Today we had a local tour scheduled in hopes it would allow a side trip to visit Prospect. First breakfast. After skipping dinner last night, a good meal sounded just right. Laurie remembered Anne's Cafe which is nearby. A small building not far from where we are staying with a warm and cozy atmosphere. Anne waited on us and cooked the food which was delicious. She checked to see if I needed more blueberry pancakes. I had just finished 4 of the best I've ever eaten which left no more room but got us going.
Post card time at Anne's Cafe
When we got to the waterfront we had a short wait for the tour van meeting us. While we waited Margo and Ron from our train trip walked by with two curling friends. Their big event was tonight and they were sightseeing. Ron had visited the immigration facility at pier 21 where his mother had arrived over 80 years ago with very little money or contacts. I also had a brief lovely online chat with Rowan and Ella while they ate and got ready for another very busy day there. These lucky breaks were only the start of a wonderful day.
We met Greg, our tour driver and learned that our goal of visiting a Prospect should work. We picked up Ross visiting from NZ and headed out towards Peggy cove. Greg gave an overview and was happy to humor our interest in a side trip. Prospect was the site of our long time friend Alex's cottage which had long been a goal to see. Recently sold and in bad condition it was unknown if it was still standing. Our mission was to find out. We arrived in a lovely small quiet area that didn't appear much changed by tourism and works to keep it that way. We thought we found remains of the small building great views across a moor and the vast shoreline and waters beyond.
Lots of photos and speculation later we were off to Peggy's Cove, a busy tourist spot. There were many buses and taxis loaded with people but there mostly stayed up near the lighthouse and it was possible to find quiet spots in the village which was still busy overall. I took lots of photos while Laurie searched for small authentic gifts to bring back. We also discovered a sea turtle organization and had an informative conversation with a young marine biologist. Huge leatherback turtles roam the area and were unknown to science until they listened to local fishermen. Jellyfish fuel these giants. More gifts and topics for followup were gathered here.
We headed back with a stop at the spectacular memorial sight of the 1998 Swiss plane crash carrying UN staff. Mostly forgotten elsewhere the locals played a big role in gathering the debris and remains. Worth a visit and never solved. We also enjoyed chatting with Ross about kiwi things.
Back to Halifax and dropped off at the farmers market l was able to locate the immigration museum and study cruise ship behavior before heading back for an early dinner and museum night. Searching for good seafood we missed the 5 Fishermen but enjoyed Two Doors Down even though they forgot to offer us dessert, oh horrors!
The art museum was open for free Thursday and full of exhibit openings and other special member activities in a maze like setting. The main focus of our visit was the "Northern Exposure"artic explorers and Inuit art. A very impressive collection. We headed home, full, tired, and happy from a very rich day that came together as a collection of things we wanted to see and do that all worked out. Tomorrow we pack and store our bags for a few last activities and then catch a shuttle for a 4 hour (or more!) ride to Yarmouth where we have a B&B room close to the ferry that will carry us down to Portland Maine and the second half of this amazing trip.
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