A mini-vacation in Nova Scotia ~ House-Pretty

A mini-vacation in Nova Scotia

A few weeks ago, we drove to Cape Breton and Guysborough County for a mini-vacation. When we arrived in Cape Breton, I realized that I forgot my camera's memory card, so my apologies in advance for the crappy cell phone photos. Just know that all of these scenes are at least 100 times more beautiful in person. Especially the ones with me in them ;)

My mom and a friend rented a tiny cottage in the village of Gabarus (pronounced Gab-roose) and kindly invited us to stay with them for a couple of days. The weather was foggy, but warm, for most of our visit, although the sun was shining on the day we left (of course).

ABOVE: We drove to Big Spruce Brewing in Nyanza and stopped for lunch at the Herring Choker Cafe. The food was delicious, even if it was a little overpriced.

That evening, Adam and I drove to Sydney to visit with friends and check out their beautiful new home (no pictures, sorry!). They took us out for a delicious dinner at Flavor, where we sat directly behind the Big Fiddle.

The next day we spent some time at the beach in Gabarus before heading to Two Rivers Wildlife Park. Hannah had a blast with all the animals, but she especially loved the wild bunnies we spotted all over the park. They even inspired her to sample some grass (spoiler alert: she didn't like it).

ABOVE: drinking "tea" at the cottage; calmly checking out the bears at the wildlife park (ha!); lining up Little People during a sink bath; enjoying a drink on the cottage's tiny deck; chasing ducks at the wildlife park

After another beach visit - this time with sunshine! - we drove to Guysborough County to visit with my dad and his wife, who just purchased a retirement home there. It was my first time in the area, and it was beautiful. Probably exactly what you picture when you think of Nova Scotia (small fishing villages and gorgeous coastlines, right?).

We spent some time at Tor Bay Beach (that's Hannah playing Godzilla with my sandcastle), went for ice cream and chatted with my dad and his wife about their plans for a full reno.

We also sat around the campfire drinking beers, roasting marshmallows and trying our hand at fire-roasted grilled cheese sandwiches. Oh, and Hannah tried cheesies for the first time (that's her happy face).