After my expedition to Peggy’s Cove, I hopped back into my rental and drove westward down Highway 103 to the scenic port town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. British settlers founded the town in 1753 as a British settlement, and the town still retains buildings and an atmosphere dating back to the 19th century. There were a few things that I wanted to check out while I was in the town for a couple of hours, so I will condense this experience into one blog post.
I found some free parking by the local arena and walked towards the port. The day got quite balmy by the time I arrived so I was sweating buckets for the entire walk. There were a few parallel roads that ran east-west, so I walked the road closest to the port and found myself on the boardwalk. I look out into the sea, and it looked like the water was shimmering from the sun shining above. Looking out to the water with all the boats and the land on the other side looked like one of the most beautiful and tranquil sights I would ever see.
I walked further down the boardwalk to see a couple of old schooners; one of which was the Bluenose II. The Bluenose II is a full-size replica ship of the famous Bluenose, and the original ship was once the fastest ship in the world and took part in racing from the 1920s to the 1940s. I was impressed to be in presence of the legend, even if it was just a replica.
The Bluenose II deckhands allowed visitors to board and have a look around the ship, which was exactly what I did. I checked out everything I could on the ship, from the anchors, to the sails, and to the steering wheel. There were many people trying to get pictures of themselves on the ship, which I thought was neat.
I walk more into the old town of Lunenburg itself, which was similarly hilly to Halifax, though a bit more on the gentler side. There was a place that I wanted to go see and sample their delicious alcohol.
This place was the Ironworks Distillery, who were one of the producers of spirits in Nova Scotia. The building itself looked like an 18th century barn-house, but it looks like a nicely renovated 18th century barn-house. I walk inside, but there was not a lot of merch on display. There was a table that had the various amounts of spirits that Ironworks made, including gin, vodka, and their bluenose rum, which is a lightly-spiced dark rum. The nice man behind the counter gave me some samples of rum and vodka, which were enjoyable and quite spicy. I did purchase a shot-glass with their logo before I left the distillery.
I continued to walk through the town, past a nice mural of the town name, and went to check out the shops and restaurants of the town. Lunenburg quintessentially felt like a small Maritime town, and I did feel like I was maybe a little bit out of place being from a big city like Toronto, but I was glad to check out a town that was not what I expected.
There were quite a few restaurants that had elevated back patios looking out toward the port of Lunenburg, so I found a restaurant and took a seat. I had a plate of Cajun shrimp with fries and veggies. The food was decent, even if the presentation looked a little sad.
While I was eating, I managed to catch an impressive sight. The Bluenose II sailed out of port and sailing away to Halifax. I managed to snag some video of the occasion.
That concludes my time in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. I have never been to a town like this with its brightly-colored buildings and picturesque port. Lunenburg is a Canadian and Nova Scotian town I will not forget, and I would highly recommend checking out this town if you find yourself roaming around Nova Scotia like I was.
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