A Photo Entry [A Visit to Canada’s East Coast]
Where does the time go?
I’d meant to write a quick post telling you I was off to Halifax to visit friends and that I wouldn’t leave you high and dry, but some friends would be guest posting…. but as is customary these days, it slipped my mind. Gosh, I’m sorry.
We had a bit of a whirlwind trip to the East Coast, arriving by car Thursday evening and returning home last night. It was my first time, that I remember, visiting eastern Canada and I wanted to see and do as much as possible while there. I was not let down by the beauty, the kindness, the scenery or the company of friends we were met with upon arriving in Nova Scotia. We did and saw just about as much as one can in 4 days. 
As I mentioned briefly, I had some wonderfully generous friends offer their help to keep things fresh around here while I was out galavanting in the ocean. They both delivered recipes and photos and stories that made it very obvious that I have some super duperly talented friends. I am so very appreciative for their contribution to the blog and I do hope you’ve read and enjoyed the entries as much as I did. Please feel free to comment on either entry so I can pass along any kudos to Mike and Sarp. They deserve some love, don’t they? I sure think so.
I want to bask in the warm glow of colourful beets and melty pork ribs a little longer so instead of jumping into something new as my sort-of-kind-of A.D.D urges me to do, I am going to settle down and instead share with you some photos from my Eastern adventures. A little show and tell from me to you. I do hope you enjoy. And if you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Halifax or Darmouth or Lunenburg, or Peggys Cove or anywhere on the East Coast at all, I would love for you to comment and share your favourite memory from your trip! 
Halifax is in the midst of a summer film festival appropriately named Summer of Murray. Every week the city’s Bill Murray fans gather at the harbour to watch a different Murray movie. We lucked out and got Ghost Busters. I have to admit I was a little upset that I was a week too early for What About Bob. Sigh. 
The Dartmouth Farmers Market was lovely. Buzzing with Dartmouth locals, vendors, colourful produce and warm loaves of bread. As you walked by the vendor booths, you could immediately tell what they were selling from the distinguishable smells. Sweet raspberries, earthy beets, yeasty loaves of bread. It was lovely.
We bought peaches, cherries and apples from this vendor. They were beyond compare to anything I’ve had recently. Stunning. 
Myself and Mr. GL cheesing out on Martinique Beach. 
Another shot of the beautiful Martinique Beach. 
We took a day trip to Lunenburg, NS and were lucky enough to catch the IronWorks Distillery when it was open. They make all their liquors from local ingredients. The only one that comes from outside of Nova Scotia is the rum, and they outsource their molasses from New Brunswick. We bought a bottle of the cranberry liqueur to bring home with us. It’s full of cranberry flavour and tart with just a touch of sweetness. We were told it’s especially lovely with champagne. 
The IronWorks Distillery’s line up of products. We were able to try the blueberry liqueur, the cranberry liqueur and the apple brandy. All were delicious! 
While in Lunenburg we stopped into a new Handmade Craft store called Dots and Loops on the suggestion of our hosts. The store was every bit as impressive as they claimed. It had only been open for a few days when we went by and we were incredibly impressed with all the wonderful handmade goodies it boasted. We left with some prints, cards, and trinkets that are sure to make our little apartment at least 50% cooler. 
This is me sitting on the very edge of Peggy’s Cove. A must for the tourist types. It was jam packed with people, but I’m glad we got to see it just the same. 
We stopped at a little restaurant in Indian Harbour on our way home from Peggy’s Cove. The fish and chips were perfect. And the view of the ocean wasn’t half bad either. 
I finally got to stop by my friend Tara’s cafe in Darmouth. If you’re ever in the area, you must stop by Two If By Sea Cafe to try one of their croissants. They have all the classic croissants but they do a weekly croissant that is typically stuffed with some delicious concoction. I went on ‘The Heart of Dartmouth’ day. A buttery croissant dough stuffed with artichoke hearts, lemon and garlic aioli. I also purchased a bag of Fourty Ninth Parallel coffee from the cafe and it’s lovely.
Melody cooked us up a feast on Sunday night. Maple infused local sausages, corn on the cob, an arugula salad picked right from the garden, olives and local bread. Nothing could have been better. Nothing. 
While she wasn’t cooking us dinner, she was making us Blueberry Mojitos. Can you believe it? The mint is also from her garden. And yes, she is as wonderful as she sounds. 
Broccoli from the garden. I really didn’t think broccoli could taste any different than it already does, but let me tell you, this tiny little floret tasted like it had 30 heads of broccoli jammed into one little piece. It exploded with freshness.
Oh yes, there was also surfing. Not on my part, but Mr GL was determined to learn. And learn he did. By the 2nd day he was standing up with the best of them.
So that was our trip in some photos. Hopefully it’s inspired you to visit the east coast of Canada. It was a truly breathtaking part of our country and I am thrilled I can finally say I’ve been and seen much of it.
Until we meet again.
