Swissair 111, Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg

I woke early trying to get some miles in. I left the West Halifax KOA campground around 8:30 and drove to the Halisi Cafe for a coffee while I drove. The Cafe didn’t open until 9:00 am on a Saturday. I found the Atlantic Grocery store located about 10 minutes away and stocked up for the next few days.

I returned to Halisi Cafe around 9:15 and there was a truck with a Pennsylvania license plate. I’m from Pennsylvania and I thought how likely is it to see someone from the States at this cafe let alone from Pennsylvania. She went to Penn State and had her Penn State hat and shirt on. Penn State was playing Auburn that afternoon. She had lived and worked in Altoona, the area I was from. They were reluctant to let me take there photo, but in the end they said OK. I didn’t asked them their names.

By 9:45, I was on the road to Peggy’s Cove. I began to question why I was going to another lighthouse. I had already visited 13 lighthouses on PEI and I wasn’t sure of the value of seeing number 14. I remember reading that that the town of Peggy’s Cove was a fishing village which might be interesting, not that I haven’t seen a dozen fishing villages in the past few weeks.

Swissair 111 Memorial

Shortly before getting to Peggy’s Cove, I saw a sign for the memorial. I turned the car around and found the last available parking spot.

Years ago, I lived in Switzerland. I remember the tragedy of Swissair flight 111. Swissair was the pride of the country. I remember there was speculation that the plane had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile, but the cause was later determined to be faulty electrical wiring by investigators.

I had a close friend that worked as a flight attendant for Swissair. She, her husband, and oldest son were seated on Swissair flight 111 before takeoff. The flight was overbooked, and they had to de-board and give their seats to paying customers. Their luck was other’s misfortune. The people that got those seats had missed other connections.

The plane crashed into the ocean five miles off the coast of Penny ‘s Cove. The memorial at this location was placed facing direly towards the location of the crash. The memorial at this site reads:

In memory of the 229 men, women and children aboard Swissair Flight 111 who perished off these shores September 2, 1998. They have been joined to the sea and the sky. May they rest in peace.

I took a walked down the hill over the large boulders towards the sea, grateful that my friend had been spared and reflective of how precious this life is. The geology in this area is fascinating and I spent far too much time trying to get a good photo of these strange formations.

Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse

Peggy’s Cove is both a town and the name of the lighthouse situated at the point. A plaque near the entrance to the town states that this is one of the most photographed locations in all of Canada. There certainly were a lot of phones taking pictures of everything.

Folk lore has it, that a young woman named Peggy was on ship headed to Halifax to meet her fiancée. The ship foundered on the rocks, and she was rescued by the locals. When visitors would come, they would say they are coming to see “Peggy of the cove”.

Peggy’s Cove: Part of the town

The town itself is very small and has a group of active fishermen. There are also many gift shops and ice cream shops. I would guess tourism is the higher revenue stream by the looks of it on an offseason weekend. There is a tourism office at the entrance to the town, but it was closed on this day. I’m not sure if it had anything to do with the passing of the queen.

Peggy’s Cove: Fishing Boats

I’m also not sure why this lighthouse gets so many more visitors than other lighthouses I visited. I was talking to a local that told me she comes here every few years in the off-season. She said a lot of taxpayer money went into developing the viewing platform in front of the lighthouse. Admittedly, whoever designed the viewing area had a good eye for design. She also said that it was money well spent because it makes it so much easier to view the lighthouse and that brings more tourist to the area. Another woman was taking photos of the seating and she told her husband that she wanted something similar around their pool.

Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse: Ants on the mound

Lunenburg

I left Peggy’s Cove and drove south along the Eastern coast of Nova Scotia to Lunenburg. Again there were a lot of tourists for the offseason. The town is situated on the side of a steep hill overlooking the Lunenburg Harbor. You need to be very careful driving because people seem to miss the stop signs and drive through. This happened three times in one day.

Like Peggy’s cove, Lunenburg is both a fishing community and heavily tourism oriented. The harbor is speckled with sailing vessels. I didn’t see many motorized boats other than those on sailboats for maneuvering around the harbor. There were several sailing classes being taught as well.

The area was one of the first places the British attempted to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia. The Lunenburg fish processing plants is one of the largest in Canada, but locals told me that fish processing is a fraction of what it once was.

If you park near the top of the hill, there is free parking on the street, but you have to walk back up. There are large parking lots near the water and metered parking on the lower streets. This seems to be the case in many towns I visited. If you are willing to walk a few blocks, you can find free parking.

Near the waterfront, there is a monument to all the men and woman lost at sea in shipwrecks that were associated with Lunenburg. The list goes back centuries. Although, the number being lost ever year is declining, the monument is a reminder of the danger at sea.

I walked all the streets look for the angle to get the famous Lunenburg sunset photos. I realized that I needed to be on the other side of the Harbor at what looked like a golf course. I found a couple that explained I could park my car near the entrance to the golf course and walk the path along the water to any point I wanted.

I packed up all my lenses and headed off along the harbor on the other side of town. The sun was periodically shining on the town but for most of the day it had been behind the clouds. I group of women passed me and said hello. Their dog was so excited about a stick he found in the sand and kept dropping it and pawing at as they walked. He clearly wanted someone to toss it in the water. They finally got the hint, and he made his way into the water.

I waited until 6 pm for the sun to be in the right place, but the cloud cover was very heavy. I didn’t take a lot of photos, but they didn’t have the zing of the posters you see hanging in all the shops. I will have to come back.

Lunenburg is one of those towns were you just want to come and enjoy the views, the great food, coffee, sail in the harbor and just all around relax. There are craft breweries, theater, an opera company, art lessons and so much more. My favorite coffee shop was No. 9; great vibe, good pastries and delicious coffee. People told me the Laughing Whale had good coffee, but it was never open.

Camping In Lunenburg

As often happens, I’m not sure where I’m going to stay until the last minute. The women on the beach had recommended the campground that was literally in town at the top of the hill. They closed at 5 pm, so I went online and figured out how to book a tent site. I had a little trouble finding site 35 because some of the numbers were faded. I asked a guy with a trailer what number he was, and he said 44. I told him I had 35 and he said we had that last week and pointed to it. He said it was on a slope and I might not sleep well.

I setup quickly (no rain and no wind) and made myself pasta and a large salad. I slept very well.