For ages, lighthouses have served as a symbol of port for mariners. Their usage has continued to increase manifold with increasing maritime trading.
Lighthouse photography is a popular pastime for many people. There are multiple Facebook groups actively run by enthusiastic folks.
Cape Cod, MA
The powerful light emitted by the lighthouses can sometimes be seen as far as 25 miles. Lighthouses are usually made of brick, wood, granite, cast iron and concrete.
Hawaii
Some interesting facts about lighthouses:
The “Lighthouse of Alexandria” built around 3 BC in Egypt is believed to be world’s first lighthouse
The “Tower of Hercules” in Spain is considered oldest intact lighthouse
US has highest number of lighthouses than any other country
The first lighthouse in US was on Little Brewster Island, Boston
Portland, Maine
The site of Louisbourg Lighthouse, in Nova Scotia, is considered Canada’s first lighthouse.
Louisburg, Nova Scotia, Canada
With the advent of modern navigational systems, solar and electric powered lamps, most of the lighthouses don’t need a keeper now. Which makes you wonder if lighthouses are still relevant in modern times? What do you think?
If you aspire to step back in time of colonial past from 18th century to embrace turbulent Canadian history then you must visit Fortress of Louisbourg.
The Fortress of Louisbourg is a National Historic Site of Canada and is located in Louisbourg, on eastern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Louisbourgh was founded by the French in 1713 and was busiest port of 18th century in America as it was perfectly situated on the trade route between America and Europe. Throughout mid-1700s, French and English forces battled for control of Nova Scotia.
The battered fortress and town were partially reconstructed in the 1960s and this site stands as the largest reconstruction project in North America.
Having explored scenic Cabot Trail previous day, we started from town of Sydney and headed towards Fortress of Louisbourg which was just a few hours drive. There was plenty of parking at the site.
Fort Entrance
Based on our wonderful experience we highly recommend taking a guided tour. Our knowledgeable guide was dressed in a period costume. We admired authentic architecture of buildings, watched French solders march through the streets, children playing games from the past, tasted freshly cooked bread from a bakery, and toured area full of rum storage containers.
There were multiple spots to meet actors going through their daily (18th century) chores. We had chance to interact with them and learn fascinating stories on how they landed there from Europe.
Throughout the site, one can hear soldiers drum beats, clock chimes, and water front café music.
We saw first-hand demonstration of thundering canon fires just like it was done back in the 18th century.
While exploring the site, we did not even felt that this was a recreation, it almost felt as if we had stepped truly back in time.
Lighthouse
Having enjoyed insight into the rich historical past of Fortress, we next planned to visit Louisbourg Lighthouse which was located just a quick drive from the Fortress. The site of Louisbourg Lighthouse is considered Canada’s first lighthouse. It is a perfect spot for photos opportunities of the lighthouse on rocky cliffs and majestic ocean in the background.
Having admired the beautiful lighthouse we headed back to our hotel in Sydney. This concluded our trip to beautiful Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Our next destination was to visit Hopewell Rocks Park in New Brunswick province.
Cozumel is a popular island in Mexico with rich history, white beaches, beautiful coral reefs, authentic food, offering plenty of water adventure and relaxation activities in natural settings.
Cozumel beach
Cozumel is one of Mexico‘s largest island located 20 km (12 mi) off the Yucatan Peninsula in southeastern Mexico and 80 km (50 mi) from Cancun. The island has a total area of 480 km2 (185 sq mi) and can be easily covered in a day.
Cozumel
Cozumel offers clean beaches, natural forest, spectacular natural scenery, diverse animal species and Mayan archeological sites. It is very safe and affordable place to visit with welcoming and warm local population. Spring to early summer months from March – June are the best time to enjoy warm weather in Cozumel. Falls season is rainy with risk of hurricanes and winter is slightly cooler. There are multiple all-inclusive resorts and plenty of outdoor eateries on the island. One can rent cars, jeeps, and scooters at affordable prices and drive around exploring the island.
We took a self-driving guided jeep tour to drive around the island so that we could pick and spend time on activities as per our liking. We are sharing highlights from our trip.
Crocodiles at Nature Preserve
Our first stop was at a natural preserve that had crocodiles relaxing in the shallow water. We climbed on top of a wooden observation tower to enjoy natural lagoon around it.
Cozumel Crocodiles
Snorkeling at Tortugas Beach Club
Our next stop was at Tortugas beach club where we enjoyed snorkeling tour of shallow colorful reefs with beautiful fishes in crystal clear water swimming around us. After snorkeling we sat down to have delicious Mexican food for lunch while listening to mariachi music. The place also offered relaxing massage service, beautiful artifacts in local shops, colorful fashion accessories and open bar with amazing ocean views.
Delicious FoodCozumel local shop
Lighthouse at Punta Sur
We drove through sandy road to reach a historic lighthouse at Punta Sur ecological park. We had to traverse extremely narrow stairs to reach on top of the lighthouse. The panoramic view from the top was breathtaking, offering white sand beaches, blue water and plenty of natural preserve all around.
View from top of lighthouse
Mayan Traditional House
Our next stop was at a Mayan traditional house NAH where we took a guided tour. We learned rich information on: Mayan Gods, history of Cozumel island, ancient artifacts, attended a religious ceremony and tasted freshly cooked burritos on a wood platform.
Traditional Mayan House
Tequila Tasting
Our last stop was at Tequila distillery Cava Antigua where we learned the process of making tequila. We tasted variety of tequilas, though those driving the jeep had to hold on to their natural inkling.
Tequila
Having completed our fun-filled tour of the Cozumel island, we headed back with fond memories to board our cruise ship for an overnight journey to visit Costa Maya, Mexico, next day!
