June 2015 – After a heavenly few weeks in Downeast Maine, including a daytrip to Campobello Island in Canada, we crossed the border into Canada “for real” at the small town of Calais, Maine. The province of New Brunswick is very large, and it took us a while to decide whether to dash through it to Nova Scotia or to take our time.
The huge tides and seascapes of the Bay of Fundy beckoned, but in the end we decided to hightail it to Nova Scotia, a place we had both wanted to visit for many many years.
We’re here!
The island of Nova Scotia is a large province too, extending some 300 miles from end to end. We had had visions of encircling the circumferance of the island very slowly, and started out doing just that along the northern shore.
The farmlands and low lying, flat lands of that coast were pretty, but we we had quaint fishing villages and craggy rocks and lighthouses on our minds more-so than farms, so we quickly changed gears and made a dash for the southern coast. We landed at Peggy’s Cove, which is about as quaint and cute a fishing village as there can possibly be.
The small community of Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia.
This is a tiny hamlet of just a few buildings surrounding a very small harbor that contains a handful of boats. As we walked along the docks, the fishing boats seemed to hover on glassy water.
A picturesque scene at Peggy’s Cove
Each building was lovingly maintained to utterly quaint perfection, including the little coffee shop that looked out on the small cove.
I love a cute coffee shop!
Lobster traps were positioned along the wharf, and an old deteriorating dory made a wonderful photo op with a red lobster boat in the background.
Lobster pots
There were ideal photo ops in every direction.
This is an artist’s haven, and a few steps up a hill we came across an artist recreating the picture perfect harbor scene on his canvas. We joined a small throng of people taking photos of him!
What a lovely spot to set up an easel and let your creative juices flow!
Just a few steps further on we found another artist, and the throng joined us to photograph her too!
The artists — and everyone else — were loving the charming scenery and landscapes.
This is an idyllic little seaside village that is a photographer’s or artist’s true delight. In some ways it was almost a little too perfect, but we were loving every minute of strolling the very short street that goes from the harbor to the lighthouse.
Before the lighthouse came into view, we could hear the mournful sound of a bagpipe in the distance. As we turned the corner, the lighthouse appeared and the bagpipe player was suddenly right before us. He was wearing a kilt and had an open donation box near his feet. Behind him a couple was taking a selfie of themselves with the lighthouse in the background.
We heard the forlorn sounds of the bagpipe long before we spotted the player
We were enchanted by this sweet postcard of a village, if just a little put off by its so perfect perfection and the crowds of tourists arriving from the row of buses that were squeezed into the small parking area. But as the daytime turned to late afternoon, something truly magical happened.
The sky turned grey and black, and beneath the heavy clouds the sun suddenly put on a spectacular display at the lighthouse.
Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse becomes the centerpiece of a celestial light show.
Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse is one of the prettiest lighthouses in Nova Scotia — perhaps the prettiest — and to see it with such a stunning backdrop was a true gift.
The sun bursts through the clouds
As the sun set, groups of kids, couples and families all came out onto the rocks to watch it drop into the sea behind the lighthouse. And what a show they had that night.
Lots of families and couples and kids sat on the rocks to enjoy the sunset.
Once the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky lit up in shades of peach and orange. Kids were playing all around, suddenly full of energy, and their silhouettes were delightful.
Weeeee!
The rocks around the lighthouse glowed orange, and the lighthouse began to flash a vivid red.
The light flashes in the last moments of daylight.
We were both in awe to be experiencing such a dramatic sunset in such a breathtaking location.
As the sky grew dark, we sat down on the edge of the rocks and looked out at the sea, holding each other in a long embrace. After all those years on a boat, neither of us will ever look at the sea in quite the same way again.
The chill of nightfall began to steal over us as the waves crashed on the rocks below, and the black, open ocean lay in front of us the way it had so many times before on our long overnight passages in Mexico.
Those days seemed like a lifetime ago, but suddenly the memories were just an arm’s length away.
“I can’t believe we were out there,” Mark said suddenly.
“I know — I can’t believe we did it either!” I added.
“I was terrified for four years,” he confessed.
We stood up to go and suddenly noticed some tidepools behind us creating beautiful mirror images of the lighthouse in the water.
We stared out at the darkening sea, sharing a deep sense of awe. We were in awe of the scene, in awe of life, and in awe of having dreamed a dream, made it come true, and come out of it alive, unscathed, and forever changed.
Reflections at Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse
Lucky 7
What a precious and unique moment that was at Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia — a sunset we will never forget.
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More info about Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia:
- Peggy’s Cove – Tourism Website
- Where is Peggy’s Cove? – Google Maps
Other blog posts featuring lighthouses:
- South Haven, Michigan – A Lighthouse Brings Crowds at Sunset
- Lighthouses of Lubec & Campobello – The Quoddy Sisters!
- Oregon’s Heceta Head Lighthouse – Where the Buggy Got Stuck
Our RV travels in Nova Scotia:
- Canada RV Travel Tips – RVing Nova Scotia & the Canadian Rockies! 08/16/15
- Cabot Trail Highlights – Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island 08/14/15
- Nova Scotia’s Northumberland Shore – The Quiet Side 08/06/15
- Mahone Bay & Blue Rocks on Nova Scotia’s South Shore 08/02/15
- Lunenburg, Nova Scotia – Pretty As A Picture! 07/31/15
- Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse, Nova Scotia – Reflections At Sunset! 07/24/15
- Fireworks for Canada Day and the 4th of July – EXPLOSIVE!! 07/02/15
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