CANADA
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
One look at Wolfville and I knew I was on the right road.
The right road, in this case, is the Evangeline Trail that wanders through the Annapolis Valley and along Nova Scotia’s north shore by the Bay of Fundy.
The right road, in this case, is the Evangeline Trail that wanders through the Annapolis Valley and along Nova Scotia’s north shore by the Bay of Fundy.
Wolfville, at the start of the Trail, is a picture perfect town – at its heart, Acadia University, the most beautiful campus in the country. Around the town, there are a number of walking trails, in town, there are plenty of pubs, restaurants and Just Us, the free trade café that is the gathering place for locals and visitors alike. It’s housed in the old Acadia cinema where films (good films) are shown on Sunday nights
The tone of the place is clear in a posted notice: “This is a hate-free zone.”
Nearby is the reminder of a time when this area was not a hate-free zone – the Grand Pre historic site that is a memorial to the Acadian people and a reminder of the Deportations, the forced removal from Acadie of French Catholics who, caught in the middle of the French/English wars, refused to take an oath of allegiance to Britain after English forces defeated the French. It’s a beautiful site with sweeping lawns and at its centre the stone memorial church built in 1922 with donations from Acadians across North America. At the entrance, there is a sign: Ici, on parle francais. But, of course, this is Acadian country.
Nearby is the reminder of a time when this area was not a hate-free zone – the Grand Pre historic site that is a memorial to the Acadian people and a reminder of the Deportations, the forced removal from Acadie of French Catholics who, caught in the middle of the French/English wars, refused to take an oath of allegiance to Britain after English forces defeated the French. It’s a beautiful site with sweeping lawns and at its centre the stone memorial church built in 1922 with donations from Acadians across North America. At the entrance, there is a sign: Ici, on parle francais. But, of course, this is Acadian country.
From Wolfville, the road less travelled is the most fascinating. Get off the highway – at Middleton (the slow road stretch between Wolfville and Kentville is a strip mall) and putter along the backroads that lead to such out-of-the-way villages as Margarettesville – or Margaretteville. There are two signs. Evidently even the locals can’t decide which is correct. The day I visited the fog was rolling in, a cooling breeze drifting off the ocean toward the heat of the valley. A few homes and cottages; picturesque, pretty and photogenic. Down the way is Port George, another tiny village right by the sea. It wasn’t always this way, though. Back at the turn of the century, it was a bustling shipbuilding town. Sharon Barteaux, who runs the Candle in the Window craft shop and is the amateur historian of the area, can tell you all about it – as she tours you through the tiny museum at the front of her shop. She is a warm and friendly woman who has a detailed knowledge of the history of the 8-kilometre area around Port George. The shop is located in the former family home: “My husband’s grandparents and then his father and mother lived here. And I found out a few years ago my great-grandfather lived here in 1915 so I tell my husband, ‘this isn’t your family home, it’s mine’,” she says with a grin. The Barteaux family are descendents of French Hugenots, or Protestants, who fled France to escape persecution and arrived in Nova Scotia in the 1700s. Sharon Barteux’s family, the Drews, are the descendents of German immigrants who arrived on these shores “about five or six generations ago.”
In 1812, Barteux says, “there were three shipyards, five stores, a grist mill, a cobbler shop, a cooper shop, a lumber mill and six guesthouses.” In 1863, there was a fire and a new set of wharves was built. The village continued to prosper but as time went by, the shipbuilding industry failed (it was cheaper to ship by rail) and the village shrank to its present population of 51, plus cottagers. It’s a charming place today, with its landmark lighthouse, bought from the Canadian government by the community for $1.
Further along the coast road, turn off for Annapolis Royal, another picture perfect town – and the perfect place for an overnight stop. There 135 heritage designated buildings here, many converted to fine inns. It’s quiet in early June but busier later in the season when there are as many as 35,000 visitors to the town with a population of 450. The evening I stayed the church bells were ringing at the pretty little St. Luke’s Anglican - known as the Garrison Church – to mark the ordination (the first in the parish) of a woman priest. Most of the parishioners were women, all of them smiling.
Further along the coast road, turn off for Annapolis Royal, another picture perfect town – and the perfect place for an overnight stop. There 135 heritage designated buildings here, many converted to fine inns. It’s quiet in early June but busier later in the season when there are as many as 35,000 visitors to the town with a population of 450. The evening I stayed the church bells were ringing at the pretty little St. Luke’s Anglican - known as the Garrison Church – to mark the ordination (the first in the parish) of a woman priest. Most of the parishioners were women, all of them smiling.
