HALIFAX CITADEL AND OTHER STUFF

This morning we walked up the hill to the Halifax Citadel. Built between 1828-1856, it was never attacked, but as a military deterrant, it was a success.

The Barracks, with 11 cots. These could be occupied by a soldier, or, if married, a soldier would share the cot with his wife, and his children would sleep under or beside the cot. This could mean there would be up to 20 or so people living in one room. Laid out on the cot is everything that the soldier would have, and would pack up in the knapsack leaning against the end of the cot.

There is also a very good Army museum at the citadel, displaying room after room of war memorabilia. 

In the photo above, there is a World War One diary, exactly like the one we have from our great uncle, George Marshall.

Thought of Dad...

On our way out of Halifax, we made one last stop....I know, I know, another cemetery....but it was really interesting....

This tall gravestone was placed to mark the unknown child that was buried, but once he was identified, in 2010, by the leather shoes we saw yesterday at the Maritime museum, they were able to put a name on the marker.

The stone J. Dawson, was who James Cameron loosely based Leonardo Dicaprio's character in the movie. This was Joseph Dawson, a coal stoker, one of the ones that kept the lights burning on the ship til the end.

If the body wasn't identified, the marker bears only the date. If they identify the body later, the name is engraved on the front of the stone. The White Star Line, that owned the Titanic, supplied a standard, small stone. If families wanted to pay, they could get a bigger stone.

This is also the place that a lot of the casualties from the "Great Explosion" in 1917 were buried.

Well, so comes the end of a great trip. We love Nova Scotia, the people that live here, and all the people we have met along the way. Hope to be back one day!

HALIFAX

Had a great day exploring the Halifax waterfront. After lunching at The Bicycle Thief - amazing lobster roll- we went to The Maritime Museum. It is a fabulous place to spend an afternoon.

We toured the retired ship The Acadia, which is the only ship to have served the Royal Canadian Navy in both world wars.

My favorite exhibit though, was the Titanic display.....I could have spent hours there....oh wait, I did.

There was so much information, so many stories about those that perished, as well as survivors.

In the picture below, a deck chair is displayed ( this is a replica, the original is behind glass). These were for the First class passengers only, and had to be reserved. When the ship was going down, they were thrown into the water, in the hopes that people could stay afloat by holding on to them. You can see them stacked on deck in the photo.

The three people pictured behind the chair, the woman, and young girl survived but the man went down with the ship.

Despite the myth of "Women and children first", the survival rate for first class men was higher than for third class children.

Many of the items in the museum, were picked out of the water by people on board the rescue ships, kept as souvenirs and now have been donated after being passed down in families....like the child's shoes above. Once the shoes were donated, they were able to solve a 100 year old mystery.

Another interesting  exhibit was about the explosion on Dec.6, 1917 that leveled the Richmond district of Halifax, killed over 2,000 people and injured 9,000. 

Two boats collided, one carrying wartime explosives, which lead to the cataclysmic explosion.

"Nearly all structures within a half-mile (800 m) radius, including the entire community of Richmond, were obliterated. A pressure wave of air snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels, and carried fragments of the Mont-Blanc for kilometres. Hardly a window in the city proper survived the concussion. Across the harbour, in Dartmouth, there was also widespread damage.^[1] A tsunami created by the blast wiped out the community of Mi'kmaq First Nations people that had lived in the Tuft's Cove area for generations."

Ok, enough history.

We stopped at Alexander Keith's brewery for a pint in the sun, before heading back to our hotel.

Along the way, just 2 blocks from our hotel, another great cemetery. I don't know what it is, but they draw me in.

Ok, just a bit more history.

We  are staying at The Waverley Inn just 3 blocks up from the water. It was recommended to us by 2 of the B&B's that we stayed at.

We are staying in the room at the top center, the peak. This is the sign on our door..... We weren't sure what to expect, but it is a lovely room. Over the years, many notable people have stayed here, and it appears we are in Mr. Barnum's room. 

Apparently, there are two resident ghosts, a young woman, and an older man. We didn't see or hear them, darn it.

It is the end of a long day and my feet are telling me they need to rest before our last day of vacation......stay tuned

EXPERIENCING A TIDAL BORE

We are now in Truro, before heading to Halifax. With the super high tides, caused by the Super Moon, we witnessed an amazing tidal bore on the Salmon River. If you are like I was before this trip, and had never heard of a tidal bore, once again I refer you to Mr. google....

