http://www.tripdiary.com/richandjane/EndofSummer07 Has it really been 35 years since high school graduation? Who are those old people? We visit with friends and Jane's family in New Jersey, travel on to New York City for a few days, then to Nova Scotia for a new adventure. http://www.tripdiary.com/richandjane/EndofSummer07/2959 26 http://www.tripdiary.com/richandjane/EndofSummer07/2959-Sailing-on-the-Bluenose-II We have a lovely breakfast at the Mariner King, then walk to the Maritime Museum to inquire about tickets for a sail on the Bluenose II, one of the "tall ships" that are based in Lunenburg. We get on the list for the afternoon sailing and are told to come back between noon and 1 PM to purchase our tickets. We are not ready to give up our fabulous room at the inn so we go back to sit in the window seats and read till check out time. We then go strolling down Lunenburg's streets, doing a little shopping and taking photos. We are checking into the Lunenburg Inn for the next two nights so we stop by to confirm our reservation and leave the car in their lot before walking down to the dock for our tickets and some lunch. The Bluenose II is 161 ft. long with 8 sails and a crew of 19. We only use four sails today and get up to 10 knots. We are told that the ship can lean up to 90 degrees before "tipping over," but glad we do not have that experience! It is beautiful out on the ocean and we have a great view of town from the boat. We sail for about two hours; it is a little chilly at times but lots of fun. The Bluenose II is an exact replica of the famous fishing schooner Bluenose, which was known for its exceptional speed. The original was built in Lunenburg in 1921 and retained the racing title in the annual International Fisherman's Trophy race for 18 years straight. The Bluenose II was built in 1963 from the same plans, in the same shipyard, and even by some of the same workers. It is owned by the Province and sails as Nova Scotia's "seafaring ambassador." Upon returning from our sail, we check into the Lunenburg Inn, where we will spend the last two nights of our Nova Scotia trip. We again have the third floor attic suite with a kitchen, living room, bedroom, bath and an outdoor deck on the second floor. It's very nice, though I am still partial to the room we had last night! :) We are given homemade cookies when we arrive, yummy! And they are nice enough to make me a pot of hot tea. The internet works here so we have to catch up on our tripdiary and emails before going to dinner at Risser's. We meet a couple from Plano, Texas, of all places, though they have recently moved to Virginia. http://www.tripdiary.com/richandjane/EndofSummer07/2969 27 http://www.tripdiary.com/richandjane/EndofSummer07/2969-Mahone-Bay-Chester-and-back-to-Lunenburg While we are eating our lovely breakfast at the Lunenburg Inn, we find out that there is a farmer's market this morning, just down the street. We stroll through the booths, admiring the fresh veggies, beautiful flowers, homemade jams and a variety of crafts, all accompanied by the music of a saxophonist. What fun! We find two gorgeous wooden lazy-susans that we have to have for the kitchen at home. After a climb up the hill to the Royal Bank to get some more cash, we return for our purchase. We then drive through more of the historic area of town, including the Lunenburg Academy, flanked by an old cemetery. Today we have decided to take a road trip to Mahone Bay. It's another picturesque seaside town with lots of colorful little shops, b&b's and eateries. We have an enjoyable afternoon walking, shopping and having a nice lunch at the Gazebo Cafe. We then drive through the nearby town of Chester before returning to Lunenburg for our last night. We try to have dinner at Magnolia's Grill, which is very small but highly recommended. It's full and there's a wait so we walk down the street to Rum Runner's instead. We realize that there are also several shops on Montague Street that we missed on our walks about town; unfortunately, they are all closed at this hour and Rich says they will have to wait till the next trip. :) Usually when we are on vacation, I am about ready to go home by this time. I have to say that I could stay here a lot longer and am not really looking forward to getting back to the daily routine in Dutch Harbor! But our trip is coming to an end and we have to leave for Halifax airport right after breakfast in the morning. http://www.tripdiary.com/richandjane/EndofSummer07/2982 http://www.tripdiary.com/richandjane/EndofSummer07/2982-Back-Home-Again Friday morning, we are up early and have breakfast at the Lunenburg Inn, rearrange and re-pack our bags in the parking lot, hoping they are all 50 lbs. or less. :) We have a scenic drive back to the Halifax airport, return the rental car, and go to check in. We are several hours early since we do not want to pay for an extra day of car rental and have to have the car back by 11 AM. When we check in, we are asked if we want to go to Newark on an earlier flight, which sounds good to us. One bag is 52.5 lbs. but the attendant at the counter lets it slide. We will have to repack in Newark! We finish some postcards and last minute airport shopping, grab some lunch, and get on our way. Security is so much nicer in Halifax than in the US! They help everyone get their stuff into bins and onto the conveyor belt with a friendly attitude and a smile. Rich's backback gets flagged for further searching and the woman nicely explains what she is doing, finds some small rounded scissors and lets them pass. We then go through US Customs at the Halifax airport, answer some questions and are told "welcome back." We arrive in Newark with no trouble whatsoever and spend $25 plus tip on an estimated 3 mile ride to the hotel. What's up with that??? We are staying at the Country Inn and Suites, which happens to be right across the street from a mall. It looks pretty dull and run down from the outside but we walk over anyway to browse the stores and get some supper. It's HUGE! We can't believe how misleading the outside is. There are so many stores and so many winding hallways that we could easily get lost. It's also very nice, well kept, clean and fancy on the inside. We find Borders Express and I stock up on bargain books (Rich says, "you're carrying those, right?" remembering the suitcase weights from earlier in the day. :)) We eat supper at Chili's and stop at a chocolate shop for some "dessert" for later. Saturday, we have to get up at 5:15 AM to go back to the airport. We repack bags again and catch the airport shuttle at 6:00. We check our 49.5 lb. bags and watch the sunrise over NYC as we clear security (no problem with the little scissors in Newark!). It's an uneventful, though very long day. Six hours from Newark to Seattle, a plane change and HALLELUJAH, we finally get to use our First Class upgrade from Seattle to Anchorage, which actually provides us with a salad and a sandwich for lunch, and all of that extra room....very nice. We arrive in Anchorage ten minutes after our Dutch Harbor flight was supposed to board, but knowing Pen Air and Dutch Harbor flights, we are not exceedingly anxious. It's also overcast and raining in Anchorage so we are not even sure if we will be going. Sure enough, we learn that our flight is delayed due to "plane arriving late," and finally leave for home at 6 PM. Our long day of travel comes to an end at 9 PM (which would be 2 AM Halifax time). We are tired but glad to be home and to see our cats, who are always skittish when we have been gone for awhile and act like they don't know us or are mad at us for leaving! It's been a great trip; we had such a good time everywhere we went and hope you have enjoyed our diary and photos as much as we have enjoyed doing it!