Onwards to Cape Breton Island - Cape Breton Island, Canada
Cape Breton Island, Canada
Today's mission was to drive from Halifax to Cape Breton Island via Louisbourg. Now the reason I use the term mission is because we were going to be covering 600km as well as spending a few hours exploring the fortress of Louisbourg, all in about 8 hours. We were certainly up for the challenge. So as you would expect we were up early and in the car, on our way by 8.30am. Luckily it was Sunday so the traffic in Halifax was almost non existent allowing us a quick getaway. For the next 4 hours we drove....along long boring highways. The car karaoke was starting to lose its appeal and unfortunately the scenery was not as picturesque as we had experienced on previous long drives. One thing that did bring us some amusement was passing through the town of Glendale whose welcome sign informed us that it was famous for holding the first fiddlers festival. Yep....serious. We made a brief stop after approximately 3 hrs of driving and 272km under our belt, at the small information centre just after the Canso causeway at the entry of Cape Breton Island. The Canso causeway is a man made causeway which connects Cape Breton Island with mainland Nova Scotia, that was built in 1955 with 10 million tonnes of rock from a nearby mountain (you can see the remains of the said mountain on the right as you approach Cape Breton on the Trans Canadian Hwy). The causeway is 61m high and 1km long. It seemed picturesque at the time but im not sure if that was because it actually is picturesque or rather we had been so starved of visual input that anything and everything seemed amazing. The info centre ladies were extremely helpful and loaded us up with all the right brochures and maps. Now a little on Cape Breton Island and why we would bother driving all this way. Cape Breton Island is the northernmost landmass of the province of Nova Scotia and is most famous for its Cape Breton Highland National Park (which includes the Cabot Trail) in the western lobe of the island, and for the historic fortress of Louisbourg in the East. The island has a reputation as a hiker's paradise with supposedly many opportunities for wild life spotting as well as enjoying other beautiful natural attractions such as waterfalls, forests and inland salt water lakes such as Bras d'or Lake. Louisbourg was the furthest east we were going to travel in Canada so it seemed logical to knock it over today and from then on in gradually work our way back west over the remainder of the week until we reached our final destination, Quebec City... obviously stopping along the way. We wanted to avoid as much back tracking and unnecessary driving as possible....there were already enough k's to cover as it was. From Canso Causeway it was another 2 hours until we reached the town of Louisbourg and the highlight of the town from which it bears its name, the Fortress of Louisbourg. We arrived not long after 1pm and had some lunch in the carpark before proceeding into the National Historical Site. This fortification and settlement has played a huge part in Canada's history and foundations as a country, especially two seiges which took place at this site, in particular the seige of 1758, which were turning points in the anglo-french struggle. In the early 17th century Cape Breton Island was known as Ile Royale and was one of many French settlements in North America, especially in the Eastern region of Canada. In 1713 the Treaty of Utrecht gave Britain control of part of Acadia (pennisula of Nova Scotia) and New Foundland but France were able to remain in control of their colonies at Ile Royal (Cape Breton), Ile St Jean (Prince Edward Island), Canada and Louisana, with Ile Royal being the only French colony positioned on the Atlantic Coast. The British at this time had control of the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland down to the present day South Carolina but Ile Royale was strategically placed close to the thriving fishing grounds near the Grand Banks of Newfound, as well as being in prime position to protect the Gulf of St Lawrence... The main thoroughfare up to Quebec City and the Great Lakes. So Louisbourg was officially established in 1713 as a winter naval port since this region remained ice free and was relatively well protected along the Atlantic Coast. It was originally named Havre Louisbourg in honour of King Louis XIV. Louisbourg developed from a fishing port into a major commercial port and a strongly defended fortress. Between 1720 to 1740 the walls were contructed and eventually the settlement was completely fortified. Unfortunately, this did not prevent Louisbourg from being captured by British Colonist troops in 1745 The British used the ownership of Louisbourg as leverage during their negotiations with the French during the 1748 Treaty ending the war of Austrian succession. Britain returned Louisbourg to the French in exchange for border towns such as the modern day Belgium. However, in 1758 Britain won over Louisbourg again during the seven years' war and then systematically destroyed the fortifications to ensure it could not be used against the British should it be returned to the French during