Travel to Nova Scotia

So what do you do on a cruise? Do you you take in the food, aerobics instruction, games and day trips? Yeah this is nice, just lazing around and letting everyone else wait on you. That’s my kind of holiday.

But unless you go for the Carnival-type holidays cruises are pretty staid. The things that make it nice begin to get old and you begin to march around like drone to meals and other activities. Well, it’s not that bad! But except for the day trips cruises go through the motions because they want to please everyone.

However, if you want some spice in your cruising try concertsatsea.com. They take a first-rate cruise ship and marry it with fabulous entertainment from the past like Paul Revere and the Raiders, Jan snd Dean, The Guess Who and Bobby Vee. This means that every night is a sock hop with like-minded people who are there because of the entertainment.

One of the ships, the MSC Orchestra has 1275 cabins and 2550 passengers.  It is an Italian ship that is only a few years old and so the service and food are first-rate.

For seven nights you are treated to a great band and there are other perks as well:

Headliner Shows
Autograph Session
Question and Answer Session with the Stars
Mike Harvey’s SuperGold Sock Hop
Steve and Jim’s Hitmakers Dance Party
Jack and Wayne’s Morning Show
Wayne and Jack’s Trivia Sessions
Jimmy Jay’s Rock-n-Roll Game Show Trivia
Dance Hosts and Lessons
Hosted Private Cocktail Party
Commemorative Cruise T-Shirt

As well, there are the regular cruise sights: The Dominican Republic, Antigua, St. Maarten, Antigua, Bahamas and Florida.

Give it a whirl. I’m going out in January. Hope to see you there!

Let’s face it, we don’t have the “down time” for great skiing. Banff, Kimberley, Marble Mountain and other places would blow any Nova Scotia ski hill away. However, we have some nifty pockets where a skier can get a good buzz.

Less than 45 minutes from the international airport in Halifax is Ski Martock, a small ski area that fill the void for those yearning for the peaks. The nice thing about Ski Martock is that  you can get there quickly, have a fun workout and be home before dinner.

As for vertical, well its limited - 600 feet and 7 trails. But with snow-making machinery and night lights you can still get a good workout on some decent snow. And this is for an average season of 109 days.

In addition, cross-country skiing and ice skating on the canal system are both available during the day. They have the snowmaking machines on 5.5 km of cross-country trails and these are kept groomed, track-set and are patrolled. Tobogganing is also a perk for families or for people who want to have a thrill without putting on the boards.

In the summer Ski Martock offers mountain biking and hiking through some pretty amazing country.

How to Get There

Take Highway 101 to Annapolis Valley, exit 5 and follow signs to Martock. Signs are well posted. It is approximately a 45 minute drive.

The Boston Tree - Photo by Sonja L. Cohen

Every year the Americans remember December the 7th as the day in 1941 that propelled the country into the Second World War. In the Halifax area it is December 6th, a day still remembered as the day when the city ceased to exist.

On December 6, 1917 the Imo, a ship carrying relief supplies for the citizens of war ravaged Belgium collided with the Mont Blanc, a French ship loaded with munitions from American factories. The resulting explosion was the size and destructive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, the biggest man-made explosion before the Japanese city was bombed. The blast leveled almost one-quarter of  the city and Dartmouth on the north side of the harbor. Over 1900 people dies and 9,000 were injured, some in horrible ways

As roads, hospitals and rail lines were non-existent after the blast calls went out allover the province, the country and into the U.S. Within 24 hours Boston had a train full of medical supplies, doctors and nurses heading to Halifax. The first to arrive was an American hospital ship out of Boston heading to Europe to help in the war effort. They provided badly-needed help and hospital beds. And this is not to underestimate the amount of financial help that was sent from Boston for the relief.

In thanks for the kindness of the citizens of Boston the city of Halifax donates a fine tree for the Christmas season. The tree is selected by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources based upon the following specifications:

* One of balsam fir, white spruce or red spruce
* 40-50 feet high
* Good, healthy color
* Good density
* Symmetrical

The tree is then trucked to Boston by the Nova Scotia government and delivered directly to the Boston Common.  Once erected, the “Nova Scotia Tree,” as it is called, is decorated with thousands of lights and becomes the symbol of the Christmas season for Boston.

