Nova Scotia

We arrived in North Sydney at 2:30 pm but did not get out of the ferry until 3:30.  We were down in the hold in deck one. We did not realize there was another deck on the ship.  The whole third floor on the ferry had to unload before they could open the doors to let us out. 

We made a bee-line to Ft. Louisbourg to get there before it closed.  As it turned out we made it with only one-half hour to go.  We got in free and had a chance to do an extremely quick tour and watch them fire the 4:45 cannon.  Ft. Louisbourg is a completely restored replica of the French Fort constructed in the 1700's.  It was destroyed by the British in 1758.

We spent two nights in Halifax and one day touring Halifax. We started at the Citadel, the large fort occupying the high spot in Halifax.  The present fort was the fourth constructed in 1856.  None of the forts ever saw any conflicts.  Today re-enactors portraying the 78th Highland Regiment carry out life in 1869.   A tour of the Maritime Museum was next.  The museum has a large display of the Titanic with some of its artifacts.  Lunch was enjoyed on the dock. 

We visited St. Paul's Anglican Church which was established in 1749 and is the oldest still standing church in Canada.  We saw a piece of wood that was lodged into the wall of the church during the 1917  Halifax explosion of the  ammunitions ship at the harbor. We had a tour of the church and saw the royal pew (below).  This is reserved for members of the Royal family when visiting Halifax.

Royal Pew

That afternoon we took the short drive to Peggy's Cove.  Peggy's Cove is a picturesque fishing community south of Halifax and a favorite tourist site.  The site was mobbed by tourists, including bus loads of passengers from a Disney Cruise ship in Halifax.  We walked out to the lighthouse with the hoard.  Above is a photo of the colorful tiny harbor.

The next day we headed south to the Town of Lunenburg.  This charming fishing village was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.  It is the only whole town to be so designated.  It is home to an extremelhy interesting fisheries museum including two old fishing ships at the dock.  It is also know as the home port for the Bluenose II, a reconstructed version of the famous schooner. We took a horse and buggy ride around town to see the many old homes with many interesting paint jobs, such as that above.

The Bluenose II was out of water (above) being refurbished.  It is expected to be launched again in a few months.

The final day of touring we travelled to the west side of the  peninsula from Liverpool to Annapolis Royal.  Here we visited the Fort Anne National Historic site.  This is the remnants of the last of four forts built on the site,the first constructed in 1629.  It has been controlled most of its early period by the French. The British took controil in 1710.  At that time Annapolis was Capital of Nova Scotia until the settlement of Halifax. The troops barracks remain today as a museum.  We also visited a beautiful 14-acre garden in town.

The  final visit was to the Habitation at Port Royal, across the river from Annapolis Royal.  This reconstruction is on the site of the first European settlement in North American during the year 1605.  After a quick tour of the site we were on the road again.  We spent the night at a B & B in Wolfville, famous as the area for deportation of the Acadians made famous in the Longfellow poem "Evangaline"

Friday we started back to New Hampshire and found that we were making better time than expected, so we cancelled our reservation in Moncton, NB and travelled on to Bangor, Maine, arriving at 7:30 pm.  Tomorrow the trip will end mid-day at Ossipee Lake.  It has been a great trip for the four of us.

We recommend such a trip to all.  The three primary Provinces visited were entirely different.  Prince Edward Island is a charming small island with many farms. The area is known for its red soil and potato farming.  Nova Scotia is varied.  In the south farming is common while Cape Breton Island is rugged with fishing dominant.  The heritage of the Scottish and French is obvious in various areas of the Province.  Newfoundland is totally different.  It is a rugged land dominated by small fishing villages along the coast.  The main lineage is English and Irish with some French in the west.  They are all different and very rewarding to visit.  Canadians we talked to who have been to Newfoundland say it is unlike any other place in Canada.  Try them all!