The Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site is a reconstruction of an 18th century seaport that was founded by the French. It is one quarter the size of the original making it the biggest reconstruction of it's kind in North America.
We weren't sure if we would actually make it to the fortress on this trip but both of us were really glad we did. Ryan had never been before and didn't know what to expect but he was really excited as soon as he saw the walls.
Upon arrival we were greeted by a costumed interpreter who told us, and everyone else arriving at the same time, about Louisbourg and it's history. From there we walked through the big gate, passed the 30ft high wall and into the fortress.
Inside the walls it's a whole different world, like going back in time. From cannons to wooden beds that looked more like shelves.
Every building holds something new. We found a young man working away to build a boat, another man stacking wood inside the store house and plenty of people walking around creating atmosphere with there costumes. If you talk to these people they are more than happy to answer any questions you have, tell you stories and give you a better understanding of what you're looking at.
Even though the day was windy and cool, it somehow added the perfect kind of atmosphere to this place. I'm not sure why, but in my head Louisbourg is the kind of place that should always be cool, drizzly and have a layer of fog.
One of my favourite parts of this visit was seeing the animals. There are a few big beautiful gardens throughout the fortress and they had a bunch of these "Dalmatian" chickens in them. Some hiding under the leaves and some stealing raspberries off the bush.
Just down from the garden we found goats, ducks and turkeys. They all posed nicely for me while I took pictures of them.
As we continued to walk along we ventured into the different buildings to see what was inside. Not everything was open at this time of year but we still got to see a lot. Fun fact, one of these perfectly 1700's looking doors leads into a very modern bathroom that you would never suspect was there.
In front of this building we stopped to listen to someone talk for a few minutes and saw his shooting demonstration before continuing inside.
Through the main entrance way the first thing we came to was this church. Compared to many I have seen it was quite simple. Generally speaking, some of the most fancy and elaborate things I have seen on my travels have been churches.
Continuing inside we walked through every passageway and door. We saw very simple living quarters, meeting rooms and the elaborately decorated rooms of the Governor. Any rooms with significance had phones in them that allow people to hear about the uses and history of that particular space.
We eventually decided we had seen all the buildings and walked all the streets and it was time to go. I made one short stop to pet the sheep and then we walked back to the bus that would take us out of the park.
After we finished at the fortress we drove around to the other side of bay to see the Louisbourg Lighthouse, which is located at the site of the oldest lighthouse in Canada (which is now just a base.) It looks very similar to the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove but has a different landscape and there weren't a million people everywhere.
Whatever wind we felt walking through the fortress, it was much stronger over here. We only walked around for a short while before getting back in the car and setting our sights on mainland Nova Scotia.
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