Blankets of Red and Gold

Having just spent the past few hours at Chapters, reading and browsing various books, I can’t help but feel that now is a particularly good time to write up another post – although to be honest, I’ve been thinking about some of what’s to follow for awhile and have been meaning to write about it. Anyone who reads this blog may well be a little bored of all the Nova Scotia-themed content that’s been the focus of the past few posts – so I apologise in advance for one more (although you can take comfort in the fact that this could be the last one). To be honest, it’s partly inspired by what I’ve been seeing around me here in Waterloo that’s reminded me of the time I was out east – as trivial as it might sound, seeing the changing of the leaves here has brought back to mind the landscapes and nature of Cape Breton. Granted, I left before I could actually see them change, but I do remember really wishing I had the chance to be there when it happened, and thinking about how much of a sight those blankets of red and gold would be.

Naturally enough, if I wasn’t there in person, I could at least check out some pictures, and a quick Google search offered some pretty stunning images easily enough. While looking, I also found out about a music festival, Celtic Colours (http://www.celtic-colours.com), that takes place in Cape Breton in just a couple of days, and goes till the 18^th. If I’d known about the festival a few months ago, I might’ve delayed my trip until now to enjoy both sights and sounds, although the weather is probably a little less than ideal this time of year. Part of the reason that something like this seems so interesting is that it would’ve given me the chance to check out a ceilidh (pronounced “kay-lee”, where traditional Gaelic music is played), something I’ve mentioned to a few friends already (to mixed reactions, right MS?) – and although I gave it my best effort, I couldn’t find one while I was actually there. Still, I suppose it’s just one more reason to go back there, to try and get to the things I didn’t have a chance for the first time around – not that I should need much of an excuse to head back one day, although it’ll hopefully be during the best of the fall colours.

Thinking about all this though, along with the time I just spent at Chapters where I ended up checking out travel guides and books about people’s travels of a more personal sort, got my mind on a slightly different track – although I’ve got to admit, it’s something I’ve thought about before: namely what is it about travel that makes it so appealing. On the one hand, I guess it’s pretty obvious…who doesn’t like going to new places and leaving home for awhile? But there’s a distinction here that should probably be drawn between “travel” and “vacation”. I guess on one level, both are a kind of way of escaping – but how that escape takes place, or what the goals are, is different. I don’t mean to say one is better than the other. Both have their various draws and attractions, and one could offer much more than the other depending on what you’re looking for. For me though, I feel that it’s the experiences that travel offers that make it so appealing. In my mind, I picture vacationing as something like laying on a beach somewhere, just enjoying the sun and making the most of free time that you’ve got, and there isn’t really much sense of exploration/adventure. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I think part of the fun of going somewhere is when you push yourself to do something new or untried, or just different – talking to people, just getting out of your comfort zone. I’ve also realised that travel is something that needs lots of planning (obvious statement, I know). But in an earlier post I wrote about taking things as they come, and not having a real itinerary or plan. Looking back now though, I was way off, because I did have specific plans and deadlines, like figuring out how many days it would take me to drive around Cape Breton, how many days I should stay in each town (in addition to actually picking those towns and finding hotels in them), as well as what the best plan would for driving around the island in time to return the rental car and still catch my flight to California. As stressful or annoying as all that was at times, sorting it all out was part of the fun for the simple that I got to decide my own schedule, and I got to choose where I was at any given time. So pulling over on empty highway in order to check out a scene, was actually something I could do, when I wanted (and I definitely did more than my fair share of that). Besides that though, what made it feel all the more like travelling was the fact that I was doing it alone. Whatever challenges or problems I might face, I’d have to figure them out myself.

In the end, I guess it’s kind of a contradiction. There are so many details to be worked out when it comes to travel, but at the same time there’s a sense of freedom and choice. Even when things don’t go as planned (which they inevitably will), whatever unforeseen thing that does happen is part of what makes the experience that much more memorable.

