Nova Scotia Adventures with Kyria (Days One + Two): Grand Pré and Peggy’s Cove

We know her. We love her. And I got to meet her!!!! You guessed it – today is my first recap in a little series I’m titling Nova Scotia Adventures with Kyria. (Surely you knew there was no way I could fit all the details and pictures of her visit into a single post, right?)

If I had to come up with a tagline for the visit it would be: so much to see, so little time. The Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia has too many charming options to squeeze everything into a three-day visit but I tried my darndest to show her the highlight reel.

*Here is Kyria’s recap of our time together.

DAY ONE – GRAND PRE

Kyria arrived mid-afternoon on a Saturday and I could not have been more excited! After a quick hug (which didn’t feel weird since we’ve “known” each other for several years), she grabbed a few things from her bike and hit the shower for a quick refresh. She is very efficient and was clean head-to-toe with a load of laundry running before you could say Bob’s my uncle bike.

We sat around the table nursing hot cups of coffee and had some introductory chats (Belle and John included, Indy was at a birthday party), before heading off for our first – of many – walks together.

It was a picture-perfect fall day for strolling the grounds of Grand Pré and we enjoyed a relaxing ~7 km walk along local dykelands with a view of the Minas Basin and recently harvested corn fields.

I can’t remember everything we talked about, but there was no shortage of conversation!

Everything was especially beautiful in the golden hour before sunset. Sometimes, in light of my news feed, I don’t really feel like Lin-Manuel Miranda; but then I see a stunning view like this and I think to myself: Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now.

By the time we got home Indy had returned from his birthday party (a Nerf war, complete with ice cream cake and a trampoline), and John had supper ready to be served.

We had beef, shrimp, and mushroom tacos with coleslaw and roasted sweet potatoes. I was famished and this meal hit. the. spot. Of course, we had to serve ice cream for dessert. Belle whipped up a homemade chocolate peanut butter sauce, and we topped it with crushed Daim bar. It wasn’t hard to choke down is what I’m saying.

While I cleaned the kitchen, John and Kyria exchanged travel stories, and then Belle swooped in for the kill. She had a new games victim in her sights and was intent on victory! We ended up playing Scattergories and it was so much fun. We groaned when someone took our “so-perfect-no-one-else-is-going-to-use-it” answers and we cheered each other on for especially creative responses. It was really fun.

The kids, of course, weren’t keen to miss out on the action so bedtime was a bit of a farce and everyone was up way too late, but friends biking across the continent do not stop by every day!

We set out the coffee paraphernalia for the morning – Kyria has her priorities straight – and said goodnight.

DAY TWO – PEGGY’S COVE

Everyone was up and moving by 7 am on Sunday morning. It was a bit earlier than needed, but I made a tea, did a bit of scheduling for the week and then it was time to help the kids get oatmeal ready for breakfast.

John was preoccupied because he had a last-minute flight cancellation. To make a long story short (which included several cancellations and a power outage at the airport; none of the issues were weather-related, oddly enough), he made it where he needed to go.

We chatted around the table for a long time, the adults (and Indy) lingering over warm beverages. Then it was off to church.

We sat in the back because John needed to slip out to make it to the airport on time, but we were glad we had arrived a bit early because it was literally standing room only. After the service, I collected the kids, Kyria snagged a coffee (we have a strong coffee culture at our church which provides plenty of opportunities to get a cup; can’t have people falling asleep during the sermon!), Indy got a cup of hot chocolate, and we made our way home for an early lunch.

John had prepped some tuna filling the day before and Kyria outdid herself with knife skills, cutting Michelin-star-worthy cucumber spears, and we had a hodgepodge of fruit, veggies, and tuna sandwiches.

While I picked up the kitchen, she and Indy moved outside to work on their football skills.

And then we were off.

When Kyria first arrived in Nova Scotia she had made an attempt to bike to Peggy’s Cove, but it is a fairly dangerous route for bikers. She wisely turned back, which gave us a great excuse to visit our favourite Nova Scotia landmark.

