TO HALIFAX AND BEYOND

So before we leave the land of the Celtic culture on PEI and Cape Breton, I loaded short videos from the  Ceilidh we saw.  We won't find a performance like this in the rest of Nova Scotia.  

We drove from Cape Breton in the north to the capital of Halifax in the middle of the Atlantic side staying just outside of Peggy's Cove.  

HALIFAX
What a delightful city this is and it reminds me so much of a small Toronto.  The Citadel, waterfront, and downtown area are not to be missed.

Halifax was involved in two major man made disasters.  I always knew the city played a part in recovering what they could from the Titanic.  Many lost souls were brought back to Halifax for identification and burial in three cemeteries and many residents crowded the churches for the funerals.

But 5 years later, in December 1917, Halifax experienced massive devastation when a French ship carrying explosives for the war effort collided with another vessel in the harbor.  The resulting explosion cleared a half mile radius and blasted the water out of the harbor causing a tidal wave.  Two thousand people were killed and nine thousand were injured.  A vicious snow storm hit the next day and the misery was compounded.  The only man made disaster more devistating was the the dropping of the atomic bomb.

The city of Boston came to the rescue sending supplies and personnel to help cope with the tragedy as soon as they received word.  Every Christmas since that year, a Christmas tree is delivered to the city of Boston from the Halifax people to express their thanks and continued gratitude.

It is a playful and peaceful harbor now.

The Citadel is about 1/2 mile from the waterfront in the
green area and is the fort that guarded the city.

Entrance is guarded but this is not an active military post.

View from the Citadel which was not touched by the destruction because
of its thick walls and earth foundation.

The Citadel and Halifax were never attacked.

The buildings and rooms in the protective walls
tell the history of British occupation of Canada. Scottish troops were assigned to guard the Citadel.  All the guides are in kilt uniforms.

This Piper was actually born in Scotland.

It must be Opposite Day!

on to .....

LUNENBURG, a UNISCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

A village with special cultural or physical significance, Lunenburg is the best example of a British colonial city in Canada. Since earning the designation in 1995, restrictions are in place to keep it as close as possible to its 18th and 19th century roots.

These homes are an example Lunenburg architecture
called the Lunenburg Bump.

At this very prosperous fishing community, wives would leisurely sit in the bump doing their handiwork while neighbors strolled by.  Conversations were held catching up on village news.  When the time came to install plumbing, the bump was the logical location. A porch was build below the bump to accommodate the pipes.

Most of the building were painted white with black trim, just like the fishing ships.
But there are no restrictions on colors now.

The village suffered from an abundance of superstitious beliefs.  This shoe was actually found in a wall near the door to keep the devil away from the entrance.  Our guide informed us that many people still follow many obscure rituals.

Double wooden doors for winter is another characteristic.

St. John's Anglican Church was built in the mid 1700's and is the most important church in the area.  Read on....

The focal point of the village was St. John's Church, but the real miracle is inside.  Fortunately detailed records about the building were kept along with photographs in later years.  In 2001 the  worst happened; the church burned nearly to the ground.  Water flooded into the interior but that action saved the floor, pews and 10 feet up on some walls. Builders and volunteers worked tirelessly to bring the church back.

 Everything was completed except the painted gold stars on the ceiling above the alter area by the Cross.

Older ceiling pictures were taken to a University in Halifax, Astronomy department.  The original star pattern in the church was suspicious and appeared incorrect.  But after much research and computer analysis, it was determined that the pattern of stars painted in 1763 was how the sky would have looked from Lunenburg on the traditional date of Christmas in year 1!!  Almost unbelievable, but it is true.

For those who want to know the entire star story of St. John's, check this out.

www.ap.smu.ca/~turner/stjohns.html

KEJIMKUJIK NATIONAL PARK or KEJI for short is on the map.

  A beautiful spot in the middle of southern section of NS

A section of the park is on the Atlantic shore side and at one time  a farm was here.

Birds and seals occupy the shoreline now.  Nova Scotia does not seem to
get much snow but the winds can be wicked. 

The main Park is full of hikes, biking (road and mountain), and a very large lake for canoeing.

Glaciers left large boulders scattered everywhere but the trees adapted.

Keji is a very popular park for campers even on cold fall weekends. Our one night

 stay turned into  three.     

The Park is designated a Dark Sky Preserve for star gazing  and we had one clear night of viewing.  The Milky Way was beautifully visible but only 1 shooting star was noticed by us. The silence was so amazing.

We camped next to a German couple who had been away for 5 years in their unusual camper which they shipped from Germany.  It resembled an armored troop carrier to me.  They had traveled all 50 States, Mexico, Central and South America!  I asked if they had experienced any trouble or uncomfortable situations.  They replied, not at all in broken English.  Not one problem, they said.  As they left the next morning to drive to Halifax and return to Germany, we saw them driving down the wrong way on a one way road!
Ignorance really is blissful

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WRAPPING UP NOVA SCOTIA