A few years ago, Allan and I attended a financial luncheon. We were listening to the conclusion of the presentation while eating our lunch when a woman arrived without her husband…45 minutes late. She sat at our table and whispered to me “Has he discussed transfer of death benefits yet?”
I looked at her with my fork poised in mid-air. 45 minutes late, asking about the transfer of death benefits, and no husband with her. Hmmmm.
I thought her next question would be “And where can I pick up some Hefty bags and a bottle of bleach?”
When one of our sons and his wife were in the process of cleaning out their apartment and throwing a lot of stuff out in preparation for the move to their new home, they decided that their old garbage can needed to be tossed…it was cracked and in ill repair. They put it out with the garbage only to return from work to find the garbage can still standing alongside the cans that they wished to keep. The same thing happened at the next garbage day. And the next. The garbage can goes out…with nothing in it…only to still be there when they return.
So the question is, how DOES one get rid of a garbage can? Short of getting out a chainsaw and slicing it into little pieces, that trash can is destined to stay on the curb and not become landfill somewhere in New Jersey, (because we all know everything winds up in New Jersey including Jimmy Hoffa.) The garbage men have a job to do and they take it very seriously. They do not want to take a garbage can by mistake and toss it into the crusher. They don’t want the residents running down the block after the garbage truck screaming “Bring that back! That’s my garbage can!! Okay, so it’s cracked and there’s no bottom in it, but hey, it still has a purpose in life!!”
So my advice was to just put that trashcan out on moving day at its place of honor on the curb, maybe with a sign attached “Pick Me! Pick Me!”and drive away slowly. Maybe someone needs to invent a new concept…the disposable trash can.
We boarded our bus after breakfast and off we went with our local guide, to visit Peggy’s Cove, which is nestled along the shores of St. Margaret’s Bay. The cove is a small fishing community and is one of Canada’s most popular tourist spots.
Only 35 residents live in the cove during the summer with 30 residing there during the winter months. The cove has everything needed to support their lives…a church, a school, a general store, and of course, fish and lobsters!!
The lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove is one of the most photographed of lighthouses, (I know…they said that about the last lighthouse we visited on this tour), and it truly makes for a beautiful photo with the rocks that have been smoothed by the winds and the sea crashing below. Many people have perished on the black rocks below the lighthouse because a rogue wave can arise suddenly and sweep anyone who is foolish enough to try to navigate the rocks, to their death. Our guide made the point… Don’t go on the black rocks!!!
One thought as to how the name Peggy’s Cove came about, was when a young child, the only survivor of a ship wreck, was rescued. She was subsequently adopted by a family living at the cove and they named her Peggy, and thus, the area became known as Peggy’s Cove. Others think the cove got its name because it is right off St Margaret’s Bay, and Peggy is a nickname for Margaret. Who knows what the true story is.
(Sadly, right near Peggy’s Cove in the entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay, was where on September 2, 1998, Swiss Air flight 111 crash landed killing all 229 souls onboard. The flight took off from JFK – its final destination being Geneva, Switzerland, when an onboard fire caused the plane to plunge into the sea. Ships, warships, aircraft, and submarines came from all over the world to aid in the retrieval of bodies and plane parts. The largest plane part that was discovered was the size of a dinner plate. That’s how enormous the devastation was. Additionally, two paintings by Picasso were on the plane and were never found. There is a monument marking the tragedy on the shore nearby.)
The Cove houses many artists and a famous one, William deGarth, not only painted beautiful watercolors of the sea, but he decided at the age of 70 to become a sculptor, and he created a mural carved in the huge granite stone that was in front of his home.
The work depicts thirty-two fishermen and their wives and children with the wings of St. Elmo, the patron saint of fisherman, protecting them. It also features the image of little Peggy, who deGarthe believed gave her name to the village.
Since Allan and I have been to Peggy’s Cove before, and have already seen the sites, we stopped into the Sou’Wester, a restaurant in Peggy’s cove that overlooks the water, and had a chocolate danish and a cup of coffee.
