K & L's Travel Blog

September 23-24, 2025

We spend our last day in Ingonish with a slow, easy morning: washing clothes and cleaning house. We stepped out about 10:00 and walked down to the beach on N. Ingonish Bay where I’d watched the sunset that first night with Mary & Star. It’s quiet and still, and we walk down to the wharf and check out the boats. There is a small fidgety crowd gathered for the Zodiac Whale Watch who seem to be waiting nervously for their adventure. We watch a helicopter shuttle construction supplies up to Franey Mountain.

A group of four in a big SUV passes us. The driver gets out and I brace myself for some conflict, but of course, I am in Canada and he just wants to chat. When he finds out we’re heading for Mahone Bay tomorrow, he says “I have a house in Mahone Bay!” Kitty says “Well, you must have us over for wine!” and he seems to acquiesce, but we laugh and shrug it off. A minute later they pass and stop to ask us further questions and ending with “Perhaps we’ll see you there!” They seem so sincere we almost expect that we’ll spend an afternoon with them in Mahone Bay.

That afternoon we go to the Main Street Restaurant. It’s buzzing when we enter but cleared by the time we get our food and finish our meals. A waiter has a great shirt so K gets a photo to share the sentiment. The food is pretty good and the desserts will knock your socks off.

The rest of the afternoon we spend cleaning and packing for tomorrow’s trip to the South Shore, and end up leaving about 9:00. The drive along the shore is still as amazing as it was on our way into town, and we passed many of the same sights we remembered on our way, along with the same construction sites.

For lunch we stopped at “Whistleberry Market,” a place that had been enthusiastically recommended to us by the “I Love Nova Scotia” FB page. It’s a pretty expansive market full of some touristy items and a wide variety of foodstuffs: meats, cheeses, vegetables & fruits, a stand-alone “Spice Shack” and enough varieties of colorful candies to please any child. The food was pretty good but the vibe made it all worthwhile. We sat next to two older women (our age) who said they ate out together every Wednesday. Last week they had eaten at Grams. I wondered if they were active on FB.

We got into Mahone Bay at about 4:00, a bit late due to more construction delays near the airport. Our place is on the bay and above a shop with a small balcony. It has two bedrooms and a nice, spacious kitchen. The steps up are a bit shaky, but we manage to haul our stuff up and take a break before going out to the nearby grocery store where Kitty buys two pork chops and a salad. We enjoy our Main Street desserts and settle in to watch the sunset over the bay. Aaah!