29 minute read
Time to travel again
Toronto is the business and investment centre of Canada and the capital of Ontario. It has worldclass universities and colleges and is the headquarters for numerous global companies. Toronto is home Leafs, the Jays, the Toronto FC, and of course, the Raptors, who captured the imagination of the world and redefined Canadian grit with the We the North slogan on their way to beating the Golden State Warriors in June 2019, capturing their first NBA title in franchise history.
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The win was akin to the heroics and emotion of the 1972 Canada Cup, which united a city and a country. Torontonians celebrated that spirit in true north fashion with a massive downtown parade for the ages attended by millions of proud citizens. In hindsight, that moment was the official coming-out party for the ‘new Toronto,’ a 21st-century city that has changed so much in the past three decades that much of it would be unrecognisable to those of that time. And, the change has been magnificent.
Toronto is a harbour city that straddles 46 kilometres along the blustery shores of Lake Ontario from the Rouge River and Scarborough bluffs in the east down to the mouth of Etobicoke Creek in the west. Today, there are lakefront homes and condominiums that run the span of the lakeshore with beautiful parks, interlocking bike paths that connect to local transit, and ferries to Toronto Island and the Island airport.
South of the Union Station towards the lakeshore, a complete and modern new part of Toronto has emerged over the past three decades that is full of the energetic lifestyle, arts, recreation, and leisure that can only be found in a big city. And it is glorious in both design, comfort, ease of access, and lifestyle.
Forty-five per cent of Torontonians speak a mother tongue besides English or French. This multicultural smorgasbord contributes to the immense diversity of Toronto’s food scene, making it one of the world’s great cuisine cities. Within ten blocks of downtown Toronto, you can choose from a plethora of restaurants offering everything from fabulous Cuban, Indian, Korean, Italian, Portuguese, Thai, Spanish, Malaysian, and other multi-national dishes. Toronto’s
Toronto: WE THE NORTH
Danforth neighbourhood features a treasure trove of exceptional Greek restaurants. The Chinese diaspora is at the top of their food game on Spadina. Then there are oodles of hip restaurants on Bloor West.
Getting to Toronto from Ottawa is easy by plane, train, or automobile. Once there, we checked in to the historic (and glorious) Omni King Edward Toronto at 37 King Street. Built in 1903 by George Gooderham, owner of Gooderham and Worts Limited, once the largest distillers in Canada, the King Edward was the most glamourous hotel of its day and was advertised as being completely fireproof.
The Omni King Edward remains one of the city’s premier luxury hotels. Over the years it has hosted many famous guests: Richard Burton proposed to Elizabeth here while John Lenon and Yoko Ono stayed before heading to Montreal for their famous bed-in for peace.
Today, the ‘King Edward’ has been reimagined for the 21st century. The
ABOVE: (CLOCWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Looking east towards the CN Tower with new contruction all around. Front Street in Toronto on a snowy morning. Dinausors at the Ontario Science Centre. The Crochet Coral Reef at the Ontario Science Centre is a community-baded art
superb and friendly staff combined with an elegant and modern atmosphere that respects the history and old-world charm help make this hotel unique. It caters to a business crowd during the week and families on the weekend. With four ballrooms, it is a popular wedding venue. It’s fourth floor Crystal Ballroom is one of the most spectacular spaces in Toronto.
The King Edward is close to the city’s top attractions, including St. Laurence Market, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Eaton Centre, Distillery District (made up of the former buildings of Gooderham and Worts Limited), and some of Toronto’s best restaurants and shopping.
Start your day at the King Edward with one of their popular breakfasts in the dining room or linger over tea and finger sandwiches during afternoon tea—a long-standing Toronto social tradition. Cap off your night with drinks at the wonderfully elegant and comfortable Consort Bar.
If you missed the Immersive Van Gogh Experience, which took Ottawa by storm last summer, catch it until the end of May at 1 Yonge Street. The stunning projection animates Van Gogh’s brushstrokes, detail, and colours of his works, from his sunny landscapes and night scenes to his portraits and still life.
Take the time in Toronto to visit one of the many museums. I revisited an old favourite, the Ontario Science Centre, which has welcomed more than 49 million visitors since it opened in 1969. It remains one of the great destination sites of Toronto. Kids and families love this place with its exciting and educational exhibitions that inform us in simple ways about complex things in science and nature. The best part is the staff who offer hands-on experiences, whether it’s looking at bugs up close (yikes) or learning about the importance of science in our lives and communities.
