“Merry-time” trip days 9-12

Day 9 - We really enjoyed the museum for Alexander Graham Bell in Baddeck Nova Scotia. Bell was a true genius. In his early years, he taught deaf people how to speak (and ended up marrying one of his students, Mabel). Then, he built airplanes, hydrofoil boats, metal detectors and tetrahedral kites. When his infant son died, he worked on a vest to pump air into a person’s lungs.

When he disliked the heat, he worked on creating an air conditioner (or moved to Nova Scotia!). He dabbled in genetics, trying to improve the reproduction of sheep. In 1917, he wrote a paper that recognized the problem of unrestricted burning of fossil fuels, noting the result would be a greenhouse effect. He was a founding member of the National Geographic Society.  Oh yeah, and then there was the telephone too. Wow... what an amazing life!

We stopped for a yummy lunch along the water, at a restaurant called Lobster Pound and Moore. I had to take some of my yummy lobster salad "to go," just so I could get them to package it up in this cool foil swan.  From there, we took the scenic route to Louisbourg and drove through Glace Bay.  

We camped at an RV resort that was less than spectacular, but had the wifi that Dave needed to get some work done. I took a walk and talked to the owner of another lobster place. He told me all about Newfoundland, which unfortunately we won't have enough time for on this trip.  But... there is always next summer!  

Day 10 - The Louisbourg Fortress was another interesting historical day. Parks Canada went through an incredible effort to recreate part of this fortress that was destroyed twice. We saw the military pageantry re-enactment with fifes, drums, and musket and cannon fire. We wandered through the exhibits and talked to actors in period dress. We saw a “prisoner” walked through the streets and heckled by the crowd - his crime was stealing a bottle of rum (which they actually manufacture in oak barrels at the fortress). We also took a walking tour that helped explain the sequence of events that took place.  Short version... It was French fortification where families, merchants and soldiers lived.  It was attacked and captured by the British in 1745 and then returned to the French in exchange for what is today Belgium.  It was captured again by the British in 1758 and used as a launching point for the 1759 Siege of Québec that culminated in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. . 

Apparently (according to David), I did something to piss off the king. I paid the price (public humiliation) and was eventually awarded my freedom back.  

Afterwards we drove to the Louisbourg Lighthouse. This one is unique in that it was the first lighthouse erected in Canada (1734) and the second lighthouse in North America.  We found another beautiful boondocking spot (thanks Chris Rouleau for scoping it out ahead of us). Watched the sunset and had dinner by the ocean. Even the trolls enjoyed it!  The red chairs are strategically placed all over Canada, by the Parks System.  They always have a spectacular view.  

Day 11 - We drove to Shubie campground in Dartmouth, which is just 10 minutes away from Halifax. We took a short hike down to the lake area to check out the water. I had intended to cook dinner in the campground this night but the Mic Mac Bar and Grill down the street was calling us to come eat a big-ass lobster dinner, so we obliged. 

Day 12 - Halifax - One of the biggest attractions in Halifax is the Citadel. My first thought was “oh great, another fortress.” But I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did because it was actually pretty interesting. There were some facets that were redundant with the Louisburg fortress (the muskets, the cannon firings, the period dress), but the basic use of the Citadel was much different in that it was not designed as a town for people to live and work in. It was so well built and structured that it was actually never attacked. Also, this was built by the British, not the French. 

We didn’t spend all day here (like we did at the Louisbourg Fortress) as we had also scheduled a cruise of the Halifax harbour. We boarded the tall ship Silva, a 130' three masted steel schooner built in 1939 in Karlstad, Sweden. Dave even got a chance to practice his sailor skills by helping to hoist the sails. The weather cleared up and it was a great day to be out on the water.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at an Irish pub that had advertised having a ceilidh from 3-5. I thought the official definition for a ceilidh was Scottish or Irish folk music with traditional dancing. There was some very lively fiddling and piano playing, but unfortunately no dancing so I don’t know if that counted as a real ceilidh or not.  Our timing for the other ones in the area were off by a day or two so I guess that's another excuse to come back to the area. 

We even took a bike ride when we got back to the campground.  It's a good thing we're getting in lots of exercise, to help offset the meals.