24 August: Turning around, Meeting Familiar People, and Furry Organisms.

Woke up, showered, sent a travel email and a FB post, and walked downstairs for breakfast. The first to enter the dining room, as they open at 8am, I was told by the owner to pick a seat. So I chose the one by the window I sat at last night. My breakfast came fast, as I pre-chose the time I would eat. 

    In a mason jar were granola, fried banana, maple syrup, and toasted walnuts. It was tasty, not too sweet, and satisfying. Accompanying it was a mushroom quiche with Swiss cheese and spicy herbed potato cubes. The crust was crispy and inside was ooey gooey goodness. For the potatoes I liked the paprika flavour.

    After packing the car, and checking out, I headed for Amherst. At least I was going there for the first 20 minutes. I had forgotten something…cheese! Yesterday, after checking in, I put my leftover Costco Gouda and unopened Dutchman's soft and blue cheese spread in the B&B guest fridge. I couldn’t leave those behind.

    Backtracking, and getting back on track, I made it to Amherst. There I spent several hours visiting my Aunt and Uncle, on my mom’s side, D and D. We caught up on what was new, since we last met a few years ago, and how my trip has been going. It was good to catch up with them.

    Before leaving Amherst, I drove down Victoria street East and stopped at Amy’s Used Books. The store is still incredibly packed with books, but the owner still knows where all the authors are.

    It made me sad while leaving Amherst. Lots of closed storefronts and roads in need of repair. Many small businesses, in this hub community, have faded away with the loss of larger employers. When you drive down Victoria street you can see that a lot of money was made in the past by business owners from the huge opulence. This wealth and opportunity were increased when the Intercontinental Railway of Canada was built through Amherst, increasing the number of industries here. 1908 was its peak year of prosperity, but during WW1 was the beginning of its decline. There was a temporary reprieve when the Trans-Canada highway was built, but has since resumed its downward trend. Amherst’s faded flower of prosperity now awaits more capable gardeners. When driving through, take a look at the lovely brick and stone buildings of old downtown and the big old houses of Victoria street East.

    A short drive North West, into New Brunswick, took me to the offramp of Middle Sackville. It is where my good friend M lives and a rural community with the Trans Canada Trail passing through it. In M’s back yard you can look South at the edge of Nova Scotia.

    We caught up on how we were doing, how my trip had gone, and what was going wrong and right in the world. We have our fixes for the problems, yet we have not been contacted about those fixes.

    About a year ago, a mama cat checked out M’s house and found it suitable. It then brought over its four kittens and deposited them inside. She comes by, once in a while, for visits and checkups on them who are being kept as indoor cats. Three of the four got used to me over the next two nights. They each have their own personalities and it was fun to see them in their day-to-day activities. I walked 0.8km today.

23 August: It’s Just Us for coffee, Cornish Lunch, and Wild Caraway for Supper

After waking up, chatting with other guests in the breakfast room, eating a filling and delicious breakfast, and packing the car it was time to head East, and a little West, to Advocate Harbour. It would take four hours and twenty minutes of driving.

I wanted to take the old highway, to a flea market, but I left a little later than expected. It was taking longer to get there with the more windy road. Instead I pivoted and swayed to the modern highway to get to Just Us! Coffee House in Grande Pre.

Started in 1995 after getting a loan, with their home as collateral, they bought fair trade coffee beans from Mexico. Arranging more partnerships with other coffee growers they have grown their business. They sell great coffee and hot chocolate. Workers, from those who serve the coffee to those that run the company, can become owners in the company too. Their German roasting machines, well loved antiques, churn out great beans. I always like to stop here as their spicy hot chocolate mix is the best. I got a mocha (espresso and hot chocolate) to have the best of both worlds.

Next stop was Truro and my stomach wanted something familiar and foreign. To satisfy that itch I went to The Great British Grub Cafe and Bakery. The place was packed tight so I waited for ten minutes and read until a table freed up. Once seated I easily chose two Cornish Pasties to have. They were something Natalie and I had, many years ago when we were staying within Lake Country in the UK. Well, these were not the awesome ones in the UK, but these ones were still pretty good. Worth the stop.

