O Canada. You’ve captured our hearts.
We’ve just spent almost two months wandering around Atlantic Canada, including Newfoundland and the Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. It’s the longest trip we’ve ever taken, and also one of the most rewarding. Road tripping is our favorite mode of travel, and this amount of time allowed us to start getting at the essence of each place we visited. But honestly, it wasn’t enough time! We could easily have spent a month in each of the provinces we visited. Maybe someday . . .
Our Atlantic Canada route
We began in Boston and then flew to Bar Harbor, Maine. (Both cities are getting their own posts soon!) We rented a car in Bar Harbor and then took a three-hour ferry across to Yarmouth, on the southern coast of Nova Scotia. After spending time in Halifax, the capital city, we drove north and boarded an overnight ferry to Newfoundland. We spent 18 fantastic days in that province and its colorful capital, St. John’s, and then took the same ferry back down to Sydney, NS. After driving the length of the drop-dead-gorgeous Cabot Trail on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, we ferried across to Prince Edward Island – the smallest and most charming of the Maritimes.
After a week on PEI, we drove across the loooong Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick, stopping for a night to explore the amazing Bay of Fundy before heading to the capital, Saint John, for a week. From there, we ferried back across to Digby, NS and on to the charming and historic town of Wolfville in the heart of Nova Scotia’s wine country. After Wolfville, we spent two more nights in Halifax and then made our way back home via Yarmouth, Bar Harbor, and Boston.
Here’s everything that enchanted us about Atlantic Canada and Canadians.
Canadians are some of the nicest people we’ve ever encountered on our travels. As US travelers, we were a little apprehensive. Would we encounter hostility because of the dumpster fire in our home country, and would anyone blame us for the awful rhetoric and threats that have been thrown at Canada lately? The answer is a resounding NO. While the New Hampshire plates on our rental car got plenty of attention, every Canadian we came across was welcoming and seemed genuinely sympathetic to the plight of their neighbors to the south (while staying firmly “elbows up” against the current lawless US regime). True story: Canadian drivers will not only stop at crosswalks to let pedestrians cross, but they’ll even stop between intersections for the jaywalkers! Coming from a place where you take your life in your hands every time you enter a crosswalk, this was a mind-blower for us.
To the point, here’s a fun little video:
Atlantic Canada is stunningly beautiful! Each province we visited offered its own version of postcard-pretty churches, lighthouses, and quaint fishing villages. But we also found a bit of quirk everywhere we went.
Diversity, equality, and inclusion aren’t dirty words in Canada. In fact, they’re virtues to live by. How refreshing to visit a country that not only values, but celebrates, the tapestry of cultures that is Canada. During the trip, we learned about how various European groups have shaped the area: Scot, Irish, French, and Acadian in particular. But what really stood out is the way Canada values and celebrates its First Nations (indigenous) communities.
In the Atlantic Canada region, the primary First Nation is Mi’kmaqi – consisting of a people that has existed there for more than 4,000 years. And we saw the Mi’kmaq influence everywhere, from the trilingual road signs in almost every province (English, French, and Mi’kmaq) to the signs, even in public facilities, honoring Mi’kmaq heritage. We were in Charlottetown, PEI on Sept. 30 for Truth and Reconciliation Day, which acknowledges the atrocities committed against First Nations children by the Canadian Indian residential school system. On this national holiday, everything was closed: banks, businesses, public offices, schools. And the streets were eerily quiet.
It was also good to see how Canada acknowledges and embraces LGBTQ rights. Businesses, organizations, and yes, public offices everywhere proclaim their support and acceptance. By and large, restrooms are non-gendered; Susan admits that it was a little disquieting the first time she sat in a restroom stall with a DUDE in the stall right next to her. But really, is it a big deal in the grand scheme of things? “Woke” might be another dirty word in Canada’s dysfunctional neighbor to the south, but we were glad to see that Canadians have embraced the term in every positive sense.
Atlantic Canada is clean, well-managed, and oh-so-welcoming to visitors. We logged more than 5,000 driving miles on this trip, but never really encountered any problems. Even in remote Newfoundland, the roads are beautifully maintained and well-marked. The numerous visitor centers are modern, welcoming, and chock full of information. The national parks we visited were clean, well-maintained, and well-organized. Bravo, Parks Canada!
In case you missed it . . .
The Canadian national Anthem, “O Canada,” performed at Game One of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the LA Dodgers a few nights ago. We love you, Canada!
29 Comments
Can’t wait to read more about your trip. So glad you had such a great time. We finally made it to Newfoundland a few years ago – a great experience.
Steve
Thanks, Steve! I loved Newfoundland – it’s not only incredibly scenic but so individual. Hope you can see the rest of the Atlantic provinces someday! And wow, I just saw you two got to Greenland recently. That’s on our bucket list now.
