Off the beaten path

Wolfville, Canada

Today I ventured to the eastern end of the Annapolis Valley, specifically to the Wolfville area. And it’s here that I’m sitting on a patio in front of Joe’s Food Emporium using their wireless to write today’s blog. They have great food and a perfect location under the trees along the bustling main street.     Wolfville is a small university town (Acadia University) on the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tides in the world. It is across the Bay of Fundy from New Brunswick and the famous Hopewell Rocks and tidal bores produced by the high and fast tide changes. It’s also just down the road from the town of Windsor, which is reported to be the first place in the world that hockey was played. The significance of Wolfville for me is that my daughter Gillian graduated from historic Acadia University in 2007. So as a result, we’ve been frequent visitors to the area and I have some great memories of our visits here and living the university life vicariously through Gill. Lots of tears involved along the way. Mostly happy. Three of Gill’s friends from here have continued to be an important part of her life and I expect always will. However, despite having a bias because of a connection to the area, I’d still say it’s a great place to visit if you’re in the neighbourhood. The town is a perfect size to have lots of choice for restaurants and accommodations (some great B&Bs) and there are hiking trails and a growing number of wineries and microbreweries to visit. There’s even a restored theatre on the main street for your evening entertainment. And the farmers markets, both permanent and weekly, are great to visit because the rich, red soil of the valley produces amazing fruits and vegetables and there is a plethera of artisans in the area. Lots of Canadian history played itself out nearby. It’s a great jumping off place for touring further along the valley to the south west and discovering the area’s rich history. Since it was raining when I started out this morning I stopped for breakfast at a tiny cafe, called the Tin Pan, that Gill introduced us to when we were out for convocation weekend. It’s in the small town of Port William, just north west of Wolfville. I had a “1/2 breakfast” which was still an amazing amount of the regular. The thickly sliced bread is baked on site and the spiced plum jelly to die for. The “regulars” made for interesting listening while waiting for the meal.     Then I drove to out-of-the-way Blomidin Provincial Park to see the rugged coastline and red cliffs meeting the Basin. The rain lessoned along the way and the very minute I arrived at the Park, the sun came out and has stayed out the rest of the day. You can see from some of the signs posted there how big and fast the tides changes are and what the potential consequences are of getting caught unaware.          Coming back into Wolfville I naturally wandered through Acadia and to my surprise discovered there was a small convocation happening. There were the grads lining up outside the historic auditorium building waiting their turn at the pomp and circumstance just as Gill had done 8 years earlier. Yeah, some more misty eyes.  The weekly farmers market was just winding down, but included some fabulous booths of produce, herbs, baking, and crafts. I might have indulged in a piece of short bread.  Next it was down the road to the Grand-Pre National Historic site in the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the site of a 17th/18th century Acadian Village with a chapel memorializing the Acadian Deportation or Expulsion. A film presentation and museum pieces help to explain the plight of the Acadians and their proud heritage that I’ve seen on display throughout parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. There are piles of websites explaining this part of our history. A statue of Longfellow’s Evangeline are set among beautifully landscaped grounds as this poem was inspired by the deportation. http://www.hwlongfellow.org/works_evang eline.shtml     The UNESCO designation is relevant to the method used by the Acadians in reclaiming land using this particular dyke system.   Sorry this has been a little more personal than most entries will be, but I hope you’re forgive my reminiscing.