Ahead of schedule, and a very short distance away, was Cooper’s Cabin and I wandered around their displays to look at old toys for sale. Last stop in Truro was Exor Games where I picked up a few Battletech boxes and a first edition of the Guillotine board game, the revolutionary card game where you win by getting ahead. This first edition has a cardboard guillotine and it's nice to get an extra copy of this out of print game. Natalie and I enjoy its dark humour and easy gameplay. Just before leaving the store, the rain came down and by down I mean heavy canvas curtains of rain down. I waited a few minutes but went for it as my car was just around the corner.

Turning West-North-West, I stopped at Masstown Market to use their washroom and pick up some Lunenberg blueberry wine. A short distance away was another stop, “That Dutchman’s Cheese Farm”. The chickens, and other animals, were happily wandering in their open pens yet still keeping a close watch. I picked up a cheese that blends Dutch soft and blue cheeses, one of my favourites.

An hour and a half later, at 5pm, I checked into the Wild Caraway B&B and Restaurant in Advocate Harbour. I’ve eated here twice and stayed here once. It's a scenic detour from the main highway and close-ish to Joggins Fossil cliffs.

Walking to the beach, I looked out into the Bay of Fundy until the sand bugs swarmed me. I quickly went back inside and worked on my travel journal instead.

At 7pm, I walked downstairs for my supper reservation. Ah, what a wonderful meal. Started with potato cakes, fennel hummus, falafel, and bread with caraway seeds. The potato cakes were deep fried with light butter and spiced salt, Fennel hummus had a nice garlic and dandelion element with fresh cut fennel on the side to bring out the fennel in the hummus. The falafel was green inside and tasted of garden peas and tasty herbs with edible weeds.

Next were the halibut cakes. Dips of lemon garlic (smooth tartness), black truffle (earthy), basil (gentle), and paprika (strong start that transitions to smooth) complemented the lightly fried halibut cakes. The batter had cracked pepper and salt to enhance the flavour. The individual gels were fun to try on their own.

My wine, Blomidon Tidal Bay, arrived and it woke up my taste buds. A combination of maple, chamomile, and lime subtle notes. It cut through the butter in my final course of scallops and a zucchini fritter. The fritter had a perfect char that brought added texture to the dish. The brown butter scallops with cracked pepper, and a tiny bit of salt, also paired well with the olive oil gel (how do they do that!), dulce (Bay of Fundy seaweed) cream threads (great umami bomb that doesn’t distract from the scallop taste), and feta mayo spurts (kinds sweet). With the scallops separately, or together, they made me smile at the expert and imaginative dish. 

As a palette cleanser the raspberry sorbet (deep and dark), on elderflower granita (gentle as a lamb’s wool), provided plenty of flavour to delight.

    For dessert I had a cappuccino (strong and smooth) with Knotwood flan (cherry-like with long lasting notes) and a scoop of juniper cream (so tasty with earthy flavour) on the side. Combined they ran a marathon of taste where one respectfully ran ahead then switched with another flavour. Floral, cherry, forest, fruit, tart, sweet, caramel were all vying for the lead.

As a bonus they provided a wine gummy, a Turkish delight that tasted like quince, and a red velvet-like cookie. As always at the Wild Caraway, the meal may seem small but I ended up being very filled and satisfied.

I journaled and read some more, then got ready for bed. By 11pm I was drifting off so I let myself fall asleep. 5.3km walked and 8 flights climbed.

22 August: Magical flour and eggs and water, a Lucky Inferno, and Links to History.

My repacking was yesterday afternoon and I used my mom’s lint roller to remove dog hair from the interior of the rental car. This morning I was ready for the road. After mom woke up, we conversed, but soon it was time to go. I’d be on my own for two days and nights.

Leaving at 845am, I took lefts and rights through the back roads. It was smooth driving and hardly anyone was around on this Saturday morning. Passing by small businesses, like maple syrup harvesters and art studios, I wondered if any were on the interwebs. Perhaps they survived by word of mouth and/or lost tourists?

