Later start this am , quick zip around Sydney, smaller population (20,000) than Halifax. Has a real success story with its First Nation tribe-Manatoucs, they have a thriving parallel town. 

Sydney area had huge coalmines, still has one today , it is under the sea, golly that gives me the willies just thinking about it.

Visited a small museum in the Wentworth area which was/is very multicultural and now has Unesco status.

Wooden houses, some quite scruffy but I guess that goes with the climate which must play havoc with paint. Too expensive to build in stone or brick as it has to be brought in.

Poles, Lebanese, Blacks, Chinese, Greeks you name it they all came here to either work in the steel mills, now gone or in the coal mines. Not nearly  as  prosperous as Halifax. No way could I access anywhere that sold sim cards so am parked up in a cafe drinking cheap coffee  and eating carbohydrates. 

Even colder here and expected to rain and blow so better get hopping back to the boat.

Pictures

Lovely duo on board last night

Severe landscape, wooden houses

Wild blueberry bushes

V chilly, leaves not even furled let alone tightly. Golly Nova Scotia has a turbulent past, typical English /French shenanigans. Strong Scottish influence. Gaelic is taught in schools!!!

The fort on top of the hill in Halifax has mock soldiers all done up in kilts, students hired for the summer.Nova Scotia even has its own tartan. The accent is softer here than in USA.

Went on a seven hour tour here and even got to hold a lobster had to ooh and aah… There is only about three inches of topsoil on the area around Halifax so fishing and tourism are all the go. Very few flowers, very few gardens, just too harsh an environment. Walked thru  the Victoria Gardens, small cheese compared to NZ public gardens but we do not have months of snow. Tulips only just in bud.

Bleak landscape but would be softer in summer when/if the leaves ever get out. Chowder for lunch in a pretty manky cafe but the chowder was good.

Still cold, about 10c by the time we got back to the bus. Guide was shorter than me but not quite as old…

Boat building is big here and the Canadian Navy has a strong presence. Tourism is up there too as an earner. Someone made a very bold  move with the boat building , set up training programmes, free training for the needed trades as long as they agreed to an apprenticeship. 

Pikkies

Houses along the coast

Sideways Margaret

Lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove

Houses at above

Trees  trees  and more trees

Cemetry in Halifax has 129 Titanic victims buried in it

Boat building area

Fort with a finger

Downtown(Halifax seems v prosperous

Have no Canadian sim card and can find nowhere in Sydney Nova Scotia to buy one. So, am holes up in a cafe  writing this. The ship charges100us so boo to them.

Left Boston courtesy of an Uber taxi, she got lost finding the ship!! Cabin is fine,, food is very good can feel weight chasing me trying to latch on…Took a couple of days to get the wine package sorted, think it was a perk for this voyage, however it all seemed like 8$ cheapies from the supermarket  so paid a bit more and am now a happy camper. Put a limit on myself as can have 15!!!!! free drinks a day…

Dinner companions are ok, retired policeman and talkative wife, about herself  and  another retired couple, pleasant as well. Policeman  is now a semi professional gambler!!!!

Bar Harbour, would be much prettier ina couple of weeks time as the leaves are still tightly furled. Cute wee town, did a tour with a local geologist, Bar Harbour and its surrounds are set in a caldera from earthquakes aeons ago. The coastline has some interesting geological formations including a whiye stripe in one place which is compressed ash!

Bar Harbour is holiday home territory to the rich and famous. Boy I bet there is a hireachy there with the local serfs being bottom of the heap. Pleased to go there though as it has featured to a larger or lesser degree in many books .

Cold wind , about 12c.

pikkies

Luggage mountain, cabin, I occupy 20% of the bed, blow hole up in Acadia National Park , nr Bar Harbour,gray sea gray day.

Loved the crafty wee chair.