Blogs from Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, North America

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 ... read more

Sydney, Nova-Scotia, 2 juillet Une visite à Louisbourg est un formidable voyage dans le temps et approcher cette ville fortifiée dans les brumes du petit matin rend la chose encore plus singulière. L'histoire du lieu témoigne de la dure et sanglante relation entre Français et Britanniques en Amérique au dix-huitième siècle, car nous sommes ici au cœur des luttes territoriales qui marquèrent cette partie du pays. Revenons en arrière; depuis l'installation de Champlain à Québec en 1608, les Français contrôlent ce vaste territoire qu'est la Nouvelle-France et qui inclut les actuelles provinces canadiennes de l'Atlantique. En 1713, à la fin de la Guerre de succession d'Espagne, le traité d'Utrecht fait passer l'Acadie et Terre-Neuve aux mains des Britanniques, ne laissant aux Français que l'île Royale (aujourd'hui île du Cap-Breton) et l'île Saint-Jean (aujourd'hui île du Prince-Édouard) ... read more

I think every cruise director tells the story of booking 3 acts that must embark in Sydney Nova Scotia, and receiving a text message from the Captain that only 2 have gotten onboard as they’re about to remove the gangway. Michael told his version of the story last night at the show. A frantic cell phone call to the third act confirmed that the act was right where he was supposed to be, on the pier looking for the ship. The act couldn’t find the ship and Michael couldn’t see anyone on the pier, so he asked his booking to describe what he could see… After all, Sydney Nova Scotia isn’t all that big; maybe, a dozen houses or so. He started by saying, “Well, across the harbor I see the Opera House…” You get the ... read more

I went up to the gym for my morning workout around 7:00 AM to discover quite an early crowd already burning calories. I finished on the treadmill with only fog to be seen outside. I had to juggle the order of my workout to follow to allow some of the machines I wanted to use to free up. Afterwards, we went up to the Lido for breakfast. I picked up a bowl of Swiss Style Muesli and a bowl of fresh fruit, and then went outside by the pool where pancakes and crepes were being served to the tunes of the fiddle tunes being performed by the couple that had graced the Showroom Stage the night before. Sharon had some pancakes, whipped cream, powdered sugar and chocolate shavings with her potato cakes and bacon. I decided ... read more

When Dad and I got off the ferry we went straight to Louisbourg National Historic site. There were two seiges between the French and English. It’s a big part of history in Canada because the English won both battles, the French left and the British took over. The village outside the fort had tons of houses made of easy to get materials because they where to be burnt to the ground during the seiges so the English army couldn't use them for shelter. We went on the Time Travel tour. I recommend it! We got to see a man fire a musket and learned about life style of the colonists at that time. During that period they had every thing shipped to Canada from France. We met a black smith who was really nice and told ... read more