We did walk around the cove a bit, and it was wonderful, with the sun shining on our faces, the balmy winds at our backs, and the beauty of the sea right in front of us. It was a lovely place to visit.
After visiting Peggy’s Cove, we boarded the bus and drove to the town of Lunenburg. The town became an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. It is apparently an excellent example of a British settlement, with original layout and appearance of the 1800’s. The town’s homes and stores are painted in vibrant colors and it was nice to walk around and admire them all.
Some of the houses have a unique feature… a bump! Lunenburg builders extended the central dormer out and down from the roof, thereby creating an overhang or ‘bump’ above the main entrance. It has been fondly named “the Lunenburg Bump” and it can be found in many homes in the area.
We had lunch with friends and walked around some more, finishing with a delicious ice cream cone. Then it was back in the bus and our local guide regaled us with stories about the area.
As we neared Halifax, our guide told us that on December 6, 1917, one of the greatest disasters in Canadian history occurred. The ship, the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship carrying explosives, collided with the SS Imo, a Belgian Relief vessel outside the Halifax harbor. The resulting explosion, devastated the north end of Halifax, killing approximately 2,000 people and injuring about 9,000. It was the largest artificial explosion before the use of nuclear weapons.
Interestingly, significant aid came from Boston, Massachusetts in an effort to help revive the devastation of the homes and businesses as well as to help the families who lost loved ones. To this day, every Christmas, the government of Halifax sends a Christmas tree to Boston to be erected in the town square, as a thank you for all the aid they sent. The Bostonians who were builders, plumbers, architects, iron workers, etc. apparently remained in Halifax for around 5 years, helping to rebuild the area and giving aid to those who needed it. (Our guide said 35 years, but I looked it up and it was about 5 years, which is still very generous and was much appreciated.)
We also passed by Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel on our way to our hotel and our bus driver Mark told us it is famous for being built in one day on August 31, 1843. On that day, 1,800 to 2,000 parishioners, many of them Irish immigrants, gathered to raise the frame, roof, and complete the exterior and interior painting of the chapel in just one day, on a pre-prepared foundation. Unbelievable how that many people could work together and accomplish such a task.
We all went to the Farewell Dinner and had a very nice time and we bid goodbye and safe travels to our new friends. I gave my blog site to everyone and someone thought that I made money on my blog. If only! Trust me…I only write for the sheer enjoyment. No money involved. And please excuse any misspellings or punctuation mistakes. I write each post every night on my Iphone…which isn’t the easiest to do.
This morning we went on our bus through the countryside to the seaside town of Shediac, where we boarded a chartered boat for just our group, to learn more about lobsters and to enjoy a lobster lunch.
Yesterday we had learned of the carapace or hard shell that covers the lobster and what the fisherman measures to see if the lobster is big enough to be a keeper, or be returned to the water.
Our guide told us all about the parts of the lobster before we dined on one. The legs on the lobster are small and it takes some work when eating a lobster, to get the meat out. Lobsters use these legs to walk.
Lobsters use their front claws to catch food and battle predators and other lobsters. The larger claw is known as the crusher. It is used when fighting to crush its prey. The smaller one, sharp and pointed, is used to break apart food. Females have smaller claws than their male counterparts.
The lobster tail helps a lobster to move around in the water. When the lobster needs to escape, it forcefully contracts its tail and rushes backwards. They have been clocked going backwards at 24 kilometers our guide said. Females have larger tails than males. You can tell the female by the larger fan at the end of the tail.
The lobster feeds on herring and mackerel and the hair in their small legs serve as taste buds.
The best way to cook a lobster is to boil water and put about a 1/2 cup of salt in for each gallon of water. Place the lobster in the water and boil for the number of minutes per pound that is recommended. (See the photo below). Once the lobster is boiled, plunge it into cold water with the same salt content. This loosens the meat from the shell to make it easier to eat.
Before we were served our lobster, the guide gave us a crash course on how to attack a lobster to eat it.