What better way to prepare for some rock climbing than dessert? I had to snap a picture of this sign (though the back of Kyria’s head is lovely too): Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Ha! It reminds me of a sign I spotted at a local coffee shop earlier this month: A yawn is a silent scream for coffee. And all the coffee drinkers said Amen. (Hilariously, Jenny posted about this same quote last week.)

Kyria treated us to a range of delectable treats and we shared like life-long friends taking bites of this and that. Everything was amazing and we left with full bellies and on a bit of a sugar high.

The views and weather at Peggy’s Cove did not disappoint. It was 20C (~70F) and sunny, with hardly any wind.

At one point, we asked Indy to take our picture. I guess this what I look like from his vantage point?

Belle came over to show us how it’s done…

As always, Indy had one eye on the cars passing by (literally, he was constantly calling out makes and models of cars that struck his fancy) and one eye on the water. It is both precious and precarious to see your son leaning out over the edge of a pier looking for minnows (success!) and crabs (success again!).

Kyria and I agreed the colours were fabulous. Even the ropes were vibrant and there were neatly wound coils lining the docks.

Kyria seems to have a pretty good head on her shoulders, but I pointed out the rather ominous warning that greets visitors to the site!

For unexplicable reasons, somone had released giant goldfish into a little rain pool. Guess who tried to go bare-handed fishing? Miraculously, he emerged with only the edges of his shirt sleeves wet but it was not for lack of trying for full submersion. I turned down his request to remove socks and shoes at least five times. True story.

Also unexplained was the presence of an alphorn. The player wasn’t there when we were taking pictures, but I suppose he felt it was safe to leave his instrument unprotected. It’s not like you can casually slip this into your pocket and walk away. There was even a cute little popsicle-stick raft flying both a Canadian and Swiss flag.

Heaving a sigh of relief Indy was still dry, it was rock climbing (and picture taking) time. The kids were mostly content to explore on their own, so Kyria and I would stop and chat, take in the views, and then scan the rocks to find the kids who moved at an alarmingly quick pace. They’re like gazelles.

There was also jumping. So much jumping. I held my breath a few times, while Kyria and I discussed the balance of letting kids learn to test their limits, while managing to avoid the emergency room.

The topography here is my favourite and it offers perhaps the world’s best natural climbing structure for kids.

You and I might see a tidal pool. Indy sees an opportunity to test fate. Kyria was there with her GoPro to capture the moment.

Belle is less of a thrill seeker. She prefers to seek sunshine. Can’t say I blame her.

We took an “inland” route on the way back and stopped to take pictures of all the cairns.

Dear Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse. You are so photogenic. Love, Elisabeth

We rounded out the afternoon by stopping in at the gift shop to pick up a few postcards (the cheapest ones Kyria has found on her trip to date). Indy is obsessed with crystals and other forms of rocks so he absconded with my phone and took a photo of this $1,500 crystal for sale. My question for Kyria was: who walks into tourist souvenir shop thinking I want to drop $1,500 on a hunk of amethyst today?

On the drive home Kyria and I alternated between conversation and DJing. The kids were a bit…antsy. Indy discovered that if he snapped a metal handle on his water bottle it irritated his sister rather impressively. He proceeded to take great pleasure in flipping the handle at regular enough intervals that her fuse got progressively shorter. Sibling relationships…aren’t they grand.

Supper was pasta, peas, and jarred rosee sauce. The adults were pretty tired, but we rallied for some postcard writing, I did a bit of football and Frisbee throwing outside with the kiddos, and then bedtime routines were, yet again, a farce. Indy came out of his room at least a dozen times with some important announcement, question, or need for water (I’ve never seen a kid drink so much). It’s hard to miss out on the fun, I suppose.

Kyria is a great conversationalist and we kept it up until we were both yawning. It was bedtime at the end of another full day.

Your turn. If you grew up with a sibling in the house, who (or what) most pushed your “buttons”? Would you rather run and explore or sit and watch? Do you have a go-to souvenir you like to buy while on vacation? Who reading this post has ever visited Peggy’s Cove?