Cape Breton Road Trip

In October, my mom and I took a road trip to Cape Breton for the weekend and even though we had bad weather for most of the trip, we had a good time. 

Uisge Ban waterfall

We had previously been to CB like 5 years ago for about 48 hours but I felt like we didn't do much so this trip, I really wanted to drive the whole Cabot Trail during the fall. The Cabot Trail is a scenic highway that is a 298km loop that passes through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The drive is very nice most of the year but a lot of people say it is just stunning with the trees all different colours so I knew we had to do it during this time. 

Our trip began on October 14, with a stop at Heidi's Cafe for breakfast and to pick up some treats at the bakery. On our way to the island, near Truro we saw a rainbow during a break in the rain. We were quite excited to see it and surprised at the same time. The next thing we had planned was a walk to Uisge Ban waterfall near Baddeck. I wasn't sure if there was still going to be water flowing in the fall but with all the rain we had in the summer and that day, it was pretty good. Then we drove up to the Englishtown area for Cabotto Chocolates to see what treats they had before we had supper at a very small restaurant named Simply Pizza. 

Full rainbow we saw

We continued on the Cabot Trail to where we were spending the night but before we checked in, we saw another rainbow. I think it was the first time I had seen a full rainbow and the colours were very distinct. The first two nights of our trip, we slept in oTENTiks within the national park at Ingonish Beach campground then the Mkwesaqtuk/Cap-Rouge campground. Both were nice but the Cap-Rouge site was beautiful; it was feet away from the water so we could see the sunset through a break in the trees. We enjoyed sleeping in the oTENTiks, they are a wooden tent that is on a platform and have bunkbeds with a thick foam mattress. There is also a light, dinner table, bench and patio with chairs plus a barbecue outside to cook food. Since it was October, the nights were cold but thankfully we had brought lots of blankets and there was also a propane heater in the structure. I taught my mom how to play Cribbage so we played that both nights. 

View from Cape Smokey

The Sunday was the one nice day of our vacation so we went out for a short walk on the Freshwater Trail then made our way to Cape Smokey to try out the gondola they have. The view at the top of the ride was great so even though we had to pay $50 each, it was worth the trip. I had originally not put this stop on the itinerary as it was expensive but I'm glad we went. For lunch, we had breakfast sandwiches at Periwinkle Cafe then we continued driving the route while pulling over on the side of the road along the way. Our 'big' walk for this day was to MacIntosh Brook waterfall, however it was only about a 2km hike. We went to supper at The Doryman and listened to some live music for a few hours. 

Sandwich at Periwinkle Cafe 

For our third day, we spent some time in Cheticamp getting lost trying to find the trailhead for the Gypsum Mines. We weren't sure if we would this walk as it was raining quite hard but I had seen pictures from the mine and really wanted to do visit plus it was like two kilometres as well not the 5km I thought it was. I decided not to walk up to the look-off because it was very muddy and a bit steep. After our walk, we stopped in at Aucoin Bakery to get some road treats. We got a couple of sandwiches which we ended up not eating until we got home but my mom also got some bread and a coffee while I got caramel squares. For lunch, we went to a place called Le Gabriel which had a lot of sports memorabilia on their walls so I enjoyed it :). I didn't really like what I got (a pasta dish) but mom's steak poutine was good however it was huge so we really should've shared it. We made a few other stops on our way to our hotel in Baddeck. The food they had at their restaurant was pretty good and it is farm-to-table. 

Gypsum Mines in the rain

Before we headed home on October 17, we looked around the town and visited the Alexander Graham Bell museum which was very informative. I had no idea he was apart of inventing so much stuff and his wife had an interesting life as well. We saw another rainbow on our way home which was great. 

A few of the things we did and places we ate at were not on the original plan but I found them in a book called Explore Like a Tourist Nova Scotia. If you are visiting Nova Scotia in 2024 or are a local and want some new adventures, check out the guide. 

Sunset from our campsite at Cap-Rouge

Fall fun list

- Look out at the Gypsum Mines ✓

- Go for a hike on three new trails ✓

- Drive the full Cabot Trail route ✓

- Visit a new waterfall ✓

Food Friday: Chocolate Cream Squares

I can't remember what my grandmother used to call these but I've just been calling them chocolate cream squares for years now especially since I took over making them. With Christmas in a few days, I thought I would share this recipe since the holidays are when we eat them. When my mother's mother was alive she would play this trick on me during my late teenage/early adult years, where I would ask if she made them and she would tell me no but after our Christmas Eve dinner she would pull them out and say gotcha. 