The first thing you do is articulate the claw leg by pulling it back and down. Then you take a cracker sideways on the claws to crack them open. Then you twist the tail off. The body…you squeeze between your hands and crush it. I never eat that part of the lobster, nor do I eat the green or red stuff inside. He said both are delicious and the green can be spread on crackers like a pate. The green is called tomalley, a combined organ that functions as liver and pancreas. The red substance is called roe and are the eggs of the female lobster.
We were served a whole chilled lobster for lunch with potato salad and cold slaw. I usually like my lobster served hot with lots of melted butter, but I must say, this was perhaps the tastiest lobster I’ve ever eaten. It was juicy, with just the right amount of salt, and so tender.
After our boat ride and wonderful lunch, we rode the bus to Halifax, where our trip began 10 days ago, and enjoyed dinner with our new friends once again.
It was a great day and the weather has been beautiful!
Lobster trap
The gauge to measure the lobster
A good time was had by all…(except for the poor lobster).
We were up bright and early to board our bus and after an hour, arrived at the ferry port at St Andrew’s Harbor to board our boat to Campobello Island. Grand Circle chartered this boat just for our group, so we had the boat all to ourselves. The Island is home to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s summer cottage. It is also the home of Campobello International Park which is jointly administered, staffed, and funded by the people of Canada and the United States.
As we ferried along, our local guide told us all about lobster fishing in these beautiful waters. The government enforces many rules to keep lobster fishing legal and given St Andrew’s close proximity to Maine, the US government also regulates the industry and both countries work together to make the lobster fishing profitable and environmentally sound for all. We were so close to Maine on our voyage that our phones changed the time to Maine time which is an hour before Canadian time.
Our guide told us that to obtain a lobster fishing license, the cost can be close to a million dollars, and that doesn’t count what you actually need to catch the lobsters – a boat, cages, ropes, buoys, etc. She said that there is a limit with the license as to how many traps you can set and she said it’s usually about 300+ in this area. I forget the exact number.
The very first day the lobster fishing season opens for the season, usually at 6 am, the boats are lined up and ready to motor to their favorite “sweet spots” where they know from experience, will be the most bountiful for lobsters trapping. They set their traps…all 300+ and then they go back at night and pull ALL those traps and remove their catch. They can pull in over 20,000 lbs of lobster in a day!!! Then… they go right back and set all the traps again. It’s hard work since no matter the weather, the fisherman go out each day to set traps and harvest lobsters.
The lobsters that the government allows the fisherman to keep, are measured basically from where the eyes are to where the tail begins and for New Brunswick lobsters, that area must be over 3 inches in length. They are measured with a special gauge and anything below that size must be tossed back.
In Canada, federal law prohibits the buying, selling, or possession of female lobsters with eggs attached, so those females must be put back into the sea. Before the lobster goes back, however, the fisherman will put a large V in the tail of the lobster signifying that lobster is a “breeder” and if that lobster is caught again, it should be returned to the sea, even if she is not bearing eggs at that time. The V notch is a conservation measure widely adopted by fishermen.
Our guide said all lobster fisherman hold their favorite fishing spots close to their hearts… It’s a big secret that they do not share with anyone. The license that they purchase stipulates a certain areas where they can place their traps, which is actually quite large. She was asked if parents pass their fishing license down to their children and she said for the most part, no. The license is the fisherman’s retirement plan. They might sell it to their children on a monthly payment basis or to another fisherman, but they wouldn’t give it away.
How much a lobster fisherman makes depends on the price of lobster meat, how many lobsters are caught, and the popularity of lobster at any given time. They sell to restaurants, fish mongers, and even to China.
The lobster traps are placed into the water on long ropes that are tied to a few traps at the same time. One big problem with the ropes is that marine life can get tangled in them… especially whales. When a whale gets entangled, a crew especially trained to deal with the situation is called out. They never get up close to the creature to release it from the rope, but rather have blades on long poles that can cut the rope from a distance. However, before that is even undertaken, cameras from above and below are used to determine exactly where the rope is wrapped around the whale so they don’t cut an area which could tighten around the creature rather than release it.
