Wrapping Up Our Trip to the Maritime Provinces

Now that I’ve finished blogging about this family trip to the Maritime provinces It’s time to wrap it up with a few thoughts. This is the first trip I’ve taken since the start of the pandemic that involves plane travel. It’s also a special trip in the sense I get to experience it with my parents! If you’ve spent the time to read through the whole trip, I appreciate it! If not and you want to you can find the whole trip here. Here we go!

Top 3 Highlights

Highlight #1: Cape Breton Island

While I knew that Cape Breton Island would be a highlight of our maritime trip, I didn’t expect it to be THE highlight of my trip. I think the natural beauty of the area coupled with the vibrant fall colours really made for a memorable day touring the island. Throw in the spectacular views from places like the Skyline Trail and you have a recipe for a “pinch me” kind of day. While we were ambitious in thinking we could circumnavigate the entire island in a day, it does whet the appetite to know there is still much more to see when I visit again.

Highlight #2: Greenwich

While Greenwich was always on my list of places to visit on our Maritime trip, I didn’t fully know what to expect. I knew there were trails and sand dunes to explore, but that was about it. What we found was a beautiful trail that opens up onto a floating walkway. We then climb a rope ladder to find a beautiful Prince Edward Island Beach! The surprise around every corner made the trail exciting to explore! Add to that Mama Minion’s determination to overcome the challenge of the rope ladder are things that remain memorable to all of us to this day!

Highlight #3: Beach combing with Papa Minion in Alma

Having arrived in Alma just after lunch, we had most of the afternoon to rest and relax. I eventually decide to head to the beach to explore and find the tide out. Being able to hop around the rocks and mud while combing for treasures is always fun. Having Papa Minion join me makes it even better! It reminds me of childhood times when we would do road trips to Vancouver Island and spend time on the beaches there. With both of us being a bit older now, and with with the sun setting, being a bit nostalgic of those moments made for a great memory.

Favourite Meal

There’s been many memorable meals on this trip. However, I think the one that stands out the most is our impromptu lobster dinner in Alma. We stumbled upon the Alma Lobster Shop almost by mistake. We learned they were closing for the season that day and out of nowhere Papa Minion decides to buy three lobsters! I think the “luxury” of three lobsters for dinner coupled with just how unexpected the whole meal came about is what makes this my favourite meal. Yes it’s tasty and one we all enjoyed, but the story behind it makes it even tastier in my opinion!

If I could change the itinerary…

I would spend more time in Cape Breton Island. When the planning for this maritime trip began, I tried to make a plan to hit everything. Due to our time constraints I needed to start cut days from places along the way. One of those cuts was a day from Cape Breton Island. In my mind, I thought we could have drove around the entire island in a day and be done with it. What I didn’t anticipate was how beautiful it is and how many times we’d stop along the road to take pictures! Because of this we only got about half way around the island before the end of the day. There are still a few things on my list I’d like to do there and am eagerly looking forward to the day I go back. I think given a do over I would plan two to three days on the Island.

What surprised me?

How “big” these places are. When one looks at the maritime provinces on a map, I think you can be forgiven if you assume that the provinces are “small” compared to the rest of Canada. However, once I got there, the size of these provinces become apparent. Some of the drives take longer than anticipated. Some places are further away and I wonder if maybe the drive time could have been better spent elsewhere. While I enjoy a good road trip like anyone else, I think the thought of going into hour three of a drive while on a “small island” didn’t quite compute for me.

One memorable story from this trip

“Trespassing” at Hopewell Rocks. After arriving at the Hopewell Rocks, the gates were locked. The information board indicated the park is closed. Both Mama Minion and I figured it’s par for the course given the time of year we were travelling. However, Papa Minion would not be deterred and slipped through the gate. Soon Mama Minion and I followed. As we walked along the path to the rocks, Mama Minion and I would give him an earful about getting caught. Eventually we found a lot of other “fence hoppers” casually strolling through park grounds putting us at ease. Nothing negative happened and we got to see some amazing views of the rocks! I think its a pretty good reminder that an adventurous spirit sometimes reaps some great experiences and memorable stories! (Not that I condone this sort of thing though…) Shout out to Papa Minion for still showing me that’s you always need to have a curious mind!

Did I pack appropriately?

No I didn’t, in fact after we first arrive, and I start to unpack I realize I didn’t pack a few tops I set aside! I guess I’m a bit rusty at the packing game. It meant that I needed to do a few more laundry loads on this trip. Ultimately everything worked out in the end albeit with a bit more limited choice in wardrobe each day. I think in some ways I was lucky, the weather for the most part was great and so I didn’t need to deal with the elements as much as I originally anticipated.

Regrets?

While its a regret, I wouldn’t change it, and that’s the seasonality of our visit. On the one hand, we were treated to some of the most vibrant fall colours I have ever seen anywhere. This added richness really enhanced how much I enjoyed this trip. However, its also during this time that a lot of things I wanted to do on this Maritime trip are closed for the season. This includes parks and attractions, but also food options. Lots of the live lobster/seafood places that come highly recommended weren’t open and its a bummer because this area is so well known for its seafood. I’m thankful that we still got to enjoy a great deal of seafood on this trip. And I wouldn’t trade the scenery we witnessed along the way. But I could see a return visit to see what the area is like when it’s in full swing.

Advice for people considering similar trips/destinations?

I think scattered amongst this wrap up are my suggestions for this area. I believe that you should either plan for a longer stay or multiple stays. This way you can hit the start/end of the season for the food and attractions. But also have the opportunity to see the area when the leaves start to change colours. Whether that’s in one visit or two, both things are so well worth it.

In addition I would focus one one or two maritime provinces. It’s just too big to do in one trip. I think there’s enough in different areas that you could spend over a few days in each and still not have done everything. Driving distances also take time (and energy) away from exploring, so an efficient plan also helps.

Past that, the Maritime provinces of Canada are a can’t miss destination that I would highly recommend a visit to.

Final thoughts?

Post Pandemic Travel – Maritime Rules

This is my first trip since the pandemic began. And because of that, this trip required a lot more planning and attention to detail in order to get off the ground. It makes it easier that the maritime provinces are still in Canada making this a domestic trip. But, adhering to each province’s changing travel and health restrictions can be a daily affair still. I would be lying if I didn’t feel a little bit stressed during the lead up to the trip. There were questions of “what if we catch it?”, “what if we get stuck somewhere?”. But in the end, (as you can see) everything turned out quite well! I suspect that for the next little while, a greater emphasis on trip planning is going to be required. But with careful preparation, most things will run smoothly!

Parental Minions

What also makes this trip special is that I got to do it with my parents. While we’ve always talked about doing a Dad/Son trip or a Mom/Son trip, this specific trip isn’t something we talked about. With the pandemic throwing a wrench into our plans, being able to do this with them after a year of isolation is truly a blessing. While two straight weeks with your parents can test your patience at times (and it did!). It also reinforces how much I love them, and how valuable these memories that we made together are. I don’t get to spend as much time as I’d like with them these days. But its trips like these that remind me how precious the time I get to spend with them is! The laughter, the conversations in the car, the goofiness in the hotel rooms are memories I’m going to treasure forever. I Love you very much Mama and Papa Minion!

As always, I am thankful to have the ability and means to travel. Especially in a time when travel is so limited and scary for many. I am blessed to be able to have the health to do so and will continue to seek out new adventures along the way!