future peace negotiations. The British owned Louisbourg ever since and obviously handed over the ownership to their colony of Canada. The fortress was made a National Historic Site in 1920 but it was not rebuilt to its current state until the 1960s. From 1961 the Canadian government underwent a historical reconstruction of a quarter of the town and its fortifications with the aim to recreate Louisbourg as it would have been at its height in the 1740s. So after our lunch we literally stepped back in time to the 1740s. To ensure the site remains as authentic to 1740. Guests are shuttled in from the information centre and main carpark to the gates of the town. We disembarked the shuttle and were greeted by a man dressed in full costume at a recreated fishing hut. He provided us with a history of the fishing trade at Louisbourg and of the mistress who owned the fishing hut we stood in. All the characters spoke in thr present tense but if there were details which didnt match the historical records that they do have on the town then they would cleverly create a story to explain it....so for example the fishing hut we visited was actually not on the same location in 1740 but rather several 100ms in front of it but because of erosion it could not be built on its original spot. We left the fishing village and proceeded down the path, over the drawbridge and tnrough the side gate into the walls of Louisbourg. At the entrance we met a soldier who informed us of the conditions and expectations of her job. We checked out the watchtower facilities and then continued on to the man street. The main gate of Louisbourg stood proudly in vibrant yellow at the end of the main street as it met the harbour. All the intricate motifs had been reconstructed in precise detail as seen in all thr historical records and artwork. As we wandered up the main street a man sat on some steps and played music on a traditional flute. Occasionally a lady would race by carrying a basket or someone in costume would appear herding sheep down the streets. Although it was quiet as peak tourist season had finished, the atmosphere and authenticity was amazing and unrelenting. We popped inside one of the homes along the main street which contained an exhibit on the architecture and building styles/techniques, including the materials used, during the original construction of tne town of Louisbourg. It was so well presented and easy to follow. Some of the modifications to traditional French building styles to acclmmodate tne harsh Atlantic climate were ingenius. We learnt about different locks, windows, fireplaces and ceiling designs. We learnt how you could identify the rich from poor just by looking at the architectural design. Now I really wish I could remember all I had learnt that day but unfortunately, I dont have that good of a memory but it did enrich my experience at the time which is really what matters most. We followed the official map and visited the different residences, barns, amunition houses and stores. For example we went see the blacksmith who was making a hook in a traditional manner, and the baker who sold us two bread rolls made to the same recipe from 1740. The bread rolls werent bad but i wouldnt write home about them mind you, in their defence, we did buy them late in the day and ate them a day later. We continued to explore the grounds for another 2 hours. We visited one exhibit which had recreated rooms of different towns people whose inventory had been located in the historical records. We also visited the barracks and officier's residences. The officier's residence seemed so opulent in comparison to the conditions of their soldiers however, as they brought to our attention in an exhibit, Louisbourg was still no Versailles and in comparison to conditions back in France, the officier's in Louisbourg had gotten the raw end of the deal. The whole site was brilliant. It wasnt cheesy at all and all the reenactments and exhibits really gave you a true sense of what it would have been like to be a townsperson at Louisbourg. It was a great 3 hours and even if it hadnt been the only thing we did that day, I still think it would have been thd highlight. We were shuttled back to our car and we were on our way again. We drove for 2 hours until we reached our hostel which sat on the Bras d'Or Lake near a town called Baddeck. After a long day we werent too excited to walk in on a moose tour jabbering away loudly on the couch and consuming the kitchen as they prepared dinner. Thankfully, our host Carmen was really hospitable and understanding and we hadnt been placed in room with the moose people. It really wasnt that bad. The moose people were friendly but they were all constantly competing for air time which meant the decibels could escalate quite quickly, overriding the secluded and peaceful surroundings of the hostel. We chatted with some of the moose travel people as we cooked our dinner of turkey and vegetables and then retreated to our room. As we laid down to go to sleep the slight pitter patter of drizzling rain evolved into a constant downpour... Not ideal for our Cabot Trail drive with scenic views and hikes. Fingers crossed it would pass but its not often miracles happen.