Oh Canada

To celebrate our big anniversary this year, Ben and I got away for SIX WHOLE DAYS and SIX WHOLE NIGHTS at the end of September.  This was twice as much time as we've had solo since having our munchkins nearly eight years ago, and it was lovely.  While Noni and Papi held down the fort (or the kids, not sure which needed more "holding down"), Ben and I escaped via the newly re-running ferry to Nova Scotia.  Neither of us had ever been to Nova Scotia before, and it was exactly what we were looking for - quiet, remote, relaxing, and spectacularly beautiful.

After a restful night aboard the Novastar, we arrived in Yarmouth on Saturday morning.  We meandered up the coast from there, stopping at a few scenic spots before lunch in Digby.

Mavillette Beach at low tide - the sand went on forever

So many interesting colored and striped rocks 

The first of many selfies

Smugglers Cove Park

Digby - an adorable little fishing town

...with scallops entirely worthy of their fame

After our beautiful drive up the coast and through the farmlands, we arrived in the Wolfville area, our home for the next two nights.  Wolfville is a small college town surrounded by farmland and gorgeous scenic vistas of the Bay of Fundy.

The view from the house we rented

A sunset walk just down the road from our house

Country roads, cows, dykes, and the Bay of Fundy

 On Sunday, we toured three area wineries via the Magic Winery Bus.

Spectacular weather made our walks through the vineyards even more enjoyable

We were scheduled to visit four wineries, but stopping at this one for a leisurely lunch with an amazing view seemed like a better idea.

On Monday, we left Wolfville for another scenic drive - this time through the interior of Nova Scotia, and westbound on the southern coast.

The foliage was just unbelievable as we drove for miles and miles without seeing another car

We stopped in Lunenburg, another quaint fishing town, for lunch and then made our way to the Trout Point Lodge, our home for the next few nights.  Trout Point is literally in the middle of nowhere - it is the most remote place I have ever stayed, which made for a couple of incredibly relaxing days.  Our weather turned drastically, from hot and sunny to cool and cloudy, so we enjoyed our roaring fireplace, a riverside hot tub, and bundled walks in the woods.  

The Stargazers' platform in the middle of the wilderness - too bad the cloud cover prevented us from using this at night!

...but it was a pretty spot from which to view the foliage and the river.

The view from the hot tub

After two nights at the Trout Point Lodge, we headed back towards the coast for our final night in Yarmouth.

Cape Forchu

Our trip home on Thursday felt looooong, partially because we were so anxious to get home and see our boys, partially because eleven hours is just a really long time to sit on a ferry if you aren't sleeping, especially once you finish your book!  But we did enjoy a gorgeous sunset from our cabin on our way into Portland harbor.

The perfect end to a perfect trip

Although the boys were very excited to see us when we returned (almost as excited as we were to see them), they seemed completely unfazed by our absence.  It seems that Noni and Papi struck the perfect balance between maintaining the boys' daily routine and sprinkling in a little extra grandparental spoiling.  

Noni and Papi got to experience their first soccer Saturday

Ice cream AND s'mores - the boys thought they'd died and gone to heaven

80 degree weather at the end of September = one last trip to the beach (or two!)

And what would a trip to the beach be without Papi's famous sandcastles?

Thanks again Mom and Dad - you did such a great job that we'll let you do it again sometime!