I especially liked an exhibit that showed the advances in sports equipment over the past 100 years. There is so much to do and see here that you’ll need to plan to stay for three or four hours. Until April 2022, catch the Canadian debut of phenomenal Bug Lab exhibit brought to life by the set designers from Lord of the Rings. Oh, and did I mention it has an OMNIMAX theatre that is showing the new IMAX film Asteroid Hunters, narrated by Daisy Ridley.
One of the great surprises of this trip to Toronto was visiting the Aga Khan Museum, which presents an overview of the artistic, intellectual, and scientific contributions Muslim civilizations have
1.Pho Hung Restaurant • 350 Spadina Ave., Toronto Vietnamese a local favourite with incredible atmosphere, noodles, and pho. 2. Ten Miles BBQ • 359 Spadina Ave., Toronto, Northern Chinese cuisines at its finest . . . delicious. 3. Vietnam Lovely Noodle • 378 Bloor St W, Toronto Vietnamese pho and noodles at exceptional prices. 4. Astoria Shish Kebob House • 390 Danforth Ave, Toronto You will get a flavour of the Danforth here with some of the best Greek food in Canada! 5. Belfast Love Public House • 548 King St W, Toronto Elegant Pub Style - one of my favourite pubs in Toronto. The atmosphere is superb. 6. Korean Grill House • 754 Yonge St, Toronto Korean BBQ is a bucket list experience for anyone. This is a great night out with superb meats, excellent service at superb prices. 7. Hemingway’s Restaurant • 142 Cumberland St, Toronto Pub-style comfort in the Yorkville area. 8. Dim Sum King Seafood Restaurant • 421 Dundas St W one of the best Chinese restaurants in the big smoke. Don’t miss it! 9. Anejo Restaurant • 600 King Street W Mexican does get any better anywhere . . . even in Mexico. Go here and thank me later. 10. Frans Restaurant• 20 College Street. A diner legend still, after 77years.
LEFT: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) The grand lobby of the Omni King Edward Hotel. A detail of the incredible original plaster mouldings that adorn the ceiling of the main floor ballroom. Light streaming in the windows of the beautiful fourth-floor Crystal Ballroom. The King Street entrance to the Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto.
made to world heritage. The Museum’s permanent collection of over 1,000 objects includes masterpieces that reflect a broad range of artistic styles and materials. Persian culture’s breathtaking history, ingenuity, and contributions to the world and civilization are captured marvelously in this hallowed place. The curator’s newest exhibit is Hidden Stories. I could have easily spent more time here and plan to return (agakhanmuseum.org). When you visit, I highly recommend you start by having lunch at the world-class Diwan Restaurant, which is located inside the entrance to the museum. Restaurateur Mark McEwan and his team have brought a passion for quality and innovation to Diwan. Lunch here was one of the highlights of our trip. Try the Lamb Suya; it is simply superb!
Off of Cherry Street and Mill Street, Toronto’s Distillery District is a yearround pedestrian-only enclave, set in quaint 19th-century buildings that once housed a large whiskey distillery. Its 19th-century brick stone buildings and cobblestone streets are lined with cool bars, coffee shops, boutiques, and hip indie restaurants. Art lovers come for the galleries, outdoor sculptures, and dance or see music and stage performances. In December, the annual Toronto Christmas Market
LEFT TO RIGHT: The Ontario Science Centre remains a fun destination for all ages. A walk through the different pods of the Bug Lab brings the marvels of the incredible world of entomology to life. (PHOTOS: OLM STAFF)
takes over the streets of this entire area, and it becomes a magical place called Distillery Winter Village. A 55-foot-tall (and brightly lit) Christmas tree is at the center of it all.
After visiting, take a 10-minute walk to Gusto 501 at 501 King Street East in Toronto’s Corktown neighbourhood. I had previously visited their sister restaurant Gusto 101, which is the creation of the renowned Toronto restaurateur Janet Zuccarini. Her takes on Italian fare don’t disappoint. Impressive is the cool and stylish atmosphere and design of this place by award-winning architecture firm PARTISANS. The terracotta walls are unique, and an oversized “garage door” façade opens to reveal a multi-level dining theatre.
