J & A's Adventure

It’s been two years since we first set our eyes on Nova Scotia for our honeymoon and later got the inspiration to move here for a year. Our anniversary was on August 14. To celebrate the occasion, we booked a stay at the same Bed and Breakfast that we stayed at during our honeymoon in the Annapolis Valley.

With our anniversary falling on a Wednesday, we saved our booking to the following weekend, but still got out during the week to celebrate. Jazz felt like a fitting option for the evening, so we headed down to The Local for another night of music and conversation. On this night, there was the usual performance comprising of a keyboard, bass, and drums, but there was also a number of special guests who came for the evening. The songs were interspersed with additions of flute, trombone, and saxophone. The atmosphere of the bar always amplifies the experience for us, with the cluttered walls and dim lighting. It all feels lived in without feeling dingy, a great environment to relax and get lost in the music.

Jazz night at The Local on our Anniversary

On Friday, we headed out to the Annapolis Valley. It turned out to be a gorgeous night with clear skies and the sun keeping the temperature up well into the evening. Before arriving at our room, we stopped at Lightfoot & Wolfville for supper where we enjoyed some pizza on the patio looking over the vineyard. Once we finished eating, we got to wander through the rows of grape vines and even stumbled across a pasture of sheep. Unfortunately, there was an electric fence between us and them, preventing us from giving them a pet.

The start to our visit in the Annapolis Valley. First stop was dinner at Lightfoot & Wolfville.

Our accommodations for the weekend were at Planter’s Ridge, another vineyard in the area. The property is stunning, with a massive deck that gives you a view of the valley below. After our breakfast each morning, we would sit on the back balcony and take in the beauty of the rolling hills, barns, and livestock with our warm cup of coffee.

Our view at Planter’s Ridge. No picture could ever do this justice (especially one on an iPhone).

Our Saturday was jam packed with activities, starting with a hike along the Gaspereau River. It was a little difficult to get going with the trail dipping into the river, but it was smooth after as we hiked higher up away from the mud. There were plenty of people and even some friendly off-leash dogs that we met along the way. We couldn’t really find the end of the hike, and turned around when we felt we saw enough.

Our hike along the Gaspereau River

After the hike we stopped in for an afternoon tea at the Tangled Garden. They provided us with a full tray of tea and desserts that we could enjoy out in the garden. Amy had a great time chatting in between sips of tea and bites of our scones. I was just along for the ride. The wasps were a bit of a nuisance, but given we were in the middle of a garden, I don’t think they are too keen on killing pollinators. The garden itself was very fun to wander through. It was overgrown which made it feel much bigger than it actually was. The paths, scattered throughout the property, wound in all sorts of directions which aid to the sensation of getting lost.

Amy and her tea.

We wanted to check out another vineyard in the afternoon, but considering that we had just finished our tea, we weren’t quite ready to do a wine tasting. So we headed back to Wolfville to stroll through the streets and popped into lots of little shops. It’s the largest town in the valley and hosts Acadia University. In the summer, when the students vacate the town, the tourists take their place as the vineyards draw people in from far and wide. There is a pleasant buzz along the main streets with restaurant patios full of people visiting and laughing.

Benjamin Bridge was the final vineyard we visited, and it is arguably the most famous in the Annapolis Valley. The fields spanned as far as the eye could see along the same river we hiked earlier that day. With a glass of wine in hand, we wandered down to the river front and found chairs setup facing the water. Another couple was sitting beside us and we had a good conversation with them while we finished our wine. We had plans to go to a Nordic Spa the next day and discovered we would be seeing them there as well! Who knew!

For supper, we headed back to Wolfville and sat down on a patio at one of the nearby pubs. Amy got ice cream from a shop down the road after supper, but my stomach wasn’t feeling up for it (probably from all the tea I drank in the afternoon). We got into our room and crashed from exhaustion. It was a full day, and it felt so nice to put our feet up for the rest of the night.

Our last visit to a vineyard and Amy anxiously waiting for her ice cream.

The following morning we got up, checked out of our room and made our way to Salt + Air, a Nordic spa nearby that looked over the Minas Basin. As mentioned, the couple that we sat with at Benjamin Bridge was also there, so we had another small visit. It was a simple setup with your hot pools, cold pools, and saunas sprinkled around the property. Both of us got in a few hot-cold cycles while we enjoyed the view overlooking the cliffs and water in front of us. After our three hours were up at the spa, we dried off and made our last stop of the weekend.

Along with vineyards and apple orchards, the Annapolis Valley also has an abundance of berry farms. Many of the farms were U-Pick so we thought, what better souvenir to take home from the valley than fresh picked blueberries? When we arrived they gave us some picker pails (which was just a yogurt container on a shoelace) that you could hang around your neck. Then we hopped on a bus which took us to the field about 10 minutes away where they were having tourists pick.

The bushes were massive, much bigger than any blueberry plants I’ve picked back in Manitoba. A short lady instructed us of where to setup. And because she was so short, she walked around with a long stick with a red flag that could be seen over the top of the bushes so you knew where she was at all times. After only an hour of picking, our box was full! So we hopped back on the bus and weighed in amount at the register. In total it turned out to be over 10lbs!

10 lbs of blueberries picked between two bushes in one hour!

By the time we finished picking it was late afternoon and we were ready to head back to Halifax. We got in and washed our blueberries and unpacked our bags before crashing on the couch after a busy weekend. We are wrapping up our adventures here in Nova Scotia, but feel we have gotten to do so much!

Thanks for being a part of our journey!

With love,
J&A