Parks, Trees, and Trails

Okay, so I know this still a relatively new blog, and I’ve already dropped the ball on keeping up with it – but that’s hopefully not an indication of how trends for the future. In any case, today is September 15^th, so there’s lots of catching up to do. I pretty much wrote all about the highlights of my week in Halifax/Dartmouth in the last post, but haven’t gotten around to saying anything about Cape Breton, which was by far the best part of my time in Nova Scotia – and exactly what I wanted. Honestly, cities are nice and all, for their food and shops and things like that, but I’m coming to realise that they just don’t it for me. Maybe it was just my frame of mind while I was away, but for me the best moments were the ones where I could just walk around on trails or drive along highways that only had one lane in each direction. Basically, the most enjoyable things were the complete opposite of things you’d find in a large city. Some people might call it “a whole lotta nothing”, but I loved it, and I’d count the open spaces, quiet and sense of calmness as far better than what a city might offer.

Again, maybe you could just chalk it up to what I was looking for, cause don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely had a good time in cities like New York and Chicago. But getting the chance to explore Cape Breton, a place I didn’t really know much about beforehand, and all on my own, probably made the experience that much more special. When people say Cape Breton is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Canada, it’s with good reason. Even though I only really stayed at three places, Baddeck, Pleasant Bay, and Ingonish, I did drive around the whole of the island (it’s not that large), and every step of the way is filled with scenic views. Exploring each of those places on foot was also great. If there’s anything that Cape Breton has an abundance of, its parks, trees and trails. One really great park was the Uisge Bahn Falls Provincial Park, which honestly felt a little unreal, or a little too good to be true. Like the name suggests, the trail ends at a small waterfall, which was awesome to see, but the walk to it (and the parts where you can walk along the river) was just as cool. Besides that though, even the people I met made it a memorable experience, like the father/son I came across who were trying to find a spot for fishing trout (or salmon?) – and pretty much everyone would say hi as we passed one another. Not so fun at the time was getting lost because I somehow managed to get off the trail, turning around and realising that all the trees looked the same, but looking back now even that contributed to part of the experience.

From Baddeck it was onwards to Pleasant Bay (you just have to love a place with a name like that!). Again, the drive up to it didn’t disappoint, especially because pretty much the entire way you’ve got the coastline on your left-hand side, and lots of undeveloped land on your right – just a couple of houses here and there. And as a strange of a thought it might’ve been, one thing I remember thinking about was how there didn’t seem to be a single Tim Hortons along the way. The definite highlight of Pleasant Bay was the whale-watching tour I went on, which was a blast. We didn’t see any humpbacks or anything like that (we were probably too close to the coast), but we did see pods of pilot whales, which are pretty small (anywhere from 12-18 feet), and some seals (really shy!) and bald eagles. Even if we hadn’t seen any whales though, the feeling of zipping on the water in a zodiac with the ocean spray hitting your face made it an experience all on its own. I have to admit I can’t really remember much of Ingonish – except that the room of B&B I stayed at seemed to be a converted attic or something. I did walk one final trail there, called the Middlehead Trail, which turned out to be far more dramatic in terms of its scenery than Uisge Bahn – there’s just something about seeing the cliffs rise out of the water that makes you really appreciate what Canada’s got to offer. You really don’t have to go very far to see some pretty incredible things.

Goodbye Halifax and Dartmouth…

It’s the end of the week, which also marks the end of my time in the Halifax/Dartmouth area. Given that, I thought some reflections on my time over the past week would be fitting. Overall, I really enjoyed the past couple of days here, although to be honest it feels like I spent more time outside of Halifax and Dartmouth than in them. Not that I necessarily regret that…both cities are nice, but they’re just that: cities. If you like the “big-city” sort of feel, than Halifax would be perfect for you. There are of course plenty of shops and restaurants to check out, as well as that staple of any large city, construction (which I found especially annoying today as I was looking for a relatively quiet place to eat).

 For me though, I’ve always felt some aversion to big cities. Growing up in a place like Waterloo probably had some role in that – so getting the chance to leave Halifax/Dartmouth was something that I eagerly took up. And, no surprises here, those other, smaller, and quieter places were the highlights of the week. Peggy’s Cove is sort of an obvious one…but believe me, even if you feel you already know what to expect (I certainly did: a famous lighthouse), don’t rule out being surprised. There’s actually much more than just the lighthouse (which I may have been a little ignorant in assuming), but the real draw is the surrounding scenery, which really is pretty stunning – and with the sight of the waves crashing against the rocks, you can’t help but imagine what it might’ve been like for a ship that was sailing those waters.

