Dispatches from the sunburned wastelands

Saturday was the first perfect autumn (weekend) day in a long while - clear blue skies, and a crisp cool morning. So, we decided to go out for a drive to the Annapolis Valley, in search of apples, of course. We took the scenic route, first driving west from Halifax towards the little hamlet of Hubbards on St. Margaret's Bay, where we stopped in at the local farmer's market. It seems as if the famous local French bakery, "Boulangerie la Vendeenne", whose goodies we usually purchase at the Halifax farmer's market, is well represented throughout the region's markets. They even have a presence here at the Hubbards market, so we stocked up on some baguette and excellent croissants, (of course).

From Hubbards, we pointed the old Volvo towards the north, taking highway 12. This, luckily for us, proved to be a typical winding Nova Scotia country road, taking us through beautiful fall foliage, past clear, calm lakes and bucolic farmland, until we crossed the ridge separating the Atlantic side of Nova Scotia from the Bay of Fundy side, and found ourselves in the town of Windsor. Windsor became recently famous for almost(!) hosting Martha Stewart in their annual pumpkin regatta on the local lake.
One of her film crew stood in for her, however, and piloted the hollowed-out giant pumpkin in the race.


After a mandatory stop at the "Just Us" Coffee Roasters in Grand Pre, we drove through the scenic University town of Wolfville, before stopping (and shopping) at the myriad of farm stalls in Greenwich, which is just outside of Wolfville. Hungry after the mornings excursions, we stopped off in Kentville to have lunch at Paddy's Pub, famous for its handcrafted ales. The pulled pork sandwiches and salmon pie, washed down with Raven Ale, were delicious. Later, we drove around the little town marveling at the "pumpkin people" on display. The poor old Volvo now laden with a bounty of apples, coffee , potatoes and pumpkin, we reluctantly returned to Halifax.

Posted by HannesB at 12:42 AM Comments