... Lobster (also see below of strange man dressed up as an enormous lobster) But the one thing that Out East is most famous for and something that I experienced first hand was the amazing hospitality. The folks of Nova Scotia and PEI (Prince Edward Island) are just so friendly they would give you the shirt off their backs with no questions asked. Although they are also a little out there... eg, lobster man.
My trip began in Halifax the capitol of Nova Scotia. After living in Toronto for 12 months a city of 4.4 million people I was taken back by the slow pace of Halifax. I loved it though, the Saturday Farmers Market, the delicious seafood and the easy going pace of Halifax was the best way to begin a trip that turned into one of those adventures that I'll remember forever and mostly because of the people I met along the way!
Entrance into the Farmer's Market, (where I met Mr Lobster)
The courtyard of the farmer's market that was also held conveniently in the Alexander Keith's Brewery.
The Hostel I stayed at in Halifax.
The clock tower at the Citadel . The most historic site in Halifax originally build in 1749.
The guard at the front of the citadel.
One of the two bridges that connect Halifax to Dartmouth over the north west arm inlet.
looking down into the city from the citadel.
While I was in Halifax I also celebrated my 30Th Birthday!! Oh god I really can't believe I am 30 it just sounds weird. But any hoos I decided to celebrate by visiting a local pub called the Carlton where they happened to be having a great song writers session on stage. Basically local song writers took over the stage for about 3 hours telling stories and singing their songs. So I celebrated the big 3 0 with a good feed of fresh mussels, quite a few cocktails and some excellent live music.
The Henry house which is another good ale house and restaurant. It was built in 1870 for William Alexander Henry who was an Attorney-General of Halifax and also a big player in bringing the confederation of Canada.
The shops along Barrington St.
Just another seafood restaurant.After two days of getting accustomed to the laid back pace of Halifax I decided to head north to the province of Prince Edward Island (PEI). The capitol of PEI is Charlottetown and was also where Canada was born. As the Confederation was formed in Charlottetown in 1864. And to be honest I don't think much has changed in Charlottetown since then. I really don't think you can call a place a "city" when people slow down and stop in the middle of the street so you can cross the road. Charlottetown is the type of town where the neighbours stand out in the street and discuss mowing the lawn and where people tell you to put your guide book away and just listen to them for the best place to go and see. The only thing disappointing about Charlottetown was that it rained the whole bloody time I was there!
The Charlottetown Backpackers. But it wasn't really like a backpackers, it was more like hanging out at your friends place. I met a lot of cool people here. There was the English girl on her way around the world and the nurse from Toronto who was so highly strung she had the house in a frenzy trying to convince her to just chill out. And many more interesting travelers that just happened to be passing by PEI.
They say the best way to get around PEI is on a bike. So this is the deadly treadly I got around on....
...However it was also raining a lot all day. So the old poncho was brought out to try and stay dry while riding.
Canons at the old fort!
Looking down to Charlottetown from the fort.
One of many of the fun hills I cycled up and down.
All around this area are these massive estates and houses. This was the back yard of one such a place that also happened to have a NO TRESPASSING sign. I got in as close as I could with out any fear of someone releasing the hounds on me. 
The folks around here also have pretty cool mail boxes tehehehe.
At the top of Tea Hill, which was not a cup of tea to climb!
An area of PEI called Cavendish is very famous for being the location where Anne of Green Gables was filmed. The entire province is pretty much Anne of Green Gables mad, there is even a Musical Playing. Since I never got into the whole Anne thing as a child the closest I got to the hype is taking a photo of the store sign, but you can't go to PEI with out taking something of Anne away.
A few of the local drinking holes.
The Ghan house another pub that brews their own beer. Beer was actually quite good too.
The quaint houses of Charlottetown.After 3 days at Charlottetown I decided to head back to Nova Scotia and to the north east point of the province called Cape Breton Island. Through other travelers I had heard that a guest house out there called Bear on the Lake was well worth the trip. So i got on the bus and headed further east.
When I wasn't travelling by bike I was on the bus. Which lead to me visiting the town of Truro more times than I cared to. Truro is in the centre of Nova Scoatia and a busy transportation hub. The problem was that there really is nothing to see in Truro, except very large people! After passing through Truro once again the next stop for me was Whycocomagh a very small town that is the gateway to the spectacular scenery of Cape Breton's northern Shore found on the Cabot Trail. The day I arrived happened to be the Grand Opening of the towns brand new CoOp. The entire towne appeared to be at the store and was quite an exciting event for a town of about 900 people and I think I met almost all of those people in the isle of the store!