Sadly, a friend of the guide was killed as he released a whale from its shackle. When the whale realized it was free, it sent its tail downward and it hit the boat where the man was standing and killed him instantly.
It was a very interesting lecture and I learned a lot about lobster trapping that I never knew.
We were treated to a private tour of the Roosevelt cottage, viewing original furniture and artifacts throughout. The wallpaper on the walls was manufactured to be exact duplicates of the wallpaper that was there originally. The house was built in the late 1800’s and the 34 rooms have been remarkably preserved.
Sadly, it was at this home that Roosevelt became aware of the first symptoms of his polio. He had been in upstate New York on a jamboree, and a few days after returning to Canada, he became ill and they soon realized it was polio.
The house is beautiful and it was very interesting touring the rooms and imagining how the Roosevelts spent their summers boating, playing tennis, and enjoying this beautiful home on the sea.
We took the boat back to the harbor, and on the way we were given the opportunity to see and hold live starfish and sea urchins, and we also stroked a live sea cucumber…(who wasn’t happy about being out of his environ, and he let us know by spouting out streams of water). BTW… For those who enjoy eating uni (sashimi), did you know that the buttery delicacy you enjoy is actually the gonads of the sea urchin? I didn’t think so! I certainly didn’t.
Along the way, the captain of the boat told us that there was a whale nearby and we were treated to watching him come in and out of the water around our boat.
We enjoyed lunch at the harbor after the boat docked, and we walked around the town, and then rode our bus back to the hotel. We met friends for dinner and had a great at time!
It was a gloriously sunny day which started out very chilly, but ended up spring-like as we arrived back to our hotel. It was a wonderful day!
Walking along the boardwalk to board our boat to the island
On the boat
The Roosevelt summer cottage
The living room where they spent time playing games and watching the boats on the water.
Franklin and Eleanor’s bedroom.
The dining room
The Head Harbor lighthouse (also known as the East Quoddy Head Lighthouse). It is claimed to be the most photographed lighthouse in the world. Who knows.
A glimpse of the whale
The starfish.
The sea urchin’s under side.
Sea cucumber
Crabs
The baleen of the whale acts like a screen to filter out krill and small fish for the whale to eat. It hangs from the whale’s upper jaw.
Yesterday, I forgot to mention – the guide at the Hopewell Rocks told us about the brown seaweed that we saw all around the sand. It has a substance called alginate which is in the brown bulbous segments of the seaweed, that is used as a thickening agent in foods. It is also used in pharmaceuticals to aid in acid reflux as well as for wound dressings, and it’s also used by dentists to make dental molds. But a new use has been discovered and is being tried.
Scientists are exploring alginate for help to contain oil spills in the oceans. It is natural and won’t harm the environment, and it seems to be able to repel oil, absorb it without water and solidify it for easy cleanup. It would be wonderful if it could be used to save the world’s waterways from disastrous oil spills that take such a toll on the wildlife and the marine life.
So now starting our day today…We embarked on a bus tour around St. John and took in the highlights of the historic district, the city area, and the piers where the container ships dock. It was into this port that explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed in 1604 –claiming it for France.
We passed where the Redrose tea company was started by Theodore Harding Estabrooks in the 1800’s. Mr. Estabrooks was the first to realize that making a cup of tea with loose tea leaves did not produce consistent cups of tea in both flavor and strength, so he invented the tea bag so that each cup of tea produced the same results because of the exact amount of tea leaves in each bag.
We stopped at Wolastoq park which means “the beautiful river” in the language of the Maliseet people who once lived here. The park features a collection of wooden statues of historical St John people. It was built in 2004 and overlooks Reversing Falls Rapids that we also visited.
The Reversing Falls is a series of rapids where the Bay of Fundy and the St. John river meet in a narrow gorge. 160 million tons of seawater at high tide, overpowers the river, pushing it backwards. 6 hours later, the phenomenon would be reversed. It is a sight to behold and is only one of two in the world (the other one is in Norway). We took photos of what it looked like in the morning, because we would be returning to the site in the afternoon to observe the difference.
