Yesterday we drove from Louisbourg back to Halifax. Our plan was to stay downtown and enjoy one last day in the city. Much of the way back was familiar. We had no problem navigating our way back into the city centre, even through the craziest intersection we’ve ever been in. We drove down near the boardwalk, found a hotel and checked in. We went for a walk to see the Historic Properties. It was originally built to keep the booty that privateers had legally stolen but now it houses shops and restaurants. We didn’t find it as great as it was made out to be, but perhaps that was because the tourist season hasn’t quite started, so not all of the shops were up and running. We walked back along the boardwalk and bought another beavertail at the same little hut we had frequented two weeks earlier. This time we had a cinnamon sugar with lemon one. We tried to sit at one of the outside tables but a stupid little bird wouldn’t leave us alone so we had to eat it while walking. I went back to the hotel and Dale explored some more, mostly looking for a place that sold Cortland apples. I sure hope we can find them at home because they are delicious! He returned about an hour later, his mission successfully completed. We played another game of Scrabble (I believe I kicked his butt) and then we walked back down to the Historic Properties to have dinner at the restaurant there, Gahan House. It is a craft brewery as well as a restaurant, and even on a Thursday night it was busy. We got a table for six with the proviso that if another couple came in, we would have to share. That wasn’t a problem, we’ve done that before at restaurants in Vancouver.  We took the seats by the window and ordered a sampler flight of beers. I got two dark, Dale got two light. The harbour was busy and we had a lot to see as we sat there. Dinner was great and we did have company at our table. One couple joined us, had a quick bite to eat and left. Another couple came just as we were finishing our dessert. One couple refused to sit at the end of the table, preferring to wait until a window seat opened up.

In the morning we had trouble finding a little diner that Dale had discovered online but the one-way streets and the construction didn’t defeat us. After breakfast we headed out of town. We thought the plan was to drop off the rental car before noon in Lower Sackville and then head to The Inn on the Lake. But we were able to keep the car until the end of the day and leave it at the inn, so we took advantage of unlimited kilometres and drove towards the Annapolis Valley. We took the main highway as far as Windsor and then exited. Windsor is a beautiful little town with street after street of wonderful heritage houses. We decided to head back on the old highway, to see more of the countryside. It was a good idea as we finally saw farmland in Nova Scotia. We had lunch at a full serve Irving Big Stop before driving to the Inn.

We saw several houses for sale on our drive and Dale remembered their addresses. One beauty was 5100 square feet, including a rental apartment. It is a stone castle, built in 1898, with towers and turrets. You would need to buy the contents of a furniture store to furnish that! It is well-priced as far as castles out in the boonies of Nova Scotia go, a mere $525,000. Gee, you can buy an 1100 square foot townhouse in Langley for that price! We also saw some abandoned beauties that tore at our heartstrings a little. It was a nice way to end our trip –  a drive through a pretty little town looking at amazing old houses and then winding our way home through the countryside. Tomorrow we will take the shuttle to the airport and fly home.