Halifax and Montreal

At the end of our road trip we had a day to explore Halifax. The first drawcard was the Citadel which overlooks the city and is quite a climb. It commands a terrific view and the moat like defences would only become apparent as you climbed then stalled your advance.

We again witnessed a cannon firing (on top of the wall rather than this one pointing at me).

The 1803 “Old Town Clock” at the foot of the Citadel also commands a great view. Looking from below the Citadel with its two masts appears to have a large ship at its centre. 

In reality they are masts attached to the wall and used to fly flags. The taller left mast was for commercial shipping and flew flags/discs of ships that were in harbour. The shorter mast was part of a military telegraph system for signalling nearby forts in the Halifax defences.

We went to the art museum where Maud Lewis’s actual house has been preserved. The internal colour really brightens the place up.

And with all that walking some food was needed and we found a great restaurant on the harbour. Clam chowder and crab salad were easy selections. The restaurant has a spectacular view of the Sail GP races and two years ago was bought out for the weekend by prime sponsor Rolex. This year they were apparently outbid by a local entrepreneur! 

We then headed for the maritime museum. There was so much to see with three distinct display areas. The development of ships in the Maritimes (ie local area), Titanic – recovered bodies were sent to Halifax – the living went to New York, and something I had no idea about was the largest human made explosion made at that time. 

On the 6^th December 1917 a French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc (loaded with munitions) and the Norwegian vessel SS Imo collided in the “Narrows” resulting in a massive blast.  Some 2000 people lost their lives and 9000 were injured. The blast field was extraordinary. (It generated a 60-foot tsunami, shattered windows 50 miles away, and was heard over a 225 miles radius).

Rather than a picture about either of the two disasters I have opted for one of the oldest ships in the collection. This is the sloop “Maria” built in 1895. Originally a fishing boat she became a pleasure vessel for the second half of her life. Interestingly, she is Carvel built which means her planks are butted together rather than overlapped. Beautiful craftsmanship.

Our final stop in Halifax was pier 21 which has a museum about immigration. One part includes a range of immigrant stories some of which are quite poignant while others are more humorous. This one certainly raised a smile.

However, the most exciting part was a small area where researchers had access to a range of historical documents. They quickly found when I emigrated to Canada on Ivernia and three years later returned to UK on Queen Mary. What was new was information on what happened to Ivernia. By contrast what was missing was when Dad emigrated to Canada. He clearly left but ….? 

And with that question unresolved (or at least unrecorded) we boarded an overnight sleeper to Montreal. Our leaving time, as you can see from the weather, was perfect.

The train comprised two different car sets with a largely empty wagon in the middle managing the different hook up arrangements. Our “Renaissance” diner was very pleasant where, inevitably, we again overindulged.

Our arrival mid-morning with an evening flight meant we had a day to explore downtown Montreal. Once more the meander from the station meant we arrived at Place Jaques Cartier in need of a sit down and some refreshment. The whole area was vibrant with the flowers down the street adding to the attraction.

Just off the street was a display by a local photographer - Jacques Nadeau. One shot was particularly eye catching and emphasised how cold it gets in this part of the world when fire hose water sprays onto you.

Fortunately, the weather was warm (and dry). This street performer was particularly entertaining breathing fire while riding a 3 wheeled unicycle. (I know that sounds like a contradiction – you check it out!) 

In fact Montreal seemed to be all about daft things to do.

While these noisy party goers immediately sweated out any alcohol prior to their next pub stop.

And with that we headed for the airport and a few days stopover in UK before heading back to Australia. A brilliant trip with an unusually diverse range of activities. I think the best week was the one in Cornwall spent with family in Addicroft Mill. It certainly will be a challenge for next year to better that!

Cape Breton

Our first stop in Cape Breton was Baddeck which was the home of Alexander Graham Bell. Although well known for his telephone invention I had no appreciation of what else he had invented. His first passion was helping deaf people and had a detailed understanding of how speech sounds were formed and a variety of ways for non-verbal communication.

Amongst the range of inventions there were two standouts. The first was flight which ran in parallel with the Wright brothers. Bell and his team invented wing flaps, a closed cockpit and rudder arrangement. The second was hydro foils so vessels could travel above the water. There were several versions with different engine mounting arrangements with initial speeds of 70 mph (around 100 kph) being achieved.

It is amazing how this was essentially the foundation of today’s modern day Sail GP catamarans which now reach similar speeds using sail power and titanium/carbon fibre foils.

The house (now upgraded to a museum) overlooks Baddeck lake where the trials were undertaken.

We moved around Cape Breton along the Cabot trail in a clockwise direction. The West coast is quite rugged and beautiful despite rather damp weather. Certainly challenging road building conditions.

By the time we went over the top to the East coast the weather was back to its sparkling best.

There was a ferry at Englishtown to reduce the distance to Sydney. However, given the low tide the recommendation by the crew was to drive around as the RV would bottom out and potentially damage something.

We stayed at some private sites and the one in North Sydney was more like a bus park. There were 17 of these class 1 vehicles on a 40 day trip from the USA. They are huge with all having expandable sides. Why a couple needs one and a half bathrooms escapes me. Our RV had around a 200 litre fuel capacity and was upwards of $250 Canadian to fill up around every third day. Some crazy costs must be associated with these busses.

In Sydney we came across a small museum for Marconi who realised that electromagnetic waves could carry communication. He invented a huge mast arrangement with an inverted cone antenna to capture signals. The first successful transatlantic morse signal was between Cornwall and Newfoundland with a repeated morse “S”.

