JUST BEING NEIGHBORLY

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers

Thanks to the incessant rainfall, we are blessed with beautiful wildflowers and formal gardens,

all with backgrounds of lush verdant forests.  As travelers with an RV caravan, we are given the opportunity to see numerous sights of historic significance and able to immerse ourselves in the local diverse culture and beauty.  The key word here is opportunity, since everything is optional.

For instance we had two worthwhile stops yesterday.  The first was at Grand-Pré, the Acadian Cultural Center.   We both relate to what we saw there; Monique, because she was born in LaRochelle, France, the town from which French tenet farmers departed to seek prosperity in the New World; and I, because I am a New Orleans native and always enjoy knowing more about the Cajun lifestyle and history.  The French came to Nova Scotia, and later departed, sailing south to the East Coast of the U.S. and then to what is now “Cajun Country” in Louisiana.

The second stop was just 500 feet from our oceanside campground.  While many of our group took off in various directions to see area attractions, we went a few feet to the Parker Cove Harbor. After buying six lobsters for $45, which Monique cooked South Louisiana-style (we have four left for

additional feasts), we went back at high tide to see the fishing boats that had risen on the tide from the harbor’s mud bottom back to dock height.  We walked around waiting for the last lobster boat to take advantage of high tide to return to port.  And we watched while they unloaded 700 pounds of their catch into a waiting refrigerated truck.

Between squalls, the caravan’s agenda for today took us to a fort, first built by Scots and then rebuilt five times over generations by the French.  Again, a lot of history we found interesting.  Then lunch at a German restaurant-bakery, followed by a chance to walk under umbrellas and in ponchos through another sculptured garden.

That was in the town of Annapolis Royal, an interesting name, which we learned means roughly “[Queen] Ann’s Town.”  Tomorrow is another travel day in Nova Scotia (Latin for New Scotland).

MORE BACKGROUND ON CANADA

Writing as a citizen of “the States,” Canada is our neighbor, welcoming just about every American with few exceptions.  But for many of us, the allegiance of Canada is a bit confusing.  We folks in the 48 contiguous states think of Canada as an independent nation, but on lots of 20-dollar bills (although not all) is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth staring out at us, and her continence graces the wall above the judge’s bench in St. Andrews, our second stop on this tour.  Yea, verily, the queen is the head of state, making it a constitutional monarchy, and at the same time the nation’s government is a parliamentary democracy headed by the prime minister, who represents the majority party in Parliament.  Got that?  No wonder it’s a bit confusing to us Americans.

In the U.S., we speak American, as opposed to British or English.  English is the official language in all but one providence, with Quebec being the exception, where French is language du jour.  Then there’s New Brunswick, where both English and French are official languages.

Just to make it more interesting, provincial signs are in English, except for those along national highways and at national attractions, which are in both languages.

We are enjoying official road signs, like @, which we assume means Internet available.  For several miles we passed blue signs with lighthouses on them and were amazed there were so many.  We soon found out they only meant we were on the Coastal Highway.  We’ve now passed other signs with sea stars (formerly called starfish) and sunsets.

Our XM/Sirius radio reception is getting more intermittent by the day, and I hear that some members of our group are losing TV reception.  Depends on the satellite placement.  This trip is a wonderful learning experience, never a chance to get bored.  From the “Never-Bored RVers,” We’ll see you on down the road.

MORE PHOTOS FROM OUR RECENT TRAVELS

© All photos by Barry Zander.   All rights reserved

COMMENTS TO RECENT BLOGS

From Charlie, Kamp working outside Halifax —Barry & Monique, welcome to the Maritimes. Caravan may not get to Burntcoat Head, NS, the site of the highest recorded tides in the world. It is deeper into the Bay of Fundy along the Minas Basin and thus less space for all that water to go. We find it more interesting to visit than Hopewell Rocks notwithstanding the ‘Flower Pots’. Timing with low tide is also critical when visiting this NS site.

When you get to Nova Scotia, it will not be any more foreign than what you encounter in New Brunswick, so you should be able to relax and enjoy your surroundings much as if you are travelling in the continental US.  Hopefully the weather will improve for your travels here.

Because of the numerous Spam comments on this site, the comments section has been deactivated.  Please email us at neverboredrvers@gmail.com and I will pass along your comments.    Learn about Alaska and see travel photos at ontopoftheworld.bz (and much more to come when time allows).