The day dawned warm and sunny - oops, that was a different trip. The day never really dawned, it just got a little lighter and then darker again. But in between, there was still some adventure to be had. The forecast called for 50 mm of rain and a high of 13 C. Good day to be driving. The rain held off though, and my travelling companion and I decided that it would be a good day to take in something in Halifax. Our plan was to be on Cape Breton Island by supper time, and it was about a 3.5 hours driving time, so we could spend the morning in Halifax.
We opted to check out Citadel Hill, which was easy walking distance from the Waverley Inn, even though it was all uphill. Good exercise to try and offset Larry Lobster from last night's dinner. The site was open and fully staffed. I had dropped in several years ago (over 20) but that was in November and there was minimal staff, the museum section and gift shop/info center was not open at that time. So I was happy to see everything open and available this time. All the staff were in period costume (1869-1871) when the fort was already well established, and staffed by the 78th Highlanders.
It was huge, and we could walk all the way around the top, where the view of Halifax harbour was spectacular. Then all the way around the bottom, where there used to be stables, and guard houses, and garrisons, and now there was multi-media museum and informational videos. The gift shop in the main officers building held the standard t-shirts, and touristy type collectibles, but also had Heathergems from Scotland set in sterling or goldplate. This is something I had never seen, the colours were beautiful, and it was so unique I just had to buy a bracelet. I learn that Heathergems are really stems of Scottish heather (a plant) that were dried, then dyed, then compressed, then polished.
We stay long enough to watch the noon gun (gun being a 12 lb. cannon) being fired, and then we head back to the car to make our way to Cape Breton. As we leave the city, the rain starts. Phew!! Just in time.
The afternoon is a lot of rain, a lot of driving, and not much to see until we get close to Cape Breton. We pass a restaurant that looks like a "check that out on the way back", Mother Webb's Ribs and Steak, in Antigonish. Then we're finally at the Causeway that will take us across to Cape Breton Island. The rest of the drive - if it wasn't for the rain and fog - is beautiful. We're hoping it isn't like this the entire week, and the weather forecast for tomorrow is sunny and 18, so we know we'll get at least one day of nice weather for hiking the trails in Cape Breton National Park - and tons of pictures, which maybe tomorrow I'll be able to upload....
We opted to check out Citadel Hill, which was easy walking distance from the Waverley Inn, even though it was all uphill. Good exercise to try and offset Larry Lobster from last night's dinner. The site was open and fully staffed. I had dropped in several years ago (over 20) but that was in November and there was minimal staff, the museum section and gift shop/info center was not open at that time. So I was happy to see everything open and available this time. All the staff were in period costume (1869-1871) when the fort was already well established, and staffed by the 78th Highlanders.
It was huge, and we could walk all the way around the top, where the view of Halifax harbour was spectacular. Then all the way around the bottom, where there used to be stables, and guard houses, and garrisons, and now there was multi-media museum and informational videos. The gift shop in the main officers building held the standard t-shirts, and touristy type collectibles, but also had Heathergems from Scotland set in sterling or goldplate. This is something I had never seen, the colours were beautiful, and it was so unique I just had to buy a bracelet. I learn that Heathergems are really stems of Scottish heather (a plant) that were dried, then dyed, then compressed, then polished.
We stay long enough to watch the noon gun (gun being a 12 lb. cannon) being fired, and then we head back to the car to make our way to Cape Breton. As we leave the city, the rain starts. Phew!! Just in time.
The afternoon is a lot of rain, a lot of driving, and not much to see until we get close to Cape Breton. We pass a restaurant that looks like a "check that out on the way back", Mother Webb's Ribs and Steak, in Antigonish. Then we're finally at the Causeway that will take us across to Cape Breton Island. The rest of the drive - if it wasn't for the rain and fog - is beautiful. We're hoping it isn't like this the entire week, and the weather forecast for tomorrow is sunny and 18, so we know we'll get at least one day of nice weather for hiking the trails in Cape Breton National Park - and tons of pictures, which maybe tomorrow I'll be able to upload....
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