Thankful doesn’t begin to describe our second thanksgiving together as a married couple. We’re heading into our second year of marriage and I realize that it’s hard to think back on our year without putting into that perspective. When you meet someone, at the beginning everything is measured in firsts. First date. First kiss. First holiday together. First trip. And then those things become normal and you fall into a routine. And that’s wonderful in it’s own beautiful, comforting way. But I guess I wasn’t really expecting that when we got married, we got to have firsts again. Our first dance. Our first trip (an epic honeymoon to Europe). Our first Christmas together. Our first coffee table purchase. I’m not naive enough to think that the firsts are the best part of a relationship. But they are moments; memory-making moments. They are something I’m so thankful for. So I guess that’s my long introduction to our amazing thanksgiving and very first trip to Cape Breton together.
Cape Breton is an island off the coast of Nova Scotia and this was my first ever visit. I’d been told over the years that this was a place I HAD to visit. I was honestly a little sceptical because nothing can live up to that much hype, right? Wrong. Cape Breton is worth the hype. We started our journey on the ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia; piled into one car with awesome couple friends of ours for our first ever “Friendsgiving”.
Our first stop was in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia. I know, I’d never heard of it either. But honestly it was the cutest little town. We visited a craft brewery, a chocolate shop, and the guys had to talk us out of going into the eccentric-looking ladies consignment store.
From there we were off to our next stop – Jost Vinyards in Malagash. As we stepped out of the car, the sun bounced off of rows upon rows of beautiful, full vines. Even from a distance you could see the plump, purple grapes. My mouth watered a bit. We took a look around, tasted some delicious samples, and had lunch at their cafe. Lunch consisted of wine (of course!), a charcuterie board, and the best hummus I think I’ve ever tasted. Once we were done with lunch, we took a long walk around the grounds.
Our next stop was Big Spruce Brewery where we enjoyed some beer (I enjoyed something pink that didn’t taste like beer, so I was happy!) and an incredible view. It was an excellent start to the weekend.
We then pulled into our first Airbnb where the guys got the fireplace going and the ladies made an exquisite meal of cheese dip, broccoli & parmesan pasta, and kale salad. We even brought a festive table cloth and decorative pumpkin to take our homemade meal to the next level! So good.
The next morning we stopped in at a very busy cafe called the Dancing Goat on our way to the Cabot Trail for a day of exploration and hiking. Once we were caffeinated and fed, we were on our way and I could barely contain my excitement. I felt like every time I looked out of the window I would say, “wow”.ย The trees were turning their mesmerizing golden yellows and browns and reds. That awe-inspiring red. It was the kind of scene you hope to get when you google “best images of fall colours”. You guys google stuff like that too, right?
The couple we were traveling with is awesome. We’ve been friends with them for a little while but had never traveled together before, so this was a bit of a test. You know, those unspoken tests we put other people through to see if we like people at a “traveling together for a weekend” level or a “come over for dinner and then leave” level. This couple is definitely the former! ๐
We finally made it into the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. We were instantly disappointed as the lady at the booth informed us the Skyline Trail (THE trail to hike) was closed due to “aggressive moose”. Apparently there had been a few cases of moose (in mating season) who had been displaying aggressive behaviour. Yes, we were disappointed but no, we did not really want to encounter any of those moose up close. So we drove a little ways through the park and stopped in for a quick hike to “Benjie’s Lake”, which was a recommendation from the woman at the booth.
To be honest, it was a bit of a desolate and depressing hike. We all agreed it was a terrible recommendation and I said I’d talk about that in the blog because really, this is kind of like a public service announcement. Our recommendation: Benjie’s Lake in the fall is so not worth it. Maybe I’m being a little dramatic. To be fair, the lake itself was beautiful. But the hike was just full of dead trees. So weird. BUT because we’re all fairly laid back people, we got a good chuckle out of this little excursion.
From there we stopped at a bunch of gorgeous vistas overlooking the park, ate at a tourist trap restaurant called the Rusty Anchor, and made our way to our second Airbnb of the trip. This was a highlight for sure. The view was spectacular. We were tucked away in the corner of a wrap-around mountainous cove. You could see water and mountains at every angle. It took my breath away.
As we headed out the next morning, we all just stared out the windows, taking in the twisty roads covered in golden trees, winding along the edge of the cold, abyssal ocean. We made our way back to the ferry, enjoyed a shockingly cold sunset on the boat, and were back on our island.
Cape Breton gets a gold star from me. It’s a must-see. Even though I’ve rambled on for a while, I still feel there is more to say. I guess that speaks to the beauty we saw, the fun we had, and the laughter we shared over the course of one weekend. A “friendsgiving” for the books!