Tuesday August 8, 2017

Louisbourg

We are on the road by 0845 and drive to the Fortress of Louisbourg, our point of interest for today. What is the difference between a fortress and a fort? It looks like 4 letters to me. The real answer is a fortress has the civilian town inside the walls, a fort is strictly military. It is supposed to rain today and we are hoping for the best. It is mostly cloudy right now but they are high clouds. We arrive at the visitor center and learn that you have to take a shuttle bus to the site, so we head outside and get on the bus. We arrive near the gate to the fortress just before 1000 which is good timing as that is when they open the gates. We head to the building where you can buy tickets for the 1030 guided tour and have no problem getting them. We have a little time to walk around before the tour starts.

Commoners

They have people dressed up in period costumes and playing out characters from the time. This is the largest reconstruction project in North America and is only about 30% completed. The fort was mainly constructed between 1720 and 1740 by the French to defend the St Lawrence River as it was the only way to Supply Canada and the important cities of Quebec and Montreal. It did have a weakness in that the French were overly concerned with the British Navy and so they placed the majority of their fortifications and guns facing the sea. The lower back side of the fort was exposed (as backsides often are) and the British exploited this weakness in capturing the fort in 1745. It was returned to France in 1748 in exchange for land in Belgium. It didn’t do the French good as the British recaptured it in 1758 and then destroyed it so the French could not use it to protect Quebec and Montreal again.

Secret Exit

The reconstruction was done using the original plans that were found in France and it is amazing how authentic it looks. After the tour, we stroll the grounds visiting the governor’s quarters, the administrator’s house, the engineer’s house and many other buildings. We learn about the families that lived here and how most items were imported from France and the West Indies. There is also a secret tunnel that could be used to either escape the enemy or to move troops without being seen. As we leave, it starts to rain and when we get to the car it starts to come down harder. Driving in rain is how we spend the rest of the day. We are OK with that because we got to do what we wanted to in visiting the fortress before the rains came.

I Think I’ll Eat It

We stop in the town of Antigonish to look for a place to eat that I had read about. We are looking for the waffle bus, where they make sandwiches on waffles. Got good reviews and sounded interesting so we are going to check it out. We find it and it is not a food truck as we thought it might be. We park, brave the rain and go inside. It is 5 o’clock and that is when they close. The owner Alex, says no problem I will make you something. That is when we tell him that we have come a long way for his creations. Another friendly Canadian. He explains that it is a special dough that he uses and how he makes things.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Waffle

We order a cheesesteak waffle and a Chicken Bacon Ranch. He even throws in free coffee as he is cleaning up for the day. The sandwiches are ready and they live up to the hype. Alex did start the business in a food truck part time in the summers. He was a school teacher and did this in the summers and now they have been open as a small cafe type place for a year. They still have the food truck also. We thank him for staying open for us and promise we will give him a great trip advisor review. After all we drove over 5000 miles for his waffle sandwiches. Back on the rainy highway, we reach our destination of Pictou, check into our BNB and settle in for the night. It is supposed to clear up tomorrow.  

Expenses                                                                                                                                Fortress of Louisburg Tour 7.80 CAD                                                                                    Fresh Baked Bread in the Fort 5 CAD                                                                                           McDonalds Coffee 1 CAD                                                                                                       Waffle Bus Dinner 17.00 CAD                                                                                                        Willow House Inn BNB 103.50 CAD