Day 45-Day 47 of 49

 This is a catch up day for me.  First is Day 45 then Days 47 and 48 were travel days.  We traveled from Louisbourg, Nova Scotia to Truro, Nova Scotia to our current location in St. John, New Brunswick.  Good internet here so will be able to tell you about the happenings tomorrow.

We came off the ferry and went 38 miles to Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. Of all the provinces we have been on this trip I like Nova Scotia the best.  That said, each one had their own special thing for us to experience.  



Today started out with Bob’s birthday.   Here’s to you Bob and have many more.  Bob was also having problems with his rig this morning.   We are sure hoping it is just something minor.  Update:  they called the Prevost people and they sent a guy to their rig and had it fixed in time for them to be at the park with us.  However John and Joyce who have problems with their rig are still in Newfoundland with no end in sight for a fix.  


  Our campground is located by the water’s edge.  It is very pretty here.  As I walked out on the boardwalk I was able to see a star fish, a crab, and some small fish feeding close to the edge of the dock.


 
A crab.  The brown spot on the bottom of the pic

star fish


Schools of fish all around the pier feeding. 


   Shark just hanging around.

There was much feasting and partying here over the weekend, of course before we got here, celebrating the birthday of some dead king who was ruler here many many years ago from across the pond.  One of the fun things they did was had a shark fishing contest.  And this guy was the only shark caught.  


 We then headed to the Fortress of Louisbourg.  It is a National Historic Site of Canada and the location of a one-quarter partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. We also learned the difference between a fort and a fortress.  Fort men only, Fortress where families lived within the walls.  The town was in the fort itself. 
 
The original settlement was made in 1713. Subsequently, the fishing port grew to become a major commercial port and a strongly defended fortress. The fortifications eventually surrounded the town. The walls were constructed mainly between 1720 and 1740. By the mid-1740s Louisbourg was one of the most extensive (and expensive) European fortifications constructed in North America.


 
 This is a pic taken of the Fortress of Louisbourg from afar.  I am wanting to show you just how big this reconstructed site is.  They did a great job. 
Fortress of Louisbourg stands proudly before us. It’s very scale gives us pause; no mere fort, our destination is a fortified town, alive with citizens and soldiers.





   This is a pic of a tavern/inn.  The white bag thing hanging out the upper window is a bed.  You would throw this on the floor along with many others and you would all sleep together, about 15 or more, with lots of bed bugs too. 

This is just one of the many gardens at the fortress.

It is a fascinating walk through history, with acting people playing citizens and soldiers from that time in history. We also found the self-guided tour of the ruins, with plaques explaining each building fascinating. This is a great place for a wonderful living history adventure.  
 

 

 
 
The fortress in Louisbourg is huge so make sure you are prepared for lots of walking and have plenty of time. Actors are very believable and really add to the information and understanding of what it would have been like.  The fortress is an interesting place to see and at the same time add to your knowledge of Canadian history. 
 

Governor's house

  Kitchen
    Enlisted quarters.  They slept three to a bed, two slept one on duty.  
   

In the evening we went to the Louisbourg Playhouse where  we were entertained by a group called,  Getting Dark Again, three guys and a girl.  They were wonderful. 

The building where they held the performance was built by Walt Disney Studios in 1993 for the movie, A Warrior’s Tail, that was filmed in Louisbourg.   The filming required the construction of a timber style theater that was modeled after Shakespeare’s original Globe Theater in London.  Disney donated the building to Louisbourg, but they had to move it out of the fortress because it did not belong in that time period or place in history.  It is a great building and the show was great too.  I will never forget the wonderful fiddle player.  She was so great and the energy was beyond anything I have ever seen.