A long drive down from North Sydney where we exited the ferry brought some new roads. For breakfast we stopped at Tim Horton’s, Canada’s version of Dunkin’ Donuts, where I bought a carrot walnut muffin, which fortunately was not overly sweet, and a hot green tea (with no sugar or milk it’s called taking it black, a bit confusing) and Bill had two glazed donuts and hot coffee. We finally arrived in Lunenberg just before 2:00 and were able to check-in to our basement space of the Cape Cod house built about 1840. Although it was a studio, there was ample space, access to a laundry area dedicated to guests, and a large bathroom. When I first entered I could smell the wood beams and unfinished floor of wide planks, pleasant for me.
Lunenberg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the central south shore and the original town grid is still in place today with many stately buildings used as businesses and residences. The Acadians, French settlers who lived alongside the natives, had a small farming and fishing settlement here in the early 1700’s. In 1753 the British chose it for 1,453 protestant immigrants from Switzerland, Germany, and Monbeliard. Because the stony soil was difficult to farm, they switched careers and established a fishery thirty years later. By the late 1800’s fishermen made a lot of money from all the cod resulting in many large fancy residences. The waterfront was filled with schooners, ship builders and chandlers, fish firms, and blacksmiths.
We found the town charming, although maybe in the height of the summer when it is laden with tourists, we might have had a tarnished feeling. Many of the buildings are vast with three and even four stories and several are of cheerful colors; bright red, deep purple, marine blue, orange, and even lime green. Most are more neutral or the visual input would be overwhelming. The harbor side is accessible at a couple of points where boats are docked, including the replica of the historic Bluenose, a famous schooner.
The gargantuan building, which housed the Lunenberg Academy from 1895 for 116 years, is now home to the town library on the first floor. In one section is a small display and explanation of the Bluenose, which is honored on the back of the Canadian dime, on license plates, decorative plates, postage stamps, and even beers are named after it. In the 1920’s the first International Fisherman’s Trophy race was held which set the Canadian fishing schooners against the American rivals. After the Canadian’s feelings were hurt losing to their southern neighbors, they asked William J. Roue, a self-taught naval architect, to design a faster racing schooner. He was very successful! Not only was the Bluenose built to race and win, it had ample space for the tonnes of cod and halibut.
One night I ordered a cooked lobster, for half the price of my lobster dinner in Newfoundland, from a fish store. I tore it apart with no proper tools at the BnB. Bill brought out pliers from the car to crack the very tough claws and then I had to be creative to extract the meat from the smaller joints. The tail was chock full of sumptuous meat and with unflavored butter I had a happy belly and husband. He opted for Halibut soup which cost a tad more than my lobster, but he got three meals out it. The night before we had purchased salmon fillets from the store and when I asked if it was local, I was told it was from New Brunswick with a bit of “of course” snappy tone!
We took two hikes while in Lunenberg. One day we walked around the tiny coastal village of Blue Rocks, which has just houses and no businesses or center, and then a bit down the road walked about a mile on a trail inland but parallel to the coast. It was rocky with a lot of ups and downs, a pond with gulls and a family of geese, including six yellow babies out for a swim, low scrubby bushes, a flowering apple tree, ferns, and it ended at the ocean. It was a hot day and not having had much exercise in a few weeks, I found the two miles long enough. The next day, at the suggestion of our hostess, we took a much longer walk, about 4.5 miles. We had to walk along the beach for a mile, entered the forest for a ways, enjoyed an opening on the cliffs with a lobster boat picking up its haul, found our way carefully along the rocky coast for a ways, re-entered the forest, and retraced our steps on the beach. It was a bit cooler and windier there which made for more enjoyable hiking.
The last night we had take-out pulled pork. When we asked if the sauce was on the side, we were told the garlic aioli would come in a small container. Hmm. It turned out the smoky sauce was already on the pork so no choices as there are in the States. We didn’t really like the aioli on the meat. The meal was accompanied with their version of coleslaw which is made from purple cabbage. The meal was good and my dessert was a hug slice of key lime pie from a bakery. It was tart, just the way I like it!!
We both really like the town and could spend a summer there easily. The locals are very friendly there, too, as we chatted a bit with a man walking his dog and a couple who invited us to enter the academy, saying it was the library which we hadn’t realized. In the cemetery I spied a gravestone with the name Ransom, which I have seen way back in my family tree. I searched for the man but it was his wife to whom I am related, seventh cousin once removed. It made me wonder how many cemeteries I have wandered through with unknown relatives buried there.
Retired and Living the Life Nomadic 