I’m going to take a walk through the historical side of the Canadian Maritime. Some of you may yawn at history, but if you pay close attention, it’s quite fascinating how Canadians dealt with events and how they saw things differently. We might think some things are impossible, but then again, we also thought that air conditioning was too. I’m going to walk on a different path rather than the normal site-seeing one, and see Canada from an historical perspective.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of the three Maritime provinces in Canada and a main supplier of seafood.
The Lobster Capital
The town of Shediac, located in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, has a nickname: Lobster Capital of the world. At its west entrance, there is a giant red lobster statue that measures 11 m in length, 5 m in height and weighs 90 tonnes! In front of the lobster, there is a proud fisherman statue. I imagined the moment the fisherman caught the giant lobster — he must have been waving his net and shouting excitingly, competing with the lobster mentally and physically. The vision put a smile on my face. His lobster would have DEFINITELY been the catch of the day, and judging by the size and weight, it’s going to be famous for a pretty long time.
HopeWell Rocks
HopeWell Rocks is in Moncton, New Brunswick. This wonder was caused entirely by nature. It stands from 40-70 feet tall and the tide can be up to 16 feet or 52 metres high! These tides battered the HopeWell rocks for a long time, so no wonder it’s like this! Pieces of the original cliff broke off and turned into bowling pin shapes.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is another one of the Maritime provinces and is located almost EXACTLY halfway between the North Pole and the equator. The establishment of Nova Scotia started a war, and a fort was built to protect and attack. However, it was rarely used, for it was built so well that the enemy didn’t want to take the chance! The site is now in the Halifax Citadel National Park. Halifax has history in the harbour as well, so I tried to understand how the people felt about the Atlantic by visiting the National Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
The Bluenose
Everyone knows the Canadian dime of 10 cents, and everyone remembers the ship carved on the silver coin. I never really knew the origin of the boat, but now I know of the Bluenose and its glory as a schooner. A sea captain, Angus Walters, was the captain of the ‘Bluenose’ ship that became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia, and a very important Canadian symbol in the 1930s. The boat was named
after the people of Nova Scotia, whose nickname was ‘Bluenose’. I can almost imagine the boat sailing back to a harbour in triumph after winning a race or with a day’s good haul of fish. This ship has definitely won the appreciation of the people of Nova Scotia.
P.E.I
When I first heard of P.E.I (Prince Edward Island), I didn’t know anything about it except that it was: the smallest province, had red soil, and its staple crop was potatoes. After I went to the province, I realized that I knew nothing about P.E.I. I could never have imagined its rural landscape. P.E.I is the birthplace of Canada, the place where the 36 fathers of Confederation discussed the meeting of the provinces. Due to this, Charlottetown is called the Cradle of Confederation and has become a major part of Canadian history.
Anne of Green Gables
Did you know that P.E.I was home the home of Lucy Maud Montgomery – author of the classic, ‘Anne of Green Gables’? Many readers imagine what it’s like to be in a book, especially when the author has made the story so vivid in our imaginations. I am one of those readers, so I was extremely excited to see Green Gables. Lucy M. Montgomery is an amazing author and the home that inspired her book was donated to a park for enthusiastic readers to relive Anne’s story. It was all there: the Haunted Wood, Lover’s Lane, Matthew’s Barn, and of course, Green Gables itself. It is an amazing place that lets many people to see the world through Anne’s eyes.
