Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
What a wonderful two weeks we spent in this town on the ocean! Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site--a beautiful gem of Nova Scotia and well worth the trip!
Lunenburg is Home of the Bluenose II, (a replica of the original Bluenose that is featured on the Canadian dime) The Bluenose II was sadly not in port when we visited the warf, as she was sailing during the Rendez-Vous 2017 with 40 other Tall Ships! We did see some other sailing ships though!
The purpose of our travels to Lunenburg however was to help out at Faith Baptist Chapel, invited by Pastor Steve Hiltz.
We stayed a couple weeks and did some small renovations for them (installing some new laminate flooring in a couple Sunday School rooms and other odd jobs). The church family was so friendly and welcoming and we were blessed in so many ways by them and their friendship. We got to meet some amazing people and hopefully could be an encouragement and joy to them as well.
On Thursday we rode our bike over to the Arena in Lunenburg and visited the weekly Farmer’s Market held there. When we walked in, the whole place was abuzz with people greeting each other and chatting. I could tell it was a place people came not just to buy some apples and leave, but to take the time to visit with friends and neighbours.
The air smelled wonderful- a mix of coffee beans, hot Indian food and fresh artisan bread. Beautiful paintings of the town, sea and boats caught my eye, but I had a budget to stick to! I did buy some kale and a pound of free-range beef stew meat to make into a stir fry for lunch. Yum! There was several people selling locally brewed wines and beers. There was apples, honey, wooden cutting boards, and woolen sweaters for sale. There was even a ‘make your own omelet’ stand. It was a happening place!
We actually heard from some friends who visited the Market the next week that people were talking about us! People were so curious about the family who rode the ‘bike train’ and “they are the ones who have the bus too?” It doesn’t take much to make an impression, good or bad! We want to be sure to leave a positive one!
One day we rode our bike down to downtown “Old Town” Lunenburg. It is quite a tourist place, especially in the summer, with lots of shops, restaurants and art stores. The building are painted colourfully and I could tell they have tried to keep the old style of houses. There was actually some work being done to the outside siding of some of the buildings and they were putting new cedar shakes on the sides in the old style.
Walking along the warf and down the piers we saw lots of boats. We talked with the kids about the differences between sailboats, dories and fishing boats. A few big sailing vessels were in port there as well awaiting a long voyage. We stopped to have an apple snack and saw some sailboats sail into harbour to anchor alongside the dozens already there.
One of the touristy things we did do was visit the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. I highly recommend it! Our kids all got in free as they are all under 6, and us adults had to pay 12$ each but it was well worth it! The Museum had an aquarium section with a real live touch tank. We got to touch real sea stars, crabs and clams. The kids loved watching the fish and clams, but were a bit hesitant to put their hands in the water (they were afraid the fish would bite!)
Sprout # 3 (with mommy's help!) participated in a model schooner launch at the Museum! It was a highlight and all three big kids got a button pin for coming! The Museum was interactive and had lots of real life displays, boats, lobster traps and even a sand table with shells and sea glass!
A trip to a seaside town is not complete without a visit to the beach, or a ride bareback on a horse (well that doesn't have to do with the sea but we visited some new friends that had horses) and so we did both!
We had such a wonderful time in Lunenberg and area. We were able to do some really neat things as a family together, get to know many wonderful new friends, and help out with some construction needs at the church. We can't wait to go back and visit again someday!