Day 2 - Peggy's Cove

The Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove

We met up with our group at 8:30 this morning, there are about 43 of us, mostly from the USA. It seems like a great bunch of people. Mom is getting quite a kick out of the tour guide named Chris and totally appreciates that he speaks slowly and clearly and she can hear everything he says. Turns out he's a working Actor and lives in Calgary.

Peggy's Cove

We began the day with a trip to the famous "Peggy's Cove". I loved how unspoiled it is. There are no hotels or typical souvenir shops, only a few shops that sell handmade local art. We walked out to the lighthouse that rests on the huge granite rocks where you can walk nearly to the edge to see the waves crashing onto them. Magnificent! The cove itself is lined with small shake sided shacks in weathered pastels, all with a dock and a fishing boat that looks like its been well used. We could have spent days there. There are several opinions about why it is called Peggy's Cove and who exactly Peggy is. The village is likely named after Saint Margaret's Bay (Peggy being the nickname for Margaret) and the most popular legend claims that the name came from the sole survivor of a shipwreck at Halibut Rock near the cove. No doubt there are many stories to lay claim to the name of this famous and quaint little village.

Back on the bus and to the Halifax harbor where we scattered for lunch. We met a really nice woman from Kelowna named Joan and she is proving to be good company. We ate the best seafood chowder I've ever tasted and sweet fresh cornbread just out of the oven. A few of us decided to do the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic at the maritime museum. It was fascinating learning about the part Halifax played in the role of taking in the deceased off the rescue boats and burying the unclaimed bodies in the cemetery here. We visited the unmarked graves, some of which were later identified even years later. There were stories of people who perished that night, whose names and memories live on after 100 years, leaving a significant mark on the history of this beautiful city.