Wanderlusting Wednesday: Nova Scotia

I feel like I’ve been sitting at my computer staring at flight deals these last few days. I’m itching to travel and want to book any flight that comes up first. Alas, my inability to be completely spontaneous (and lack of available vacation time at work) always gets the best of me.

I’m currently in a deep, irreversible state of wanderlust. It’s been about 5 weeks since I last stepped foot onto a plane for my weekend adventures in North Carolina. I don’t have any trips booked for the future but boy do I wish I did! My sister and I are casually discussing some travel options for this summer because we’ve made it a goal to get at least one stamp on our passport each year.

I’m currently wanderlusting over these photos from Nova Scotia & hoping to book a trip up north ASAP!

kayaking through the Bay of Fundy

The Northern Lights from the beaches of Nova Scotia

 

The picturesque port town of Lunenburg

Have you ever been to Nova Scotia before? Have any travel tips? As each day goes on I’m getting closer and closer to booking a summer vacation to this gorgeous Canadian province. 

*all photos link back to original source

Our Neighbors to the North

Alright, I had been working on an awesome post about my recent trip to Canada and when I tried to upload photos into the post everything got deleted… let this be a lesson for all, double check that your work is SAVED!! So now I will try to recreate that post as best as I can.

This past weekend I went on my annual vacation to Canada with my sister. Last summer she and I traveled to Niagara Falls and only stayed one night. This summer we had much bigger plans! We left after work on Friday and decided to stop in Utica, NY to break up our drive. We continued on the next day to stop in Rochester to have lunch with a friend, and then made our way into Canada to begin our journey at Niagara Falls. Here’s my top 5 things to do when visiting Niagara Falls!

1. Stay in a hostel
I admit, I was very hesitant when my sister first suggested that we stay in a hostel last summer. She’s a much bigger traveler than I am and has backpacked across Scotland for a whole month. However, I must admit that she was right. There is just something about a hostel that you can’t get anywhere else. My sister and I chose to stay in the same hostel that we did last summer because we had such a great experience with it. The owners were wonderful, the location was impeccable, and we met the coolest people! This year she and I met people from Nigeria, Russia, and Australia. Plus staying in a hostel allows you to get a much different experience of the place that you are visiting. The owner of the hostel drew us a map of all the places he thought we should visit. We were able to check out almost everything that he suggested to us. If you’re traveling to Niagara Falls I seriously suggest that you stay at the ACBB Hostel; you will not be disappointed.

2. Visit Niagara-on-the-Lake
Travel about 10 miles down the Niagara River and you will come upon the most picture perfect town. Comparable to Stars Hollow from the show Gilmore Girls, Niagara-on-the-Lake is surrounded by old charm. At the very end of the main road is a gorgeous view of Lake Ontario that is the most perfect kodak moment spot. Additionally, there are so many little shops that you could get lost in for hours. Most notably though is the Angel Inn. This is the oldest running Inn and Restaurant in Canada. It’s nuzzled one street over from the main road and it’s something you just cannot miss. Themed like an English pub the food and drinks are to-die-for! If you’re looking to get away from the crowds near the falls definitely go visit this wonderful town.

3. Walk across the Rainbow Bridge
You know that awful bridge from the United States to Canada that you end up sitting on for what feels like hours because you’re waiting to get through customs? Yeah, that one. Go park your car somewhere, grab your passport, and stroll on over the bridge on your own two feet. The advantage of doing this is that you get to cross the bridge at your own pace and see the view of the falls without having to struggle avoiding getting the fence in your way from the car window. You also get to have the most perfect photo opportunity of being in two countries at one time! That was definitely the coolest part for me!

4. Eat at the Skylon Tower
The tallest building in Niagara also boasts one of the best views of the falls! It’s a little expensive but you definitely get what you pay for. The tower has two dining rooms and one observation deck. The dining rooms both rotate so that regardless of where you start eating eventually you will have a perfect view of both the American and Canadian falls. I ate a wonderful marinated salmon and had creme brûlée for dessert. The view was perfect and it is 100% something that you should splurge for when visiting Niagara Falls.