A tidal bore is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave (or waves) of water that travels up a river or narrow bay against the direction of the river or bay's current.

Here are a couple pictures before the bore....3 deers crossed the almost dry river bed....

Here it comes!!!

A really strong wind came up just before the bore, so we didn't really hear it, but it can be very loud. We did however, witness the intense turbulence. The water was just speeding past us, really an amazing act of nature.

The roaring river, about 15 minutes after the wave....

We spent this afternoon in Victoria Park, right in Truro. It is 400 hectares and has many trails, and 2 waterfalls.

Stay tuned.....

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL MUSEUM

This museum is full of photographs, inventions, and stories about this amazing and brilliant man.

As well as the telephone, and a million other things, he achieved the first controlled powered flight in Canada with his airplane The Silver Dart, a hydrofoil that broke marine speed records, and bred the six nippled sheep.....really. 

His work with the deaf introduced him to his future wife, Mabel. He also designed and built hearing aids......the list goes on and on.

In the picture below, the brass horn with the long black tubing....a hearing aid....would be hard to hide that under your hair.

If he could only see the cell phones now.

This is a model of the HD-4, Bell's hydrofoil that set a speed record of 70.86 miles per hour.

This is what is left of the original hull, which was left for years, on the beach near his home.

Hmmmm, great ideas.....

BADDECK AND BEYOND

The Louisbourg lighthouse, first lighthouse in Canada.

Hey, I'm as tall as a lighthouse...

Share the chair.....a Parks Canada project, we have seen a few. Placed to let you slow down and relax.

Our Baddeck B&B breakfast room. This is where I had the most AMAZING blueberry coconut pancakes I have ever had....two days in a row

View from our Baddeck B&B, not a great pic, but gives you the idea of the beauty, under an almost full moon.  This is looking at Bras D'or Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the world. Our B&B was named BellView, we think because on the point of land on the left, is Alexander Graham Bell's home, which he named Beinn Bhreagh.

Stay tuned.....

LOUISBOURG FORTRESS

Had a great day walking around this reconstructed fortress that is run by Parks Canada.

The Canadian Government agreed to build this project to create work for some of the unemployed miners in the early 1960's. Not sure how long it took them, but years for sure. There are thousands of artifacts that have been dug up. Many of the buildings were reconstructed on the original foundations. Here is a bit of info courtesy of Mr. google.....

The Fortress of Louisbourg is the largest reconstruction project in North America. The original settlement was founded in 1713 by the French and developed over several decades into a thriving center for fishing and trade. Fortified against the threat of British invasion during the turbulent time of empire-building, Louisbourg was besieged twice before finally being destroyed in the 1760s. The site lay untouched until well into modern times, when archaeologists began to reconstruct the fortress as it was in the 18th century.

As it was in the 1700's.....The yellow entrance gate when arriving by sea...at times there were hundreds of vessels, including large war ships and supply ships in the harbour.

There are people around, dressed in period costume, that will tell you all kinds of historical facts and little stories about life within the walls. They were very good at staying in character and made you feel as though you were talking to someone who actually lived there in the mid 1700's.

Inside a fish merchants home....

The bakery, where the soldiers would collect their rations.....one 6 pound loaf would be their food for 4 days.

This costume weighs 37 pounds....

When we were in Amsterdam, visiting the Rijksmuseum, Tom just about got us kicked out for fondling a cannon, so he was thrilled that he could do it here without being reprimanded....

However.....this is the guy that yelled at him for walking too close to the edge of the wall.....I was relieved he didn't have his musket in hand!

It was a great experience, and I learned so much. I think I have learned more about Canada in these last 10 days than I ever knew. For example, why did it take me 59 years to find out that Nova Scotia means New Scotland. I feel so much smarter now. May I please be excused, my brain is full!

On our drive back to Baddeck, we stopped for dinner at a restaurant in North Sydney, atop a hill overlooking the ferries heading to Newfoundland. It was a beautiful view....FYI...There are 2 routes, shortest is a 6 -8 hour trip and 152.00 for 1 car and 1 passenger, 1 way.

Stay tuned....