This year a 46 foot spruce was cut on the Clementsville, Nova Scotia property of Marina and Craig Cook for the lighting ceremny on December 4th on the Boston Commons.

Halifax Citadel Photo by Kat Gurholt

People love old forts. Even if you are anti-military the old forts bring out a feeling of timelessness that anyone can enjoy.

The Citadel in Halifax is a great facility that has been used for everything from a real fort to a prisoner of war camp. Today it houses one of the best military museums in the country as well as a living museum featuring the 78th Highlanders.

The citadel was patterned after British designs in the early to mid-1800’s that featured a star shap and a dry moat. This was so that the attacking force would be subject to crossfires from any angle and woe betide the soldiers who tried to enter the moat. However, the fort never fired a shot in anger.

Completed in 1856, this version of the Citadel is the fourth built since 1749 on the same  hill overlooking the harbour. It still features a working cannon that is fired every noon hour, even on Christmas day. Inside are many of the original barracks, fireplaces, muskets and powder magazines. These stand ready to fight an enemy that never did attack - the Americans. After the Civil War the modern technology had rendered the non-rifled barrels of the cannons obsolete and it could have been bombarded from miles away. But no one came.

Today there are some fine shoes there and a living history featuring the 78th Highlanders, who proceed to do a daily routines as tourists wander by. They even fire off their muskets as they train.

Parks Canada does a great job keeping up the fortress and has spent years rebuilding it to its former glory. It is a definite must-see for any trip to Halifax.

In the summer of 2009 the world’s best canoeists will compete on Dartmouth’s Banook Lake. Ranked as one of the best naturally-occurring, flat-water canoe and kayak courses in the country and, if truth be told,  the world.  here are a list of world-class championships held here in the past 19 years:

1989: The Junior World’s in 1989

1997: The Senior World’s

2000: Marathon World’s

To improve the course the concrete abutments holding up the course lane cables will be replaced and parts of the lake will be dredged. It is for this reason that the level of the lake has been lowered down almost ten feet below normal.

There will be over 90 countries and 1300 athletes so the event needs more than 1000 volunteers. This will make Canoe09 the largest international sporting event in the region’s history. On top of racing the multi-day even will host thousands of spectators with entertainment, shopping, fireworks, food and beverages. In addition there will be a complete venue to present the unique culture and history of Nova Scotia to the thousands of spectators and athletes who will attend the event.

To become a part of the excitement please visit the Canoe ’09 volunteer web site or contact Jill Knowles Canoe 09 Volunteer Coordinator.

“Cape Breton Island ranked 1st  in 2006
as the Top Island in Continental US and Canada also ranked as an
Island Paradise in Fodor’s Travel News 2008″

Like most people who have visited Cape Breton I really like the place. I can see how people live there because its easy to  trudge through the January blizzards in the highlands when you know that the other seasons are fantastic. And if you are a skier this won’t matter.

Since John Cabot first landed in Cape Breton in 1497 explorers, fisherman and military ships have used her sheltered inlets for a safe mooring. Later on it was a key area in the struggle between the English and the French for the dominance of the New World. And later it became one of the industrial capitals of the country. Alexander Graham Bell had a summer retreat in Baddeck an even tested his hydrofoil on the great Bras d’Or Lakes. It the this history mixed with the beauty that brings people to Cape Breton.

However, like other places in Nova Scotia, and Canada as a whole, Cape Breton tourism has taken a heavy hit. In most areas room nights are down and industry analysts are being called in to help out. The old tried-and-true strategies are showing cracks and are not able to sustain the rate of tourists as they have in the past.

THe good news is that Destination Cape Breton Association (DCBA) and its tourism partners are developing a five-year Cape Breton Island Tourism Marketing Strategy. Working with the Honourable Peter MacKay, the minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the northern region of Nova Scotia is getting a good shot in the arm.

