This Nova Scotia seafood chowder is the real deal. It's packed with fresh fish and shellfish in a creamy, hearty base. Treat yourself to a taste of classic Maritime cooking with this one-pot meal! It's especially good when the weather turns cold.
Happy Tuesday friends! I hope that you have had a wonderful weekend and are excited for this week ahead! Today I am excited to share with y'all a little bit about our drive to Baddeck, Nova Scotia while on our cruise with Holland America. After exploring the Port of Sydney (you can read about it HERE) we took our tour with Holland America for a drive to Baddeck. Baddeck is a village that is located in the Victoria County of Nova Scotia. For those that may remember me talking about about our drive through Nova Scotia that I did a couple of years ago this is much farther north than we were at. Baddeck is situated on the northern shore of Bras d'Or Lake on Cape Breton Island. The drive over to Braddeck was absolutely beautiful. Before this trip I didn't know much about Baddeck specifically but had always wanted to visit Cape Breton area of Nova Scotia and the beautiful Cabot trail. I was so excited that this would be a stop on our cruise with Holland America. Due to the time of year that we were traveling there was not the option of a tour on the Cabot trail, but this is an offering at some points during the year for those that might be interested. Our drive over was so beautiful and our tour guide and bus driver stopped a few times which was very sweet of them to do. I have to admit that my favorite part of our tour was the drive over and our time driving back. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy Baddeck, but I was expecting a charming lake/ocean town and really didn't find that there. We tried going into a couple of different stores and shops, and ended up sitting at a coffee/bakery shop with another person from the cruise and talking for about an hour of our time. It was nice, but just a lot different than what we had expected from the description of our tour. Baddeck is most known for being the home to Alexander Graham Bell and the Alexander Graham Bell National Museum. His home (located in the picture above across from the town) you can see from a distance, but you are not able to visit or tour. I think that if you are very interested in seeing the home from a distance or touring the museum than you will really enjoy this tour but if you aren't then you may want to chose a different tour excursion option for the cruise. Additionally if you are with someone who struggles with a chronic health issue or pain Baddeck is a bit difficult to navigate due to where the bus needs to park and the steep hills in Baddeck. I was thinking of this when I wandered down to the library in Baddeck (and found several books, of course *smiles*) and was hiking the hill back. A couple of years ago when I was fighting for my health I would not have done well on this excursion. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to read today! Please let me know if you have any questions about Baddeck or our cruise with Holland America! It was simply lovely! You can read about all of our adventures on our cruise with Holland America by clicking HERE!
If you're looking for vacation ideas for your next trip, we've rounded up our top 5 places in Nova Scotia that you can't miss!
On the Nova Scotia Chowder trail, you get to discover all the unique and delicious chowders this province has to offer.What will you dive into?
Happy Friday friends! I hope that you have had a wonderful week and are excited for this weekend! Today I am excited to share with y'all a little bit about our time at the Port of Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada. While I didn't know much about Sydney before this trip I had always wanted to visit the Cape Breton area of Canada and so I was excited that this would be a stop on our cruise with Holland America. Like many people we chose to do a cruise excursion that went into the Cape Breton area, but I thought it was important to do a post about the Port of Sydney itself as I couldn't find much about it when I was researching for our cruise. It truly is a delightful port with a lot of things to do and we had a lovely couple of hours exploring a few things that I definitely want to share with y'all for those that might take the same cruise we did! I found this above map online and thought that it was so cute in showing how the port is laid out and looks! You can see that there are so many different things right within walking distance, including visiting St. Patrick's church which is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Cape Breton. If you are into architecture you could also take a walking tour of Old Sydney (right near the ship dock) and see buildings that were constructed in the late 18th century. For those who are American Revolution historians you may know that Old Sydney was actually founded by Loyalists who were fleeing during and after the American Revolution. All of this to say that this port has lots of history to walk and explore right near the ship! Right when you disembark you will have the Joan Hariss Cruise Pavilion right in front of