Dorian Daniels’ 5 Favorite Things About Nova Scotia via the ‘Fundy Rose’

There is nothing that spells summer quite like a weekend away with a friend in July. That is just what my friend Cindy Campbell and I got to do recently. We chose to give Nova Scotia a try since I had just renewed my passport and Cindy had her new travel card. So off we headed out Route 9 on a great adventure to Canada.

As I reflect back, these were my favorite things and best surprises:

1. Traveling on Bay Ferries MV Fundy Rose:  I have not always had great success traveling on the water, so I was a little wary of planning my vacation around a ferry ride. Much to my joy, the drive into Canada was so beautiful the time flew by and before you knew it we were in Saint John ready to go across the Bay of Fundy to Digby. Now to be on the safe side, I took some Bonine, but I confess this amazing ship was so stable you could hardly tell you were on the water. Then, add to that so many things to do on board. Shopping, movies, live music, Wi-Fi, gourmet food to sandwiches and an amazing crew willing to help you get the most from your voyage and impending visit. Four stars from me.

2. Experiencing Nova Scotia Food: Food, food and, did I mention the food? Starting right on the Fundy Rose, Cindy and I tried our taste buds at lobster poutine and seafood skewers. Once we arrived in Digby, we tooled to Yarmouth and dined at Rudders Brew Pub. At Rudders Cindy took them up on some craft beers. For me, a strawberry daiquiri. I had the haddock fish cakes with chow chow and she had the creamed lobster. All we could say was, "wow!" The Shanty Cafe for breakfast was our next culinary delight, and our final dinner at the Tusket River Brewery -- mine boiled seafood and Cindy’s steak both paired to perfection with craft beers -- was spot on. Then there was a fair bit to snack on at the local farmers market. Finally The Rodd Grand (where we stayed) served up another great meal and I learned, much to my joy, you can have fish cakes and chow chow for breakfast too … and I did.

3. Music was everywhere: As a DJ, I love music, as you can imagine. It was like this trip was tailored for me. There was live music on the Fundy Rose, live music at Rudders, live jazz at the Tusket River Brewery, and we even got a live show on the Tusket Island Tour with Simon singing sea-faring ditties.

4. Community and a surprisingly different cultural feeling: Nova Scotia has the most beautiful close-knit and hardworking people. The Shanty Cafe also has a day program for adults with disabilities re-purposing donated hockey sticks. The farmers market was like a small community all its own. My favorite though was the Tusket Island Tours. This was a family-run business by Simon and his family. The boat we took was also their working lobster boat, which Simon operates in winter. He also is a school teacher. At one point, we stopped at a lemonade stand with children on the pier. Then Simon cooked, and we visited his family’s shanty on the island. I read his dad’s journal, an entry of which described the only time they had ever sunk -- and how scary that had been. That is also where I tried rappie pie, and all I can say about that is be wary of the phrase “some say it’s an acquired taste.”

5. Learning Its Rich History: Finally, I love history and, boy, does Nova Scotia have a colorful history. This was just one of many reasons I wish we’d had more time and I know I’ll be back. We were able to visit the The Historic Acadian Village of Nova Scotia in Lower West Pubnico. There, we saw blacksmithing, the building of a stackable dory and learned the history of the family of 13 that had started out in the three-room house. Next -- and because Cindy’s cohost’s brother worked at Y95 their local radio station -- we were welcomed in to meet DJ Wade Cleaveland and got to see how they do things in Canada. We also snuck in an Ominous and Eerie Walking Tour with our hostess Candice who has researched many local crimes, folklore and Yarmouth legends. She spun tales for us of the darker side of Yarmouth.  We walked the town, and it was great!

Start planning your Nova Scotia getaway with Bay Ferries today at www.ferries.ca!