Foggy Mornings At Peggy's Cove

I could not go to Nova Scotia without making the trek to Peggy's Cove, but I never knew why Peggy's Cove was so popular with tourists. I have always heard about it and thought "Oh neat! It is a lighthouse by the ocean, looks nice". I did not think anything more than that about Peggy's Cove until I went there, and then I was able to develop my own opinion about this place. Let me tell you all about my trip to Peggy's Cove.

I acquired my rental car for the day from a suspect parking garage in downtown Halifax and set out to the cove. The drive was only about 40 minutes, which was a shorter drive than I expected. I want to mention that Nova Scotia has some amazing windy driving roads, and I wanted to put my rental Dodge Charger through its paces. Too bad I was usually behind some slow-moving vehicle and I had to wait until I was on the highway to really drive the Charger (within the speed limit).

I pull into the side road to arrive at Peggy's Cove. I learn that Peggy's Cove is not just the lighthouse. Peggy's Cove is an actual rural community of Nova Scotia and people live here. I drive through the town of old houses and park in the carpark at the end of the street. Here it is, this is the place that I have been seeing as one of the top tourist locations in Canada.

It was a calm, foggy morning at Peggy's Cove. There were more than a few people checking out the sights but the place was nowhere near busy. There were numerous signs dotted along the area that warned that death has occurred here and not to stand on the rocks. Most people (including myself) followed this advice but there were a few daredevils willing to risk it all for that perfect shot. There is a path that goes from the parking lot to the lighthouse, and on the way, there was a man playing his bagpipes for the people.

My initial impression on seeing the scene with the fog hanging over the lighthouse, the man playing the bagpipes, and being in a generally dangerous area, I thought Peggy's Cove had an aura of death. There is a sort of haunting beauty I would come to appreciate coming here early in the morning. The man playing the bagpipes really hammers home the feeling that I have just arrived at a funeral, or maybe my funeral. Being at Peggy's Cove at that time, with that weather, and that soundtrack, I felt like I had to remember the dead.

Morbid thoughts aside, I walked up the path to the world-famous lighthouse and then walked further past it to see the rocks and the unforgiving ocean. The rocks themselves did not feel the most stable, and one slip will easily send you to your doom. I kept my distance and took in my surroundings.

I walked over to the recently-built viewing platform, maybe a few years ago. The viewing platform offered a safe place to see the lighthouse from afar. The platform was also home to a building where you can buy overpriced souvenirs. I made sure to buy a few pieces.

I walked around the village of Peggy's Cove and everything looked so picturesque. I understood why people would come to this place. Peggy's Cove sums up the Maritime Provinces of Canada. This place is what people think of when they think of Eastern Canada. I understand the appeal. People escape the hustle and bustle to come here because everything looks so simple here. You wake up, you fish, and then you come back. You could live a simple life here with the ocean as your backyard. Peggy's Cove represents tranquility.

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