From Parker's Bay, we visited the Port Royal National Historic Site one of the earliest European settlements in North America. The original habitation was built by Samuel de Champlain in 1605. His drawings and plans were used for the reconstruction using the same materials and tools. Beautifully crafted timber frame construction was assembled with no nails. Mortise and tenon joints were locked with pegs.
Interpreters in costume described life's challenges in the fort and their relationship with the native Mi'kmaq.
Only a few of the rooms had windows with glass panes. Most of the windows had oiled sheepskin instead of glass that allowed in some light while keeping out the insects and cold.
Many of the rooms led one into another so the blacksmith was next to the kitchen next to the bakery which led into the common room.
One corner of the habitation was the house for the governor. He had a bit more room and luxury. Upstairs was a four-poster bed.
Port Royal was only occupied for a short few years before politics across the ocean changed direction and it was abandoned. The land was farmed for hundreds of years before the decision to reconstruct the habitation. We were told there were probably only a few stones in the foundation that were original to the 1605 structure.
Next, we headed to the quaint seaside village of Digby, the scallop capital of the world. One of the locals recommended we stop in the Crow's Nest for the scallops. Joani had the seafood chowder loaded with scallops, fish, shrimp, and clams and I had the pan-fried scallops. Both were certainly tasty!
It was a pleasant day so we opted to sit outdoors and watched the tide rise as we ate.
I thought this deck was different. It was originally the aft section of a large fishing boat.
It was nice to see so many faces from our tour around town it made us feel like we were locals ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment