The day started out gray and damp. It sure looked like rain. A quick trip to the Canadian Weather Service site confirmed our prediction; the radar showed a large blob heading our way.
We decided that riding the Cabot Trail in the rain wasn't for us, so we packed the bikes and gear in the trailer and headed off to Louisbourg on the east coast of the island.
The Canadian Park Service has reconstructed a large part of the 18th century fortress and town of Louisbourg, New France. It seemed like a good excursion for an off day.
It sprinkled on the trip over to the Mira River Provincial Park, but started to rain more steadily when we arrived. Any thought of riding the bikes to the fortress was dismissed, do we found a campsite, unhitched the trailer and went off in the van, an advantage to this mode of travel.
The Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic site is one of those places where you park, go to the visitor center, then get on a shuttle bus to the actual site--and what a site it is. It is a large part of a whole 18th century town and fortress.
In the 18th century, Louisbourg was the third largest seaport on the east coast of North America, behind Boston and Philadelphia, mostly as a fishing port.It shipped 3 million dried cod a year to France. This was a major town of both commercial and strategic importance to France and a major fortress and fortified town was built to repel and attack by sea and to protect Quebec.
That didn't stop the English, who captured it twice (the first time it was captured by an army of New Englanders, who were still British, but Britain gave it back to France three years later in exchange for Madras, India, much to the chagrin of the New Englanders--we showed them later.
After another war, it was captured by Britain again (along with the rest of New France). They occupied the town for a few years, then reduced it to rubble. A major port became a small fishing village further up the coast.
In he 1960's, the government of Canada decided to rebuild the 18th century town as an historic park. (Actually, it was a jobs project to employ out=of-work miners and other on Cape Breton). The archeologists had a field day (many, I'm sure) and the French had complete records of the construction of all of the buildings in the town. It was a planned military community.
What resulted is an accurate reproduction of the main fortress, the King's Bastion and a quarter of the town, consisting of about 50 buildings, complete with historically accurate equipment and furnishings and a large staff of re-enactors who are soldiers, bakers, lacemakers, servants, townspeople and tavern wenches, not to mention the ducks, geese, chickens, pigs and sheep.
By the time we arrived at the town, the rain had as well. It was very rainy and windy and we were hungry. By the time we made it to the working class tavern of Hotel de la Marine, everything below the bottom of out rain jackets was soaking
We sat down at a shared table with a bunch of other damp visitors, who, appropriately, all spoke french, were given a large spoon and a serviette the size of a bath towel. While it was historically correct to place around you neck, I pit it on my lap and it did a good job of drying my pant legs.
We had cold plate, with bread, cheese, pate, and vegetables, along with bowls of soup; Ellen the pea soup and I the fish soup. The fish soup was excellent with cod, haddock, salmon and mussels. I don't know if it was historically accurate, but it was good.
The rain had started to lighten a bit and by about the second building we visited it had stopped. We were able to tour and enjoy some of the outdoor areas, including the KIng's bastion, with its working cannon, and the rest of the largely unexcavated ruins that are outside the reconstructed town.
The buildings were fascinating, both in the details of their construction and of their furnishings. The elite of the town had stone and timber frame homes that were intended to live as finely as they would in France. The soldiers and working class, less so. Even the gardens and animal yards were kept as they would have been three centuries ago. About the only things missing were racks of drying codfish.
The costumed staff seemed to really know their history and parts, but were not rigid about staying in their 18th century roles. We were chatting with the soldier/blacksmith in the artillery forge. He was telling us about the actual life of real person whose part he was playing, a soldier, who was given a reprieve from a death sentence to become a soldier in New France, right down to the fact that he died of pneumonia six months before his army contract was up in 1847. He then commented that since his part was permanently set in 1844, he officially doesn't know that he is going to die.
We pretty much stayed until closing and of only souvenir was a fresh baked loaf of bread from the King's bakery. It was a day's ration for a soldier, although the actual soldier's ration was a six pound loaf, once a week. They had those for sale as well. Our loaf was about the size and density of a candlepin bowling ball. We had it as toast with dinner--dense, but tasted pretty good. Strong teeth help.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day and we will be heading back to the other side of the island, probably to Whycocomagh Provincial Park. Saturday is predicted to be fine, so we will off to the Cabot Trail.
Photos will be available once Ellen uploads them from her camera.
Enjoying your travelogue both narrative and pictures. Keep them coming.
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