Chocolate Cream Squares

Preheat: 350 F     Serves: 9-16     Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 2/3 c graham wafer crumbs

1/2 c melted butter

4 tbsp brown sugar

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 c room temp butter

500g icing sugar

4 eggs

vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Mix graham wafers, melted butter, brown sugar and a splash of vanilla. Pat in 8" x 8" pan with hands, reserve some of mixture for later
3. Cook for approximately 5 minutes 
4. In a large bowl, cream room temp butter. Mix in icing sugar (cup by cup) and eggs (one by one) then add vanilla
5. Add melted chocolate, mix thoroughly
6. Pour mixture over cooled graham crust
7. Sprinkle remaining graham wafer mixture on top
8. Put in fridge overnight before serving

If you decide to makes these, I hope you enjoy them. 

Potatoes, Bottles and Coastal Views

One thing I didn't get to complete during the summer was visiting the Canadian potato museum but I did head to Prince Edward Island for the weekend in early September to check it off for my fall fun list. 

I didn't want to drive three and a half hours for just the museum so I decided to see what else was in the region and was able to make a little trip out of it. The first stop I made in the North Cape Coastal region was at the Bottle Houses. It is three different structures made out of old, mainly green, beer bottles along with other bottles. One of them was a church and I couldn't really tell what the other two were. The original builder was also a lighthouse keeper so there is a lighthouse on the property along with gardens, a pond with fish and some picnic tables. I then continued on to O'Leary to visit the potato museum which was interesting. Just like most museums, there was a lot of old equipment that was used for farming potatoes. They also had history on the industry and some other displays including a line of potatoes infected by different diseases. In a second building they had a bunch of other old stuff like a couple of carriages, blacksmith tools and an old tractor. 

Originally, I was going to drive up to the Stompin' Tom Centre then go down to the West Point Lighthouse but because of the time, I decided to go straight to the lighthouse. The lighthouse was $10 to go through the museum so I didn't look around but I did go for a short walk on the nearby beach. I talked with a lady who was sketching the lighthouse for about twenty minutes so that was nice. Then I made my way to the Cavendish Campground to spend the night. The boardwalk was closed which was unfortunate because I was planning on having dinner at the Pizza Delight but luckily there was a Chinese Canadian restaurant across the street that was open. I got a cheeseburger and an egg roll for supper and ended up sleeping in my car because the tent was uncomfortable. 

On Sunday morning I drove through the national park and went for a walk on the Dunelands trail. I saw a number of pedal bikers riding the park as well. I stopped at a bakery called the Olde Village Bakery for something to eat and got some really good molasses cookies with a pop and read my book for a little bit. Then I continued on to Summerside to explore the town before heading home. 

Fall fun list

- Try a new restaurant ✓

- Check out the potato museum ✓

Fall 2023 list

Happy first day of fall Adventurers. This is always my favourite season and the time of the year that I tend to do the most seasonal activities. A few of these things are more personal being chores that I would like to complete over the next couple of months. Anyway, you can find my fall adventures list below. 

Fall colours Shubie Park - Nov 2021

Fall 2023 (Sep 5-Nov 30)

-Attend a local football game

-See a broadway show

-Hang memorabilia/pictures in apartment

-Look out at the Gypsum Mines

-Pick apples in an orchard

-Go for a hike on three new trails

-Try a new restaurant

-Cheer on Sidney Crosby & the Penguins

-Drive the full Cabot Trail route

-Navigate a corn maze

-Burn a fall scented candle

-Spend Thanksgiving with family

-Explore a fall festival 

-Visit a new waterfall

-Go on a ghost tour

-Take the kids to the zoo

-Check out the potato museum

-Have a Hallowe'en movie night

-See a bear or moose

-Buy some new fall clothes

Fun Summer Despite the Weather

Graffiti on a container at Area 506

After a dry spring that caused a few forest fires in the province, we had a very wet summer and when it wasn't raining, the weather was sunny, hot and humid. Despite this, I was still able to have a busy summer with lots of adventures including three trips to New Brunswick. I ended up getting sick in the middle of August so I couldn't do the third 5km race I had registered for. Below you will find my summer fun list and what I was able to check off. 

