Millivers Travels » Lighthouses

Beacon Shore on Georgian Bay B&B, Midland, Ontario

Milli Thornton — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:57:51 +0000

The 1901 lighthouse on the front lawn, night shot

WE ARE LUCKY to be within reasonable driving distance of this B&B because we can’t wait to go back.

We’re not strangers to a good B&B. But this one truly is paradise from all angles: the gorgeous setting, the house and gardens, the extra features (how ’bout a lighthouse on the front lawn?), the private wooded acres away from the bustle of town—and our memorable hosts, Jacquie and Bob Black.

We’ve met some lovely B&B owners in our time but it was truly a wrench to leave Bob and Jacquie at the end of our stay.

(I jokingly applied for a job at Beacon Shore. On the morning when we had to leave I whimpered: “Can we live with you?”)

When it comes to the top two criteria for a successful B&B, the Blacks are experts: fabulous breakfast and the gift of making you feel at home. So much love, craftsmanship and sheer art goes into every detail.

The serene and colorful garden features a water fountain, cottage-style benches and a swing

Bob is a skilled woodworker and uses his talents to add many fine features; such as the garden structures, antique-style bathroom accents and furniture. Jacquie nourishes the cottage flower garden and keeps the house clean enough for a surprise Better Homes and Gardens inspection. The shower stall was so gleaming-white immaculate, I felt like I was the first person ever to step into it!

As we often do when Brian and I forget that a long weekend’s coming up, we booked at the last minute. The only room left was the Twin, but it looked nice on the BBCanada.com listing so we took it. The room turned out to be so charming and well-appointed, we did not feel any pinch of compromise. We were very happy with our comfy beds and our private bathroom. And we loved the view from our second-storey window of black squirrels playing in the forest.

Our Queen room was pretty as well as clean and comfortable

Since the sumptuous accommodation was such a bargain ($90 per night for the Twin)—and since we were having an unforgettable time on and around Georgian Bay—we decided to stay an extra night. The Twin room was no longer available, so we moved next door to the Queen ($100 per night).

I say “we moved” but we didn’t have to lift a finger; the Blacks did everything. We came back tired and sunburned from our visit to Big Chute to find that (with a prior courtesy notice) everything had been carefully moved for us. Talk about service with a smile!

Even with moving to the Queen room we averaged only $101 per night; including taxes, exchange rate (which was in our favor, so that helped) and international POS fees. When you consider the value added by the breakfast—top-notch menu and personal pampering; two satisfying courses with bottomless coffee—this really frees up your budget for local activities. Much appreciated! The “steal of a deal” on our accommodation meant we could pick one or two high-quality activities each day.

Among other fun things, we took a float plane ride over 30,000 Islands, cruised the waters of Georgian Bay and watched boats being lifted overland at Big Chute.

The private dock, complete with flowers & Muskoka / Adirondack chairs

With our busy schedule of activities, we didn’t have much time to linger in the garden, which was a shame. (But what a great reason to go back!) However, we did spend time relaxing in the party-colored Muskoka chairs on the lush lawn overlooking the bay. Or, should I say, the Adirondack chairs, depending on who’s doing the talking. (Bob and Jacquie have a running gag about this, based on their childhood origins.)

One of our other favorite pastimes was visiting the dock. We dabbled our tired city feet in the cool, refreshing water and soaked up the sun, while admiring the boats of many sizes that ply the waters of Georgian Bay.

If you’ve never been to Ontario, this would be the perfect place to start. So renew that passport and pack your suntan lotion. And don’t forget to order the pancakes!

Beacon Shore on Georgian Bay Bed & Breakfast, Midland, Ontario, Canada

P.S. Feast your eyes (and soul) on Bob and Jacquie’s amazing breakfasts in my special article: Best Ever B&B Breakfast.

Beacon Shore has been reviewed by Janette Higgins, author of The Best Places to B&B in Ontario: A Selective Guide. Janette says: “Every Ontario bed and breakfast receives my consideration. I travel incognito, pay where I stay and write reviews of the top 5%.” Read Janette’s review on the testimonials page for Beacon Shore on BBCanada.com.

Gallivanting in Halifax

Roona — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:30:08 +0000

By guest blogger Roona

THANKS TO THE United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, in the summer of 2009 I took a solitary trip to Nova Scotia. After renewing my work visa in the country, I had to go to a consulate outside the country to get it stamped in my passport. The closest place where I could get an appointment for consular services was Halifax, Canada. It reportedly took a week’s time to complete the process, so I had an entire week there to myself.

