After a morning in Peggy’s Cove, we drove 100 km along Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast to the town of Lunenburg.

With a population of 2,200, it’s an idyllic Maritime province village. In 1995, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site; more recently, it was a prominent filming locating for the (ostensibly Massachusetts-set) Netflix series Locke and Key.

From Lunenburg Harbour, a picture-postcard view of the backs of buildings along main drag Montague Street.

Bright, bold colors distinguish Lunenburg’s historic buildings, like the red one in this essay’s first photo and the aquamarine one directly above.

Occasionally, perhaps a little too bright and bold…

…but not everywhere. This hulking stone fortress of a bank is unlike anything I’ve spotted in all my years as a New England resident.

Walk a little further away from the harbour and you’ll reach the Lunenburg Heritage Bandstand and War Memorial.

As usual, the town’s cool signage caught my eye.

Five years on, gift shop Dots & Loops is still in business, albeit online only.

Fortunately, Stan’s Dad & Lad (est. 1955) is still physically open for business.

Alas, this homage to a certain British sitcom (whether an actual hotel or not) is permanently closed according to Google. Upon seeing this sign, my first thought was, “Basil! What are you doing in Canada?”

Your requisite Canadian flag and fish hanging from a utility pole.

Naturally, Lunenburg Harbour is as beautiful as the town that borders it.

I believe this is the Bluenose II Ship, more information about which can be found here.

Across the harbour, the green expanse of the Bluenose Golf Club. In retrospect, we could’ve used more time to explore Lunenburg, but we had another coastal town to see on that day’s itinerary…