Summer 2023 (Jun 1-Sep 4)
✔ Take a photography class - spent a couple of hours walking along the waterfront taking pictures with an instructor who gave us some pointers
✔ See the noon cannon go off
✔ Have a yard sale 
-Visit Kejimkujik National Park
✔ Girls night with my bestie - traveled to Saint John for the weekend and visited with my best friend, we watched Mean Girls and White Chicks while drinking and having some snacks in our Air B&B
✔ Boat to George's Island
-Touch a waterfall
✔ Celebrate my 30th birthday
-Walk in 3 5k's
✔ Explore a new town in Nova Scotia - drove to Antigonish for the afternoon; walked the Main Street, checked out Peace by Chocolate, than visited the Arisaig lighthouse

Huskies Stadium during Touchdown Atlantic

-Hike five new trails
-Sleep under the stars
✔ Ice cream with cousins - I had ice cream while my cousins ate Beavertails after we spent a few hours at Citadel Hill watching the noon cannon go off and exploring the waterfront
-Ride in a limousine
-Meet Marc & Trish from Keep Your Daydream
✔ Attend Touchdown Atlantic - regular season Canadian Football League game between the Toronto Argonauts and Saskatchewan Roughriders
-Go on four camping trips
-Check out the potato museum
✔ Walk on the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks
-See a bear or moose

Like I said, I had a bunch of adventures this summer. I've already explained two of the trips to NB while the third one was a 4 day trip I took with my grandmother and we went over via the Digby ferry than drove back around. I was finally able to drive the Fundy Trail Parkway and we did a bit more exploring in the Annapolis Valley. My mom and I also got to the Greek Festival this year and we ate more food at the Ribfest. We also saw a broadway play here in Halifax (The Book of Mormon) while I went golfing a couple of times with my grandfather and cousin Julianne. 

Some pictures are below but you can see more on my Adventures blog Facebook page in the album titled 'Summer Fun'. 

One of the cannons at Citadel Hill

Inside a tunnel on George's Island

The ferry docked in Digby

Cape George lighthouse in Antigonish County

Celebrate my 30th birthday

Cookies & cream from Halo Donuts

Well I didn't end up doing anything on my actual birthday which I'll get to below but for the third year in a row my cousin Julianne and I went on a road trip for the weekend to 'celebrate'. This year we went to New Brunswick to do a few things in the province I haven't done before. 

We left from Truro on July 15 to cross the border. This day was our busiest as we made our way to the Hopewell region. Our first stop was in Moncton at the Bass Pro Shops store which was huge. For lunch we had a donut from Halo Donuts and we sat in the park across the street as it had some shade from the very warm sunny day. Then we made our way to the New Brunswick Railway Museum which is in the small town of Hillsborough. Every time I visit these kinds of museums, I always appreciate that I am living now as it amazes me how people lived over a hundred years ago. This museum was housed in multiple buildings while they also had some trains and an airplane out on the grounds. In the big barn visitors are able to go inside a few of the train cars to see what old ones looked like. 

Overview of Hopewell Rocks

Afterwards, we drove to the Ponderosa Pines campground where we were staying and set up the site before heading to Hopewell Rocks. Just like Nova Scotia has Burntcoat Head, NB has Hopewell Rocks where you can walk on the ocean floor at low tide. Hopewell is a bigger property than Burntcoat but the tide doesn't seem to go out as far from the cliff so that was a bit disappointing. We would've probably only stayed for half an hour but I got a nosebleed while we were walking around. It was cool to see the arch. My cousin is able to make a fire so we had hot dogs and s'mores for supper which was nice. 

Lighthouse at Cape Enrage

The next day we drove to Fundy National Park but slowly as check in wasn't until 3pm (though I thought it was at 2 o'clock). We made a couple of stops along the way including the Sawmill Creek Bridge and Cape Enrage lighthouse. That evening we were going to hike one of the trails in the park after we checked in but my legs were too sore from bug bites. I had received like 35 bites on both my knees and both ankles and for some reason they swelled up so it was painful to walk. Even though we had booked for two nights at the park, we checked out after just one because my plan was to do walking so we just cut our losses. If you don't like using tents or know how but don't want to spend the money for a hotel, I recommend going to a national park that has an oTENTik. They are wood a-framed structures that have beds and can sleep up to six people with a table inside. 