Toronto is a cycling city, and you can’t go wrong taking a bike tour at any time of the year. From the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in the heart of the city, you’re just minutes away from the Toronto Islands—a five-kilometre oasis of 15 interconnected islands that locals have been escaping to for fun, relaxation, and tranquillity for over 200 years. Our Toronto Bicycle Tours guide (torontobicycletours.com) was well versed in the beauty, history, and attractions of the islands (known locally as “the island”), which also has a quaint cottage-style residential neighbourhood—the largest car-free community in North America. You must see the stunning views of the city skyline from the Island. Another trip highlight for sure!
Be sure to visit The Evergreen Brick Works outdoor skating rink, which weaves through snow-covered gardens under exposed beams from the roof of the old brick factory. In 2010, Evergreen transformed a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings into a global showcase for green design and an award-winning public space.
Another great option is the Bentway outdoor rink directly underneath the Gardiner Expressway in front of Old Fort York Park. As I skated here on a frost-chilled night with the sounds of the city in the background and the happy smiles of the locals in the foreground as they traversed around the ice, I thought . . . how innovative and wonderful.
Only in Toronto. We The North g
LEFT: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) The clean lines and minimalism of the architecture lend the Aga Khan Museum a sense of serenity. A 19th Century Uzbekistan chapan (robe) worn by either men or women. An intricately carved Oliphant (ivory horn) made between the 11th and 13th centuries. A late 18th century Qur’an is one of a large collection of illuminated manuscripts at the museum. Lunch at Diwan was a most delicious affair. (PHOTOS: OLM STAFF)
Big Ocean Country: Sou’West Nova Scotia
Dumping Day” in Southwest Nova Scotia is the last Monday in November. In harbours from Lockeport around the southwestern tip to Digby, thousands of small fishing boats wait, their engines humming, their decks piled high with hundreds of traps, their crews chomping at the bit, to get to work.
The weather is critical to the start of any dumping day – any wind and dumping day has to be delayed. Families, friends, and curious on-lookers gather on the wharves to wish the crews a safe and prosperous season, which extends through winter and the February-long Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl festival to the end of May. Half of Canada’s $1.5-billion annual lobster catch is landed in Nova Scotia. Over half of the Maritimes 3,000 lobster licenses are fished in Sou’west Nova Scotia.
A fishery this large translates into a lively culture and a built heritage that makes this part of Nova Scotia worth visiting year round. Dockside restaurants specialize in dishes made with fresh seafood. In summer, visitors are encouraged to walk the wharves and strike up conversations with a fisher who might be repairing a boat or just docking after a fun afternoon fishing for mackerel with rod and reel.
Along the coast, sentinels of old that guided fishers to safe haven like the Sandy Point Lighthouse—at low tide, walk right up to it across a sandbar— make for great photos. Climb to the top of the replica Cape Sable Lighthouse in Barrington and marvel at the feat of engineering it took to build its giant lens. The tall “apple core” Cape Forchu Lighthouse at the mouth of Yarmouth
Harbour has a whale skeleton on display and was the site for the filming of the 2018 movie The Lighthouse starring Willem Dafoe. Out on the Bay of Fundy beyond the lighthouses, whales breach and blow as they hunt for fish and phytoplankton. Whale watching tours depart from Long Island and Brier Island off the tip of Digby Neck, a narrow peninsula pushing into the bay. Guiding services like those offered by East Coast Paddle Company and Candlebox Kayaking get visitors out on the protected waters of places like the Tusket Islands and in the sprawling inland Tobeatic Wilderness
Area for paddling and catered picnics.
Pick up a self-guided birding brochure from a local visitor centre to enjoy some of the best bird watching in Canada. These shores and forests sit on major migration routes. The guide provides birders all the information they need like public viewing sites and the best time to see some of the region’s nearly 400 species.
ABOVE: Lobster fishing in Southwest Nova
Scotia. (PHOTO: TOURISM NOVA SCOTIA) Cape Forchu Lighthouse, Yarmouth.
(PHOTO: TOURISM NOVA SCOTIA/@DAVEYANDSKY)
The rich cultural diversity of Sou’west Nova Scotia surprises many visitors. Much of the coastline is known as the Acadian Shores for its many French communities. In summer, folk music and energetic festivals complement traditional foods like rappie pie—a hearty potato and meat dish—popular in local Acadian restaurants. The tallest wooden church in North America, the magnificent Église Sainte-Marie, stands as a welcoming beacon at Church Point.
The Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown near Shelburne fills in a missing chapter in the story of slavery. At the national historic site, walk on a glass floor in the interpretation centre’s exhibition room flooded by light from a wall of windows. Below are displayed some of the 16,000 artefacts discovered nearby that date from the 1780s when thousands of freed and escaped slaves arrived here after the American Revolution. In the years that followed, many made their way from here to Africa where they founded Freetown, the capital of Sierre Leone.
The region has a wealth of unique museum experiences. At the Firefighters’ Museum in Yarmouth, check out the exhibits of immaculately preserved equipment and vehicles. See Canada’s oldest fire pumper, a 1750s Newsham, at the Shelburne County Museum. Inside the Dory Shop in Shelburne, help build a dory, a two-person rowboat launched from fishing schooners in the age of sail. The Barrington Woolen Mill at the museum complex in Barrington built in 1882 is powered by the passing
LEFT: Black Loyalist Heritage Centre, Birchtown. BOTTOM: The Digby Pines Golf Resort & Spa.
river and transforms raw fleece into yarn. In Wild Axe Park behind the mill, the Lumberjack Experience—log rolling, pole climbing, sawing, and axe throwing—makes for a fun afternoon. Boxing Rock Brewery in Shelburne serves Wild Axe Beer in honour of the experience and occasionally hosts axe throwing workshops outside their taproom.
There’s no shortage of classy accommodations when visiting Sou’west Nova Scotia either. Luxurious Trout Point Lodge deep in mature Acadian forest offers star gazing, forest bathing, saunas, fishing, and paddling, as well as sensational cuisine. The Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa has been the go-to for golfers since 1929. Steeped in history, the Cooper’s Inn in Shelburne dates from 1785 and sits across the street from the Barrel Factory, one of the world’s last small scale wooden barrel makers. Across the harbour, The Islands Provincial Park is a popular destination for campers. The larger Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park has almost 300 sites and offers the best of lakeside camping.
At sunrise on Dumping Day, the harbours empty of boats and the great lobster season of Sou’west Nova Scotia begins. So too does the annual cycle of life in this part of the province, nicknamed Canada’s Ocean Playground. Life revolves around the fishery and the seasons. The welcome mat is out all year round for visitors to share in the wealth of fresh seafood, rich cultural experiences, grand landscapes, and exciting activities on the water. This is big ocean country where big memories are made g
Visit www.novascotia.com to begin planning your next getaway today!
PHOTO: TATUM BERGEN The archaeological site of Karahan Tepe sits on the rolling hillsides near the Turkish-Syrian border. (PHOTO: Kubilay Akdemir)
Travel through the cradle of civilization
IN GAZIANTEP AND URFA
Şanliurfa is a city many in Canada have never heard of, and that’s extremely unfortunate. A week in Turkey exploring the oldest man-made structures ever found will leave you with an impression few other destinations can replicate.
Known by locals as Urfa, Şalinurfa is a city of holy pilgrimage near the Syrian border and home to two million inhabitants. Unlike its neighbours in Iraq or Syria, Urfa is a moderate metropolis of modernity with westernstyle shopping malls and infrastructure that co-exists with mosques that date back to the height of the Ottoman Empire’s rule. Vibrant stores and bazaar areas are filled with colour, and the smells of baklava, Turkish coffee and kebab, radiate everywhere. Here you will find some of the best street food sold at low prices by humble sellers in modest stands or shops.
Urfa’s residents are among the kindest people anywhere. Asking for directions will inevitably lead to being invited for tea either at their home or business, as happened to me on three separate occasions on just my first day. While visiting, we stayed at the centrally located Nevali Hotel. It provides topclass service and has a beautiful view of the city’s hills.
The greater Urfa area has been constantly inhabited by humans since the early Neolithic era, more than 12,000 years ago. To get a sense of the region’s history, start your journey with a visit to the Şanliurfa Archeology Museum—a world-class institution showing human development from the stone age era of the caveman into the early pre-pottery
ABOVE: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) One of the most visited places in Şanliurfa, Balıklıgöl is known in Jewish and Islamic legend as the place where King Nimrod threw the Prophet Abraham into a fire. Cruise the Euphrates and take in the sunken city of Halfeti. The Gypsy Girl, the oldest mosaic known to man, was returned to Turkey after being smuggled to the U.S.
