Landing in Nova Scotia

It had been three decades since I stepped foot in Nova Scotia, Canada. It was actually on a cruise with my family I took when I finished college.

I had remembered it’s beauty (which I relived many times watching Anne of Greene Gables) and had been excited about the trip ever since the invitation first came across my email from Fox Harb’r Resort.

It’s not often I get to travel with my daughter, so I was looking forward to this trip even more than most.

She was traveling from New York and I was coming from Champaign. Both trips were fairly long and we decided we’d take an extra day and see Halifax before heading to the resort.

I contacted Nova Scotia Tourism and they arranged for our 24 hour stay in Halifax.

The air travel didn’t go quite as expected (see this post) and we arrived in Halifax much later than we hoped, but we were both very hungry and anxious to have dinner.

We had the driver wait while we quickly dropped our beds at the Lord Nelson Hotel and then had him take us to dinner at Five Fishermen.

I would learn more about the history of the Five Fisherman on my Halifax tour the next day, but I was still quickly impressed by the restaurant. It was two levels and everything from the décor to the lighting was welcoming.

We were late for our original reservation, so we sat at the bar while we waited for a table. It would be our first introduction to Tidal Bay wine, this one from Gaspereau Winery.

This light, semi-sweet and tropical white was the first appellation wine in Nova Scotia.

Although it was touted as perfect with the region’s seafood, I didn’t need any to enjoy it.

We didn’t wait long to sit at the table. Our waiter sensed that we were very hungry and immediately brought us some warm house made herb rolls and butter.

A few minutes later he came back with a sampling of a flavorful risotto from the chef.

We then shared a grilled cauliflower appetizer, with polenta, leeks, and mushrooms, which was delicious, and I also had a soothing pumpkin soup. 

For dinner, Sam decided to take advantage of our location and savored the Acadian Shellfish Tagliatelle, a pasta in a light cream sauce with Nova Scotia mussels, scallops, and shrimp.

I thoroughly enjoyed the short rib, which was tender and served with perfectly roasted potatoes.

We couldn’t resist ordering dessert when we looked at all the options. It was so hard to decide, and our waiter suggested bringing us four mini desserts. We loved every bite of the fruit, chocolate, and cream filled creations.

I also had my first of the many local teas I would discover on the trip. This was a Higgins & Burke Honey Coconut Oolong Tea.

We headed back to the Lord Nelson Hotel and were quickly asleep. It had been a hectic day and we were ready for some rest and relaxation ahead.