Me in a train car 

Looking out at the Bay from Funday National Park

On the Monday, we decided to drive the Fundy Trail Parkway however it was raining and foggy still by the time we arrived at the entrance. You have to pay to drive the parkway so we decided not to go through and turn around to drive home a day early. 

Summer to remember list

- Celebrate my 30th birthday ✓

- Walk on the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks ✓

Solo Camping Trip

Lunch at Spitfire Pub

For this summer, I decided that I wanted to go on some camping trips and the first one was last month. The only times I have been camping before was in junior high during a school trip and 2018 when my mom and I went to Cape Breton. People say that when you get a new RV or want to go camping, you should do at least one trip that is close to your home to familiarize yourself with your setup, etc and that is what I did. 

I live in Dartmouth but had no idea we had a KOA in Nova Scotia which is in Lower Sackville so this is where I decided to make my first solo camping trip be. There really isn't much to do as a tourist in Sackville so I did a few things in Windsor but the whole weekend did not go as planned. Windsor claims to be the birthplace of hockey and it is also host to one of three ski hills in the province. Across from Martock ski hill is a business called OnTree Adventure Park where you can do rope courses and zip-lines. So my first stop was here where it was quite hot actually around noon, it was really only about 25 celsius but very sunny. It was a bit expensive; adult fee and price of gloves came out to be about $61. I went through the training course and was fine, then moved to one of the actual courses with an easy rating and this is where I ran into problems. I am scared of heights but wanted to try to get over my fear, however that didn't happen as I got up the ladder, did three planks then had to turn around because my legs were shaking so much. 

Fort Edward Historic Site

So I decided to leave and go out for lunch at the Spitfire Pub in town. After I finished eating, I walked around then visited Fort Edward historic site which was unfortunately not open officially so there were no information plaques out yet. One thing that was suggested to me to do was go see Ettinger Falls. I got to what I think was the correct entrance but it was a dirt road with lots of rocks so I did not feel comfortable driving my car further then I got out to walk but hit a wide river which I could not walk across. By this time, it was about 4:30pm and I didn't want to check in yet so I hung out at the park near Mount Uniacke Estate Park and read my book. 

I checked in to the KOA, got set up and had my supper while watching the sun go down. I decided to sleep in the back of my car which this time was a bad idea, I only slept about two hours the whole night because I was uncomfortable. I'm going to try a few other things the next time I go out. Because I was up early, I checked out of the campground around 8am. 

Sunset from my campsite

I got home and had a nap then my mom and I went to the waterfront for the Taste Asia Food Festival for the afternoon. I was thinking we would go down for supper but I am glad we decided to do lunch as we had a lot of food we ended up wanting to try. We weren't sure if we were going to go but I after my nap, I felt good enough to go. My mom got some tofu kebab that came with bbq corn on the cob and I got a pasta dish which I could not eat because it was too spicy but I did enjoy the corn. Then we got lamb kebabs and dumplings which were delicious. After we ate we walked along the waterfront and saw some of the new restaurants and shops on the boardwalk. Then we went back for more Asian food; she got a Chinese burger (again to spicy for me) and I got another order of lamb kebabs and dumplings - both from Mr. Yan's Chinese BBQ. 

Lamb kebabs and dumplings

This was a bit of a negative post but I wanted to share my experience anyways and let you know what you can do in Windsor if you go at the right time. My suggestions for the area are OnTree (if you are not afraid of heights), the Birthplace of Hockey Museum, Fort Edward, Ettinger Falls, the previously mentioned Mount Uniacke Estate Park where you can go learn history and walk on a trail and see the tide change on the dykes. Of course if you are coming from away, the Halifax West KOA is a great place to park with a rig then take your vehicle to downtown Halifax, Dartmouth and Peggy's Cove. 

Make it a Summer to Remember

I say this all the time but boy, I cannot believe how fast time is going. It always seems slow at the time, especially when you are excited for something that is months away, but then five months of a new year have gone by. Anyways, since it is now June I thought I would share my summer fun list with you all, along with some ideas that are more general for family activities. I'll also share how I did on completing the activities on my spring list. 

