at Lower Prospect on April 1, 1873. It appears April was an unlucky month for the White Star Line. This was the worst single vessel disaster to occur in Canadian waters prior to the Titanic which also sank in April. Five hundred and sixty two people lost their lives that day, but 390 were saved due to the efforts of the local fishermen and their families.
                 

Visit the SS Atlantic Museum first to understand the horrific tragedy and the stories of heroes rescues. See artifacts that have been recovered from the sunken ship  stories of the crew and passengers.

There is an Interpretation Center, the mass burial site, a boardwalk that wraps around the coastline, and a gazebo to take in the magnificent view. This area has been landscaped and interpretive panels installed which tell the story of this disaster.  The young man in the Museum was so full of information and was very helpful helping us understand more the circumstances that lead up to that fateful crash upon the rocks of Terence Bay.



~ Memorial Park ~

The ships of those days divided their passengers by class... The front part of the ship held single men, the center was families and the rear of the ship held single woman.  When the ship hit the rocks the front half was broken completely off and the other two thirds of the ship sunk right away.  The only survivors were all men and one small boy who just so happened to be spending the night in the front with his brother.  So terribly sad... This area we are visiting right now has had more then there share of tragedies and have put together beautiful memorials for each one of them.  Tragedy that brings people together to help and remember. 

~ Memorial Park ~

We really enjoyed learning the history of this sad event in Terence Bay as strange as it may sound.  If you come this way be sure to come out to explore this coastal area town, Sandy Cove Lighthouse and the SS Atlantic Museum & Memorial.  It is well worth the trip.

Have Fun & Travel Safe

Finally Nova Scotia ~ We Have Arrived!

Finally we are in Nova Scotia and staying at a wonderful park, Wayside RV Park in Glen Margaret just north of Peggy's Cove.  Click here for our RV Park review.  So far I am loving it here, we have a great site with a view of a small cove right across the street and the area is full of great coastal towns and beautiful scenery.  As soon as we got Tassie all set up we loaded up Tiffy and went for a long drive along the coast.  The road was a winding, twisting, up & down hills through an awesome coast line with rugged rocks and quaint villages. 

We took a drive through Peggy's Cove which I have always heard so much about.  I can't wait to come back and explore it deeper. This is truly an amazing place to visit!

Our view outside our front window ~ LOVE it!

I am so excited about being here and checking out all there is to see & do.

Have Fun & Travel Safe