5. Be a Traveler
One of the main things that the owner of the hostel said was, “be a traveler not a tourists.” Whenever my sister and I would ask him for suggestions on what we should do next he would always ask, “well are you a traveler or a tourist?” This does not mean skipping the Maid of the Mist because there are too many people there. Would you skip your favorite concert because there are too many people there? This phrase instead means drop your schedule and just be there! (I must admit that this is something that is very difficult for me to do.) Rather than doing the Maid of the Mist in the morning when you had planned on it, wait until the afternoon when the rainbows are out and you can experience the falls when they’re at their most gorgeous state. This phrase is one that will stick with me forever because it’s so important for vacationers to experience the best parts of the places they go to. Be a traveler, not a tourist!
Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? What are your favorite things to do?

5 Things I’m Looking Forward To

Monday marks the start of the last eight weeks of my Spring term at school. In just eight short weeks I will have all of my things packed up to head to storage or to make the long drive back up to Massachusetts. Today I found myself looking forward to things that are to come…

1. Easter Weekend
Easter is my favorite holiday. Every year my family gets dressed up, my dad makes us all a light breakfast before we head to church, and then we go to my aunt’s house. At my aunt’s house my entire family is there to have lunch together and set up an easter egg hunt for my younger cousins. We swap stories of what everyone has been up to, we laugh at embarrassing memories of past egg hunts, but mostly we enjoy each other’s company. This year I was lucky enough to find a surprisingly cheap flight home for the weekend. More than ever I am looking forward to spending the weekend at home seeing friends and family and celebrating an amazing holiday.

2. Warmer Weather
Last week brought cold and dreary weather to Charlotte. Well, when I say cold I mean that it was low 50’s (nothing compared to the snow and high winds that my family experienced in Massachusetts). However, for North Carolina is was unseasonably cold all week. Next week’s forecast boasts temperatures in the high 70’s all week with sunshine to match. I look forward to this being the norm as this year’s winter has lasted far too long for my liking.

3. The Beach
With Summer weather comes Summer activities. My mom informed me that our beach passes arrived the other day for the Summer. I rejoiced with happiness at the knowledge that in just eight short weeks I will be able to head to the beach anytime I want. With my almost daily beach excursions during the Summer months also comes ice cream indulgences and orchard adventures. There’s an absolutely to-die-for ice cream shop down the street from my favorite beach that I can never pass up. Homemade flavors that melt in your mouth – absolute perfection. Between the beach and the ice cream stand is a wonderful orchard where people can pick fresh berries, purchase homemade breads and jams, or interact with the farm animals they have. My favorite thing to do is to stop by before going to the beach to grab a container of fresh blackberries to snack on while I soak up the sun. Picturing all of this is making me more excited than ever to go to the beach!

4. Adventures
With warmer weather comes more adventures. While my best friends and I are all growing up and no one really knows for sure where they will find themselves this summer, one this is for sure and that is that adventures will always continue. Whether we have the entire summer together or just a few short days I look forward to spending as much time as possible with my amazing friends and cooking up exciting activities for us to embark on. Additionally, I look forward to my now annual adventure with my sister to Canada. What started last Summer as a spontaneous one night stay in Niagara Falls has now blossomed into full plan to adventure to parts of Canada that we have never been to before.

5. My Brother’s Wedding
While the concept of my oldest brother moving on and starting his own life slightly separated from my family is something that I struggle with, I am still very excited for his wedding. As a future wedding planner I am obsessed with every detail that he and his finance have been making throughout their planning process. Also I have only ever been a flower girl before in my cousin’s wedding so taking the next step up to be a bridesmaid is something that I am looking forward to doing. The July wedding will truly be gorgeous as the location they have selected, right on the water, aids nicely to a wonderful nautical themed Summer soirée.