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Published: August 9th 2019
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August 2, 2019 – Sydney, NS - Weather: 77°F/25°C, Bright sunny clear skies, wind 10.3 mph, humidity 53°
Our port of call today is Sydney NS, located out on the easternmost tip of Cape Breton Island. This colonial town was established shortly after the American Revolution and helped establish a British presence in the area. Sydney was established primarily as a garrison town and was laid out by military engineers. It attracted a number of United Empire Loyalists who fled to British North America from the American Colonies.
Once home to one of the largest steel mills in Canada, the plant is now closed and the site has been cleared. The city currently relies on tourism as its primary industry, attracting 100+ cruise ships alone each year. Ideally situated near the Cabot Trail that takes you around Cape Breton Island, historic Fort Louisbourg, and Baddeck where Alexander Graham Bell had his summer home on Bras d’Or Lake, are just a few of the close tourist spots.
Today we opted for a walking tour “Through Old Sydney Town”. Our group was met on the pier by a tour guide dressed in typical 17th century clothing. Starting at the pier
we walked up the harbour embankment to North End Sydney where we viewed 8 buildings erected between 1785 and 1802, all within a two block radius.
First on our list was St. Patrick’s Church, the oldest standing Roman Catholic Church structure in eastern Nova Scotia. The church no longer functions as such but has been preserved as a historic structure and museum. Next, we visited the Jost Heritage House Museum, built in 1786, which remains one of the oldest examples of early residential wooden buildings in the city. The house was purchased in 1836 by Thomas Jost, a Halifax merchant, and remained in the family until 1971. Today, the house is a museum with collections of Victorian artifacts. There is a distinct line running around the exterior of the building marking where the roof was raised and the second floor was extended in the early 1900’s.
Down the street we visited St. George’s Church (Anglican), credited as the oldest structure in the city. It was originally the parish church for the British Regiments stationed in Sydney. The church currently does not have a regular congregation but does enjoy special services throughout the year, namely Christmas and Easter.
We ended our walking tour at the Cape Breton Centre for Heritage & Science which is housed in a converted Bank of Montreal building capped with a copper clad dome.
For the first part of the afternoon we were ashore in the cruise terminal taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi to get several of our Blogs out, read our accumulated emails and for B to download some genealogical information for her research.
This evening we were entertained by Akos Laki, a saxophonist with a passion for Latin jazz.
August 2, 2019 – Sydney, NS - Weather: 77°F/25°C, Bright sunny clear skies, wind 10.3 mph, humidity 53°
Our port of call today is Sydney NS, located out on the easternmost tip of Cape Breton Island. This colonial town was established shortly after the American Revolution and helped establish a British presence in the area. Sydney was established primarily as a garrison town and was laid out by military engineers. It attracted a number of United Empire Loyalists who fled to British North America from the American Colonies.
Once home to one of the largest steel mills in Canada, the plant is now closed and the site has
been cleared. The city currently relies on tourism as its primary industry, attracting 100+ cruise ships alone each year. Ideally situated near the Cabot Trail that takes you around Cape Breton Island, historic Fort Louisbourg, and Baddeck where Alexander Graham Bell had his summer home on Bras d’Or Lake, are just a few of the close tourist spots.
Today we opted for a walking tour “Through Old Sydney Town”. Our group was met on the pier by a tour guide dressed in typical 17th century clothing. Starting at the pier we walked up the harbour embankment to North End Sydney where we viewed 8 buildings erected between 1785 and 1802, all within a two block radius.
First on our list was St. Patrick’s Church, the oldest standing Roman Catholic Church structure in eastern Nova Scotia. The church no longer functions as such but has been preserved as a historic structure and museum. Next, we visited the Jost Heritage House Museum, built in 1786, which remains one of the oldest examples of early residential wooden buildings in the city. The house was purchased in 1836 by Thomas Jost, a Halifax merchant, and remained in the family until 1971. Today,
the house is a museum with collections of Victorian artifacts. There is a distinct line running around the exterior of the building marking where the roof was raised and the second floor was extended in the early 1900’s.
Down the street we visited St. George’s Church (Anglican), credited as the oldest structure in the city. It was originally the parish church for the British Regiments stationed in Sydney. The church currently does not have a regular congregation but does enjoy special services throughout the year, namely Christmas and Easter.
We ended our walking tour at the Cape Breton Centre for Heritage & Science which is housed in a converted Bank of Montreal building capped with a copper clad dome.
For the first part of the afternoon we were ashore in the cruise terminal taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi to get several of our Blogs out, read our accumulated emails and for B to download some genealogical information for her research.
This evening we were entertained by Akos Laki, a saxophonist with a passion for Latin jazz.
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