Day 32 30 August Sydney, Nova Scoti

As an alternative land excursion, we went to the Fortress of  Louisbourg which was part of the French presence in the area until the British finally gained full control.

Don't let the red uniforms confuse you, these are French not British soldiers. They are artillerymen who would wear their blue coats over their red underuniforms.

In the military chapel there was a portrait of Louis IX. He was considered to be a saint. Apparently St. Louis, amongst others, is the patron saint of Librarians, as well as barbeques!! 

There were lots of reenactors who gave demonstrations and explanations. We weren’t able to see all of the partly reconstructed 17th Century fort because of the time constraints.

 

They had turkeys and these heritage chickens.

Marshes protected the fortress on two sides, except it didn't work.

This is the entryway that ships would use when resupplying the fortress

People gather for a weapons display.

Missing a video will insert soon.

From his uniform he is a French Marine (the anchor is a giveaway)..

This is all lego, it is a very large display and the kids would go bananas.

I was very impressed with the Lego vegetable garden.

We managed to visit one of the museums near the ship pier, Jost House, named after the family who had lived in the house for most of the time. It is the oldest house in the area. You have to remember that after the American Revolution, many British loyalists fled to Canada.

 

Samuel Sparrow was a British loyalist, merchant and ship owner, possessed the property from 1786-87. The basement has been restored to his original 18th century kitchen with a cooking fireplace, a separate beehive bake-oven and an overhead ceiling plastered between the supporting beams. The Jost’s family lived here 1836-1971. It was raised to a two-storey residence in 1910.

 

Rooms in the house were explained by folks in period costume and it was very well done. The Victorian room has items donated by Dorothy Sutherland, the most notable of these being a shawl that was given to her great-grandmother by Queen Victoria.

We went down to the boardwalk and there was a monument to the Merchant Marine. This was in regard to World War II when many of the sailors on supply ships lost their lives transporting supplies to the Allies.

 

There is also their giant fiddle, which apparently is about the highest rated tourist attraction in the place. 

The guide in the bus, Diana told us that they now have great white sharks in the area that they never had before. By a strange coincidence we are seeing a presentation that night on: The story of Jaws. The Shark that Devoured Hollywood.  The presentation was absolutely fascinating.