The first stop was Books Galore, with a side stop at Rewards Department Store to use their washroom. Unfortunately the book store had none of the books on my list, but I did raid them heavily last year. Still one of the best used book stores in Nova Scotia.

Getting hungry, I went right East to a place I was recommended to try; The Noodle Guy in Port Williams, near Wolfville. The handmade tagliatelle with basil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms was awesome. It was accompanied by a nice zero alcohol rose from Nova vineyards. I was sitting at the old diner “bar” and got a great view of the open kitchen. They sure know their pasta here.

Heading West I stopped at Gametronix, which still has no price tags on their stock. You have to ask the owner how much each item costs and there was nothing there I particularly needed. A little further West I popped into Black Cat Books, in Kentville, and found a revised edition of Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It’s a retelling of Dante’s Inferno from the viewpoint of a science fiction writer, which I have read before and really enjoyed it. It led to me reading the original which I also enjoyed. Ended up chatting with the fellow working there for about 20 minutes about book and life in general.

Lastly, continuing to head West, I stopped in Berwick at Bargin Harley’s. They are a HUGE ‘everything’ store and have a lot of things you would find in clearance and liquidation stores. I picked up two cool patterned shirts ($8 each) and two charging/data cables of an interesting design ($7 each).

That done, it was getting late in the afternoon so I drove to Annapolis Royal. I checked into Blackwood’s Bread and Roses Inn, which I’d stayed at before. The house is interesting old, beds are comfy, and its incredibly close to food, shops, and scenery. Once checked in, and after chatting with one of the owners, it was time to eat.

I chose to go to Maison St.George, which used to be where the Garrison House restaurant was. The folks that owned it also owned at least two other restaurants except one burned down and the company folded. The staff and chefs of the company banded together and bought this place. The Garrison House is still run as a B&B and they changed the restaurant to be a blend of Euro Bistro with Maritime cuisine. I like the decor, except the fantastic felt artist’s works (Bette Young) are no longer being displayed and sold here.

After having good conversations with both the server and mixologist, I was given a complementary sample drink to try: Sangria sugar foam, port wine, and cranberry orange fruit juice. Refreshing and the foam complemented the slight acidity. 

        My appetizer was a superb pate of pork and chicken with nuts and berries. A nice dance of flavours on the tongue. 

        The main, with duck fat potatoes and maple glazed carrots (wonderfully roasted and herbed), was an expertly cooked steak with salt flakes conservatively sprinkled on top. I haven’t had red meat for a week and it's what my body needed. It came with a peppercorn sauce, on the side, that was buttery and savory and perfect. I had absolutely no room for dessert.

        After the excellent meal, I recharged my history batteries by walking across the street and roaming through the original graveyard of Annapolis Royal, the oldest town settled by Europeans in North America.

        I noticed Rose Fortune’s new gravesite (1774-1864). An artist made a wheelbarrow shaped structure for the broken gravestone. It’s a nice salute to a woman who, at 50, started a business to transport luggage for new arrivals in Annapolis Royal. After being a trusted advisor for tourists for a year, she had enough funds to purchase horse drawn wagons. That’s not a mistake. It is plural on purpose. 

        Working into her 70’s, she maintained law and order along the waterfront. It was not an official position, but the town’s leaders appreciated her efforts and trusted her in this role. She is regarded as the first female police officer in North America. Quite the achievement for a descendant of black loyalists who emigrated here when she was ten. They were among the three thousand black loyalists who fled to Canada after the American Revolutionary War.

        I continued into Fort Anne's earthen battlements, as it is open 24/7/365. It always relaxes me and soothes my inner being to walk around this place. It could be the memory of being a young boy and sledding down its short slopes one winter. Perhaps it is my knowledge of the past that existed here and how important this place was for so many early settlers.

        Wandering down St. George street, by the waterfront, I looped back to my B&B. Quite the day. 3.2km and 3 flights of stairs.