Our final road trip for 2022 will be to The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, of Eastern Canada. This region consists of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The biggest draw for me is to see my dear friend, Lisa, who I met in Egypt in 2007.Β She moved to Prince Edward Island soon after Trump was elected and then invited me to visit her in 2018; at that time, I’d already made plans to walk the Camino de Santiago. I couldn’t make it north in 2019, and then of course COVID hit in 2020 and 2021 (and is still here!). Finally, I determined this year to visit Lisa in PEI, to visit the Halifax area and Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia, and to visit St. John and the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.

One of my happiest times: Left to Right: Lisa, me, & Shannon at the Grand Cafe in Cairo in July 2007
Somehow an article online came to my attention that further cemented my desire to visit The Maritimes: “12 Top-Rated Hiking Trails in Nova Scotia.” The photos and trail descriptions in this article lured me with promises of wide open views of the sea. I have made a hike-heavy itinerary, with visits to the towns of Halifax, Charlottetown, and Saint John, as well as to Kejimkujik National Park, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and Fundy National Park. We’ll also spend time exploring smaller villages such as Lunenburg, Cape d’Or, Ingonish (all Nova Scotia); Summerside and Victoria by the Sea (PEI); and finally Alma and St. Andrews by the Sea (New Brunswick).
Mostly, I look forward to spending some time with my hilarious friend, Lisa; walking outdoors near the sea; and eating a lot of seafood.
To prepare, I read Fodor’s Nova Scotia & Atlantic Canada.Β I have also purchased a book to bring along: Trails of Prince Edward Island by Michael Haynes. I wrote to Prince Edward Island Tourism to get more information, and from these sources and the article I found (mentioned above), I fashioned a road trip which will take, including driving time there and back, nineteen days (including four+ days of driving there and back).

Travel preparation for The Maritimes
Music
Lisa sent me some YouTube videos of Canadian music that she loves, including the following:
- Meaghan Blanchard Sings Waltzing with You
- The East Pointers Live at Celtic Colours International Festival 2015
- Richard Wood – Kitchen Party
- Spirit of the West “Home for a Rest” – Official Music Video
- Vishtèn TERRE ROUGE
- The Islander – Shanneyganock (Newfoundland)
Besides these songs, I discovered a Canadian-Mexican musician I love: Lhasa De Sela.Β She sings in English, French and Spanish.Β Here is one of her songs: J’arrive Γ la ville.
And I made up my own playlist on Spotify: Canadian tunes.
Books
Of course, I always love to read books set in my destination, so I read some of the books below (indicated with stars and ratings). I own the books in green and will read them sometime during the year.
- New Brunswick
- The Birthday Lunch by Joan Clark ***
- Nova Scotia
- When the Saints by Sarah Mian ****
- In the Field by Claire Tacon *****
- Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
- The Museum Guard by Howard Norman
- My Famous Evening by Howard Norman
- The Birth House by Ami McKay
- Nova Scotia & Atlantic Canada Fodorβs Travel ****
- Prince Edward Island
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud (L.M.) Montgomery (Kindle) ****
- Anne of Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables #2) by L.M. Montgomery
- Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables #3) by L.M. Montgomery
- The Blue Moth Motel by Olivia Robinson
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud (L.M.) Montgomery (Kindle) ****
For more international books, see my page: books | international a-z |.

Books I’ve read or am reading
Movies
I found movies and T.V. shows set in Canada, but not all of them are set in The Maritimes. Hopefully, I can find some of these in the coming months.
- Johnny Belinda (1948) (Cape Breton Island)
- Anne of Green Gables (1985) (TV Mini-series) (Prince Edward Island)
- Anne of Avonlea (1987)
- Titanic (1997) *****
- The Shipping News (2001) (Newfoundland)
- Trailer Park Boys (2001-2018)
- Monsieur Lazhar (2011) ****
- Schitt’s Creek (TV series 2015-2020) *****
- Anne of Green Gables (2016) ****
- The Sinner (2017-2021)
- The Lighthouse (2019)
- Firefly Lane (TV series 2021- ) ***
- Workin’ Moms (TV series 2017-2023) **** (early seasons are best)
I prepared a journal, but it’s nothing fancy.
The biggest obstacle we face at this point is my father’s health. He has been bedridden for the last eight months or so, and at any point things could change with him, causing us to have to cancel our plans. We are prepared to do whatever is necessary.
Don’t you just love the planning stage of a trip!
I’m sorry about your dad – I hope you manage to get away….
LikeLike
Thank you so much! I do love the planning stages: dream & plot! It’s fun to imagine and to read novels set in a place, as well as guidebooks, blogs, and any other information you can scrounge up. We did manage to go and my dad is still hanging in there! Thank you for your good wishes. π
LikeLike
I’d like to see that area of Canada, too, but there’s so much else to see just in the US.
LikeLike
There’s so much to see everywhere in the world! π
LikeLike
Exactly!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s sad news, Cathy. I guess it will happen at some point. To my shame I wasn’t sure where Nova Scotia was and had to look it up. I always think of that part of the world as being Newfoundland. And I know I’ve read The Shipping News but don’t have much recollection of it.
LikeLike
Dad is still hanging in there. He may go on for quite a while yet; he’s still eating heartily. But yes, it’s sad and it will happen eventually. To all of us!! π¦
Newfoundland is part of the Atlantic provinces but from what I understand it’s not officially part of what’s called The Maritimes. The Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) and Newfoundland and Labrador make up what’s known as Atlantic Canada. A bit confusing, I think! The Shipping News takes place in Newfoundland. It’s also where my friends from Oman, Mario and Anna, live part or all of their year. I would also love to go to Newfoundland when they’re there one day, but that’s another trip!
We’re back now; it was a fun trip but somewhat restricted due to Hurricane Fiona. We had to reroute and eliminate some of the places we wanted to visit. I hope all is well with you! π
LikeLike
You’ve had some lucky escapes this year, and still managed to see places new, Cathy. Staying healthy is key π€π
LikeLike
You’re right, Jo! It’s been touch and go this year with our travels. But they’re done now until we visit Adam in Nicaragua in January. That one could be a challenge. π
LikeLike
ππ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh fabulous, we had a wonderful time in Nova Scotia with a quick side-trip to PEI to satisfy the Anne fan. Hint: thatβs not John! But he was very indulgent and we even went to see Anne: the Musical.
LikeLike
I wish we’d been able to see Anne: The Musical. Sadly the season had already ended when we got there. We did go to Green Gables Heritage Place though; I enjoyed it after reading the book (which I just did while traveling!). We LOVED Nova Scotia. That was my favorite place. And seeing my friend Lisa was great and hilarious as usual. π
LikeLiked by 1 person
How exciting. Safe travels.
LikeLike
Thank you, Carol! It was a little challenging, but overall it was fabulous. Especially Nova Scotia and seeing Lisa. π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maritimes is a beautiful part of the world. You are going to have a fantastical time π
LikeLike
Thank you! We enjoyed it. It was too bad Hurricane Fiona put a damper on some of our plans, but we did the best we could to see the provinces. π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you do get away, Cathy, and have a safe r
Trip
LikeLike
Thank you, Sue. It was a challenge because of Hurricane Fiona, but I’m still glad we made it, even though we had to rearrange many of our plans at the last minute.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You did well!
LikeLiked by 1 person