The days are slipping by and the blog is already 2 weeks behind.  Oh well - it means we're having too much fun! On with the story:

Whistler  

By the time we finally got to our apartment in Whistler we were exhausted but had pre-booked the “Mountain Top BBQ” at the top of the Whistler Mountain for dinner.  Our price included a gondola up to Whistler mountain, and the fantastic "Peak to Peak" gondola ride between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. 

Rain and fog made it pretty hard to see anything on the Peak to Peak Gondola ride - you can just make out a gondola in the fog

We dressed up expecting a really nice dinner, but were disappointed in the cheap buffet with no BBQ in sight and scraps of food scattered on the floor.  If it wasn’t for the gondola rides it would have been a waste of money.

Our apartment was right in the centre of town, but far enough away to be quiet, and an easy walk to bars, shops and restaurants.  We were really impressed with the quality of our accommodation and are so thankful for Trip Advisor and the modern conveniences of the internet.

The ski slopes were buzzing with bike riders hurtling down the mountain, and we dreamt of being fit enough to do it ourselves.  Oh well, beer and cocktails were the next best thing.

Enjoying beers while with mountain bikers in the background waiting at the gondola to get them up the mountain

Squeezed into the gondola with bikes and gear

Obviously enjoying his beer

The sun eventually came out and we hired bikes and cycled around the beautiful lakes and trails. 

When we left Whistler we took the cheaper shuttle option to get back to Vancouver, and set the alarm for 4:00 am to get to the airport with a couple of hours to spare, before flying to Nova Scotia.  It was a long day and we lost 4 hours somewhere, so were exhausted when we finally arrived at our Halifax hotel at 10:30 pm that night.

 A skiing holiday in Whistler is definitely calling and hopefully we can come back soon.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is on the eastern side of Canada, sort of up from New York.  We hired a car for 10 day and once we decided our planned route was too long, wecut it back and slowed down so we had more time to enjoy the trip.  Starting in Halifax we hugged the coastline following the “Lighthouse Route” and then around the other side on the “Evangaline Trail”.  We were pretty pleased with our choices of B&B’s along the way and everywhere we stayed we had friendly hosts, lots of laughs, and massive breakfasts. 

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse - the first of many on the "Lighthouse Route"

Addington Arms - Our Lunenburg B&B

Lunenberg Harbour

 Lunenberg Streetscape

Considering we’re in lobster country we tried our hardest to eat as much lobster as we possibly could.  I can confirm that we're both sick of lobster, having had it in buns, rolls, chowders, poutines, pastas and straight out of the tank.  We were both lobstered-out so didn’t even try the Subway lobster roll, or the McLobster.   The seafood is amazing, and once we overdid the lobster we changed over to scallops.

The famous "Lobster Shack" for lunch

Our lovely room at A Seafaring Maiden B&B - Annapolis Royal

We had a beautiful dinner at Charlotte Lane Restaurant in Shelburne and while we sat at our table, we talked to Kathleen the owner who was also one half of a 2 piece band.  We felt very privileged when she invited Alan and I upstairs after our dinner for a private gig with Robby her partner.  They harmonised beautifully and it was a fantastic experience for us.  Some of the other diners were from our B&B and were green with envy when we walked downstairs afterwards and they realised they hadn't been invited.  They're interested in coming to Australia to perform, so we promised we'd give them contact details for Tamworth Country Music Festival and anything else we could find.

Our private performance by the band "Naming the Twins"

"The Cooper's Inn" - our B&B in Shelburne

Nova Scotia has a very complicated history involving the French, English, Indians, Scots and slaves, so we overloaded on history for 10 days.  During our 2 nights in Shelburne were lucky enough to stumble on their “Founders Weekend” celebrations which was a lot of fun with Nova Scotians coming from far and wide to join in.

The Captain and his motley crew - All the men were laughing together while the Captain tried to bring them into order

The Shag Harbour UFO Museum

A real alien?  We spent $2 each to get into the Shag Harbour Museum and we probably spent $1.50 too much

Somehow whenever we visited a lighthouse, the fog always set in

The highest tides in the world are found in the Bay of Fundy - low tide in Advocate Harbour

High tide at the same wharf in Advocate Harbour later in the day

Our most interesting night was at the lighthouse keepers cottage at Cape d'Or in Advocate Harbour.  To get to the lighthouse we had to trudge down a treacherous track with our luggage.  When we realised we'd forgotten a few things, it was back up the hill to the carpark, and then down again.  It was the best workout we've had in 3 months.  The 4 bedroom cottage had paper thin walls, and after lots of doors opening and closing, toilets flushing and shuffling around in our beds, all 7 of us quietened down for a reasonable sleep  in terrible beds.  We had a delicious meal in the restaurant cooked by Darcy the Manager of the lighthouse, so didn't have far to walk home.

The Lighthouse at Cape d'Or

Cape d'Or lighthouse, Advocate Harbour - Lighthouse Keeper's cottage on the left, and the restaurant on the right

Before driving back to Halifax we spent our last night at Driftwood Cottages, also on Advocate Harbour.  It was great to be able to sit on our own balcony overlooking the driftwood and harbour.  We cooked our own dinner (loads of scallops wrapped in maple syrup infused bacon) and ate muesli for breakfast.

Driftwood Cottages with Alan on the top deck

Before flying to New York we spent another night in Halifax (and didn't eat lobster).