This a wonderful place, too, for those interested in architectural history; a self-guided walking tour, Stroll Through the Centuries, is the ideal way to admire these precious reminders of the past. And when darkness falls, Allan Melanson will take you on absolutely fabulous lantern-lit tour of the oldest graveyard in Canada. We walked through the rain on a June night – only seven of us, but in the summer months there are as many as 150 people on the tour. Melanson, an Acadian who is descended from those who came here to establish Port Royal in the 17th-century, has a keen sense of history and a marvellous way of telling the story of his town.
From Annapolis Royal, the route continues through Clare, or the so-called French coast, and such villages as Saint Bernard, Belliveau, Mavilette, Port de l’Eglise. The Acadian flag – red, white and blue, with a yellow star flies here, along with the Nova Scotian and Canadian flags. Wooden clapboard or shingle homes are scattered along the road, the Bay of Fundy at their back doors. The churches provide the ‘wow architecture here. The most impressive is Sainte Marie at Point de l’Eglise. Begun in 1903 and completed in 1905, it dominates the landscape for miles around. In contrast to the ornate altar, the stained glass windows are simple and beautiful. Ceiling frescos are lovely, too, though it was difficult for the artist who painted them. Evidently he was afraid of heights and drank a bottle of wine prior to making each ascent to the ceiling.
The end of the Evangeline Trail, a few miles along, is Yarmouth, a thriving town of 7,000 with a large lobster fishery and a sense of history. Beautiful old homes line the tree-lined streets of the town, several of them saved from demolition by Michael Tavares, who bought and restored them just before they were due to go under the wrecking ball. Tavares now runs two of the homes as B&Bs.
They are among many residents with a keen sense of historical preservation. Friends of the Yarmouth Light, for example, banded together to save the Cape Forchu lighthouse when it, too, was under threat of demolition. It is maintained by volunteers who do all the painting, fixing and gardening. There is many a party held here now, the biggest on “Dumping Day.” As many as 500 people gather at 4 a.m. to dine on pancakes and watch the fleet leave harbour on the first day of the lobster season (the third Monday in November). The “dumping” refers to dumping the lobster pots into the sea, explains operations manager Denise Nickerson. “We watch as the boats race – they do race – to the fishing grounds.” Nickerson also organizes Fairweather Foghorn parties. ”We’re not allowed to sound the foghorn when there’s fog because the ships’ captains might think their GPS system isn’t working properly. That’s because (Cape Forchu) is on the charts as having just a light. But on clear days, we can sound the foghorn,” she grins. Hence, fairweather foghorn.
Whether the day be fair or foul, though, this is a fun and fascinating place to be.
For more information on Nova Scotia and the Evangeline Trail, go to www.novascotia.com or call toll-free 1-800-565-0000.
© Vivian Macdonald, 2008.
The end of the Evangeline Trail, a few miles along, is Yarmouth, a thriving town of 7,000 with a large lobster fishery and a sense of history. Beautiful old homes line the tree-lined streets of the town, several of them saved from demolition by Michael Tavares, who bought and restored them just before they were due to go under the wrecking ball. Tavares now runs two of the homes as B&Bs.
They are among many residents with a keen sense of historical preservation. Friends of the Yarmouth Light, for example, banded together to save the Cape Forchu lighthouse when it, too, was under threat of demolition. It is maintained by volunteers who do all the painting, fixing and gardening. There is many a party held here now, the biggest on “Dumping Day.” As many as 500 people gather at 4 a.m. to dine on pancakes and watch the fleet leave harbour on the first day of the lobster season (the third Monday in November). The “dumping” refers to dumping the lobster pots into the sea, explains operations manager Denise Nickerson. “We watch as the boats race – they do race – to the fishing grounds.” Nickerson also organizes Fairweather Foghorn parties. ”We’re not allowed to sound the foghorn when there’s fog because the ships’ captains might think their GPS system isn’t working properly. That’s because (Cape Forchu) is on the charts as having just a light. But on clear days, we can sound the foghorn,” she grins. Hence, fairweather foghorn.
Whether the day be fair or foul, though, this is a fun and fascinating place to be.
For more information on Nova Scotia and the Evangeline Trail, go to www.novascotia.com or call toll-free 1-800-565-0000.
© Vivian Macdonald, 2008.