Cruising to Canada - Sydney and St. John

The main street of the restored town at the Fortress of Louisbourg

The 2012 Canada/New England cruising season has come to an end but I wanted to add one more port to profiles of the ports that are often included in the itinerary on Canada/New England cruises. With this addition, Beyondships will have profiles of all the more popular ports visited on such cruises, which I hope will make it more helpful for those of you who may be thinking about such a cruise in 2013 or beyond.

The port is Sydney, Nova Scotia and our profile of the port begins at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-destination---sydney-nova-scotia.html

Although named after the same 18^th century British aristocrat as the better known city in Australia, the two have little else in common. This one is a small town at the end of a pretty bay. So do not expect to see the harbor bridge or Banzai beach and the opera house looks nothing like the one in the southern hemisphere.

Cruise ships do not stop at this Sydney in order for passengers to view the city. There is a modern and lively cruise pavilion and a few 18^th century buildings but otherwise it is pretty much an ordinary town. Rather, ships come to Sydney because it is the port for Cape Breton Island. People travel from there to the scenic Cabot Trail or to the picturesque area of Baddeck to see the Alexander Graham Bell museum or the Highland Village.

Perhaps the most interesting attraction on Cape Breton Island is the Fortress of Louisbourg. In the first half of the 18^th century this fortified city was the third busiest port in North America. It was destroyed in the wars between Britain and France in the middle of that century. For some 200 years, the site lay undisturbed until the 1960s when the Canadian government decided to rebuild a quarter of the former city. It is the largest historical restoration in North America. In essence, you have what is an 18^th century French town far from any significant modern day urban center.

To bring the town to life, there are re-enactors in 18^th century costumes. They tell you the story of the people who actually live there and demonstrate how life was lived in those days. It is both entertaining and educational.

Beyondships' article about visiting Louisbourg is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-destination---sydney-nova-scotia---louisbourg.html

While we are on the subject of Canada cruises, St. John, New Brunswick has emerged as one of the most visited ports in the Canada/New England area. Its pride is the Reversing Falls (sometimes called the Reversing Rapids), a section of the St. John River that is affected by the tidal changes with dramatic effect.

The Reversing Falls are a short distance out of town but for many years you needed some sort of vehicle to get there. Now St. John has constructed a trail so that you can walk from the cruise terminal to the Reversing Falls. I tried this out my last time in St. John and an article about my experience is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-article---a-walk-to-the-reversing-falls.html