The French came on the site of the future Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 following territorial losses to the English Newfoundland and Acadia, Nova Scotia, at the end of the war of Spanish succession. Louisbourg whose economy based on fishing industry and trade quickly became France's most important stronghold and seaport. The English took the fortress after a 46-day siege in 1745. It was taken twice. In 1760 after the General James Wolfe had taken the town of Quebec, the fortress was destroyed and the city was burned. It will reappear of its ashes from 1960 with the determining action of Hon. I. C. Rand who applied Keynes' theories to reabsorb the unemployment of the Cape Breton. During July and August interpreters in costume animate the site, its life and its misfortunes. In the rebuilt buildings interpretive signs exhibit the historical facts which made the greatness and the fall of Nouvelle-France. In this October some buildings were still opened to tourists but without animation. Indeed there were few visitors. In one of the houses the religious life was explained as well as the action of Marguerite Bourgeoys born in Troyes, Aube, France in 1620. It is my birthplace.

Fortress 
Louisbourg 
24/10/2011 

Wooden gate 
Louisbourg 
24/10/2011 

 
Louisbourg 
24/10/2011 

Tuesday October 25 was the last day on Cape Breton Island. The roads traversing the coast from north to the south are called: Ceilidh Trail, Cabot Trail, Marconi Trail and Fleur-de-Lis Trail. At my great astonishment there are still bridges with one way as in the extreme north of Canada.

Name of the road 
Hwy #327 
25/10/2011 

One way bridge 
Hwy #327 
25/10/2011 

Two simple sights for this gloomy day. At St Peter's a channel connects the Bras d'Or Lake to the Atlantic Ocean, it is a Historic Site of Canada. Other interpretative signs mention the presence of the French in this spot.

 
St Peter's 
25/10/2011 

 
St Peter's 
25/10/2011 

At Guysborough another Historic site of Canada the old Court House, closed for the season. The road curved along the coast up to Canso where I bivouacked on the port in the rain.

The following day was a driving day towards Halifax while skirting the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia in very rugged landscapes, without farming with many lakes and marshes, and poor fishermen villages of which some hoisted the Acadian flag. The road is with the image of the shore, very corrugated with many potholes. Only two sights were a ferry at Isaac and a suspension bridge at Halifax, both with a moderate toll. Weather was poor rain and fog by arriving in Halifax where the sun appeared clouds being pushed by a storm wind from sea. After a long moment spent at Visitor Center I stationed at Walmart.

 
Eastern Shore 
26/10/2011 

The day of visit of Halifax was particularly cold, at daybreak 3°C under my truck and during the day it was more 8°C but without rain. Despite everything I decided to traverse the city by bicycle. The first stage was the citadel built in 1749 on a hill dominating the city and the port. The current structures date back from 1818 to 1861. A very documented museum is installed in casemates of the fort. I gave a short outline of it.

 
La Citadelle-d'Halifax 
27/10/2011 

 
La Citadelle-d'Halifax 
27/10/2011 

The town of Halifax undergoes a destruction into 1917 which caused many victims and great damage. They were the consequence of the collision between two ships in the port.

1917 
Halifax 
27/10/2011 è

The St Paul's Anglican churchn was built in 1749 at the time of the foundation of the city.

The Province House is remarkable by the epopee of Joseph Howe leader-writer of reputation implied in a lawsuit in slandering. Charles Dickens visiting it wrote: “It was like looking at Westminster through the wrong end of a telescope”.

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, AGNS, are housed in an extraordinary Dominion Building. It exhibits collections of art of the First Nations as well as artists of the NS.

On the port old warehouses were transformed into shops for tourists in great majority closed.

Finally at the other end of the water front Pier 21 was to Canada what Ellis Island was to the USA, the entry point for the million immigrants who entered Canada. It was a day very rich in historical information presented with sobriety.

 
Pier 21 
27/10/2011 

Friday October 28 I was as of 8:00 at the workshop Coast Tire to make the fourth rotation of the tires of my truck which have 40700 km since the purchase the 18/04/2011 in Houston. I left the workshop around 11 a.m. At the beginning of afternoon I stopped at the famous village of Grand Pré whose Acadian population knew the deportation. Visitor Center was closed, but the site was accessible. I strolled on the lawn by a covered weather with a temperature of 10°C.

 
Grand Pré 
28/10/2011 

At about two kilometers in edge of sea a Cross was set up on the departure spot of families. Having to control the tightening of the wheels I bivouacked on the spot.

After much hesitations I decided to go & see the first French settlement made by Samuel de Champlain into 1605 who named it Port Royal. After having changed several times of hand, French and/or English, finally the British named it Annapolis Royal in honor of Queen Anne. Today it is a charm small village of 800 hearts with which houses are decorated for Halloween. Fort Anne created by the French then taken by the English is a whole ground hillocks carefully manicured but deserted in this season. I strolled in sun and wind, around 9°C. The site is peppered with bronze plates “In memoriam” as well the French as the English. The Fort of Royal Port is on the other side of the river with a ferry but a dissuasive sign indicated “closed”. I grained my way to head to the border between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Fort Anne 
Annapolis Royal 
29/10/2011 

 
Fort Anne 
29/10/2011 

Fort Anne 
Annapolis Royal 
29/10/2011 

 
Fort Anne 
29/10/2011 

Halloween 
Annapolis 
29/10/2011 

The day started with cold rain then it finished with flurries of snow in Amherst. Moreover New York was under thick layers of snow makes extremely rare at that time year. The program was composed of three open-year-round visits, forgery for Glooscap Heritage Centers at Truro as well as for Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro both “closed”.

 
Shubenacadie 
30/10/2011 

 
Last gravel road in Nova Scotia 
30/10/2011 

On the other hand been obstinate I headed to Joggins Fossil Cliffs which with my astonishment was open in spite of snow. The small museum is very interesting by the few exhibited fossils and especially by the interpretative signs giving a progress report on the species' evolution. The way in Nova Scotia finished “out of water of roll” according to the  Michel Jobert's expression, Foreign Minister under the government of George Pompidou.

 
Joggins 
30/10/2011 

en route 
Amherst 
30/10/2011