TOP TO BOTTOM: Göbekli Tepe dates back to the dawn of the Neolithic period and is thought to be the oldest permanent human settlement anywhere in the world. The 9,500-year-old sculpture, Urfa Man is one of the key artifacts at the Şalinurfa Archeology Museum. The still-inhabited beehive-shaped homes of Harran have existed for millennia. Located on the bank of the Euphrates River, the ruins of the Rumkale (or Roman) Fortress merge almost seemlessly into the surrounding cliffs—a testament to the skill of the expert builders. Neolithic period when homo sapiens began to settle into a community-based stationary lifestyle.
Using some of the world’s oldest historical artifacts, the museum intricately details the origins of human civilization in the Neolithic era. Upon entering the first gallery, a statue known as the Urfa Man stares at you with black obsidian eyes. Believed to be at least 9,500 years old, it is the oldest human form statue ever discovered and absolutely stunning in some of its details.
Other artifacts include the stones tools found in the area and carvings made in soap and limestone. Also, there are early jewelry items and animal totems of species that were hunted or farmed by the Neolithic settlers. Perhaps the most interesting statue shows a man carrying a large predatory cat. Experts believe that the creature’s restful posture and facial expression depict the beginning of a more symbiotic relationship between man and animal.
The museum also contains life-sized replicas of nearby Neolithic ruins that the guests can walk inside to get a perspective on their scale, something you cannot do when visiting the archeological sites.
A five-minute walk from the museum is the city centre of Urfa. Home to the Balıklıgöl, a canal or pool full of large carp considered holy in Islam, it is a picturesque sight to behold. Mythology says that when the Prophet Abraham was cast into the fire by King Nimrod for not partaking in the worship of idols, the flames turned into the canal’s water and the wood in the fire became the fish that still swim in there today. The cave that the Prophet Abraham was born in, according to Islamic mythology, is located in the Mevlid-i Halil Mosque a couple of hundred meters away, and the locals are very accepting of all who wish to see the site.
The centre of Urfa is unbelievably beautiful, and there is a true sense of wonder in the air when first seeing it. Walking through it, you cannot help but think you are in the court of an Ottoman Sultan. It is magical in a way that’s hard to describe.
Turkey, located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, has had dozens of civilizations inhabit the territory that the modern Turkish state encompasses. Still, more fascinating is that the oldest signs of human society on the planet are in Turkey and all relatively close to Urfa.
Fifteen kilometers from Urfa is the site of Göbekli Tepe, now a UNESCO world heritage site. The remains of the structures found at the site are from at least 10,000 BCE. Incredibly, a local farmer found small rock statues and turned them over to a local museum, leading to German archeologist Klaus Schmidt beginning excavations at the site.
At the top of a massive hill, under a newly erected cover to preserve the ruins, excavations are ongoing. Four enclosures that were once primitive buildings make up the covered area of the site. Ground radar scans point to dozens more sites yet to be uncovered in and around the area.
Large T-shapes chiseled out of limestone stand everywhere. It’s hypothesized that the inhabitants used them for supporting roofing. These structural remains are well preserved, and carvings found on the sides of the posts are still observable to the naked eye from several stories up.
Walking the path around the site is a nearly surreal experience, and you cannot help but ponder the origins of human civilization as you stare down into the ruins. Göbekli Tepe is also home to an advanced visitors centre with an interactive display and a historical exhibit on Neolithic humanity.
About an hour outside Urfa sits an older archeological site, Karahan Tepe. Opened to the public in the fall of 2021, Karahan Tepe sits on the rolling hillsides near the TurkishSyrian border. The permanence of this site is its most fascinating aspect.
Stone benches carved out of the limestone walls still sit amongst the bricks and pillars left by the site’s creators. Most captivating and exciting is the large chamber carved into the limestone. Now open to the sky, the T-shaped columns that protrude out of the ground were part of what our guide said is believed to be a ritual site or temple. The creators’ integral carvings can still be seen on the walls.
Karahan Tepe is so intriguing. Archeologists excavating the area believe that the site predates human agricultural settlements and was ultimately filled in before it was abandoned.