Little Meander Falls from 2020

Summer 2023 (Jun 1-Aug 31)
-Improve my photography skills
-See the noon cannon go off
-Have a yard sale
-Visit Kejimkujik National Park
-Girls night with my bestie
-Boat to George's Island
-Touch a waterfall
-Celebrate my 30th birthday
-Walk in 3 5k's
-Explore a new town in Nova Scotia
-Hike five new trails
-Sleep under the stars
-Ice cream with cousins
-Ride in a limousine
-Meet Marc & Trish from Keep Your Daydream
-Attend Touchdown Atlantic
-Go on four camping trips
-Check out the potato museum
-Walk on the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks
-See a bear or moose

Here are some general ideas for you to add to your list. Summer is a great time to get outside and be a tourist in your own town or province/state. I am a big advocate of exploring your own back yard especially with all the craziness happening the last few years. 

Go stargazing, have a picnic, make homemade popsicles, visit a national park, read a book, bonfire and s'mores, go to a baseball game, have a beach day, watch fireworks, eat ice cream, go swimming, do a lemonade stand, volunteer somewhere for the day, visit a fair/carnival or waterpark, build a sand castle, outdoor movie night and go on a vacation to another state/province/country 

Maud Lewis house at AGNS

Below is my updated spring fun list. I only did one blog about my explorations but I plan on doing another one soon. 

Spring 2023 (Mar 1-May 31)
✔ Check out the Maud Lewis exhibit at AGNS - this is a permanent exhibit at the art gallery but there was also a travelling one that showed more of her paintings visiting back in April so my mom and I went
Go bird watching
Watch the sun rise and set in the same day
✔ Participate in the Bluenose Marathon 5km
Read a new book
Spring clean my apartment
✔ Visit OnTree Adventure Park
Eat at 3 restaurants you never have before
Learn a new recipe
✔ Cheer on the Mooseheads in the playoffs - we got to cheer the team on all the way to the league finals where unfortunately they lost to Quebec 4 games to 2 in the championship series. it was an exciting post-season 

Playoff victory

Update my wardrobe
✔ Go on a solo camping trip
Walk under the cheery blossoms
✔ Partake in burger bash 2023 - I was really trying to make it to more restaurants this year but things didn't work out so I only ate two speciality burgers but they were both delicious. check out my instagram to see which ones I had 
Self-guided art tour
Figure out hockey memorabilia display
✔ Take/share more outdoor photos
Complete two Conqueror challenges
Visit a new waterfall in the province

Busy Victoria Day Weekend

Well it's been a couple of months since I have written a blog post, the spring went by really fast and I've been trying to decompress. 

I love long weekends and though it really wasn't for me this time as I'm unemployed again, my mom did have Victoria Day off so we had a bit of a busy weekend. Our plans changed just a tad when the Halifax Mooseheads forced a game six in their championship series. 

On Saturday morning, I had my first 5km race of 2023 where I walked in the Bluenose Marathon. The 'adventure' began with the race kit pick-up which was held at the Zatzman Sportsplex in Dartmouth on May 19. There was two days for kit pick-up but most of the participants seemed to have showed up to the Friday time. I ended up having to wait for about an hour and 40 minutes in line before I got my kit (which tend to be a waste on me) and bib number. I looked around the expo for a few minutes then left. The actual race was good. It was cool when I arrived at the Emera Oval where the start was but once we actually began the race, the lower temperature was very comfortable. I hadn't done much walking in the weeks leading up to the day so I was slower than I probably would've been but my chip time was still a respectable 1:03:20 so happy with that. My mom was at the finish line and cheered me on, then I got some post-race snacks and took some pictures of me with my new medal. I wasn't ready to go home yet so we went out for breakfast at iHop than drove to and around Bedford for a little while. 

We were going to go to my grandfather's on Sunday but because the Mooseheads ended up having to play a game in the afternoon, I went to that instead with my cousin. The home team didn't win so that finished the 2022-23 season for Halifax but it was still a good game and I was happy to spend time with my cousin.

The next day was full as well. I picked my mom up early in the morning so we could drive to the Bay of Fundy region for low tide. Our first stop was at Burntcoat Head Park where you can walk on the ocean floor if you arrive at the right time. It was windy and cold plus my mom ended up walking along the main cliff so we ended up leaving after about an hour. Even though this was the second time we had gone during low tide, it shocked me yet again that you can even do it and to see how high the water really does go. The flower pot island is neat to see with its different colours and little caves. We than drove to the Walton Lighthouse which we've also been to before but I didn't take pictures with my digital camera last time. There is a short trail here as well that allows you to get a couple of different angles of the Minas Basin. You can also go up to the top of the lighthouse but I will warn you, it's a tight squeeze. 

