Geo: 44.637, -63.6672The hotel is a 15 minute drive from downtown Halifax. We parked by the harbour and walked to the Citadel which is a well designed fortification - so well built that no enemy would seriously consider attacking.St. Paul's Church was next on the itinerary followed by the Maritime Museum. Lots of boats, model ships and description of events in Canada's maritime history.Last destination was Pier 21 Immigration Museum. Thousands of immigrants to Canada passed through the facility on their way to destinations across Canada.Dinner was at a restaurant in the boardwalk before driving back to the hotel.... read more

Geo: 46.2149, -60.2445Our hotel is about 45 minutes from the Fortress so we were there soon after opening. We had planned 2 activities for the day but soon discovered that a visit to this site was an all day activity. We took the optional walking tour and it was well worth it. The guide gave us a great amount of detail regarding the history.Founded by the French in 1713, it was one of North Americas busiest 18 century seaports. It was taken over twice by the British before being demolished in the 1760's. Reconstruction began in the 1960's and continues today. To date about 1/4 of the original French town and fortifications have been completed. It is the largest historical reconstruction in North America.The original lighthouse built in 1734 was the first in Canada. It is ... read more

Geo: 46.0093, -61.5294After breakfast we headed for Cape Breton. We stopped in Amherst which is a very pretty small town.We encountered our first toll road / $4 - so not a big deal. The highway to Cape Breton is a combination of 2 lane roads and 4 lane divided highway followed by the Canso Causeway and a swing bridge. We are staying overnight in Port Hood and tomorrow will do the Cabot Trail.We are staying at the Hillcrest Hall Country Inn. It was built around 1910 and has in the past been known as the Leadbetter House and the Crestwood Hall. The building went into disrepair in 1923 when the local economy which was based on coal faltered. The Leadbetter family operated a store in Port Hood. This afternoon we visited the Glenora Distillery which is ... read more

Geo: 46.0994, -64.759The village is located outside the village of Bertrand. More info at http://villagehistoriqueacadien.com/We arrived at opening time (10 am). They recommend 4 hours to tour the site and that is quite an accurate estimate.The structures date from 1773 through 1949. The structures have been moved to the site from other places. The hotel was reconstructed in 1998 after a fire.Throughout the site there are people dressed in period costumes and going about various jobs significant to the time period they represent. It is organized in such a way that traditional practices are used to maintain the buildings, provide food and clothing for the workers who also look after the livestock.On our way to Moncton we experienced very heavy rain. Many of the cars pulled off with 4 way flashers on. We trudged on with ... read more

Geo: 48.8291, -64.4852Today we followed the route around the Gaspé Peninsula. This is a very scenic route. With the exception of a couple of road work areas, the road is excellent as it wins through small villages. Predominant activities seem to be fishing, farming, some logging, tourism and windmill farms. Oddly most of the windmills were not turning. Perhaps there was little demand on the grid. We did see some of the blades being transported by truck. Probably headed for repairs because they are not manufactured here.Most villages seems to have a church of some kind and we did notice a couple of bingo signs but there looks to be little community social activities other than the church. The coastline has become the graveyard for many ships over the years. We stopped and looked at a ... read more