This summer marks 25 years together for me and Sarah.

That gives us a reason to celebrate. Or, at least to take a bike ride.

We were married near Copenhagen, Denmark, at the end of the 20th century. So we chose to honor our silver anniversary by visiting yet another country — Canada.

For the next six days, we’ll be riding bicycles in beautiful Nova Scotia, one of Canada’s three maritime provinces. Nova Scotia was one of the four original provinces, along with New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec, that constituted the Dominion of Canada in 1867.

The province comprises the peninsula of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, and a number of small adjacent islands. Nova Scotia is almost completely surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean; no point in the province is more than 35 miles from the ocean. Its past and present are tied closely to the maritime life of fishing, shipbuilding, and transatlantic shipping.

During our bike ride, we expect to consume a bountiful harvest of seafood. It may be my first trip in years that doesn’t include a staple of burger-and-fries.

Nova Scotia, which is Latin for “New Scotland,” is about 2,800 miles from Carbondale. The name — Nova Scotia — was the result of brief Scottish claims to the region in the 1620s.

Tonight, on the eve of our ride, we are in the provincial capital of Halifax, the most visited destination in all of Nova Scotia. Halifax is a major international seaport, with a population of about 480,000. A seaport, of course, means seafood, and no food from the North Atlantic is more prized than lobster.

Nova Scotia is world-famous for its lobster. From a traditional lobster dinner to a beach side lobster boil to lobster rolls, creamed lobster, lobster poutine and even lobster beer, we expect some form of lobster on our dinner table every night for the next eight days as we explore the island province.

Lobster was not initially considered a delicacy in Nova Scotia. It was the children of poorer families who had to bring lobster sandwiches to school because they couldn’t afford the “better” meats that the wealthier families enjoyed.

The tin can deserves credit for the beginnings of the lobster fishing industry in this area. Nova Scotia’s first cannery opened in 1858, allowing residents to ship seafood to other parts of the world. But modern transportation truly changed the lobster industry, as it allowed live lobsters to be transported from rural outposts to large urban centers.

On this trip, we don’t plan to fish. But we certainly will consume it. Lobster, mussels, scallops, haddock, halibut, and oysters will find their way onto our plates — morning, noon and night.

Tomorrow, we join 15 other riders and begin pedaling.

Vroom …