you. This area holds lots of concerts, events, etc. and when we were docked there were some musicians playing, an outdoor market that was neat to walk through and visit the different shops, and also beautifully relaxing to sit and take in the lovely scenery. A fun side note for those that love to get your passport stamped- you can do this on the first floor in the cruise pavilion! It is so cute and the stamp has a violin on it! It is really sweet! We opted to spend time off the ship and just enjoy the beauty after our excursion so we ate at the restaurant that is located on the 2nd floor of the cruise Pavilion, Flavor on the Water. I would say that the food was very good, different and really provided a lovely spot to sit and enjoy the beautiful day. Sadly, I can't recommend the service so much... the waitresses that we had were unfortunately not only rude to us, but to many of the people at different tables around us (almost seeming to be frustrated with having the cruise ships there) so the service was slow and left much to be desired. We even heard one waitress tell another waitress that she hated when the cruise ships docked. We were having such a lovely day and didn't want it to be spoiled with all of that negativity so we decided to change our order to a "to go order" (they weren't thrilled about it) and took our food down to the pavilion and it was perfect. All of that to say- I would recommend ordering to go and enjoying the food and not dealing with the strange and negative service. If you are wondering about how much time to reserve for the port (and also if you are planning to walk around Old Sydney for a little bit) I would say about 1-3 hours depending on how long you want to eat and explore. If you are just going to go to the pavilion you won't need more than an hour. I hope that is helpful! Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know if you have any questions about the port or our cruise with Holland America! It was simply lovely! You can read about all of our adventures on our cruise with Holland America by clicking HERE!
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One stop guide that covers all the best things to do in Halifax including Halifax attractions, dining, drinking, and hotel recommendations.
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One of Canada’s most enchanting maritime provinces, Nova Scotia is the dream destination for any respectable outdoorsman. Marrying a landscape that spans tide-eroded cliffs, cavernous river canyons, and impenetrable forests with unfathomably friendly locals (you’re certainly not in NYC anymore), the region has tons worth exploring. Here, just a handful of our favorite Nova Scotian scenes.
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Passengers aboard a New England to Canada cruise oftentimes visit Sydney, located on Cape Breton, an island that is part of Canada’s second-smallest province, Nova Scotia. Last fall, my Celebrity Cruises itinerary included an eight-hour stop in this port. To get a taste of this region’s history, I divided my time by taking a half-day Celebrity Cruises shore excursion to the Louisbourg Lighthouse, followed by a guided tour of the Fortress of Louisbourg, and concluded with a self-guided tour of the easy to navigate coastal town of Sydney.
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Cape Breton Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is an island off the Atlantic Coast of Canada. With a population of just over 132,000, you will be greeted by friendly "Cape Bretoners" as you enter the various small towns. The Cabot Trail offers breathtaking views overlooking the ocean and rugged coastline. Cape Breton has a piece of
9 Cape Breton hikes along the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia - a mix of easy, moderate, and one more difficult trail - go HIKE the Highlands!
Here it is! Your ultimate guide to Nova Scotia fall activities. We've got hundreds (actually) of ideas to keep you exploring this fall all wrapped up in an easy to navigate guide we built just for you. Muah!
A traditional fishing village in northern Nova Scotia, Cheticamp is recognized as a worldwide leader in preserving Acadian culture
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Find out which Nova Scotia hikes we love the best. Updated for 2021.
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Described are 9 adventures in Nova Scotia that include everything from cycling to sea kayaking to hiking/backpacking the Cape Chignecto Trail
Pack a bag and start your adventure!
Planning your trip to Nova Scotia? Read ten Nova Scotia travel tips to know before you travel to the most beautiful part of Canada!
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This 10 Day Nova Scotia Road Trip Itinerary is your guide to Nova Scotia Canada and the beauty of the east coast maritime region.
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Nova Scotia is home to a fascinating history, friendly locals and stunning landscapes. Nova Scotia truly is a wild & untouched wilderness.
I have toured the Cabot Trail three times. That's how spectacular it is. It keeps drawing me back. Here are my top tips for the Cabot Trail.
