Lunenburg is one of only two urban communities in North America designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With more than seventy percent of Lunenburg's original colonial buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries still standing, this place is not only adorable, it's downright charming.
We were lucky enough to score a spot at Lunenburg's Board of Trade Campground, which was, oddly enough, in town. Feeling spoiled with the ability to suddenly walk to everything we wanted to see, we donned our finest tennis shoes and hit the streets.
Should you wish to have lunch in this town, the locals will tell you to head straight to The Knot Pub and get yourself some homemade chili and a side salad. The locals are knot wrong. Aside from wishing that we'd had a babysitter so that we could have ponied up to the boat bar, this place was pub perfection. Wooden door, circular booths, grapefruit "soda beer" deliciousness. Yes.
Following lunch, the boys were desperately in need of haircuts when we found Oddfellows Barber Shop. This skateboard-themed establishment offered up snuggles with the house dog and plenty of entertainment from the shop's owner, who lives in the back. We know he lives there because Andrew accidentally walked into his makeshift bedroom instead of the bathroom. Whoopsies! All that fun and haircuts, to boot!
We strolled into St. John's Anglican Church and read the story of their recent fire, how the community had worked together to sift through the ashes and save every piece of history that they could find, and the stunning rebuild. If that wasn't enough, there is also a crypt in the basement.
For dinner, we took the advice of our barber from Oddfellows and headed to the Old Black Forest Restaurant for some German delights. Andrew made it clear that he was not going to order from the Kids' Menu and instead decided on Sauerbraten with Spaetzel after kicking back with the menu and asking the waitress "What's better, the Schnitzel or the steak?" Such a big boy.
Finally, no visit to Lunenburg would be complete without a visit to the Ironworks Distillery. April's obsession with this establishment had started a week earlier with the Rhubarb Moscow Mule(s) she had fallen in love with near Peggy's Cove.
Now ready to snag a bottle of Rhubarb Liqueur for herself (and a few bottles for the upcoming rhubarb-themed Naples pool party she was planning in her head... everything tart and boozy), we signed up for the last tour of the day and counted the minutes until the part where we got to drink the fruity stuff. A dozen or so mini-shots later, we both agreed that the Rhubarb and Haskap Berry Liqueurs were the best, and obviously needed to come home with us. Immediately.
Our kids, while very much welcomed by the staff, were generally uninterested in anything on the tour other than their video games. They sat, quietly defeating Bowser, as we calculated the potential import tax on our purchases. Our tour guide, baffled by how good they were, gave them each a "kids cup"... also known as a shot glass... as a gift for being such wonderful guests. We took a moment to tell them what great kids they are, how proud of them we are, and how much we love them. Then we stole their shot glasses. Time to walk back up the hill to the campground!
Back at camp, Andrew played baseball with four brothers from the camper next to us until the sun went down. Exhausted, we pulled him inside for a shower amid tears and protest. Sad to leave his new friends behind, Andrew made sure to draw them a picture before we left.
Early the next morning, Andrew delivered his drawing to his new friends, waving goodbye to them as we left. Goodbye, Lunenburg! Off to Annapolis Royal!
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