Buga: 13.08.2017
Another title would have been at least halfway around the world in seven months or so ... The question is, what needs to be done before such a journey can be started?
- Choosing the route ✅
- Numerous vaccinations ✅
- Packing and unpacking the backpack a hundred times ✅
- Farewell party ✅
- Tearful goodbye ✅
And just like that, the time until departure flew by and on August 2nd, I boarded the plane to Toronto, leaving behind the blue and white Bavarian sky.
Arriving in Toronto after a nine-hour flight, it was already dark and I quickly fell asleep at the airport hotel. The alarm was set and the shuttle was ordered for 5:15 in the morning, as the journey continued to Montreal and I had a flight booked for 7:00. The next morning, when I arrived at the airport again, I had to unfortunately find out that this flight was cancelled and the nice airline staff only explained that I can consider myself very lucky because I was booked on the flight at nine o'clock. So, I considered myself very lucky and stayed at the airport during sunrise. Luckily, things like this don't stress me out at all 😉
In Montreal, I still had half a day, which I used to go to the observation deck and enjoy the magnificent view over the city 😃
After an evening in various pubs with two Americans, where we toasted to my graduation (the results were just online in that moment), I was full of anticipation for the tour through Eastern Canada, which was starting the next day.
Let's move on to the impressions of the first day, which were mainly characterized by a hours-long drive in a small tour bus where all you could see was forests (to begin with, we were an international group of 10 people). Arriving at our small hostel, we ended the evening with a campfire, wine, and guitar music.
Then followed another six hours of trees, with a stop at the world's longest covered bridge (why this bridge is covered, I don't know 🤔) and Magnetic Hill, where you think you're going downhill but you're actually going uphill, don't ask me how that works 😳.
The next day, we arrived in Digby, Nova Scotia in rainy weather, but we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset on the beach. The first day without further travel brought us a visit to Balanced Rock and an experience in searching for clams. Thank God, the clams that we enjoyed fresh on the beach afterwards were already cooked, otherwise we would have probably starved. But at least I found one clam myself.
After a wine tasting at ten in the morning - borderline but doable 😉 - we went for a short hike in pouring rain, before reaching Peggy’s Cove, the most visited lighthouse in Canada. Another stop brings us to Lunenburg, a charming small town by the water and the oldest German settlement in Canada. In the evening, we reach Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. An exploration day with a brewery visit follows.
Cape Breton Island - an absolute highlight of the tour, which we explore in the following days. Many hikes and absolute wildlife Canada 😃.