This post is dedicated to our Toronto friends Mike Dixon and his partner Graidhne who invited us to visit them in Chester. The timing of their Nova Scotia holiday and where we were in our journey made this visit possible. The house in Chester is Graidhne’s childhood home owned by her parents Ray and Leni. The house is situated on a hill overlooking the harbour. We arrived in Chester in the afternoon and were greeted by Mike and Graidhne’s naked, three-and-a-half-year-old son Quintin who’s opening words were, ‘welcome to the nudist colony!’ It should be noted that Quintin’s preferred state of dress is undressed. Our arrival in Chester coincided with the World Cup Soccer Final – Netherlands vs. Argentina. As Leni is from Holland and both Graidhne and Ray have lived in Holland we became instant supporters of the team from the Netherlands. We all made our way down to the Focsle Pub in Chester to watch the game and cheer for Holland. Thanks to the Amiro clan there was a lot of orange clothing in the pub. Even Graidhne and Mike’s one-month-old baby girl Ellemijn was outfitted appropriately. Sadly the Netherlands lost the game in overtime penalty kicks. We all went home that night to drown our sorrows.

The next morning Leni and Ray suggested we all go to the Chester Golf Club for breakfast because the view from the dining room is one of the most beautiful in Chester. Ironically it was an incredibly foggy morning and we couldn’t see further than the edge of the shoreline. The joke was that we came for the view but stayed for the breakfast. Afterwards we accompanied Mike to Mahone Bay and Lunenburg. We wandered around über-colourful Lunenburg snapping photos, eating ice cream, looking at local folk art and crafts and sampling spirits at the Ironworks Distillery. The folks at Ironworks recommended that we go to Corkum’s Island to buy our fresh shellfish for our dinner that evening.  The friendly owner at Corkum’s showed us a huge lobster which you can see Mike holding up in one the photos. We ending up buying local lobster, two kinds of clams and mussels. We stopped in Mahone Bay and bought some produce from the limited selection and a strawberry-rhubarb pie for dessert. The three of us led by the chef prepared a feast for the family. It was the best shellfish we ever tasted and the best meal to be had in Chester that night. Everyone enjoyed and savoured the fruits of the sea and the very good company.

We loved every moment of our visit with the Dixon/Amiro/Lelieveld family and Chester is one of the prettiest towns we have ever spent time. Thank you friends for a really lovely time!