Canada – Aspiring Nirvana

Relive the colonial past at Fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Canada

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.

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.

Rating: 3.5*/5

Helpful Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress_of_Louisbourg

Watch stunning scenery along one of the most scenic highway in Canada – Cabot Trail

If you aspire to drive along a scenic highway that offers beautiful coastlines, majestic mountains, sandy beaches, delightful seafood and cultural communities, then you must visit Cabot Trail.

Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

Cabot Trail is considered one of the most scenic highway drive in Canada offering stunning views of ocean and mountains through twisting roadways. It is located in Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, an island that has been rated as the #1 Island to visit in North America by Travel & Leisure Magazine. Apart from scenic overlooks, one can also enjoy outdoor adventures including hiking, camping, horseback riding, boating, fishing and whale watching. The area is also home to bears, moose and bald eagles.

The Cabot Trail is 300 km (185 miles) long and makes a loop around Cape Breton Island, covering top and bottom of the island including east and west coastlines. The Trail includes all of Trunk 30 and parts of Highway 105. Allow at least one day (about 9 hours) to drive around the Trail to fully appreciate it’s beauty.

We started driving early morning from town of Sydney, and joined the Trail near English Town and decided to drive counter-clockwise along Trunk 30 to enjoy the best scenic ocean views.

Our first stop was Ingonish Beach, a very atypical beach having cobblestones on one side and fine sand on other, alongside crystal clear ocean water. One can walk to a nearby Freshwater lake to enjoy swimming in non-salty water. The scenery around the beach is amazing. We had a relaxing lunch at a nearby picnic area. Ingonish Beach area is also famous for Highlands Links golf course, one of the finest in Canada.

After lunch at Ingonish beach we kept driving north along the trail. There were plenty of photo-snapping opportunities filled with scenic vistas. Make sure you stop at pull offs, enjoy the scenery and take selfies!

Cabot Trail ocean view — Cabot Trail Ocean view

One of the best view of the Trail is from the look-off at the Veterans Monument that lies along the north side of the trail. We stopped there to snap multiple photos. From here, one can truly appreciate carving of the trail on majestic mountains alongside deep blue ocean.

Cabot Trail - View from Veterans Monument — Cabot Trail – View from Veterans Monument

Continuing our drive towards the west coast our next stop was Pleasant Bay, a community famous for whale-watching. One can aboard a guided tour to view many species of whales that visit the area every year. We stopped at a spectacular lookout point to enjoy MacKenzie Mountain along Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Pleasant Bay - MacKenzie Mountain — Pleasant Bay – MacKenzie Mountain

Driving southbound along the western coast, our next stop was at the roadside to enjoy stunning Fishing Cove deep below the highway and filled with green mountains with contrasting blue ocean and clear sky. What a sight!!

Completing the loop on southern side our last stop was town of Baddeck, a beautiful community that is considered the gateway to the Cabot Trail. Here you can enjoy Celtics music as well as sailing, birding, fishing and horseback riding. We came across a beautiful Kidston Island lighthouse while driving through Baddeck.

Baddeck - Light House — Baddeck – Kidston Island LightHouse

Alexander Graham Bell, famous inventor of telephone, chose Baddeck as his summer residence. We stopped by at Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site to take a peek at Bell’s work through the exhibitions and interactive demonstrations.

This completed our day-trip around the Cabot Trail. What a wonderful place!!

With fond memories, we headed back to our hotel in Sydney, with plans to visit Fort of Louisbourg next, followed by trip to Hopewell Rocks Park in New Brunswick province.

Some of the other significant attractions along the Cabot Trail includes:

Meat Cove Famous for camp grounds and small fishing community
Hikes There are multiple hiking trails leading to magnificent views of waterfalls, highlands, and coastlines
Glenora Distillery, Home of Canada’s First Single Malt Whisky, Glen Breton Rare
Seafood There are plenty of places to enjoy delicious seafood including lobster rolls at local restaurants

Our Rating: 4* out of 5

Helpful Links:

Dare to Walk in the Seabed with World’s Highest Tides – Hopewell Rocks Park

If you aspire to walk on the ocean floor and few hours later kayak at the same spot with 50 feet high tides, then you must visit Hopewell Rocks, home to the highest tidal range in the world!

Hopewell Rocks Park, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada

The Hopewell Rocks Park is one of the Marine Wonders of the World. The rocks at the park are between 40 to 70 feet tall, with unique formations caused by daily tidal flows of up to 50 feet, containing 175 billion tons of sea water flowing in and out daily! The time difference between a high tide and a low tide is about 6 hours.

The Hopewell Rocks Park is located at the coast of the Bay of Fundy, at province of New Brunswick and close to Nova Scotia, Canada. The Bay of Fundy itself is one of the 7 natural wonders of America.

On the way back from Nova Scotia, we stopped at the town of Mocton, New Brunswick. From there we headed to the Hopewell Rocks park which was about half-hour drive. When we reached at the park it was time of low tide, so we took stair to reach “ocean floor”. We strolled at the sea bottom along the base of rocks and admired their unique shapes and enormous size.

A word of advice based on our personal experience. Remember, you will be walking on a wet and muddy ocean floor, so dress appropriately with proper footwear or walk barefoot. There will be water facility to clean your footwear near the stairs.

The base of rocks have been eroded over the years by tides. The rocks harbor diverse sandstone forms and their tops are usually covered with trees. Usually the difference in tides is just few feet at other places, but the size of Bay of Fundy uniquely matches gravitational force of the moon push pull cycle, that results in high tidal waves at Hopewell Rocks.

We strolled through the area while admiring the unique geology on the ocean floor. After few hours, the tide started reversing and ocean water started tricking in. We safely moved above the shore using the stairs and watched as the area below started submerging in ocean water again.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Hopewell-Rocks-Boats-1024x563.jpg — Hopewell Rocks, High Tide

Having watched one of the unique natural wonder of the world, it was time to bid goodbye! Before heading back home, we paused and admired one more time, the complex and unique geological landscape on Earth!

Our rating: 4.5*s out of 5

This concluded our week-long trip to Canada provinces New Brunswick and Nova Scotia .

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