Located about an hour south of Urfa stands the ruins of the ancient city of Harran. It was a vital trading post during the Mesopotamian era through to the beginning of the early Islamic age when it became an academic centre. The ruins of the Harran University, thought to be the oldest in the world, stand on the planes.
Ethnic Arabs inhabit the village of Harran today and live in beehiveshaped mud homes that are only found in this part of Turkey. Although relatively primitive in appearance, they provide insulation during the hot and cold months and have electricity. The simple complexity and continued habitation of the homes are fascinating.
Harran gives a glimpse of a people living between modern and ancient times. Stepping inside a beehive house and seeing how the residents have lived for millennia is eye-opening.
The next stop was Halfeti, a small town on the Euphrates River, and a riverboat ride to see the underwater mosque whose minaret sticks out of the water. The sight is bizarre and scenic at the same time. The spectacle is the result of a 1999 dam construction project that flooded part of the Halfeti area.
While cruising down the Euphrates River, the vast Rumkale Fortress from the Greco-Roman era stands
out like an iceberg, with a large cross still visible in the masonry. The boat trip was a magical experience, only made better by the delicious Kebab lunch at local restaurant Başkanın Yeri with a fantastic view that sat floating off the shore of the ancient river.
West of Halfeti is Gaziantep. Home to two million Turks, it is a sprawling lively city with a castle at the centre of town and vibrant streets selling anything a person can think of. For central accommodation and excellent service, look at the Tugcan Hotel. It is close to the exciting nightlife, great clubs, and restaurants.
A must-see when visiting Gaziantep is the Zeugma Mosaic Museum. Named after the city of Zeugma, a Greek then Roman city that has long disappeared, the museum features what may be the most famous mosaic in the world, the “Gypsy girl.” The eyes of the Roman-era piece appear to stare at you from anywhere in the room, much like the Mona Lisa. It’s worth traveling to the museum to see this masterpiece of antiquity and the dozens of Hellenistic and Roman-era mosaics. There is truly no place in the world that comes close to this museum.
Urfa and Gaziantep are two worldclass cities for the historically minded traveler and easily match up to Rome or Cairo in their significance to human history. What makes it even better is the Turkish food, which is among the most delicious I have experienced in my travels. Everything is fresh, and trying a dish often is like eating for the first time.
Even better is the charm of the average Turkish person. It is a nation of wonderfully kind people who want to show you the best of their country and offer abundant hospitality and friendliness while making sure you’re enjoying.
Urfa is where civilization and Abrahamic faith started, but it is the Turkish spirit as well as the people that will see me return g
For more information visit Go Turkey Tourism at www. goturkiye.com/
DREAMS SOAR ALONG the Bay of Fundy Shorelines in Nova Scotia
Stepping onto the ocean floor of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia to take your seat at a proudly local sumptuous three-course feast feels like a promise kept—a promise for one-of-a-kind adventures that get your heart pumping in the best ways.
The Bay of Fundy, named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of North America, has created geology and marine diversity unlike anywhere else, and with it, matchless Bay of Fundy moments. Perhaps yours will come riding horseback and scouring sea cliffs and shorelines for millions-of-years-old fossils, gasping at breaching whales, or overnighting on a deserted island to watch the Bay of Fundy’s powerful tides—the highest in the world—fill and empty, a natural phenomenon that sees some 160 million tonnes of seawater sweep in and out twice a day, every day.
One of the most exhilarating and fun things you can do to experience the phenomenon is tidal bore rafting on the
ABOVE: Dining on the Ocean Floor at Burntcoat Head Park. RIGHT: Tidal bore rafting on the Shubenacadie River. Shubenacadie River, where the Bay of Fundy’s incoming tides meet up with outgoing currents, crashing, careening, and temporarily reversing the flow of the river to create some roaring, soaring waves of up to four metres that guests can ride with experienced river guides at a number of local tour companies. You’ll bag bragging rights—and a lifelong memory—of climbing aboard a Zodiac to ride the rushing tides, an experience only found in Nova Scotia. Tide conditions and time of day let you opt for a milder or wilder ride depending on your preference. Adding to the fun? That’d be the chance to go mud sliding along the riverbanks.