Allan and I had lunch at one of the nearby restaurants, and then we met our group and we all boarded the bus. A local guide joined us and we went to the beach at Stonehammer, a UNESCO Global Geopark that incorporates more than 60 geological and fossil locales.
Our guide told us to walk the beach and find “wishing rocks” – a stone that features a single white unbroken line wrapping completely around the stone. Sometimes you can find stones with two or more circular lines. These stones are believed to grant wishes and once you find one, you go to the water’s edge, close your eyes, make a wish, and throw the stone into the water. I’m happy to say, all of us found wishing rocks. Let’s hope all of our wishes come true.
Then we went back to the Reverse Falls and we were amazed to see the current going opposite from what we saw this morning. An amazing phenomenon!!
We all went for dinner and Allan and I had salmon which was delicious.
Tomorrow will be a very early day!
The Reversing Falls in the morning
The beaver
Another carved statue
Allan and I found our wishing rocks.
Wow!!! Allan found a huge wishing rock!!!
It’s hard to see from the picture, but trust me, the water is surging in the opposite direction from this morning’s photo above!
We left the hotel this morning at 9, which was really nice, since we were able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before boarding the bus.
Our journey today was to Hopewell Rocks, and to get there, we had to travel over the Confederation Bridge, which links the provence of PEI with the mainland provence of New Brunswick. The bridge opened in 1997 and is the longest bridge in Canada – 8 miles long. I read that it is also the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world.
We arrived later than expected at Hopewell Rocks, so we had lunch upon arriving and then our local guide took us to get a closer look at the rocks.
The Rocks as they are called, are rock formations known as sea stacks, caused by tidal erosion. They are located on the shores of the upper part of the Bay of Fundy. There is an extreme tidal range there and twice a day, at low tide, the rocks can be viewed from ground level by walking along the beach. We were fortunate to be there at the right time, with low tide, to be able to see these rocks in all their splendor.
The rocks have unusual shapes and some tower up to 70′ tall. The rise and fall of the tides has eroded the bottom parts of these enormous rocks, giving them their whimsical shapes. Although the tides vary from day to day, the high tide can be as high as 52′, one of the highest tides in the world.
Our guide Paul, first gave an interesting lecture on tides, and then we walked down the 99 steps to what was essentially the ocean floor, since it was low tide, to see these rocks up close. Pretty cool walking on the actual ocean floor!!
If you stay for 6 hours or so, you can watch how the water comes back in after low tide and rises the 52′ to make the rock formations look like islands. And depending on the time of year, you can watch what is called a tidal bore, which is a phenomenon in the Bay of Fundy, where the strong incoming tide forms a crest of water which goes on for quite a long distance. Surfers try to catch this wave and ride it the entire length.
While we walked along the ocean floor, our guide said that if a couple stands under one of the rock formations that is in the shape of an archway, and kiss, the couple will be wedded together for life. Of course, Allan and I did just that, hoping to add to our already wedded 53 years.
There is a rescue station on the beach that people can swim to if they get caught in the rising tide and can’t get back in time. When you call in for help from there, as long as you are not in distress medically, the fire department will rescue you once the tides recede.
It is amazing to comprehend the tons and tons of water that surges in twice a day and it was really a learning experience, as I had not known anything about this place prior to today.
We thanked our guide for his wonderful presentation, and then it was back on the bus to get to our hotel in St John, New Brunswick. We were late arriving because of road construction, but we did meet with friends for a late dinner and then it was off to bed.
Walking on the ocean floor
Under the arched Rick formation
Seeing someone standing there, you can appreciate the amount of water that comes in during high tide as it goes up to the tree line.
The leaves are just beginning to change here on PEI, and as we boarded the bus for the day’s activities, we were able to see some of the reds and golds beginning to peek through.
Winters can be harsh on PEI with temps going down to 11 degrees and snow. Fortunately, hurricane season produces few hurricanes on PEI, but in 2022, hurricane Fiona swept through the PEI coast and left a lot of damage in her wake, not only eroding the coastline, but also toppling down trees in her path. We saw the damage as we drove by. The government arranged for large rocks to be brought in and placed along some of the coastline, to bolster the coast in the hopes they will stop more erosion from occurring.