Afterwards, we continued on to the little community of Cheverie. The only reason we visited this community was because my mom had found an article about an attraction that is there. Some Dalhousie architectural students made a structure called a Camera Obscura back in 2012 and placed it in Cheverie off Highway 215. It was really cool! One of the domes has a door which blocks the outside light and you step inside here. On top is the camera obscure which projects a real-time image of the coastline outside on the concrete floor you are standing on. Check out my Instagram story (@adventuresofansgirl) for a video that I took while in the structure. There's also a trail that goes around/across the salt marsh and picnic tables too. We were able to eat a late lunch here before we headed home. 

image is upside down & reversed

Spring fun list
- Participate in the Bluenose Marathon 5km ✓
- Cheer on the Mooseheads in the playoffs ✓
- Walk on a new to me trail ✓

A Year of Seasonal Lists

While I have been able to complete about half of the things on my seasonal lists, I haven't felt most of them deserve its own post and because I am weird, I don't like having similar things right after the other, I haven't shared what I have done on my seasonal lists the past year. So below you will find what I was able to check off on them. Some things will have been on previous lists because I don't always get to the activity or I like to do the same activities every year during that particular season.

Spring 2022 (Mar. 15-Jun. 12)
Read a new book
Have ice cream with cousins
✔ Wake up early for a sunrise
Search for murals in your city
✔ Eat strawberry shortcake - my cousin made a really good strawberry shortcake for dessert after our Easter dinner
Try two new recipes
✔ Check out a new beach - visited crystal crescent on the first hot day of the year for a couple of hours, did a bit of reading and people watching 
Visit the immigration museum 
✔ Play glow in the dark mini-golf - this can be done at Putting Edge in Bayers Lake
Do zip-lining and a ropes course
✔ Hike on the Kentville trails
Yard sale day
✔ Learn about the Titanic - Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has a permanent exhibit on the Titanic and its relation to Halifax 
Spring cleaning
✔ Road trip with my grandmother - I took my grandmother on a weekend road trip to the south shore as she hadn't been in a long time
Eat at 3 new restaurants
✔ Photograph the cherry blossoms - you can see the cherry blossoms on Park Ave in Dartmouth during the month of May
Complete two Conqueror challenges
✔ Grill outside 
Have a no screen time day

I had started a new job in April and was working weird hours so it became difficult to make any plans meaning I didn't do as much in the summer as I was planning. The only thing I did really was my birthday trip which you can read about here. 

Summer 2022 (Jun. 13-Sep. 7)
Visit a new to me bakery
✔ Have a wiener roast - we had a big family wiener roast to celebrate my grandfather's birthday
Eat from a food truck
No screen day
Search for murals in your city
Take a photography class
✔ Road trip for my birthday
Go on a picnic
Play board games I did as a child
Hike a new trail
Do a random act of kindness
✔ Walk on a red beach - my cousin and I visited Argyle Shore provincial park on PEI
OnTree Fun & Adventure Park
Visit the immigration museum
Touch a waterfall
Read a new book
✔ Check out a national park
Go to Georges Island
Have a yard sale
Put together a summer photo album

Fall 2022 (Sep. 8-Dec. 3)
✔ Visit a pumpkin patch - decided to go somewhere else (Riverbreeze Farm) and I took my little cousins for the afternoon
Drink hot chocolate from a local cafe
✔ Participate in Maritime Race Weekend
Take photos of fall foliage
Go on a scenic drive 
✔ Have a Hallowe'en movie night
✔ Cheer on an original six NHL team - I saw the Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks on a Saturday night which was pretty cool, especially since both teams wore their new Reverse Retro jerseys
Eat from a food truck
✔ Navigate a corn maze
Look at vintage cars
✔ Visit my best friend
Burn a fall scented candle
✔ Decorate for fall
✔ Spend Thanksgiving with family - so nice to have so much family at my grandfather's for the weekend, there was 12 of us I believe
Make a pot of chilli 
✔ Walk in the Valley Harvest Marathon
Explore the immigration museum
✔ Check out the bean
✔ Take the kids to the zoo - we went to Magnetic Hill zoo in Moncton for the afternoon
Go for a hike in another city

I never posted my winter list which was originally going to be winter and spring together but I ended up wanting and doing more during the cold months. So I decided to split up the seasons again. Hard to believe we are done another year, hoping 2023 will be a better one.

