The Grand Finale.....

Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Digby, Nova Scotia, Canada
2017 September 26 - Tuesday
Our first stop this morning was a whale watching tour in the small community of East Ferry, which is not far from Digby. Our group boarded the 45-foot Passage Provider 04 which was provided with bench seating in the back and also seating closer to the cabin that was shielded from the wind. The boat was very well equipped, including a complete first aid kit and an AED (Defibrillator). There was a small bench inside the driver’s cabin which had a heater underneath it, and that was a great place to spend a few minutes to warm up, especially as I hadn’t brought a coat.  A number of blankets were provided by the crew, and several members of our group took advantage of those.
The weather this morning was very foggy so we weren’t able to see much, but the fog gradually burned off.  The Captain took the boat to a couple of places where whales are commonly seen, but unfortunately we didn’t see a single one on the tour.  Not seeing any whales on these cruises is apparently unusual, but I guess that’s just the luck of the draw.
After the whale watching trip, we docked at the Ferry dock, and then walked across the street to a small cafe, which I believe is owned by the same family as the Captain and woman working on the boat.   We had pre-ordered lunch items yesterday, and I had ordered the Turkey soup and half Turkey sandwich.  It was a busy place as the people behind the counter were booking passengers on the whale watching trips as well as running the restaurant.
As I was returning to the bus after lunch, I stopped to chat with a young couple visiting from the Black Forest region of Germany. I suspect they were waiting for the next departure of the whale watching boat.  Hopefully their luck is better than our group had.
Our next stop was the small town of Annapolis Royal where we visited the star-shaped Fort Anne, which is a National Historic Site of Canada. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Fort Anne as Canada’s first National Historic Site.  The site has been fortified since 1629, after the Scottish came to colonize the area.  Construction of the fort was first started by the French in 1702, but the fort fell to the British in 1710 after a week-long siege.  A number of battles have been fought on the site, from about 1710 – 1812.  
Our tour started in the large building which used to be the Officer’s Quarters and now houses the Museum.  There was a brief tour by a guide to explain the large needlepoint tapestries, which describe the history of the site, which was occupied by both the British and French.  The town was incredibly scenic, perhaps more so because it was a beautiful fall afternoon and the sun was shining.  I was amazed to see that this small town had their own police department, which consists of three officers and a chief.
We then returned to the hotel and had a short time to rest before the Scallop presentation and our Signature Farewell dinner.  We were placed in a large banquet room at the back of the hotel, which was exclusively for our group.  The local fisherman presenting the Scallop demonstration was very entertaining and he explained the whole process of how they are harvested, etc.  Before leaving he gave a short performance of two classic Nova Scotia songs (guitar and vocals), including Farewell to Nova Scotia (perhaps an appropriate choice since this was the last night of the tour).
The dinner was a wonderful gourmet meal, complete with wine or beer.  I had the pork tenderloin, salad and dessert.  After dinner our tour director and driver both made nice speeches  about how much they had enjoyed the tour and how much they enjoyed our group.  A few of the other tour members also said a few words.  Before everyone disbanded for the night, we were presented with a Certificate for coming to Nova Scotia, our group photo that had been taken in Lunenburg and the list of E-mails that we had agreed to exchange.
After that it was back to the room to get ready for departure on the last day.  A few of us will be spending one more night in Halifax, while the others will be heading straight to the airport for the return home or to the next part of their trips.  One of the Australian couples will be travelling for another six weeks!
2017 September 27 - Wednesday
I had to wake up a bit earlier today, as we had a “bag pull” at 07:15 and had to be on the bus at 08:15.  It’s hard to believe that the tour is just about over.   My impression was that the mood seemed to be a bit more subdued in the breakfast room today, so perhaps everyone is feeling the same way I am.
We left Digby and after about two hours, Karen made an announcement that it was the birthday for one of our group today.  Everyone sang “Happy Birthday”, led by Jim.
We made a washroom and coffee stop at a large Tim Hortons about half way to Halifax.  I suggested to some of the others that they try a “fat pill” (TimBits, as Jim the driver calls them), and several of them took the suggestion and quite enjoyed them.  During the trip the tour director played a video on the Bluenose which is a Canadian icon, and a few more minutes of a comedy show.
As we approached the airport, the mood seemed very quiet, perhaps exacerbated by the gloomy, rainy day.  On arrival at the airport, the driver unloaded the luggage for those who were departing today and the departing group members got off the bus and disappeared into the airport.  One notable point is that when the tour director stepped off the coach, she was officially retired.   This was the last tour of her career. The last 11 of us continued back to the Hotel Prince George.  It was a comfortable feeling to be coming back to the familiar setting of the Prince George, and it kind of felt like “home”.
I was given Room 505 this time and fortunately the room was ready so I could check-in right away.  I had a rest for a few minutes and then had the desk call a cab and I went down to see Pier 21.  That provides an excellent look at the history of immigration to Canada and I spent a few hours wandering through all the display areas.  It occurred to me that both my grandfathers may have arrived in Canada via Pier 21.
