Travel to Nova Scotia

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There are few places that top Nova Scotia in the summer and fall seasons. Unlike the west coast of Canada Nova Scotia has more sunny days and better beaches. But best of all, Nova Scotia has the festivals. But don’t wait for the summer to get started when there are some amazing events beginning this week.

Silver Dart Centennial

Going on right now until the 24th is the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight in the British Commonwealth that took place over the ice and in the skies above Bras D’Or Lakes. Backed by none other than Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, The Silver Dart flew in front of his summer home overlooking the lake and a replica will repeat the performance.

Events include:

• The Flight of the Silver Dart Centennial Anniversary Week,
• The Silver Dart Centennial Association’s Youth in Aviation Week
• Silver Dart Air Show
• Aviation Week takes place from August 16-22, 2009, at Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site.

Big Boats

The age of sail is revisited with the Tall Ships Nova Scotia Festival on July 16-29, 2009. Over forty sail-laden ships from around the world will dock in Halifax, Nova Scotia to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Canadian Navy.  But it doesn’t end there. After the Parade of Sail in Halifax on July 20, 2009 many of the ships will stick around and sail in to ports around Nova Scotia from Cape Breton down to Lunenburg.

Tattoo You

Included in the 37 events that take place in the festival season is the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in the first week of July. The International Busker Festival will follow in August.

But it doesn’t end with the summer. In the autumn the Nova Scotia Fall Wine Festival kicks into gear as well as Celtic Colours in Cape Breton.

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Port Joli is situated in western Queen’s County on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. To protect an area against development of the whole area the Nature Conservancy of Canada has raised $462,000 to save an unspoiled area of 135 hectares containing sand beaches, eelgrass flats, tidal mud flats and coastal forests. As of today they are $50,000 short of their mark to buy the parcel outright.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is  a private, non-profit group that collaborates with both corporate and individual landowners to protect important natural treasures. They do this buying outright buying the land or working with the landowners to secure a property by donation. Since 1962, NCC and our partners have helped to conserve more than 2 million acres (over 800,000 hectares) of ecologically significant land nationwide. It is one of four migratory bird sanctuaries in the area and is a staging and wintering area for Canada Geese.

Besides it’s natural significance Port Joli is deemed to have an historical background as a Mi’kmaq settlement over 1200 years ago.

To contribute or just to help out contact:

Nature Conservancy of Canada

1-877-231-4400

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A year ago I was pretty excited that Icelandair was coming back to Halifax, albeit on a part-time basis. This seasonal service worked out very well for the airline and provided another port-of-entry for European travelers into Canada and another foreign airline for Halifax.

Beginning June 4th the airline will fly into Halifax on Mondays and Thursdays until October 22nd.  However, on July 11th, the airline will add Saturdays to the visits until September 3rd. Robert Keddy, the airline’s sales manager in Canada, remarked that Icelandair is till going over the feasibility of flying to Halifax all year round.

Like the rest the world, Iceland is going through rough financial times due to the sub-prime lending crisis. However, because of its small population the island nation does not have the reserves to weather a lengthy recession and this is causing political turmoil. This is remarkable because up until last year Iceland was called “the Nordic Tiger.” But recently the króna, Iceland’s currency, has fallen over 22% against the Euro and the banks are in deep trouble.

This was a bad break for both Canada and Iceland because in 2007 the Canadian government finally wised up and worked out a deal giving the airlines from each other’s countries unlimited access to the other’s airports. The hugh fuel costs and deepening recession has put this proposal back but the familiar Boeing 757′s will be back on Halifax’s tarmac, at least on a part-time basis.

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During the past half-decade Nova Scotia has taken a big hit when it comes to transportation portals, especially the South Shore. The Prince of Fundy ferry  from Maine set the schedules for many tourism events and room nights in the area. For example three-day tours were designed around the arrival and departure times of the ferry. So when the ferry service stopped this whole delicate balance was thrown to the wind and many tourism operators were hurt.

But what about the Cat ferry? Well, yes it does originate in Maine but the new schedules didn’t mesh with the established tourism market in southern Nova Scotia. Hotels, bed-and-breakfast establishments and other attractions suffered from the disruption of services and this financial downturn was deepened last year when oil reached record heights along with the soaring Canadian dollar.

The U.S. Transportation Department has given permission Quebec’s Starlink Airlines to run an 18-seat turboprop between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia on a twice-daily basis. Not only will the service extend to the main hub of Halifax, the other Starlink route, it will also be in position for Maritimers and Americans alike to connect with major airlines that fly into Portland like Continental, Northwest U.S. Airways, United Airlines, JetBlue and Air Tran.

What this means to Nova Scotia travelers is that they have an alternative to Newark, New York and Toronto as connecting cities  for U.S. destinations like Florida. In return Americans from new England have a choice between a ferry ride and flying to Halifax via Yarmouth.

One-way fares are not cheap: $149 from Yarmouth to Portland and $249 from Halifax to Portland. However, the convenience, in many cases, is worth it. For an American it’s only $200 versus a bus ride from Halifax to Yarmouth and then a long ferry ride.

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I grew up in the Rocky Mountains where the winter is naturally long. You only get to swim in the lakes for two months, and only in the middle two weeks of this period is the water even remotely warm. So it goes without saying that you better get used to living in cool weather for most of the year. This means that skating, skiing,snowmobiling and snowshoeing are the premier pastimes in the winter. However, not to be overlooked are winter hiking and camping.

One of the most amazing experiences is to hike up into the mountains with just a tent and sleeping bag and make camp in the snow. However, breaking camp in the middle of a February night and hiking amongst the shadows brought on by the moon is one of the most eerie feelings there is. At -20 degrees your snowshoes crunch through the top layer of frozen snow and the exposed parts of your face tingle. Usually at this time of the night the wind has died down so frost-bite is quite remote.

But above the crunching of the snowshoes you can hear and feel the night. Maybe it’s a snowy owl or the far-off bark of a coyote but the night is alive and shrouded in a bluish haze. It is the stuff of horror movies but it is also mesmerizing and a full-blown zen experience.

Nova Scotia has many parks that cater to winter camping. Only the experienced should go hiking after dark but it’s amazing how quickly you get used to living outdoors in such a harsh environment. All it takes is warm clothes, sleeping bag and  good tent. You don’t need a fire and, in many cases, the snow is too deep.

However, if traveling alone one should never be without an emergency kit complete with pads that heat up when the chemicals are mixed. Waterproof matches, kindling and a small stove wouldn’t hurt either, depending on where you are going camping. And it may not be what the frontiersmen used but a charged cell phone will help out greatly in an emergency.

Another great partner to winter hiking and camping is ice fishing gear. Fish are ravenous in winter and you can easily catch your supper in the right places.

Novices should always travel with other people in a party. However, even experienced campers should check with the Nova Scotia Parks before going out on their own to get the latest in weather reports and to give them a time line on how long you are going to stay. It’s comforting to know that if you are late there are people who will come looking for you.

Oh, by the way, there are neat gadgets like portable solar arrays to keep your GPS and cell phone batteries charged!

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