Digby is a town of about 2000 people situated at the top of a skinny peninsula on the west coast of Nova Scotia, jutting into the Bay of Fundy with its enormous tides. Dating back to 1760, the town has a long history as a hub of transportation, since its harbor was suitable for steamships arriving from the U.S. to connect passengers with the railroad there. Today, ferry service from New Brunswick brings loads of tourists, including ourselves on an earlier visit. Fishing, especially for scallops, has long been a mainstay of the Digby economy. I can personally attest that the scallops here are the largest and best tasting I've ever eaten.
We came here this time to take a whale watching tour from Digby Neck, the name given to the peninsula by locals. The bay has as many as twelve species of whales each summer, but some are uncommon or even rare. We saw several types of whales (minke, humpback and finback) as well as Atlantic white-sided dolphins. According to our guides, whales' flukes are unique, like fingerprints. They claimed to recognize some of the whales and had names for them. Of course, we could have been easily fooled.
Other sights along the "neck" included the usual: fishing boats, lighthouses, channel markers and even a few seals.
After saying goodbye to our tour boat, we hiked across the peninsula to see some crazy rock formations.
The next day, we took the opportunity to drive along the southwest coast of Nova Scotia to see some of the villages there. We stopped in some very picturesque lighthouses and churches along the way.
One village that we couldn't pass without stopping was Parker's Cove.
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