I tried to check-in for my flights tomorrow, but had to wait a few minutes as check-in isn’t allowed until exactly 24 hours before flight time (what a stupid rule!).  I had hoped to get Plus seating for both flights, but unfortunately it was sold out for the Toronto-Kelowna segment.
I then took a cab back to the hotel and stopped for a coffee at the restaurant.   I spent some time re-packing my carry-on and putting the DSLR back in the camera insert, and then went down for dinner at about 17:00.  I had been looking forward to the Fettucine Carbonara, but it turned out that was only offered on the lunch menu.  The dinner menu had mostly seafood (shellfish) items which was absolutely no use to me, so I got up and walked out.  I had spotted Al Mano Italian restaurant on the trip back from Pier 21 so had the front desk call a cab to take me there.  I checked the menu online first, and it looked good.
The restaurant had a great Italian ambience and I was glad that I was dining here on my last night in Halifax.  I ordered a starter salad with lime vinaigrette and Linguine Carbonara, along with a glass of Valpolicella Superiore.  It was a very good meal and the portion sizes were about right.
I decided to walk back to the hotel as it wasn’t that far.  I knew that I only had to walk uphill as far as the Five Fishermen Restaurant, and then I could use the tunnels and the elevator back to the hotel.   That strategy worked perfectly!
It’s normally a bit lonely on the first morning after a tour, as I look for familiar faces that aren’t going to appear.  However in this case, I’ll probably see some of the group at breakfast, although the atmosphere may be a bit different.
2017 September 28 - Thursday
It felt a bit odd to sleep in this morning and not have to worry about a “bag pull” or being on the coach at a set time.  I went down for breakfast about 08:30 and just ordered a menu item rather than the buffet.  At first I didn’t see any familiar faces but eventually Karl & Goretti arrived, Wayne just stopped by to tell me that I haven’t heard the last of him as he’s impressed with my memory, and lastly the Australian Pharmacist and his wife arrived.  We all sat separately but I had a visit with each one of them.
After breakfast I went up to the room to make sure my bags were properly packed for air travel.  Checkout time isn’t until 13:00 so I was able to wait in my room.  I took my bags down to the lobby at about 12:45 but there was no sign of the limo driver so I had a short visit with the very helpful desk staff.
The limo driver (Paul) showed up just before 13:00 in a Lincoln Town Car.  It had been raining heavily all morning, so I took the shortest route to the car, which was parked out in the street.  The drive to the airport this time was much more pleasant than the one on my arrival.
Check-in and bag drop went very well, but there was a long line for security, which took a good 25 minutes to get through.  I didn’t have long to wait until boarding and I was glad that I had upgraded to a Plus seat (3F) as that meant boarding first and more leg room.  The flight was only about 2.5 hours and I was hoping that I could buy a sandwich as I hadn’t had lunch.  Unfortunately, WestJet only supplies sandwiches on flights longer than four hours, so I had to settle for a box of Pringle’s Chips and a coffee, which wasn’t much of a lunch.  I was thinking that I should have booked with Air Canada, although I haven’t checked their meal options on domestic flights.
After arrival in Toronto I found that I was in the same terminal as the trip going to Halifax, and there was a Timmy’s, as well as the previously mentioned gag & puke joints.   I ordered a Turkey Bacon Club, milk and coffee which certainly helped.
As it turned out, I didn’t need to eat in a hurry as the Kelowna flight was delayed by at least an hour and that turned out to be more like two hours.  They didn’t explain the reason for the delay, but I should have expected a right cock-up at Pearson, as that seems to happen on a regular basis.  I wasn’t able to get a Plus seat on this flight as they were all sold out, so I ended up in 21A towards the back of the plane (at least it was a window seat).  It was cramped and a bit unpleasant, but it got me home.  Unfortunately the Wi-Fi in-flight entertainment system wasn’t working, so I had to suffer with just music and looking out the window.  The location displays weren’t working either, but I found that Google Maps on my iPhone was providing reasonably  accurate information, even with the phone in airplane mode.  My Altimeter app was also providing accurate information (using GPS?).
When the plane arrived in Kelowna, I found that the luggage carousel wasn’t running when I got to the terminal, so I walked quickly to the Valet parking office to retrieve my car.   Since my flight was late, I was worried that the Valet office might be closed and I’d be stranded at the airport.  After paying the bill, I parked across from arrivals and went to check the carousel.  I found my bag immediately and was on the way home.
I arrived home at about 22:00 and it felt good to walk through the front door into my familiar surroundings (such as they are).  I was looking foward to a good sleep in my own bed after a very tiring travel day.  The fact that it takes all day to travel from one side of the country to the other, was a good reminder of how large Canada is!  It will take me a couple of days to get back into my normal routine, and the first order of business tomorrow will be grocery shopping.
And so ends my 2017 Maritimes holiday adventure.

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