Vibe Creative Group of Sydney has been awarded the contract of developing the tourism marketing strategy . To advise this group is a team made up of representatives of the tourism industry, private businesses that rely on tourism and the funding agencies from across Cape Breton. They will have to look at former hurtles like the price of the Canadian dollar, the price of gas and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and adjust their aim from there.

Years ago Europe was being wooed in a big way as a destination for Europeans but this died out as the funds for tourism were diverted elsewhere (Probably to fund the amalgamation the cites and look how badly that turned out!) Now with the economic downturn overseas Cape Breton is seeing more Canadian license plates on her roads. Because if going to the U.S. gets much tougher in terms of line ups and security we just as well  better get used to taking trips around our own back yard and its doesn’t get much better than Cape Breton.

Judging by the title you’d have to say I was stretching things a bit. I mean everyone thinks that they know the “best” photographer in Nova Scotia. And Sherman Hines would probably have a few things to say about my ravings.

Sherman Hines is about the best scenic photographer in the world. For years he has honed his craft so that almost every standard depiction of Peggy’s Cove and the Bluenose schooner is either Sherman’s or a knock-off of his shooting style.

In that regard Kat Gurholt does a great Sherman. Not only does she get the shot and the lighting in the Sherm style she adds a few of her own spins like “messin’ with the fog” and switching to black-and-white. Kat released a coffee table book earlier this year with some fabulous shots of Nova Scotia from Blomidon to Halifax harbour. And while Sherman may still hold the crown for scenic shots Kat can also shoot people.

Whether its the recent Blue Man Group concert or a local bar band Kat’s got it down. She doesn’t necessarily study the shot but takes a steady stream of pictures adjusting the lighting and composition as she goes. In fact you have probably seen her bopping around in front of the band. In fact the guys in Acoustic Soul consider her their “personal photographer” although she will hit as many as five clubs in a night.

My favorite subject of her recent photos was the Nova Scotia International Tattoo. Kat got close and personal with a few of the bands and it looks like she’s marching with them!

Lats Tuesday Kat presented local celebrity and Beatles performer, Hal Bruce, with a hardcover coffee table book of his three Martime Beatle Events. She had collected the shots and arranged them in a form that a publisher could bind into a beautiful book. So she is not only the best photographer she is a giver of the first kind. In fact, she has also given me permission to use her shots in my blog.

To contact Kat: Kat Gurholt

Every November the Tourism Association of Nova Scotia, or TIANS, has a large trade show and gathering of the tourism industry. The purpose of this annual convergence of tourism operators has never been more important to the industry as it is right now. When you think that over 6500 businesses are in operation in the province supporting 6500 jobs the importance of the TIANS annual event should never be understated.

The title of this year’s summit is called Shaping the Future, a great name for going forward. Since September 2001 the rise of the tourism boom stopped abruptly and the province’s tourism businesses have been searching out new markets ever since.

When you take a look at the people who work in most industries it is almost always for the money and the challenge. However, most employees in the Nova Scotia tourism industry accept that, although tourism can sometimes be lucrative, in most cases the jobs are not high-paying and so the challenge and the love of showing the province to visitors is their driving force. And when you take in a TIANS conference you can feel this emotion. There is an atmosphere about the place that is brimming with excitement even in tough times.

The Tourism Expo is a great way to meet the people in the industry. It is on Level One of the World Trade and Convention Center and for information on becoming an exhibitor please visit www.masterpromotions.ca or contact Nick Dufor at 506-649-7663 or ndufour@mpltd.ca I always like to walk around and meet old acquaintances and see what their up to these days. It always amazes me how resiliant many of them are. If something doesn’t work this year try something else next year! They never say die.

It’s nice to see the government getting more involves again. For a while there they had forgotten the industry thinking that it could run on its own. Not that they should prop up the industry but tourism brings in millions in taxes so they shouldn’t forget this.

If you are not a member, that’s okay. The rate is $455+tax which includes the three days of sessions and the Gala dinner. Each additional person is $295+tax.

