It’s funny to think about the things that prompt us or inspire us to travel.  In the past, I have flown to Moscow and travelled hundreds of miles east, just to photograph a small church in the middle of nowhere because I had seen it on the front of a book cover.  With that in mind, it should not surprise you if I travel to Nova Scotia because of a song I have never been able to totally clear from my mind.

The ferry from Prince Edward Island (PEI) to Nova Scotia takes around three hours.  On a clear day like today, you can sit on the top deck and soak in the sunshine and it seems like you just see PEI fade as Nova Scotia comes clearly into view.  I engage drive, leave the ferry behind, and head north.  After several hours of high speed driving, you realise that Nova Scotia is much larger than you think.  I had heard of the wilderness of this place and I now travel towards Cape Breton, a national park on the northern part of Nova Scotia.

The town of Baddeck hugs the Bras D’Or Lake and is the gateway to the national park.  I stop at the local bakery and “recharge” with some fresh fruit salad, a blueberry muffin and a Canadian attempt at a latte.  Baddeck ‘s claim to fame is its famous son, Alexander Graham Bell.  You can visit a site there that celebrates his achievements in telephony, hydrofoils and aeronautics.  

Stomach primed, I head along what is known as the Cabot Trail, so named after the famous explorer John Cabot.  The trail is 300 kilometres long and it takes me along a breathtaking journey through the Cape Breton Highlands.  The coastline is truly magnificent with many opportunities to stop, take photos and simply absorb the view.  There are some aspects of the scenery that remind me of Scotland; and there is that feeling of isolation and remoteness.  There are many places to stop and take a scenic hike and the trails differ in terms of degree of difficulty.  The highlands are truly invigorating to the soul.

Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia and is the largest city in Atlantic Canada. The city has a deep, natural harbour and cruise ships regularly dock here.  Consequently, a large number of shops have made their home around the docks; the area is visitor-friendly with wide boardwalks and lots of busker entertainment.  Halifax played an important role in 1912 when a little ship called RMS Titanic, hit an iceberg: three Halifax ships were involved in retrieving bodies from the water.  In fact, a large number of victims are buried in various Halifax cemeteries.

The centre of Halifax is dominated by the Citadel Hill National Historic Site which is perched on a steep hill overlooking the city. Even if you don’t wish to pay the Parks Canada entrance fee, the view from the Citadel is truly panoramic. The star-shaped fortress is the fourth such fort to be built on this site. The previous three were of poor construction and could not withstand the cold and wet Nova Scotia winters.  The British had always feared invasion from various sources and so the Citadel was highly valued.  However, the closest the Citadel has come to real warfare was in 1917 when the SS Mont Blanc a French cargo ship loaded with explosives collided with another vessel in Halifax harbour, caught fire, and exploded its cargo, killing 2000 city residents and injuring many more.  City signboards remind you that the blast was the largest man-made explosion, before the development of nuclear weapons. 

Another valued landmark is Peggy’s Cove which is located on the eastern shore of St Margaret’s Bay, just a short drive from Halifax.  There are various stories about how the cove got its name… It may have been named after one of the original female inhabitants, or it may just be because Peggy is a nickname for Margaret… However, if you travel around North America for any length of time, you will develop a love affair with lighthouses.  You may fall for the first one you see, or it may be the twentieth one. There is something ethereal about the loneliness and the vulnerability of these structures that draw you to them. 

Peggy’s Cove is the holy grail of lighthouses.  It is thought to be the most photographed lighthouse in the world.  The crowds are swarming around today; they attest to its lighthouse “Mecca” status.  The thing that makes Peggy’s Lighthouse distinctive is the way it draws you in with its stark red and white colour theme against a large expanse of ocean-smoothed rocky waterfront.  Everyone wants a picture of the lighthouse and everyone is vying for that perfect angle.  You wonder whether sailors paid her such attention, in times gone past.

As I pack my bags and head to my next destination, I take a last long look around and a song comes into my head… I really do believe I could “fly my living up to Nova Scotia to see a total eclipse of the sun.”