As we moved down the coast there is a remarkable reconstruction of the Fort of Louisbourg. The original was well used between 1713 and 1768 during the struggle for empire between the British and French.

The care in reconstructing with similar materials and methods while still accommodating modern day facilities (eg espresso coffee!) required some well thought out design, planning and skilled trades. Although at first glance this seems like a low stocked wine cellar it is in fact the powder magazine. A much more dangerous place to work (or is it?).

The step off point from Cape Breton was over St Peters canal. This joins the Atlantic with the massive Bras d’Or Lake. It is a short but picturesque cut with a modern large swing bridge at the end.

There is a small level difference of around 1 foot. Unusually either side can be highest which means that each end of the lock need upstream gates for both directions.

Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

Once landed in Halifax we had time to burn as we couldn’t pick up our “Canadream" RV (recreational vehicle) until late in the afternoon. It was good to get aboard and overnight at a lovely National park (Laurie) and after an early night were ready to get on our way. First stop – the famous Peggy Cove where a seafood chowder for lunch was an obvious choice.

Outside there was a fiddler playing a range of songs to ensure we also dallied in the nearby shop.

It is a typical fishing village where lobsters (and pots) abound.

The main drawcard was the lighthouse, which was teeming with visitors, so this distant view is hopefully more calming. In the centre (zoom in) was a series of large chairs to better contemplate the view. They are a great idea which we saw repeated throughout our trip. Also note the neat gardens. Many have significantly more grass than these, but all were well kempt. Shares in ride on mowers may be worth considering. 

Glacial movement has ensured the rocks are smooth with some scoring due to large boulders scraping along the underside of the glacier. This unexpected entertainer presumably has roots in Switzerland.

On our way out was a sculpture in this natural rock face. It is a Fisherman’s Monument (William E DeGarthe 1984) dedicated to all those hardy souls who set to sea for lobster and the like.

We then had a delightful slow trip down the coast. Spectacular views were everywhere. It was just hard to stop a large RV to take snaps. We did stop at Lunenberg as Helen had a hankering for some Hodge Podge (a German dish of fresh vegetables cooked together with cream and butter) but unfortunately the restaurant of the same name had closed. We had to settle for some grilled salmon – which was delicious – all while watching Bluenose II set sail. The original Bluenose was built here in 1921. Apart from being a fishing vessel she won an International Fisherman’s Trophy 40-mile race and then successfully defended her title for 17 years earning the nickname "Queen of the North Atlantic.

The park sites are something to behold. Each has a trestle table and fire pit. Hidden amongst the trees you are only vaguely aware of neighbours, at least until they all light up their campfires which was a ritual on almost every site.

Some of the woodlands are downright scary. The feet of this giant bird had been standing still for a while judging by the moss that had gathered.

However, the paths were generally very attractive and inviting.

Until you come across invaders from outer space.

The end of this walk was a wonderful floating pedestrian timber bridge leading to a canoe rental station.

Some of the fishing sheds need a bit of TLC but are worth maintaining when you consider the work involved in the original construction. Imagine nailing all those wall shingles.

Harbours here are for fishing vessels with recreational boats a rarity. The scallop ships are unusually wide to enable large draggers to be used. I suspect you would need particularly good sea legs to work on them!

Of course, lobster abound. In one restaurant they showcased these massive claws. The estimate (based on weight gained between moults) is that this one was over 160 years old as it weighed in at a massive 40 lbs (18kg). It was caught via fishing nets as it was too large for any pot.

We then headed over to the West coast to Digby a colourful fishing town. Renowned Acadian artist Maud Lewis lived nearby. Although born with birth defects which resulted in the early onset of rheumatoid arthritis, her paintings were joyful colour and included the inside and outside of her house. There is a replica of her tiny house which included stairs presumably to a small attic crawl space.

Acadians (originally French Loire valley immigrants) were hard working and skilled agriculturist who used dykes and Aboideaux’s (one-way wooden sluice gates) to drain flood areas and then use the rich soil for growing crops. They were dispelled by the British as they would not sign allegiance to Britain.

Their plight was given publicity through an epic poem (about 90 pages) by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published in 1847. "A Tale of Arcadia" follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel during their expulsion. There is a statue of her in Grand Pre. 

The site overlooks some of the dykes system which are still in use today.

We then tripped over to Prince Edward Island (PEI). That entailed crossing the Confederation Bridge which at 12.9 kms is the longest bridge over ice waters. It opened in 1997. The curve of the bridge and pier bases are specially shaped to reduce the impact of frozen winters. I am glad we traversed on a relatively calm day.

We also wanted to understand a little about Lucy Maud Montgomery the author of "Anne of Green Gables" who spent much of her life in Cavendish. Apart from family challenges Montgomery faced a very unscrupulous publisher (Louis Page) whom she eventually had to take to court over copyright issues. After 15 years, justice finally prevailed not only with a financial award but also saw the demise of the publisher as no author wanted to deal with a such a dishonest and vindictive person.

The book was inspired by an attractive local farmhouse.  

Which had a particularly interesting stove. The bulge part way up the chimney was for smoking meat and fish.

We continued to be lucky with the weather which gave rise to wonderful and calm sunsets.

The second way to PEI is via a ferry. We just missed one as it zig-zagged its way out of Wood Islands harbour.

We thought our ‘van (at the front) was quite large until we compared it with others. At least we had a solar panel!

Our jump off point for Cape Breton was Whycocomagh. We decided that it was time to get some exercise and there was a steep track at the back of the site up the Salt Mountain trail.

It certainly got the heart rate up. Hard work but a great view so worth the effort.