A local guide joined us on the bus when we left the hotel and remained with us for the day. We first drove through Charlottetown, and saw the colleges, the historic buildings, and the shops. The town is quaint and the houses are colorful and interesting to see.
After touring the town, our first stop was to the Red Shores raceway where harness racing takes place. They were exercising the horses while we were there and we enjoyed watching them go by.
Our local guide talked about cultivating mussels and she showed us a sock that is made with a cotton poly material that fisherman use to place in the water to cultivate the mussels. A seeding practice first takes place to start the mussels growing on the sock. The socks are hung from floating rafts and then after a few weeks, the socks are brought up periodically to be cleaned of overgrowth and to remove some of the poorer looking mussels to allow the good ones room to grow.
We then visited The Anne of Green Gables Museum which is housed on the homestead property of a family called the Campbells, and is dedicated to the life and works of the author of the book Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery.
The museum has amassed many period pieces that Lucy writes about in her book, and it has recreated on the grounds, Anne’s Lake of Shining Waters, her Lover’s Lane, and her Haunted Path. There is a collection of the author’s belongings at the museum as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the museum and if you haven’t seen the series Anne with an E, or read the book, I highly recommend them both.
After touring the museum, we headed to the Raspberry Point Oysters company to watch oysters being graded and sorted. An employee of the company gave a very interesting talk about oyster farming, and how this PEI company sends oysters far and wide for folks to enjoy.
I love oysters, but given the warming of waters thanks to global warming, and the increase of the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, which can make humans sick or even be fatal, I opted not to sample any. The bacteria has not been confirmed in the general population of the Maritime provinces, although it has been isolated from shellfish in PEI. The bacteria is spreading north, so why take a chance.
We then walked along the boardwalk of Cavendish Beach. It was a sunny day and the salt air smelled so good.
We had lunch at a local restaurant. I had potato pie which was outstanding, and Allan had potato crab cakes which he said were also very good.
PEI is known for its delicious potatoes. The climate and the rich red soil, which is full of nutrients, combine to make PEI a leading potato producer in Canada.
Allan and I had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant and then treated ourselves to ice cream cones at Cows. According to the internet, “Cows was named “Canada’s best ice cream” in a survey of readers of Reader’s Digest and named one of the world’s top 10 places to get ice cream by Tauck World Discovery. We have to agree! Delicious!!!
Raceway
Sock used for mussels to grow on until harvest
At the pier
Another lovely day
Visited the Anne of Green Gables museum
This is not where the author actually lived, but is rather a recreation of the period and the home from when she was a little girl.
You can just picture this bedroom as the room where the character Anne would have lived with her aunt and uncle in the book.
Beautiful garden
Raspberry Point oyster farm
Oysters being graded
At the beach
Potato pie
Allan had crab cakes
St Dunstan’s Cathedral Basilica, a Roman Catholic landmark with Gothic Revival architecture. The cathedral is filled with hundreds of angels, proclaiming the Catholic belief that angels exist and serve as protectors from God and that every believer in the Catholic faith has a guardian angel protecting them.
I forgot to mention yesterday – our guide told us that Adam Sandler once played golf on the Cabot Cliffs greens where we were yesterday on Cabots Trail. After his round, he greeted golfers and when he went back to the clubhouse, he arranged for everyone playing golf that day, to have their rounds compliments of him. Cabot Cliffs green fees during peak season run about $390 per player. And, another interesting bit of Hollywood gossip, Ben Affleck apparently comes to Cabots Trail and goes to a retreat there periodically. It is a beautiful area.
After breakfast (we wish we could have stayed longer in our chalet), we embarked on a journey – first to the town of Pictou, and then to Prince Edward Island (PEI). PEI, amazingly, is part of the Appalachian region, which is one of seven physio-graphic regions in Canada. Who knew??
