Kaye’s travels take her to the world heritage site of Lunenberg, where she does a spot of ghostbusting, hears a few yarns before shopping for yarn, visits the most photographed lighthouse in Canada and enjoys some of the finest seafood in the north.
In search of ghosts in Lunenberg
What a treat awaits us in the historic UNESCO world heritage site of Lunenberg. Multi-coloured Georgian houses abound, as do tall spired churches. Our hotel, the Mariner King Inn, just near the waterfront in King Street, is one of the oldest buildings, constructed in 1830 to mark the coronation of the ‘Mariner King’ William IV. William apparently had a saucy friendship with a local lady, Mrs. Wentworth, when he was the ‘Sailor Prince’. Or so the story goes, and who’s to argue. Either way the Mariner King Hotel is a great base for two days exploring the maritime history of this landing place of German and Swiss ‘foreign Protestants’ in the early 1750s.
Every night at 8.30 pm seventh and eighth-generation Lunenbergers, Shelah Allen and Ashlee Feener, conduct a ghost tour of old Lunenberg. Their lineage equips them well to host the nightly walk. The walk commences at our hotel, with a blood chilling description of poor Sarah, a young girl who supposedly still makes things bump in the night in room 102. Funnily enough we are staying in room 101 and have no trouble sleeping, hear no moans, nor experience any other freaky occurrences. So, while we take most of the ghostly tales with a pinch of salt (pun intended), we do get to see most of the truly historic buildings in town. Two in particular stand out. Adjacent to the cemetery is the Lunenberg Academy, an old public school, now a fine arts academy. From any angle, it is a mighty impressive edifice. A former pupil, Shelah tells tales about school friends travelling home to use the bathroom rather than heading down to the toilets in the basement, because of what ‘might happen’, but who knows?
Our tour ends at St John’s Anglican Church on Townsend Street. This impressive black and white Gothic structure was, as photos in the vestibule attest, ravaged by fire in 2002. But quick-thinking firemen pumped water from the harbour and managed to save the bottom half of the church, including all pews, and many religious artefacts. A team of local carpenters and woodworkers toiled under a gigantic tent to reconstruct the upper half of St John’s and few today would be able to discern the line between old and new.
Lunenberg boasts a wide array of great cafés, delis and restaurants as well as museums, heritage sites and craft shops. It is a delight to visit and deserves at least a three-day stay.
Knit: The Mariner’s Daughter
Stay: The Mariner King Inn
Walk: Lunenberg Walking Tours
How did we get to Lunenberg?
The drive from Tatamagouche to Lunenberg – i.e. from the top of the province to the bottom – is an easy three-hour journey south on minor roads. We meet the southern coast of Nova Scotia at Chester. From here we head west through the storybook village of Mahone Bay, along the waterfront to historic Lunenberg.
#handyhint
If you wish to see the most photographed lighthouse in Canada, then make the drive to Peggy’s Cove – with the rest of the tourist hoards. The scenery is divine, but a quick visit for a selfie will suffice, rather than a stopover. Just outside Peggy’s Cove is the divine Rhubarb restaurant – don’t miss their steamed mussels – the best of the local catch.
