First course was ‘skillet fried blue crab cakes’, followed by ‘herb crusted rack of Ontario lamb’ which I placed on a center table after asking the couple seated nearby if they would mind my taking a photograph. They didn’t, and loved the result. Dessert was a smooth bourbon chocolate cake.

We selected a bottle of Waupoos baco noir to accompany. Waupoos (aboriginal for rabbit) is a local winery. For a photo, I placed the cork with the rabbit diving into the bottle, recalling the Lewis Caroll story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. With its eclectic wine list The Merrill Inn boasts the only restaurant between Ottawa and Toronto which has received The Wine Spectator award of excellence three times in a row.

From our bedroom window at the back of the mansion the snow covered patio and chairs reminded me of the Embankment in London, England on drizzly nights when I was a young film student in that city

Breakfast was precisely prepared by Edward. Although served in the dining room, to our host’s amusement I whisked each dish into the front drawing room to utilize the surrounding décor in my photos.

Following breakfast, we explored the inn, and couldn’t help notice the many Easter-theme rabbits dotting the rooms. www.merrillinn.com

A WEE TASTE OF NOVA SCOTIA

Belgian chocolate lobster by Rosemary's Chocolates, Halifax NS

Photos and text © Gary Crallé 2008. All rights reserved.

Note: To view the entire blog, click ‘2008’ on the right side of your screen. It will turn yellow, and you are set to go!

The average mean temperature in Canada’s ‘down east’ maritime provinces during winter months can be, well, mean. But weather should never dampen your sense of adventure. The Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC), of which I am a member, was holding its annual conference in Nova Scotia, February, 2008, and I was looking forward to it. The salient point of any trip, I’ve learned from long experience, is exactly that: the experience. And when you are anywhere with a group of friends and kindred souls, it will always be an experience to savour. Particularly in a place of small communities like Nova Scotia, the many warm welcomes easily trump climate.