On the harbor in Halifax

I stayed in Hotel Westin close to the harbor with views of the ocean. The town is small enough to walk everywhere, so I did and I had a blast! On the days I had to go there, the consulate work was over in a moment and the rest of the time was mine to gallivant to my heart’s content.

It was cold and raining during most of my stay but this only added to the charm of the place. After a bone-chilling walk on the harbor, I would buy coffee and fresh-caught fried fish from a stall and enjoy it in the warmth of my room. Every day was a delight of flavors with fresh seafood available everywhere! I would get up early in the mornings and run to the crepe stalls for chocolate hazelnut crepes for breakfast. There was even an authentic Persian food shack close by my hotel, where I enjoyed some awesome lamb and chicken with saffron rice.

Once, when I had a bad sinus headache from all those walks in cold weather, I scouted a tiny Indian kiosk in a mall and requested some Masala chai—strong black tea with milk, sugar and spices including cinnamon, cloves, peppercorn, cardamom and nutmeg.

There’s tons to be done and savored in and around Halifax. The Citadel is still in great condition, with a military museum and military routines of bygone days enacted for spectators. This includes a cannon firing at noon and soul-stirring bagpipe music. I spent hours sitting there listening to music on another of those cold, misting, rainy days.

Starting day of the tall ships race

I walked around the Atlantic Maritime Museum looking at the relics of the Titanic, which sank off the coast of Halifax. I went for a pirate boat ride on a sailboat with a true-blue, old-time sailor at the helm whose drawling, mellifluous speech made even curse words sound beatific. I was lucky to land there on the starting day of the tall ships race; the row of huge ships lining the harbor was an awe-inspiring sight.

One evening I had a chance to watch a Shakespearean comedy in an outdoor theater. Put on by a theatre company called Shakespeare by the Sea, it was a hilarious production of Love’s Labour’s Lost. I laughed my guts out sitting on a camp chair in the ruins of Cambridge Battery in Point Pleasant Park, with the unseen Atlantic Ocean in the distance and the slow summer nightfall.

The highlight of my trip was a jaunt to a little fishing village called Peggy’s Cove. Situated near grey-black rocks on the coast, in this quaint little run-down village is a lighthouse overlooking the vast Atlantic Ocean. Yet again, it was one of those stormy days with incessant rains and cold winds. What better atmosphere to relish a lighthouse on the rocks?

As I stood next to the lighthouse, looking at the ocean with its grey-green waters, foaming waves lashing the rocks, the ocean spray and the misting rain, I easily forgot I was living in the 21st century. Just for a moment, I was transported back in time to when this place was a thriving village, where the lighthouse was key to the safety and wellbeing of the ocean vessels coming in to harbor.

Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove

Then, hot seafood chowder and old-fashioned gingerbread with lemon cream icing in the only restaurant by the lighthouse. Although an over-priced tourist trap, the food was delicious and the place more than made up for the price.

Food and activities aside, there is one more glorious thing about Halifax: the shopping! It may be a small place but it has some beautiful shops and boutiques. I was thrilled to find a gorgeous scarf the likes of which I had never seen anywhere else, and beautiful artwork such as dried flowers pressed on to glass; the whole looking almost ethereal. Tartans, wool, and Scottish paraphernalia are also worth looking at. Walking around town, you can find everything from antique stores to flea markets, New Age stuff to American brands costing way more than they do in the US.

I had a joyful time, enjoying everything from the cold rains to the lilting Scottish/Gaelic accents of the local people. After returning home to Cleveland, for a few days I actually felt homesick for Halifax!

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Roona

ROONA has lived and worked in India and the United States and recently moved back to India. In the process of settling down in her home country, she continues to miss her life in the USA. On the other hand, for the first time in her life she has an opportunity to focus on her one true passion: writing. She blogs at IndiaRepat and Aesara Says.

Scenic Treasures: Sitka, Alaska

tumblemoose — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:59:34 +0000

By guest blogger George Angus

AS YOUR ALASKA AIRLINES jet gently banks you catch a glimpse of Mount Edgecumbe, Fuji-like in its appearance. Your descent takes you closer and closer to an ocean that is as deep a blue as you have ever seen. So close to the water now. Surely there is a runway ahead? At the last moment, you see the lights on the Sitka Airport’s runway and as the jet touches down, startled sea-birds take flight from the ocean that borders the runway.

