Saturday morning was wonderfully relaxed at my place.
Our blogger reunion was set for 10 am, but after saying goodbye to John and the kiddos, I headed off to my favourite cafe early to carve out some time to finish up the first Cool Bloggers Walking Club recap. I met Joy there (this was planned, though we regularly run into each other via happenstance) and we worked side by side while sipping a caffeinated beverage.
Ahh. It felt SO good to schedule that post for Monday morning. And then I was able to settle into the job at hand for the rest of our Saturday: HAVE FUN.
When Kae and SHU arrived (they walked from their inn), we launched into conversation as though we all met up weekly to talk over coffee and tea. It helps that Joy is the sweetest person on Planet Earth and instantly makes everyone feel at ease. We chatted for well over an hour and then moseyed around Wolfville.
First up: the Wolfville Farmer’s Market. I picked up some organic eucalyptus balm for cold season and SHU bought some homemade soap made with local kelp.
We wandered by the waterfront, popped in and out of various downtown stores, and then wound our way through the university campus. SHU kept comparing it to Williams College…and Stars Hollow.
I don’t have much to add by way of commentary. We walked. We talked. We gawked. We took pictures.
Then it was back to the car, home to pick up some picnic items, and off on our next adventure.
We nibbled on charcuterie items (clementines, raspberries, cheese, nuts, local pepperoni and jerky, crackers, homemade energy balls, and some little milk chocolates) and took in the view at The Landscape of Grand Pré View Park. It was WINDY, but gorgeous.
Then we drove down to Grand Pré (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). We strolled the grounds and soaked up the beauty of an almost-cloudless blue sky and plenty of colourful foliage.
There are resident eagles on site, and we were lucky enough to see an aerial show! (The grandeur of which, unfortunately, can never be fully captured on an iPhone!)
We capped the afternoon off with a woods walk. More conversation. More beautiful leaves! Is anyone sensing a theme for our weekend?
I dropped Kae and SHU back at their accommodations and went home for my second shower of the day. All that hiking (and the lingering smell of coffee shop) made this shower feel extra satisfying. Also, I wanted to get “cleaned up” for our evening plans.
These ladies wanted to treat me to a nice dinner out and nailed it with a reservation at Le Caveau, the restaurant associated with Domaine de Grand Pré.
We mixed and matched different food items; everything was delicious! (For those interested in this sort of thing, the menu is here.)
We split a piece of toffee cake for dessert!
And that was a wrap on my day.
- Day 1 + 2 Adventures: Thrifting, Cape Split + Church Brewing Company
- Day 3 Adventures: Farmer’s Markets + Peggy’s Cove
Your turn.
- What’s your favourite item on a charcuterie board?
- Have you ever been to a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
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You are the best gostess- everyone has the best time with you! And how did you arrange such nice weather- such blue skies!
I’ve been to a world heritage site- Cahokia Mounds in Illinois- a pre- Columban settlement. After looking the list up, I’ve also been to Independence Hall ( Philadelphia, PA) and the Moravian Settlement in Bethlehem, PA. Hey, the Statue of Liberty , too! I spent a day driving through the Great Smoky Mountain Park. It was gorgeous there in the autumn. I’m no world traveler, so my list is USA, East of the Mississippi only!
I have to admit I don’t always manage such perfect weather. Though, to be fair, I think every time I’ve had bloggers visit we’ve had almost exclusively sunny weather!
It sounds like you’ve seen a lot of great spots, and I’m a huge fan of being a local tourist. Gold stars for taking the time to explore the wonders around you.
Hostess, not gostess! How did that get past autocorrect? This is what I get for commenting in the middle of the night.
What a perfect fall day! An outdoor charcuterie spread is a great outdoor picnic. Especially with cheese!
Also, how sweet of SHU and Kae to treat you to that dinner – that’s such a lovely gesture!
And I have to laugh at MBMOM11’s autocorrect fail – I first read it as “godlike hostess” which would fit you well! 😂
Ha. Godlike hostess does NOT describe me, but I’ll consider this high praise indeed 🙂
As if the weekend couldn’t get any better, they got to meet Joy!!! What a great weekend!
My favorite charcuterie item is the combination of everything! With that said, I do remember that the pepperoni was very good.
Ohio has UNESCO bragging rights, because we’re home to the newest one, which is the Hopewell Earthworks. The ancient settlers created a very elaborate system of hills and trenches that are precisely lined up with solar points and with other sites that are miles away. No one knows what the purpose of the earthworks was but they’re spectacular. And of course I’ve been to Grand Pre!
Well, now I know something I absolutely must check out when I come visit you in Utah…I mean Ohio 😉
Your town is so cute! It looks like a Hallmark movie!