On our bus ride to Pictou, our first stop before the ferry over to PEI, our guide Greg told us that the medical system in Canada is much to be desired. If you need elective surgery, the wait could be over a year. And if you want to sign up with a primary care doctor, you’d better get on a waiting list sooner than later as the wait is seven years!!! Our guide has been waiting for five!
Some facts about PEI: PEI is the smallest of all Canadian provinces, both in population and land size. The main island is spread across 2,170 square miles and has a little over 146,000 residents. Tourism is its biggest industry and lobster season is, fortunately for us, May to June and August to October. 15% of the electricity used on the island is generated by wind power. Fishing is important to the PEI economy, and agriculturally, the little province produces most of Canada’s potatoes, hence its nicknane “Spud Island.
We had lunch at Pictou and then walked around the town. In 1773 a ship named Hector landed in Pictou with 189 settlers mostly from Loch Bloom, Scotland. A man named Pagan along with another man named Witherspoon, offered settlers willing to immigrate to Pictou, free passage, a year of provisions, and a farm. The journey was an arduous one and the boat was not very sea worthy to begin with. It took 11 weeks to make the journey, with dysentery and small pox claiming some of the 189 lives. Unfortunately, the promised “year of free provisions” never materialized and upon arriving in Pictou, the settlers had to hurry and build housing as well as begin to find a way to get food so they didn’t starve.
During the late 1980s into the 1990s, folks in the area decided to commemorate the Hector‘s contribution to Nova Scotia’s Scottish history, and raised money to begin building a replica of the ship. The ship building took place along the pier so the locals could watch its progress as it was being built. The builders found blueprints of the original ship as well as pictures to aid in building the replica. We were able to see the replica of the ship on our walk around the town.
Unfortunately, since it was the end of the summer season, most of the stores and shops in Pictou were closed, which was very disappointing.
After our visit in Pictou, we boarded the ferry that took us over to PEI, arriving late afternoon in Charlottetown, the provincial capital of PEI.
We checked into the Rodd Hotel, entering into a beautiful lobby with marble floors. The hotel was built in 1931 and has been refurbished over the years, but has maintained its old world charm.
Allan and I had dinner at a local restaurant and then it was back to the hotel for a nightcap, sitting on the rooftop terrace watching the afterglow of the setting sun.
This morning after breakfast we boarded our bus and departed for the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site.
The fortress is named for Louis XIV of France, and it was one of the most extensive European fortifications in North America. The fort is now operated by Parks Canada as a living museum.
Our guide, dressed in costume, told us a bit about the fort and its history. During the reconstruction of the fortress, more than one million artifacts were uncovered by archaeologists. Some of the homes that were left in ruins by different sieges over the years remain, and there is no plan to restore them at this point.
After his talk, we were invited to walk around the fortress and learn about the battles as well as meet the characters from that bygone era.
We walked from building to building, and in many of the buildings, we listened to stories narrated by folks dressed in authentic costume. We strolled through the gardens, the buildings and houses, and admired the beautiful Governor’s apartments.
We enjoyed a lunch – a customary meal cooked according to century old recipes. Allan and I had the turkey pie, which wasn’t that great, but the soup they served as an appetizer was delicious.
We entered De la Perelle Property – an exhibit of the Sisters of Louisbourg. The nuns there were members of a religious order who operated the town’s school. Girls went there for their education. They did not reside there, however. The girls from wealthy family’s paid a fee for the schooling while poorer families paid what they could afford. Boys from less wealthy families learned how to help their fathers by learning how to manage the family’s livelihood, while boys from wealthy families went to boarding school in France for seven years, and most opted not to return home.
It was a very enjoyable experience and we arrived back to our chalet in the late afternoon. We had dinner with our new friends… Lots of laughs and good natured ribbing as we got to know each other better. It was a wonderful day and the weather was perfect!
Tomorrow is an early day as we leave for Prince Edward Island.
Once again – a beautiful sunrise to start the day.
Remnants of a home at the fortress
The military musicians serenaded us during lunch
The military chapel – Fortress of Louisbourg
Typical kitchen where the cooks prepared meals for those wealthy enough to have cooks and maids
