Thursday, May 24, 2012

Valley Adventure

The long weekend brought beautiful weather and after working Saturday and Sunday  I was desperate to escape the city and head into the countryside!
A friend of mine told me I must go to Luckett Vinyards and I am SO GLAD we did.  It was our first stop. What an amazing view over the fields and off towards the headland Blomidon. Blomidon according to First Nation folklore, was  the home of Glooscap, a Mi'kmaq God/giant/magician/benevolent leader who one day vanished into the sunset.
Inside, there is a tasting bar where you can sample various wines and all around are the large silver containers full of ripening vino. Pete also has a brand of olive oil available for tasting too as wells as other tasty bits and pieces. Buy a bottle, get a picnic and head off into the vines! Something I'd like to do later this summer:)
You eat outside, al fresco, under large umbrellas overlooking that magnificent view. Did I mention it already? Worth mentioning again:)  That's Pete himself making sure everyone is happy.
 We ordered veggie paninis which were absolutely delicious, artichokes and asparagus were part of the inner bounty. Mmmm. I ordered a Muscat to drink, a wonderful fragrant white wine.
The famous red phone box out in the vineyard is a wonderful touch of whimsy and a nod to Pete Luckett's heritage. His signature wine is called Phone Box Red. 
Oh, I forgot to mention that there were three Eagles soaring ovehead as we dined!!!
Our next stop was The Big Red Barn in Port Williams.
I always stop in here on any trip to Wolfville. Hidden behind giant lilac bushes and trees you might miss it if you did not know it was here.
You never know what you will find.
Chock-a-block with goodies. Remember this daguerrotype? I found it here.
Four floors!
OK, enough poking about, onward ho to.. ...oh yes, and they had one of these! Hard to get out of this place, always something else to see.
I better wrap this up, too many pictures I want to share. We ended our day at Domaine de Grand Pre. A small place somewhere in Europe. Ha ha, not really but it could have been. That's my mum.
I mean really, could this not be the South of France or Italy? More alfresco dining. A light supper here before heading home. Of course in between the two meals there were bookstores visited, apple blossom hunting, gelato sampling (I had some ginger beer instead), Wolfville exploring and of course treasure hunting at the "barn". Did not want to make a long post even longer!
Waiting for salads.
Mum had one of the best caesar salads she's ever tasted, I think it was the Dragon's Breath blue cheese that found it's way into the dressing:) This was my parsnip and apple salad with hazlenuts. An exotic coleslaw but oh so delicious!
 I hope you enjoyed our little holiday Monday adventure!

11 comments:

Loth said...

Sigh. That post almost makes up for the fact that we are not getting to Nova Scotia this year.


Almost.

Kerry O'Gorman said...

Looks like my kinda day! Thrifting and eating...yum!

Tammi Hayne said...

The valley (especially the Wolfville area) is one of my favourite spots in our beautiful province. Even though I'm a shunpiker and explorer or nooks and crannies you always seem to find ones I haven't yet explored.
I'd love to do a day trip with you sometime to the valley. It would be so much fun exploring together!

aliceinparis said...

~Loth, I cannot believe after all the trips you have made, we have yet to meet.I'm sorry you won't be here this year but next year the Province awaits!
~ Kerry, these are the best kind of trips. You never know what you will find:)
~ WindsweptCoast,Yes!!

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

Ahhhh! You've given me the perfect day to spend with my eldest who'll be visiting next month. Thank you Shelagh.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Hey, is that Pete Luckett of "Pete's Fruitique" fame? I used to watch him on CBC Midday all the time when I was a university student! Makes sense that he's moved into viniculture!

aliceinparis said...

~Sandy, you will have a blast!
~ Debra, Yes, it is that very same Pete!He's a busy man.

Alice said...

gosh, looks absolutely divine, with just about everything included that I would love! x

Renee said...

You always find the neatest places to visit. My brother works here at the vineyard, I've yet to go check it out, looks lovely! That antique shop, very neat.

leendadll said...

everything is so pretty.

that car! Ohhhhhhhhhhh~~~~

FoundProdigalDaughter said...

I love reading your blog and looking at your fabulous photo's, it almost makes me feel like I'm there too. :) I love that you included a pic of the car. It reminds me of the replica kit car my dad built when I was growing up... his is a 52 MG, I see this to is an MG and by the appearance I'm going to guess original and somewhere close to the same year. Thank you.