Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

We are in our third province since leaving Maine. When I made our reservations I was looking for a public campground and found this small city campground in Lunenburg. I am so glad we came here!

This small fishing port is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It has a beautiful harbor…

lined on the far side with lovely homes.

On our side was the business district…

with narrow streets,

and plenty of places to shop and eat.

We went to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. We learned the town was settled by a group of the only French speaking Lutherans in the world. When their small independent land was taken over by Catholic France they took advantage of a British offer to come to Nova Scotia. They were farmers but soon learned to fish.

They were joined by others from Europe, mostly Germans, and the town became an important fishing and boat building site.

A highlight of the museum was a chance to tour the Theresa E. Conner and speak with Philip, a docent on board. Philip was a former fisherman and his father fished using the dory system like aboard the Theresa E. Conner. A dozen dories were carried on deck. Each dory went out with a two man crew and set long lines with 3 foot lines and baited hooks along their length. The ends were marked by buoys. The men would go back and pull in the lines and fish and return the fish to the schooner. They went out three or four times a day and also had to clean and salt their catch. The ship would stay out up to 8 weeks until the hold was full.

We were lucky to catch a glimpse of Bluenose II, built in 1963 to the same specifications as the original Bluenose. That fishing schooner, built in 1921, was entered in and won several international fishing schooner races, ultimately winning the last of those races held and bringing the trophy to Nova Scotia. An image of Bluenose is on the Nova Scotia license plate and the Canadian dime. Bluenose and Bluenose II were both built in and sailed from Lunenburg.

We enjoyed just walking around town…

looking at the many colorful old houses.

Some are on their own…

and others are in rows.

There were a lot of flowers, too;

including these giant Scotch thistles. (I learned these are an invasive.)

We came across St. John’s Anglican Church. Built in 1754, it was a symbol of British authority.

In 2001 two thirds of the church was destroyed by fire. The congregation built it back using the original plans. Some skilled builders came out of retirement to work on this project.

I loved the constellations painted on the ceiling above the alter.

I tried hard to capture the unique beauty of this place, but it’s someplace that is much better in person. If you get the chance, come!