What an amazing trip it has been! If you have not had the chance to visit the far eastern side of Canada, it truly is worth whatever distance you have to travel to get there. We only just scratched the surface with our 3-week trip and have many more things to see.
Newfoundland was our favorite because it is rugged, stubborn and often remote. Gros Morne National Park could easily keep us busy for 3 weeks alone but we managed some great hikes there. St. John’s is probably the smallest and least pretentious “capital” I have experienced, and we enjoyed wandering around downtown. PEI is pretty, picturesque, green, clean, beachy … and perfect for bike riding. They even have a trail, running the length of the whole island, that you can cycle with a cross bike (gravel path) without ever seeing a car!
In Nova Scotia, we loved the Bay of Fundy tidal movements, the ferry rides to get to the end of the road or the next hike, the Cabot Trail scenery (and finally a bit of mist and rain – we started to think they always have 28C and sunshine!) and peace & quiet in Keji (Kejimkujik National Park). We saw moose, coyotes, whales and rabbits. Graham ate a lot of seafood. We met the most amazing people, especially in the B&B’s we stayed at. We drove the whole length of Newfoundland in 10.5 hours (unplanned – ask me about the whole story). And we can’t wait to get back.
I have uploaded our photos to the Gallery (strictly edited but it might still take you a coffee to get through them) so please click on the link below and enjoy. It is easiest to start the slideshow by clicking on PicLens above the photos; that also shows you the captions.
But before you go there, watch these must-see videos:
Moose crossing on the Skyline Trail hike in Cape Breton
The moose stopping to eat, undisturbed by us
The tidal bore coming in at Mantua Bridge: The Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal changes in the world – 4 times a day more water moves through there than all the freshwater rivers in the world combined. The bore is the tide coming up a river inland and reversing the flow of the river. On some you can even surf 🙂
Check out this webcam and look at Halls Harbour (pictures in our slide show at low tide) when it’s empty and when it’s full – It will give you an idea how much water moves in and out of the Bay of Fundy!
A kitchen party in Trout River, a small fishing village, which we attended with our B&B hosts: Look up this guy, Matthew Byrne, he is amazing and a Newfoundland local. All his songs are on iTunes; in the background you hear the locals joining in the tune.