For another epic ‘pinch me’ moment, book onto the Dining on the Ocean Floor experience at Burntcoat Head Park in the Minas Basin where on select (and tide-dependent) dates each year, guests feast on a three-course meal of Nova Scotia’s finest flavours, paired with local wine and beer all backdropped by red sandstone cliffs, blue waters, and invigorating sea air. It’s surreal to see tables jauntily set on a seabed where water flowed hours before—and will flow again in mere hours. Adding to the magic, the event offers opportunities to learn about local wild edibles, to see fossils and tidal creatures, and to end with a campfire on the tidal flats watching incoming tides.
Another neat way to get up and personal with the Bay of Fundy tides is to plan to stay overnight on your own private island, hunkering in to witness the tidal cycle’s dramatic changes in its entirety. If this sounds appealing (yes, please!) check out Nova Shores Adventures Seal
PHOTO: TOURISM NOVA SCOTIA/TIDAL BORE RAFTING RESORT
Cove 2 Day Adventure, where you can drift to sleep in a tent on secluded Seal Cove with the water lapping near your site, then wake to a huge beach exposed when the tide recedes. The adventure launches from Spicer’s Cove, near Advocate Harbour, and takes visitors into Cape Chignecto Park, all while serving up such fun as kayaking, hiking, and eagle spotting along the way.
There are so many cool ways to experience the Bay of Fundy. Around Digby Neck, a narrow peninsula in the Bay of Fundy, and surrounding Brier Island and Long Island, book one of the local whale watching cruises and expect goosebumps galore as you scan the waters for these majestic, wild creatures. It’s one of the best places in Atlantic Canada to go whale watching as the plankton-rich waters draw an impressive marine crowd, including humpback, finback, and the North American Right Whale. Local operators are also known to focus on research efforts.
In Tiverton, a small village on Long Island, you can board The Second Secret, a 43x15 foot lobster fishing boat, to try your hand at hauling in a trap, banding a lobster and learning about the industry with Bay of Fundy Scenic Lobster Tours. They stop too at spectacular Bay of Fundy viewpoints giving passengers dreamy water vantages of landmarks like the famed Balancing Rock, Boar’s Head Lighthouse, Whale Cove Harbor, and, of course, seals out on the rocks.
With over 15 kilometres of worldsignificant, fossil-studded cliffs and pounding Bay of Fundy tides that continually expose new discoveries, the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site is a glorious place to explore. Its sea cliffs hold the world’s finest examples of the “Coal Age” fossils dating back over 310 million years (yes, predating dinosaurs!) Step into this world, marveling and learning, and taking advantage of excursions such as the guided, 90-minute Explorer’s Experience Beach Tour. Who knows what stories the rocks may reveal?
Cool experiences abound too within the Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Geopark. Here, you can book a small, customized group tour with Local Guy Adventures, where perhaps you’ll opt for the waterfall hike, a guided excursion that brings you to one of only three slot canyons in the province.
Also, within the Geopark, rockhounds will dig the Eldon George Rock and Mineral Tour, a three-hour geological discovery jaunt along the Parrsboro shore, revealing (and reveling in) Nova Scotia’s geology and mineralogy history and visiting Jurassic Beach—the site of Canada’s oldest dinosaurs!
Just outside Parrsboro, Spirit Reins Ranch tour offerings include a
PHOTO: TOURISM NOVA SCOTIA / SOAR
PHOTO: TOURISM NOVA SCOTIA / ACORN ART & PHOTOGRAPHY
ABOVE: (TOP TO BOTTOM) Whale watching in the Bay of Fundy. Horseback riding on the shores of the Bay of Fundy with Spirit Reins Ranch Horseback Tidal Floor & Fossil Tour where riders clip along the ocean floor to Wasson Bluff, a site of significance where 200-million-year-old dinosaur fossils were discovered. As you ride across the Minas Basic, be sure to keep an eye out for sea creatures, shorebirds, sweet views and more.
The nearby Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro also offers several guided tours, including the Fossils on Horseback Overnight Getaway (a horseback tour to their fossil dig site packaged with overnight accommodations) and the 200 Million Trail Ride Day Tour (a day version of the horseback tour). Launching this year will be Family Fossil Fun at Five Islands, a hands-on, expert-led tour of the geo/paleo story at Five Islands Provincial Park designed for families, as well as the Shoreline Sensations at Wa’so’q, which will see visitors explore the landscape at nearby Partridge Island via art and local foods g
Visit www.novascotia.com to begin planning your next getaway today!