Besides Peggy’s Cove, two places stand out, both of which I’d never heard of before – and both of which I’d revisit in a heartbeat if I could. The first was the small town of Lunenburg, which at one point (and maybe still is?) was a very active fishing town, but now looks to be more reliant on tourists. Even with the tourists though, Lunenburg still seems to have a special character. I overheard multiple times throughout the day I was there how laidback Lunenburg is. And I’d have to agree. While there, I got to take a sailboat cruise, and while I did the same thing in Halifax, this one was a million times better…if not also a little scarier, given that the boat was listing onto its side for most of the way out of the harbour (see pics below!

Highlight #2 had much of the same. Not a town this time though, but a beach. Just like Lunenburg, Hirtle Beach had the same sense of calm. Overall, not too many people were there, which was a pleasant surprise (the fact that it’s late August no doubt helped). But the best part of it was the roughly three kilometres of beach and sand to walk along, without any distractions – that, and the chance to actually put my feet in the Atlantic 🙂

And then there was today, my final today. Pretty much a laidback day, killing time and doing the things that weren’t particularly high on my list, like the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (hey, I couldn’t leave here without checking at least one museum, could I?). On the whole, there were a couple of interesting things around, but then again, I’m not big on naval history, so someone who is would probably enjoy it much more. The one area that I thought was great was the one on the 1917 Halifax explosion. Granted, it was a small section, but still a pretty evocative one, because of the emphasis and focus on some of the actual people who were affected by the explosion (through personal effects, photographs, etc.) It might be an obvious statement, but that’s the sort of thing that makes history more real – those personal stories that a photo, or broken watch, or letter can tell about a person. And they did it really well here.

From here, it’s a move away from the bigger cities, and onto Cape Breton, which I’m really looking forward to, and where I think the real fun can begin.

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Halifax Bound…and Arrived

So, I had actually meant to write up a new post before I left, but time was against me – and so I’m writing this while in Halifax (hence the “and arrived” part of the title). In any case, I am now safely arrived and settled in Halifax, which is my first stop on a three week vacation that’ll take me coast to coast. Right after the week in Halifax, I’ll be flying to Sydney, NS, and over there to California to spend a week with a friend.

As a lot of my friends know, I’ve been fortunate to have been able to travel to a lot of different places around the world. Still, that being said, there’s something different about this trip, and I think I know what it is. Even though I’ve gotten to travel, this feels like the first time in a long time where it actually feels like a vacation (the last time might’ve been 2011?). Almost every other place I’ve gone in the past few years, there’s been some element attached to it, usually an educational element. Again, don’t get me wrong, I loved each and every one of those places and had a great time in them, but the fact remains that they weren’t holidays/vacations, but there was always some work to be done, whether in the form of excavating, reading and studying, writing essays or exams…but this time, it really does feel like a genuine vacation, or perhaps more properly, a getaway, because I’m doing it all alone. And that makes it all the more exciting. Driving back home late last night after spending some time with a few friends, I actually had a sense of butterflies in my stomach…not so much because of nervousness, but anticipation, and I haven’t really had that feeling about travelling for a pretty long time.

Basically, I really am looking forward to this time on my own, and the chance to de-stress, clear my mind and just do things when and how I want to, without working under specific schedules. That sense of freedom is what makes travelling so amazing…and for this trip, I’m just going to take things as they come – no real itinerary or plan, no “Place X on Day 3” or anything like that (although there are of course a couple of places I know I want to go visit). I’m not even really overly concerned with going to museums (I know, shocking!) or famous buildings, or any of the typical “touristy” places…that’s not really the goal of this trip. I think I’ve done enough of that already, but what drew me to the east is its nature and landscapes (things that I feel I haven’t really appreciated before). Besides that though, you often hear people talking about how it’s a good idea to explore your own backyard before travelling somewhere else. In my case, I guess I’m doing it backwards – still, to close this post with another common saying, better late than never…