A quick ferry ride to Pictou and and we're in Nova Scotia bound for Mabou and the Red Shoe Pub where the pickers and fiddlers come to make merry. It helps to have the only distillery making single malt whiskey in Canada just down the road.
Joe Scarecrow's Theatre offers a funky roadside stop along the coastal highway leading to Chéticamp.
Performances called 'ceilidhs' (kay-lees) occur regularly throughout the region and feature fancy fiddling and step dancing.
Fiddles, accordions, vocal harmonies, and other Celtic traits form the music's backbone - no surprise since much of it originated in 18th century Scotland. It's so much fun we run to buy a Natalie MacMaster cd.
As we enter Cape Breton Highlands National Park we are greeted by Mrs. Moose. We take her tongue sticking out at us as a warm welcome in moose language.
Woodland, tundra, bog and a winding road with a million-dollar view make this one of Canada's most dramatic parks.
The famous Cabot Trail is one of the best spots in the province to spot moose and nesting bald eagles.
The best hike is the Skyline Trail, a 7 km loop that put us on the edge of a headland cliff right above the water and right next to this big boy.
We stay in aptly named Pleasant Bay, a carved-out bit of civilization hemmed in on all sides by the park and wilderness. It's an active fishing harbour known for its whale-watch tours and Tibetan monastery.
On a misty morning we board Captain Mark's Whale Cruise.
It's not long before a pod of pilot swims by our boat.
Life on the sea is not glamourous.
The northernmost road in Nova Scotia finishes at sublimely beautiful Meat Cove, probably the best place to watch frolicking whales in unbelievably clear water.
All over the Maritimes wildflowers in purple, pink, yellow and white take over the countryside in late June and July.
At Glace Bay a retired miner leads us through the damp, dark shafts as he tells old mining tales at the Miners' Museum.
The lighthouse at Louisbourg.
The little town of Louisbourg faithfully re-creates life in 1744 right down to its people - costumed thespians who take their characters seriously.
Built to protect the French interests in the region, it was also a base for codfishing and an administrative capital.
The British took it in a 46-day siege in 1745, exploiting intelligence from British soldiers who had been prisoners in the fortress. In 1760, after British troops under the command of General James Wolfe took Quebec City, the walls of Louisbourg were destroyed and the city burned to the ground. In 1961, the federal government funded its reconstruction.
After exploring the waterfront in Halifax we visit the intriguing Maritime Museum. Perhaps the most poignant exhibit here is just a single deck chair from the Titanic - a reminder that 150 victims of that disaster are buried here in Halifax, where the rescue efforts were centered.
The Citadel is an eight-pointed star-shaped fort on top of Halifax' big central hill. Construction began in 1749 with the founding of Halifax; this version is the fourth, built from 1818 to 1861. The hill's strategic location was the primary reason that the British military chose to establish a presence here to counter a growing French presence at Fortress Louisbourg.
Our history lesson and Maritime experience continue with Sandi's friends, Steve and Yukari, at their home in Hackett's Cove. Dinner is self-serve from the sea and mackerel is slated for tonight's menu.
Steve gives us a guided tour of the area in his boat pointing out the many osprey nests that line the coast.
Drinking beer helps lure in the fish.
Fresh picked vegetables from Steve and Yukari's garden, the fish we caught a hour before and Steve's homemade wine make the most delicious meal we've had so far.
Isac, the multi-toed cat named after the Swedish hockey stick, tries to charm us into giving him a morsel of our catch.
The next day we head off for a ride in their tandem kayak.
Steve drives us to picturesque Peggy's Cove 10 minutes down the road - a perfect image of quaint houses and a white and red lighthouse perched on rolling hills of granite.
If any of you out there have a broken hockey stick or need a sparkly new one, Steve's your man at Stick Fix Halifax.
On the way home from Peggy's Cove we stop by the lobster man and a few minutes and 10 pounds of 'em later we're homebound to fire up the lobster pot.
Many thanks Steve and Yukari for your warm hospitality. Visiting you was the highlight of our trip!
We continue south along the coast to vibrant Lunenburg for another taste of the sea where red, blue and yellow historic fishing buildings grace the ship-filled seaport, the region's only Unesco world heritage site. The Bluenose sailing schooner (on the back of the Canadian dime) was built here in 1921.
Lunenburg was largely settled by Germans, Swiss and Protestant French who were first recruited by the British as a workforce for Halifax; most became fishermen.
Most of the well-preserved practical fishing architecture is rather boxy compared with the Victorian homes in town such as the unique Lunenburg Academy with its exaggerated mansard roof, pointy towers, and extravagant use of ornamental brackets.
St. John's Anglican Church, built in 1754, is one of the most impressive architectural sights in all of eastern Canada even though it's a reconstruction. The church went through a number of additions and was overlaid with ornamentation and shingles to create an amazing example of the "carpenter Gothic" style.
We cut north to the tidy, traditional town of Annapolis Royal with its historical star-shaped fort. It is the site of Canada's first permanent European settlement, Port Royal, founded by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1605. As the British and French battled, the settlement often changed hands. In 1710 the British had a decisive victory and changed the town's name to Annapolis Royal in honour of Queen Anne.
The French bronze cannon here is named "La Ruggissant", "The Roaring One".
We take the scenic route home via Campobello Island in New Brunswick. On the rocky shoreline at East Quoddy Head we picnic on haddock and chips as we watch Finback whales blowing.
The 34-room Roosevelt 'cottage' is where Franklin D Roosevelt grew up and where he visited periodically throughout his time as a US president.
Our last stop is picture-perfect Camden in Maine, home to a large and justly famed fleet of windjammers.
The Maritimes leaves us with memories of the surf crashing, the tide pulling, the wind slapping us with a briny smell, the music rocking, the seafood steaming and the whales spouting. Someday we'll buy a boat.