So, if you are in the area check it out. The email for the TIANS rep is: kieu_lam@tians.org

Hi,

I just started blogging again on this site but changed the name from White Point Manor Blog because I don’t have the place anymore. Now, this may not be the way to do it (just changing over) but I hope I don’t get slammed from Google or Yahoo.

In this blog I want to discover the places and issues that make Nova Scotia very unique. In terms that others can understand, it’s like New Zealand. If you look at a lot of successful Aussies, many of them are actually from New Zealand. In The U.S., a lot of successful “American” acts are actually Canadians (Michael J. Fox, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, ect.) And if you look at Canada, a lot of the movers and shakers are from the eastern province of Nova Scotia.

As for me, I moved east because I like the lifestyle, scenery and people. As for music, Nova Scotia is almost like a little Nashville. Almost everyone you meet can sing, play the fiddle or dance. And the festivals are amazing. Not that there are not festivals everywhere, but this part of the country bases a lot of its tourism on music: Celtic Colors. The Nova Scotia International Tattoo, Fall for the Arts.

When I was involved in tourism a fellow from Scotland told me that scholars visit Cape Breton Island, the northern extreme of this province, to hear the old style fiddle and Scottish songs that have been lost down through the years but kept alive here. And while Wales has its singing coal miners so does Cape Breton with the world-famous Men of the Deeps.

Personally, my wife’s grandmother on her father’ side taught school to Anne Murray in Springhill and was a good friend to her mother. Anne’s father, Carson, was the attending physician during the tragic Springhill Mining Disaster in 1958. My wife’s grandfather on her mother’s side died in this disaster.

The great Canadian television shoes of the 1960’s, Don Messer’s Jubilee and Sing-a-long Jubilee (The show that launched Anne Murray’s career) were a staple of Canadian viewing. In fact when Don Messer’s show was cancelled in the 1970’s (By that idiot Pierre Juneau, a Trudeau cabinet minister who thought the show wasn’t cool enough) it had a remarkable 90% + of Canadian households watching it every single Monday night.

When we were kids out west we imagined that Nova Scotians were a bunch of singing fishermen. But that was a really shallow view of things. Living here and seeing how the locals treat visitors is like nothing I have ever witnessed before. In fact, on September 11, 2001, 44 jumbo jets landed in Halifax and the people of Nova Scotia took them into their homes and gave them tours around the province until the U.S. government gave clearance for the planes to take off again.

So, this is why I write about this great place and in the upcoming weeks I will relate the peoples’ lives and stories as well as keeping up to date on tourism issues as I see them.

Cheers,

Kim Kinrade

Travel to Nova Scotia Blogger

One of the most user-friendly sites n the tourism genera is Nova Scotia’s Official Tourism Site. From the first click the site lets you adjust the text size and choose between three languages: English, French and German. The next handy item on the page is showing the events going on fo the time of the year. For example if you clicked on in the fall wanting to know what’s going on in Nova Scotia you would be given these options:

Leaf Watch: The site lists what is going on under this heading in chronological order. Almost every day there are “leaf sightings” that tell the travelers just getting where to go for the next burst of autumn color. Why is this important? Well, if you are here to view the autumn leaves - like tens of thousands of people do - you want to be on top of things because a few hours of a stiff autumn wind and many of them disappear before you can get your camera out. And if you do miss them you can find posted images of what the scenery looked like on a certain day.

Fall for the Arts: This link tells you where to find some of Nova Scotia’s premier arts spectaculars like Drum, Celtic Colours International Festival, the Atlantic Film Festival and Halifax Pop Explosion.

In other parts of the site you can information on how to plan a trip to Nova Scotia complete with a phto tour and photo gallery.

Whenever I’m asked about what to do in Nova Scotia I always send people to this site. This is because it is so self-explanatory and for me to try and look up everything they want would take me hours. I have done that for years and after a while it gets pretty old. Oh, not Nova Scotia, just the process of trying to make sure these fine people get the most out of their trip. Now, the guess work is gone. I just direct them to this site.

So even you don’t plan on coming here for a while give the site a spin and get used to the hndreds of options.