Winter 2022 (Dec. 3-Feb. 28)
Put up holiday decorations
Do a jigsaw puzzle
✔ Visit the immigration museum - hadn't been to Pier 21 for a number of years 
✔ Try a new restaurant
Have a family game night
✔ Eat from a food truck - got some mini donuts from Ol' School Donuts, they were really good and not just sugar
✔ Walk around the north end
Go bowling
✔ Look at Christmas lights - my mom and I drove around the city to look at how people lit up their houses
✔ Sip hot chocolate from a local cafe - got hot chocolate from Rousseau Chocolatier, I didn't really like it but only because I don't like dark chocolate
Pay for a strangers meal at a restaurant
✔ Watch a live world juniors game
✔ Check out the ice festival 
Do a winter hike in the woods
✔ Make your goals for 2023
Take my friend's kids out for the afternoon
✔ Eat at 3 Dine Around restaurants
✔ Have a Christmas movie marathon 
Ring in the new year at grand parade
Finish Conquering 1,011km - I did get the Conquer 2022 medal but I had to lower my goal to 975km

February is for foodies: Dine Around 2023

Every year in the month of February, the city hosts an event called Dine Around Halifax where participating restaurants have special menus that cost either $10, $20, $30, $40 or $50. The event is a also a fundraiser for Feed Nova Scotia and in 2023, over 100 restaurants across the city took part. There weren't many places that had menus I liked this year which kind of sucked, but I still enjoyed the ones I went to. 

On February 12, my mom and I went out for the afternoon because one thing I wanted to do was explore the north end of Halifax. It was a beautiful day out and we started out at Rousseau Chocolatier in the south end. Rousseau's is a chocolate shop and I had never been to it before this day. Their Dine Around menu was called 'Pause Parisienne for two!' which included two drinks, two chocolate tasters and two madeleines or cookies for $20. We got there right after they opened which was a smart idea. I got hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie while my mom had a coffee and ginger cookie. I forget what kinds the tasters were but they were really good. I mentioned we were there when it opened and I'm glad we were because the cookies had just come out of the oven and they were delicious; soft on the inside and a crunchy outside. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the hot chocolate, only because it was made with dark chocolate and I find it really strong. 

Then we drove up to Gottingen Street and parked near the library to walk along the street to see what was new. We walked from Staples to the bridge and back to our car. Then we drove further north to the Hydrostone to walk up the hill to Fort Needham Memorial Park. I hadn't been to this park since I think 2009 or something and it has changed from what I remember it being back then. The North End was ruined back on December 6, 1917 by an explosion and the city decided to put a big bell structure to memorialize it and honour the people who passed away and were injured in the blast. There is now a pretty cool playground there now along with benches/metal pieces that have information about the explosion. If you want to learn more about the Halifax Explosion I recommend visiting Fort Needham along with the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic plus there are stories on the Halifax Public Library website. 

To end our afternoon out, we went back to the south end and tried a new restaurant; Halifax Pier Pub. We didn't even know this restaurant existed until I saw it on the Dine Around menu. It is a sister company to Cafe Chianti which is right next door and both restaurants are at the end of Pier 20 where the farmer's market used to be. Their menu was a burger and a pint for $20. I don't drink wine or beer so my mom drank both. I had the Pier Burger which was a 7oz Atlantic beef patty with garlic aioli, aged white cheddar, onion and pepperoncini slaw & arugula. I normally steer clear of slaws but this burger was really good, definitely worth the twenty dollars. My mom also enjoyed hers, I think she got the Haddock Burger, so much that we went back a week later with my younger cousins. 

The following Friday, I met up with a friend for dinner after work and we went to The Auction House. We had a three course meal for $30 and you had two options each for the appetizer and main course. Both my friend and I chose the fried brussel sprouts, pear & bacon grilled cheese and beer battered Oreos. 

Winter fun
- Try a new restaurant ✓
- Walk around the north end ✓
- Sip hot chocolate from a local cafe ✓
- Eat at 3 Dine Around restaurants  ✓

Travel to a New Country Solo

Like I mentioned in my introduction post, I love hockey and a life goal is to see a game at each of the NHL arenas. To give myself some guidance I decided to try and finish seeing the Original 6 teams before my 30th birthday (which won't happen now) so in November I traveled to Chicago, Boston and Detroit. I say finish as I have been to Toronto and New York already. This was the first trip that I had gone on outside of Canada all by myself which was a little scary. 