Welcome to Southeast Alaska. Welcome to Sitka.

Toss aside any preconceived notion of igloos and dog sleds. This is a different Alaska in every respect. Sitka holds all of the majesty that you would expect from Alaska. It also holds treasures and surprises for even the most seasoned traveler.

Nestled in to the western side of Baranof island, Sitka is available to folks by air and by sea. No roads wind into what can be arguably said is the prettiest town in Alaska. Still, this apparent isolation does nothing to detract from this community that played such an important role in Russian-Alaskan history.

What to expect

Sitka lies in a part of Southeast Alaska that is considered to be a temperate rain forest and it can certainly live up to that reputation. You want to make certain you’ve got some good water resistant shoes, a slicker or two and an umbrella or a good hat. Not that it rains all of the time, but it has been known to downpour now and then!

The waterfront, Sitka, Alaska

Temperatures are mild by Alaska standards with summer temperatures typically in the 50’s or 60’s (F).

Winter temperatures are more likely to be in the 30’s or 40’s and sometimes a bit colder.

When the sun is out, be sure to head down to the harbor and take in all of the sea life. Depending on the time of year, gray whales breech and rise in the outer harbor. Seals and otters playfully poke their heads up above the surface and sometimes it seems like the show will never end.

A little history

If you have an interest in Alaskan history then Sitka is the place for you. Originally the town site that we now know as Sitka was a village of the Southeast Alaska tribe known as the Tlingits. The name they had for the village was “Shee Atika.” When the Russian expedition headed by Bering discovered the village, they soon took over and in 1799 they renamed the village New Archangel. The manager of the Russian American company built a fort and in 1802 the Tlingits burned the fort. In 1804, the Tlingets left the area and Sitka soon became the capital of Russian Alaska. Russian influences still abound throughout the Sitka area.

Where to stay

Lodging possibilities in Sitka are plentiful. There are larger hotels downtown for those interested in a standard accommodations experience. As well, there are numerous bed and breakfast homes throughout the area that give a more personal touch. And of course there is always the Rockwell Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast. Accessible only by boat, it is the ultimate Sitka experience!

(See a photo of Rockwell Lighthouse. Opens in a new window.)

What to do

Folks come to Alaska for the scenery. The ocean and the tall spruce trees that line the nearby mountains make for some of the best scenery Alaska has to offer. There are numerous forest trails to hike and take in the sights. Fishing charters are abundant and guaranteed to leave you breathless. There are museums to help you explore the unique history of Sitka. Downtown Sitka has wonderful bookstores and coffee shops for those times when the weather calls for some warm and inviting indoor activities.

Come to Sitka. Explore. Be mesmerized by the people and the scenery. Come to a different Alaska.

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George Angus

GEORGE ANGUS, author of The Writing Experience, is a popular blogger who enjoys helping other writers. George has a background in Emergency Medical Services and has been published in trade journals. Before becoming a full-time writer, he operated a successful paramedic school. Currently about 50 pages into his first novel, he is the owner of Tumblemoose Writing Service. George lives in Palmer, Alaska.

Jerry Snelling

JERRY SNELLING landed in Sitka with the Coast Guard in 1968. Head gardener for 30 years for Sitka Pioneer Home, he retired in 2002 (see the gardens). He walks with his dog Katie every day in Sitka National Historical Park and always carries his camera. Jerry and his wife Kathryn will celebrate their 40th anniversary in September 2009. You can enjoy more of Jerry’s magnificent photos at PalusMus.

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Postscript from Milli: I recently had the pleasure of seeing The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. This funny and heartwarming story keeps up a cracking pace as the odd couple lurches from one disaster to the next. It had me laughing and crying from start to finish. My husband also enjoyed it immensely.

One of the outstanding features of the movie was the setting: Sitka, Alaska. The trailer below doesn’t show much in that regard, but the town is picturesque and the scenery stunning.

P.P.S. A reader wrote in to let me know The Proposal was actually filmed in Rockport, Massachusetts, with Mount Edgecumbe dropped in behind the town as a special effect. Wah! Another Hollywood dupe. Even so, the movie inspired me to put Sitka on my bucket list, and that’s a good thing.