Tag: big things

Day 15: Halifax and Giant Lobster

August 20, 2012
PEI2012

Day 15 and we were headed to Halifax before ending the day in Moncton. We parked at the ferry terminal in Dartmouth and took the passenger ferry across the harbour. It was cloudy and overcast, but no rain. A view of the Angus MacDonald bridge.

Claudia and Gillian on the ferry. The ferry is part of the Metro Halifax Transit system.

Pulling into Halifax.

We walked the Historic Properties.

They are saving the building facades on this building, so all that is standing is the walls while they work around it.

There has been some discussion in the news about how much the federal government has spent on the War of 1812 anniversary hype. Especially in light of all the recent cuts at Parks Canada.

The skies were still a little gloomy.

Angela and a buddy.

Gillian and her friend.

We did the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. In honour of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titantic, there were extra Titanic focused exhibits. Most notably was how the Cable Ships of Halifax helped in the body recovery in the days afterwards.

A pair of shoes from one of the young victims. Most items were burned to avoid people trying to scavenge souvenirs, but the one police officer couldn’t bear to throw these in the fire, so he kept them in his desk drawer until he retired and then it got passed down through the family, eventually ending up at the museum.

There was a Swan on board the RMS Titanic who did not survive.

An interesting piece, Ideal the board game company released a game called The Sinking of the Titanic, you had to move around the board picking up survivors. After some outcry, the board game was removed from store shelves, and re-released as Abandon Ship. You can still pick up the original on eBay for $10.00 + shipping.

Angela getting attacked by an octopus.

Part of the admission fee allowed you to go on the CSS Acadia that is docked.

Thomas the tugboat out in the harbour.

The CSS Acadia bell.

The girls steering the ship.

You could climb up and down the decks.

Angela relaxing on board the Titanic.

He she is in the grand foyer.

Taking the MacDonald bridge up to the 102 and Moncton.

We headed to Shediac for dinner, not lobster dinner, but we would see the world’s largest lobster.

The girls with the lobster fisherman.

Claudia helping Angela and Gillian escape from the giant claw.

Some of the tourist shops at the lobster.

Lobsterheads.

Day 4: Cape Breton and the Big Fiddle

August 9, 2012
PEI2012

Day 4 continued our road trip from Fredericton to Sydney, NS.

Our first stop of the day was the Nova Scotia Welcome Center on Highway 2.

Angela raising the Nova Scotia flag.

Another good day of weather, after a lunch stop in Truro, it was on to Cape Breton.

Crossing the Canso Causeway from the Nova Scotia peninsula to Cape Breton.

The word “Canso” is believed to be derived from the Mi’kmaq word kamsok, which means “opposite the lofty cliffs.” The swing bridge allows ship traffic to get through and keeps Cape Breton a true island.

It was a scenic drive along the 104 and highway 4 to Sydney.

After dinner we headed down to the waterfront to see the big fiddle. It is located at the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion.

The girls holding up The Big Céilidh Fiddle.

Next they plucked a few strings.

A close-up of the fiddle and bow.

The girls on the wharf.

Still dancing after a couple of days in the car.

Tonight was the start of the Rock the Dock 2012 festival at the Sydney Marine Terminal Grounds. Among the groups playing tonight were Signal hill, Matt Anderson and Walk off The Earth. Also playing this weekend are the Trews, April Wine, Myles Goodwin and the Privateers.

One last shot of the fiddle at night.

The girls with a memorial to immigrants to Cape Breton.

Looking back over the Cruise Pavilion.

We were able to catch a Cape Breton sunset.

When we got back to the hotel we Skyped with g-ma, g-pa and Chloe.

Our route today was 637km and took us 8 hours with stops. Tomorrow we are driving the Cabot Trail.

Day 3: Entering Atlantic Canada

August 8, 2012
PEI2012

Day 3 took us from Lévis, Quebec to Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Our first stop of the day was at the New Brunswick Visitor Centre on Highway 2. There was no sign that said New Brunswick, but there was a replica of the ship on their licence plates.

We stopped in Grand Falls, NB for lunch at the information centre in town next to the falls. Here is Angela photo bombing Claudia’s picture with the big indian.

The falls weren’t living up to their name, they had most of the water blocked off as they were working on the raised dam. It did provide a good view of the gorge below.

Along highway 2 heading towards Fredericton. Again we had another great day for driving.

After dinner we headed to the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge. The bridge consists of 9 spans crossing a distance of 581 metres (1,906 ft) over the Saint John River and was constructed in 1936. The final freight train crossed the bridge in March 1996.

It is a shared bridge, so you have to watch for bikes.

Looking towards the Princess Margaret Bridge.

The girls all standing on different levels and angles.

Looking up at one of the spans.

It was a lot busier than this photos shows.

On the way back we were able to catch the sunset over Fredericton.

Today was a 570 km drive and 7 hours with stops. We also lost an hour with the time zone change. Tomorrow it is off to Sydney, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton island. We’ll be back to explore New Brunswick on the way back.