Port Hawkesbury - Bay Saint Lawrence

The night saw the rain pattering on the roof here and this morning doesn't look much better either. Although it has subsided, everything is gray and dull, so I set off relatively early to the Cabot Trail, hoping that it might clear up there. Meanwhile, packing up and getting ready to go has become a routine. It's a miracle my car doesn't greet me with 'Good morning'. The way to the trail is well signposted and numerous billboards suggest that this is a real tourist area. However, there are hardly any cars on the road at 8:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Well, it's really awful weather.

When entering the trail and taking the obligatory selfie, the rain stops. I can hardly believe it. And right from the start, the route is challenging. It winds through even more beautiful and denser forests, and you could stop and take pictures at every other corner. And I'm still almost alone on the road. Only occasionally does a car pass by me at a stop.

At the next turn, the traffic increases a bit - but it's far from the masses of cars that used to drive around here during the season and pre-COVID times. I read a blog about how to do the route in one day - I've planned for 2, which turns out to be a good idea later on. One of the stops the blogger recommends is the Wreck Cove General Store. There I treat myself to a lobster sandwich. Price: 20 Can$ or 14 euros. But it really has a lot of lobster on it.

After that, the road becomes spectacular. It gains height over some hairpin bends and offers the most fantastic view from above that you can imagine. It's only worthy to be the picnic spot for the second half of my lobster sandwich. And there are hardly any cars here either, the weather has gotten even better and it's not raining at all anymore. I've been really lucky.

After some more stops, my blog recommends that I walk a trail to Middle Head. It takes about an hour and has very little elevation gain. I think I can manage that. I leave my rain jacket in the car, don't want to give any signals. At the beginning of the trail, you are reminded that this is coyote territory. Ahh. I once read that the only fatal encounter between an adult and such an animal happened here in Nova Scotia. Well then. I feel quite comfortable when I occasionally meet people.

After said hour and a nice walk through the forest, I reach the end of the trail, which offers a view of the sea. Along with a red chair. There I meet Amsel and Meeshva (the names are probably not spelled correctly) from Pakistan. He has been living in Toronto since he was 17 and studied and works there now, she works at a bank. They got married in Pakistan after meeting in Canada and are coming from Halifax today and will go back there. That's a 5 1/2 hour drive. But they don't seem to mind. We briefly talk about their time in Canada and mine in Germany. I think I would swap. I won't see these two again in this life, but that was one of the encounters I love so much on road trips. This brief glimpse into the lives of others. Amazing.

After more stops (and as I said, there could easily have been twice as many), I then turn off the trail to drive to my motel, which is a little further north. In doing so, I pass Cabots Landing Provincial Park and unexpectedly discover one of the most beautiful places on this trip. You can only fall in love with the landscape here - especially in the now radiant sunshine.

When I arrive at my motel around 5 p.m., I realize why they can be so expensive - despite the 80s retro chic. The location is truly unbeatable. It is located on a hill and offers a panoramic view of the bay, including a gigantic sunset in the evening. The only downside here: no nearby restaurants and the supermarket closes at 5 p.m. (!). But there is a fully equipped kitchen, so tonight, in addition to fruit, I have Uncle Ben's rice, which I actually wanted to bring home as a souvenir. And I'm glad I didn't - it wasn't that good.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's sunrise and a few more beautiful hours here before I set off for my second stage on the Cabot Trail no later than 11 a.m. If it's only half as great as the first one today, then this trip to the far north of Nova Scotia will be an experience in the top 10 of my life. What a beautiful piece of the world.