At Home in Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

I’m not even sure why we chose to stay in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. I think it was driven somewhat by the fact that our ferry from Maine was going to dock in Yarmouth which didn’t really draw us in. Perhaps it was because we didn’t want to drive too far from the ferry landing (not even realizing, at the time, that it would arrive at 7:30 pm). Or maybe it was that we wanted to explore the northwest coast of Nova Scotia. But most likely, it was because we took one look at our Airbnb, a quaint little artistically decorated red cottage at the end of a dirt road with a deck overlooking Smiths Cove and we were hooked. Whatever the reason, our happy accident turned out well.

We arrived on the ferry from Maine, as scheduled, at 7:30 and our smart-thinking advanced planning of getting us on to the ferry as the third car in order to capture good seats in the ship’s lounge backfired. First on, first off, right? Nope. We left the ferry in the last 20% of vehicles, but the front of that 20%. And yet, the somewhat haphazard and randomly selected sequence of cars to queue for customs agents put us exactly dead last to be cleared despite being in line before many who cleared long before us.

As we rode up the somewhat lonely 101, cut through forest and wetland, marsh and fields, scanning the settling dusk for deer to either side, a full yellow moon (a sign of peace, optimism and balance) rose as a harbinger of great things to come. Fortunately, we had arrived on the summer solstice on a clear night meaning less deer-scanning dashboard time.

Our Airbnb exceeded expectations. It was decorated with, what we assumed to be, unsigned artworks done by the owner or a family member. Many were of a nautical theme, to match the area. It had a great stone-hearthed fireplace, an open floor plan and a fire pit in the backyard overlooking the water. There was no WiFi, no cable or streaming services. Just a small transistor radio, on which we tried and failed to find a clear signal of Hockey Night in Canada on the AM dial to listen to game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, and a small TV with a DVD player and about thirty DVDs. It was perfect.

Port Royal. We first visited the replica of the French settlement at Port Royal, settled by Samuel de Champlain as part of New France. Port Royal was one of the first European settlements in North America. It was inhabited from 1605 to 1613 when it was burned down by the British. The French lived relatively harmoniously with the local Mi’kmaq (mick-mah) people with whom the French traded and, at times, married. The model of the settlement was built in 1939 under the leadership of Harriet Taber Richardson of Cambridge Massachusetts and a summer resident of the area.

With period-dressed guides, the settlement model isn’t huge but is worth a visit. Admission is quite reasonable at about 6CAD per person.

Annapolis Royal. We also spent most of a day wandering around charming and colloquial Annapolis Royal, a cute and welcoming little town on the Annapolis River. This area has a lot of history, particularly in the colonial period when the land was disputed and claims to it switched back and forth between the French, the first European colonists, and the British. The native Mi’kmaq people, of course, inhabited the area much much longer (9-11,000 years ago). French Acadian settlers (who would later go on to populate Louisiana in the USA as “Cajuns”) were both welcomed and shunned, including an expulsion of 11,000 of them to the British Colonies of America and later to England and France during the French and Indian war, starting in 1755.

Annapolis Royal was named as such in the early 1700s and it was the first capitol of Nova Scotia up until the capitol was moved to Halifax in 1755. Now, it’s a much more peaceful little village. We were there for market day and wandered through the stalls and overbought supplies for our trip from local vendors while listening to the small folk band play Crosby Stills and Nash covers. We’ve been to a lot of farmer’s markets both in North America and Europe and this one was near the top.

On a tip from our Airbnb host we stopped in for a beverage and a snack at the Mad Hatter Wine Bar which has a patio overlooking the river but it was a bit cold and windy so we opted to sit at the bar inside now that we are back in North America where such an activity doesn’t draw attention and people think you insane, like they do in Portugal.

Finally, we visited the slightly overpriced Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, a lovely little garden set by the Allain Creek with a small cafe.

Having felt proud of our support of the local economy, we returned home for some downtime.

Scallops of Digby. Digby bills itself as the “scallop capitol of the world” so, as we enjoy a scallop, we had to go. We hit it for lunch on our way out of town where we ate at the Fundy Restaurant and Dockside suites. We choose them for their outdoor patio, good reviews and availability of non-fried options. Our waitress recommended their “famous Digby Scallops” plate and the Scallop wrap, loaded with scallops. Both were fantastic. And as the day’s promised rain arrived, it was time to get our check and hit the road.

Local Food and Libations. We were also fortunate enough to taste the local food and drink in both of Smiths Cove’s restaurants.

TacOcaT is a small, authentic Mexican joint overlooking the water. They make their own corn tortillas and chips. Judging by our three street tacos each, they are legit. Good margaritas too, garnished with a juicy slice of pineapple.

But one of our highlights was Lazy Bear Brewing and its Firebox Pizza Oven, where we went for post-touring beverages. They brew their own beer and flavored ciders, sell the hot sauce made by an employee and offer delicious pizza (we tried the pineapple with Canadian bacon, or just bacon I guess). They even sell gelato. On a nice day, you can sit at the picnic tables overlooking the “Digby Gut” (the narrow channel between the Annapolis Basin and the Bay of Fundy) from their perch atop the hill, play cornhole, quaff delicious beers and chow down on pizza. Why go anywhere else? We liked it so much, we even bought the tee shirts.

Probably the thing we liked most was just admiring the changing colors of the Bay of Fundy skyline as the sun rose to our right, shifted during the day against a myriad of cloud patterns and variations and then set to our left lighting the sky above the sea afire in pinks and purples, yellows and reds. It wasn’t an action-packed stay but if you’re looking to relax and settle into a small town for a couple of days, put Smiths Cove on your list.

Well yellow moon, you had it right when you predicted a peaceful and balanced stay.

Other sources:

1. https://annapolisroyal.com/visitors/history-timeline/

2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_the_Acadians