My first stop was to Boston, I had an early morning flight and thankfully it left basically on time as I only had less than 24 hours in before I had to get to the next city. Once I got to Boston, I got a bus to my hotel  from the airport but was unable to check in so I just dropped of my bag with the main desk. I headed out for lunch and decided to go to the Neptune Oyster restaurant. I've got a few "rules" for these NHL trips with one of them being have the local/well known dish of the city/area I am visiting. For Boston it is clam chowder so that is what I got. 

The Neptune is a pretty tiny restaurant so I ended up having to wait outside in a line for almost an hour. I was going to walk the Freedom Trail but by the time I finished eating, it was about 2pm already so instead I did the Sports Museum to learn about the history of sports in Boston. I wasn't expecting the museum to be on the upper concourses of the TD Garden so that was cool to see the ice surface from the box seats. The game I saw was an Original 6 matchup on Saturday night so it was a full house at the Garden. I don't like the Bruins but being there on a Saturday night was kind of special and I was happy to see them win on home ice, a dominating 6-1 victory against Chicago.

On Sunday, I flew to Chicago for the next stop on my vacation and it was another early flight. I took the train from the airport to downtown but I made a pit stop at the Greetings from Chicago mural first, which I forgot to actually look at. There was a restaurant nearby so I had lunch there (chocolate chip pancakes) since I was pretty hungry. Once I got to the hotel, I checked in then I visited the Shedd Aquarium for a couple of hours. The trains I took in Chicago were a bit freaky because most of them were on platforms and I'm scared of heights so I didn't like that part. I also lost data and my Visa card stopped working on this day so I was stressing out. 

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Chicago was playing the Pittsburgh Penguins and it was Evgeni Malkin's 1000th NHL game which was exciting. My second team is the Pens so I was cheering for them but I also would've been fine if Chicago had won. On Monday, I walked around and visited Cloud Gate. I've seen lots of photos of The Bean, which is a gigantic silver bean shaped sculpture, before and wanted to check it out. I didn't do to much more on that second day in Chicago, but I did go to Giordano's Pizza for lunch to get Chicago's deep dish pizza which was the best meal I had on my trip. 

As mentioned, I also visited Detroit and this part of the trip didn't go too well. I arrived to the city a little delayed then I had an hour bus ride to my hotel from the airport. However, the first bus broke down and the driver didn't let us know so I was very confused and I had to wait a half hour for the next one. I wanted to go to the Henry Ford museum but it was too late in the day plus it is closer to the airport which I didn't really realize while planning. After I checked in to the hotel, I just went to the Lafayette Coney Island restaurant for an early supper and got a Coney Dog. Mustard, raw onions and chili are things that I do not like but on a hot dog, they aren't bad. For the rest of the night, I just hung out in my room.My last full day was the day before Thanksgiving Day in the US and they were preparing for the parade so many of the main roads were closed so it was hard to get around on the bus. There was some kind of game place that I wanted to check out so I looked at the hours to make sure it would be open but when I got there it wasn't - I guess I looked at the wrong day. This left me a few free hours to kill before the game so I decided to go have food at Hockeytown Cafe and wait, however that restaurant didn't open until 4pm. The last game was the Red Wings versus the Nashville Predators with Detroit coming out on top so that was exciting. Little Caesars Arena is one of the newer ones and it is quite nice, the concourses are really big. They even had a drum band playing trying to hype people up. 

I was heading back home on Thanksgiving Day but as I was getting ready, I received a message that my flight to Toronto had been canceled because of fog. I waited for a little bit then I called the airline to see when they could get me on another flight but they already had. So instead of leaving Detroit at 11am, I would now be leaving at 4:30pm and going through Montreal. This gave me a chance to watch the parade though which was interesting. Even though I had some headaches and didn't get to see all the things I wanted to, I did have a good time and it was certainly an experience that I will learn from. 

Checking things off on the lists

30 before 30 - Travel to a new country solo ✓

Fall fun 

   - Cheer on an Original 6 team ✓

   - Look at vintage cars 𐄂

   - Check out the bean ✓

Photos of the arenas from outside

TD Garden - Boston Bruins
NHL arena 5 of 32

United Center - Chicago Blackhawks
NHL arena 6 of 32

Little Caesars Arena - Detroit Red Wings
NHL arena 7 of 32