I'm not too sure where to begin in explaining my time at Bear on The Lake. A couple of words that come to mind are; great view, great company and lots of relaxation, which after 8 months of being consumed by The Little Gym I really really needed.
Bear on The lake!
The hammock that I go t to know quite well on my first day!
St Patricks Chanel, part of the Bedore lake.
The killer view I enjoyed between reading and relaxing and watching Kat and Matt work :)
The Living room
Looking out from the dining room.
A good indication you've found Bear On The lake!
The thing that really made my stay here was the company of both Kat and Matt. Kat is the manger of Bear on The Lake, and has to be one of the most down to earth people I have ever met. As soon as I met her I felt at home and like I had known her for years. The first night I was there my self, Kat and Colin the kiwi sat around the camp fire drinking Sangria waiting for her new WOOFer to arrive. (WOOF means Working On Organic Farms, people work on the farms or at hostels for their food and board.) Matt, an Aussie from Newcastle was coming from Newfoundland where he had spent 6 weeks traveling and working. So at midnight that night he arrives at Bear on The Lake with his pack complete with bongo drums, didgeridoo and fire breathing equipment. He was taking over from Colin who was leaving the next day and so the new team at Bear on the Lake was now assembled with Matt as Mr fix it and build it, Kat as the fearless leader and me as chief supervisor. (which entailed nosing about Matt's jobs inbetween reading and drinking!)
One of Matt's tasks was to build a flowerbox to go underneath the sign down on the road. I heavily supervised this job and did at least assist in carrying it down the hill to see if it would fit!
Kat and Matt at the official hanging of the Flower box!
The swimming hole.
Was a bit chilly when you dived in but once you got moving it was okay. Being a salt water lake though we had to be careful of the jelly fish!
My days at Cape Breton were jam packed with getting up late, drinking coffee, reading a book, chiecking out what little job Matt was doing that day, going for a walk or a bike ride and then returning for a swim or a beer or both. But one of the best things about staying here was the evenings. This is when we would all share a meal some wine and sit around the dinner table or the camp fire and share travel adventures and get to know the new guests. I met some of the most interesting people in this little guest house all the way out east on Cape Breton Island. There was Tony the guy who was traveling up north to his gold mine (yes I said his gold mine) and told us stories about the time he lived in Crete in a cave! And Ken who was from San Francisco who was riding his motor bike from San Fran to Labrador, just because he could.
Just one of the nights around the dinner table, guests that night were, Kat, Ken Me, Mark, Norm and Matt with the Trouble Pot of Sangreia.
Matt getting ready for Wimbledom.
Not only was Matt brave enough to let Kat cut his hair knowing she has limited hair cutting experience but also knowing she had also been dipping into the Trouble Pot.
Kat picking wild flowers
Matt and Kat in amongst the lupus
The Baddeck Court house. Baddeck is the next town up from whycocomagh.
The shores of the Badore lake in Baddeck.
One of the highlights of my trip to Cape Breton was when Kat invited Matt and my self to join her at her cousins going away Barbeque. Her cousin Rob was recently accepted into the RMPC (Royal Mountie Police Corps) and her family were getting together at her uncles Dairy Farm. The night was so enjoyable because not only did Matt dazzel them with some fire breathing and we got to have a midnight tour of the milking shed with a beer in hand, but we were also so welcome at their family get together. The hospitality Kat's family showed made me feel like we were part of the family not just a couple of Aussies who had gate crashed a barn party!
Matt gettng ready to breath some fire.
Matt the Dragon!
The new Mountie, Rob, also had a shot at fire breathing much to the dismay of his mum!
The party was gathered around the bales of hay in the barn.....
.... and watched on by the cows in the milking shed!
Milk!
The non-traditional hiking boots I wore exploring the area.
One of the hiking trails in the Whycocomagh national park.
Ali in the woods.
Tehehehehe
Me and my mate Eagle Head hanging out in the National Park.
Bike Cam...The next round of pictures were taken on my bike ride back from the National Park to Bear on The Lake!
It was so hard to leave Cape Breton and Bear on The Lake for a couple of reasons. 1. I was going to miss the company of my new friends who although we all came from different places had so much in common and 2. I would not be able to supervise the construction of the tool shed! :) Although from all reports from Matt and Kat it is actually the greatest tool shed ever built. Not only was it great to get away from work and just unwind but it was so good to see more of Canada and realise that there is not just a beautiful landscape out there but really beautiful people! Now however I am back in Toronto, back at work and planing my next adventure which will be to Phoenix for a work thing and then on to San Francisco!!