Thanks for travelling the earth and sharing your experiences! I also loved Nova Scotia and New Found land and Canada. (from your old San Francisco neighbor)
Hi Liz – wow! A blast from our San Francisco past 🙂 How are you? Still in the Steiner Street condo? Thanks for reading our blog!
Glad you enjoyed our country so much. The Maritimes are indeed very nice areas to visit. Nice pics…(Suzanne)
We are in love with your country and its people! If it weren’t for those winters . . . ha! Thanks for reading!
I’m glad you had a rewarding trip in Atlantic Canada. I enjoyed reading what made you love Canada and Canadians. I’m a proud Canadian and have been to all ten Canadian provinces (still to visit the territories). Game 6 of the World Series is on tomorrow Oct. 31 in Toronto. Go Jays go! 🙂
Thanks, Natalie! We loooove your country and its people. There’s just the matter of those winters . . .ha! Good for you to explore all of your country. There are still several states in the US that I have yet to visit. And . . . yeah, sorry about the Jays 🙁 We were on the fence, since we used to live in LA and have friends there. But it looks like it was a heartbreaker!
Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed your post!
Hi Pam! Hope you guys are well. Thanks for reading!
Hugs,
Susan
So glad you had an amazing time in Atlantic Canada! We loved all our road trips in the Maritimes🥰
Hi Christie – thanks. Isn’t road tripping the best? And that part of Canada seems tailor made for it. We’ll probably go back for more someday!
Oh yes, we love road tripping❤️ And no matter how much you explore, there is always something more to see and do.
Loved reading about your very enthusiastic visit to Atlantic Canada – I know the area pretty well as my father was from Saint John, NB, and my three older brothers were born in Sydney, NS, when my father was working for the CBC radio station. I laughed watching the video about the N.I.C.E. agent [- need a lot more like him. You might want to change your reference to the “state park” you visited in PEI, as it should be the provincial park!
I loved reading about your exciting trip to Atlantic Canada. I was thrilled to hear how much you loved the people and the sights. I know the area well , as my father was from Saint John, and my three older brothers were born in Sydney, NS. I was born in Ottawa, the capital. I laughed watching the video about the N.I.C.E. agent – too bad there aren’t a lot more like him all over the world! Hint, hint – I suggest you change your reference to the “state park” in PEI – it is a provincial park!
Hi Annie! Oops, typo fixed. I goofed on this post and hit the “publish” button by mistake, well before it was ready. I was scrambling to fix everything after the fact and I missed that one 🙂 It’s tough to proof your own work.I did not know you had roots in Atlantic Canada! Fine, fine people they make up there 🙂 Anyway, thanks for your comment and have a great day!
I know all too well the hazards of proofreading my own work! Sorry for writing more or less the same comment twice – I didn’t realize that the first comment went through.
Ha, no worries. I’ve been guilty of that myself!
Awesome trip! I’ve been to Nova Scotia and PEI (albeit far too briefly) but never made it to Newfoundland. It’s on my list, though, so I’m excited to see what you got up to while you were there.
Thanks for reading! It’s interesting, also, how many Canadians have never been to Newfoundland. It’s up there! Hope you get to see it someday; it’s spectacular.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful Canada trip. It’s a part of the too-far-away world that I haven’t had the chance to visit yet. I like the squirrel photo—so photogenic! And oh the puffin chair!
Thanks so much! Hope you can visit this part of Canada someday. That squirrel might be waiting for you in Newfoundland! 🙂
It reads like a love story to the Maritimes. I’m slo glad you had a great time in eastern Canada, looking forward to the details. Go Blue Jays! 😊🇨🇦 Maggie
Thanks, Maggie. It was such a great trip! And we didn’t really have a dog in the World Series fight, but we were secretly rooting for the Blue Jays! (Shh, don’t tell our LA friends!)
All of Canada really needed the Blue Jays, and even though they lost in the end, it brought us together. I won’t tell anyone. 😊
This is not the first time I heard that the Canadians are, by and large, very nice people. It looks and sounds like you had a really great time exploring the Maritimes, and your observation of the daily anecdotes in this region makes it even more appealing.
Thanks, Bama! We really didn’t know what to expect, given the current political climate. But we were pleasantly surprised. It goes to show that most people don’t judge others by the faults of their home government.
Oh wow, what a wonderful trip – 2 whole months is such a long time!! I’m glad you had such a great time in Canada, we’ve always wanted to visit this area and you’ve made it shoot back up the list 🙂
Thanks so much, Hannah! Atlantic Canada is fantastic. Two months WAS a long time, but we really wanted to do the area properly.