We arrived at Digby Pine Resort and Spa in the late
afternoon, a place oozing with character. The golf course and gorgeous gardens
surround the main lodge, a 1929 Norman-style chateau. This building offers 85
guestrooms including six luxury suites and common areas. Those wishing a more
private setting, choose among 31 one, two and three-bedroom Maritime-style
cottages. Each cottage has a homey living room, with a cozy fireplace and
spacious veranda. Complimentary wireless Internet is available throughout the
property.
The lobby takes one back in time though everything has been
refitted. I enjoyed the slideshow on the computer showing the Digby Resort back
in the 1930's-50's. The veranda is a gracious spot for an afternoon drink, and
we found the main bar and restaurant, plus the gift shop downstairs.
King Room with view of Annapolis Basin |
The Pines first opened in 1905 as a large wooden hotel.
During World War I, army officers used the facilities. After the war, its new owners, the Canadian
Pacific Railway, replaced the original
wooden hotel with the present building that opened on June 24, 1929. The
Government of Nova Scotia purchased the hotel in 1965. In 2001, management by
New Castle Hotels and Resorts took over.
In 2005, the hotel officially became the “Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa” in
recognition of the past and celebration of the future.
The Town of Digby and Bay of Fundy
Greg Turner of Gael Tours Photo @ Debi Lander |
Downtown Digby Photo @ Debi Lander |
We continued and climbed the hill to see historic homes
along Queen Street
and the Trinity Anglican Church, a National Historic site and cemetery before
eventually returning to the Visitor
Center. We learned that
little Digby hosts the largest multi-day motorcycle rally in Canada, the Wharf Rat Rally, on Labor Day
weekend. Imagine tens of thousands of
bikes and bikers. (We're glad we missed that one.)
Greg explained the tides on the Bay of
Fundy, a
famous natural wonder for its miraculous shift of water, the highest in the
world. Twice a day, 115 billion tons of water move in and out causing a rise
and fall of 20, 30, often 40 feet. During a full moon and high winds, Bay of Fundy tides rise as high as fifty-three feet. In
Digby, it ranges from 27 to 32 feet. (Next trip, I want to try Tidal Bore
rafting.)
On our drive back to the resort, we witnessed low
tide. Whoa- what a change. For anyone who ever read the children's
classic book, The Five Chinese Brothers, I swear it looked my recollections of
the brother who drank up the sea. Within our
two-hour tour, a tidal pool of tremendous proportion was created.
We returned in time for lunch at the 19th Hotel at Digby Pines
Golf Course. From this vantage point, the course looked beautiful and not too crowded. What did we pick
to eat? Why, seafood chowder, and a lobster roll, of course!
Digby Pines Golf Course Photo @ Debi Lander |
Afterward, the Aveda salon at the resort pleasured us with spa
treatments. I indulged in a facial that left me feeling moisturized and relaxed.
Digby is surrounded by interesting little villages, scenic coves and inlets and other surprises. One side trip took us to Rendezvous-vous de la Baie Acadian Interpretive Center in Church Point where Denis and his daughter Isabelle Comeau were waiting for us.
Surprise, surprise, they were distant cousins of a friend of Judy's. No surprise, every Comeau in North America is related because they are descended from the one Comeau who came here.
We sampled a classic dish, rapure or rappie (pronounced "roppie"), grated potatoes and meat stock, tasted dried fish, then learned about the French colonists who stayed in Canada rather than be deported to Louisiana.
Back to Annapolis Royal for Dinner and a Ghost Tour
Not too much relaxation allowed, we are working girls, so
headed back to Annapolis Royal for dinner at Cafe Compose. The restaurant became a surprising delight. My fish was tender and light; the sauce
divine. The Viennese owners serve delicious seafood and an audacious apple
strudel a la mode. I squeezed in one bite of Sacher torte that was passed around the table, but found it a bit
dry. The restaurant offers scenic views of the Bay; however, some tables sit
directly in the sun as it sets.
The evening ended with a Candlelight Ghost Tour at what is
now the Fort Anne Historic Site. Originally started in 1629 as Port Royal, the
area fell to the British in 1710 and was renamed Fort Anne.
Heritage interpreter Alan Melanson leads
a tour in Garrison
Cemetery, formerly used
by the French military, Acadians, the British military and the parish of St.
Luke’s. The headstones that survive
represent only a portion of the total number of people buried in this
graveyard.
Ghost Tour at Fort Anne |
Most participants pick up a candle-powered lantern to carry,
and as the light fades, the tour sets off,
bobbing and weaving through the darkness. The lanterns create a pleasing
atmosphere but one that attracts mosquitoes and not one especially adequate for
photography. Soon we were being eaten alive and called it a night. Sadly,
Melanson is a good storyteller, and this ghost tour is far better than most.
However, douse yourself with bug spray if you want to enjoy the tour of one of Canada’s oldest
English graveyards.
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