It is very adorable and I can see why people compare it to Stars Hollow <3
That’s so, so sweet they treated you to a nice dinner out! The whole day sounds amazing from start to finish. It really does look like a Hallmark movie. This will go down in history as the most epic blogging adventure ever.
To answer your question- I always make sure my charcuterie boards have nuts and olives!
Olives. I forgot olives. I KNEW I was forgetting something. Oops.
The visit all sounds delightful! So glad you had such a splendid visit. Out of curiosity when you’ve met blog friends have you ever been surprised by something like “oh, she’s actually way taller than I thought”? My husband hadn’t met any of his colleagues in person for two plus years due to starting the job during the pandemic and he said the first time he met several of his colleagues in person he couldn’t believe how different their heights were from what he’d thought from the screen.
Hmmm. I think I would have been surprised by Birchie and Kae’s accents if I hadn’t talked to them on the phone first? Neither is super strong, but of course I know SHU’s voice well from all her podcast work.
I can’t think of anything that truly surprised me about any of the bloggers I’ve met? I feel like we know each other really well ahead of time in the oddest (buy coolest!) way.
May we learn more about your homemade energy balls?
Yes! I have linked to it in my Happy Things Friday post for tomorrow. Stay tuned. They are delicious (and I just made a second batch this morning!).
Jana, you NEED THIS RECIPE. These energy balls were soooo good!! I actually never got the recipe, either, so Elisabeth- please share!
What a fun quartet you guys are! I had to check out the menu and I would have picked the Arctic Char because that’s not something I get to have very often. My favorite items on a board are the cheese and olives. I had to look up the list of UNESCO sites in the USA and I’ve been to 11 of them. That was an interesting list!
SHU had the Arctic Char and said it was yummy.
That’s a big list of UNESCO sites you’ve visited. I should do some digging and come up with how many I’ve seen!
Your town does give off Stars Hollow vibes, if Stars Hollow also had a picturesque university! This day sounds so perfect – lots of walks and talks and bopping in and out of stores casually (with no children in tow, which is KEY!!). And then a lovely dinner out!
My favorite item on a charcuterie board is typically a mild-tasting cheese (I’m not a big fan of really strong cheese, like blue cheese/stinkier offerings!!). I also like some dried fruit like dried apricots and tangy olives!
Yes, not having kiddos along does make the day run more seamlessly!
I don’t like strong cheese, either. We had Kerrygold Dubliner, which is my favourite. I forgot olives!!!
I love this blogger meetup. I mean, those views, the fall trees, the beautiful clear blue sky, lots of walking and talking. What’s not to love? I’m only getting great vibes from all your photos and words.
The dinner does look fancy and delicious! I looked at the menu, and the options were amazing.
Ok, I went down a rabbit hole with the UNESCO World Heritage Site question. Honestly, that didn’t sound like anything I’d heard of until I googled it. It appears I’ve been to seven of those sites! I didn’t even know it. 🙂 Thanks for opening up my eyeballs.
So fun to see you all in places I recognise, was so lovely visiting Charts and your university grounds, makes me want to go back. And dinner looked wondeful, how special.
My favourite item on a charcuterie board is prosciutto, so yum. Hard to choose just one UNESCO favourite place, but maybe Kata Kjuta national park in the Australian desert. It’s like another world and just magical.
The sheer photogenic-ness of your corner of the world … I feel like I need to plan my future jaunt to the Maritimes in October! 🙂
It is an especially love time to visit Nova Scotia!!! The colours are lovely and the weather is usually a nice mix of crisp air and clear skies.
I’m caught up on reading but behind on commenting. I am envious of the walking and talking and eating out with friends. It sounds so delightful. I love a char. board, but I don’t think I can pick one thing. I guess I like the cheeses and meats. There are always things to sample that I’d never find by myself in the store. Stars Hollow indeed.
I like that charcuterie is a bit like “choose your own adventure” with eating. So you can pick and choose favourite items! It feels very interactive and a bit childish (in a good way).
You are the greatest host! I hope I get to visit you one day! is there any time of the month that is not good to visit? hahahah… I am already imagining being pumped by you 🙂
Aww. You’re too kind, Coco. It really is a lovely place to visit and you could come run the marathon!
Oh goodness. What a lovely day. The pictures are all lovely, not the least because it has THREE amazing bloggers + Joy in them, but also because the fall weather treated you to such a beautiful background! 🙂 I love all of it and I am living vicariously through all of your recaps! <3
I love charcuterie boards (shared one with my parents last week) and I think my favorite item is … everything LOL
I cannot get over how perfect the weather was; after they left we had rain and wind and it was generally very dreary and depressing. They timed things RIGHT!