The Fortress

July 25, 2015 – Day 40

The weather hasn’t improved much—still chilly, but no rain.  My voice hasn’t improved either…it is still gone.  But, the good news is, we have tv and internet!

We are in the eastern part of Nova Scotia, and today visited the Fortress of Louisbourg.  I found out the difference between a fort and fortress—a fort is a military installation, whereas a fortress is both military and a civilian community.  The Fortress of Louisbourg and its history is quite impressive.  It was a French walled, fortified town established in 1713 at the mouth of Louisbourg Harbour.  It was a base for cod fishing and an administrative capital, and a fort to protect the French interests in the harbor.  It’s hard to imagine why they would come here to fish and then ship it back across the ocean. But, we found out that they had over-fished the seas in Europe, so came here when they discovered the plentiful supply of cod.  Costumed guides were throughout the site, and stayed in character as they talked about life in the village.   We watched a military drill, complete with cannons that went BOOM! 

 

 

The fortress covered a large area, and included the Governor’s Apartments, a Military Chapel, the guardhouse, stables, a bakery, the engineers residence, etc. etc.  Jim finally tried to go to confession in the chapel, but the priest was not there.  It is interesting to think about how people lived during this period.  They grew and produced what they needed in their gardens. 

 

 

 

And, they raised animals on the property.  (We had turkey for lunch at the restaurant in the Fortress).

The story behind the fortress is quite interesting.  After a 47 day siege, the British captured the fortress in 1745.  It was returned to the French but captured again in 1758.  The British abandonded it in 1760, and burned it to keep the French from returning.  The fortress was reconstructed in the 1960’s with funding from the government, using the original foundation and historical records.  It is one of the largest historical reconstructions in Canadian history.  It’s impressive to see how they have preserved the culture of 300 years ago!

We travelled across the harbor to see the lighthouse which overlooked the harbor, lined with rocks and waves.  

 

 

 

 

 

We were able to go to church this evening and our hope for tomorrow is for better weather, and for getting back to the campground in time to watch the Brickyard!