In July, my parents and I travelled across Canada from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island.
On our way to Prince Edward Island, we saw a lot of different sights. We drove to the Terry Fox Memorial in Thunder Bay, Ontario. When we got to the memorial sight, I started to have tears in my eyes because I found the sight very beautiful with the statue of Terry Fox and all of the flowers around it. This was the place where Terry stopped his run because of the cancer in his leg.
The next place that we visited was Old Fort William, a North West Company trading post. We saw the Doctor’s office and the tools used in the 1700’s. We visited the bakery and enjoyed tasting their freshly baked bread. We also visited the canoe workshop where all the canoes were made for the fur traders and now they are made for movies and museums. After visiting Old Fort William and the Terry Fox Memorial, we drove to Ottawa, our nation’s capital.
When we visited the Parliament, we took a guided tour and saw the House of Commons, Senate, the meeting room and the library. After visiting Parliament, we went to Canada’s highest court – the Supreme Court. We also visited the War Museum and learned about the wars that Canadians took part in. I was very interested in learning about the War of 1812 and the first and second World Wars. We also went to the National Art Gallery of Canada. We saw a special display of Van Gogh’s paintings and a lot of very interesting paintings from other artists.
After visiting Ottawa, we drove to Montreal. We visited St. Joseph’s Oratory and the beautiful Notre-Dame Basilica. After that we toured Chateau Ramezay (named after a French Governor of Montreal in the 1700’s) which was a museum and historic site of Montreal. In the museum we could see many artifacts and displays. We could pick up a telephone to hear the voices of Benjamin Franklin or Madame de Ramezay talk about their lives and experiences.
In Quebec City, when we walked through the Old Town, it felt like we were in Europe. We saw the citadel, walked along the promenade, saw the Plains of Abraham, Chateau Frontenac, fortress and many shops in historic Quebec.
After seeing Quebec City, we then drove to Fredericton, New Brunswick.
When we got there, my Mom and I explored the 18th century village called King’s Landing.
Then, we finally drove to the most beautiful province of Canada, Prince Edward Island. We drove across the thirteen kilometre Confederation Bridge and saw the bright blue water below us. We visited Cavendish and saw the house that inspired the Anne of Green Gables stories. Then to Charlottetown’s Province House where the leaders of the colonies met to discuss Confederation in 1864. We also enjoyed seeing a performance by a young art group. The show was called ‘Dreams of our Forefathers.’ By using song and dance, the performers told the story of how Canada became a nation.
From Charlottetown, we drove to Fortress Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. There we met some native people and Metis who were cooking fish. After that we entered into the Fortress and saw all the old houses; the bakery, residences, chapel, and artillery storehouse. We watched a mock trial of a man who had stolen a bottle of wine. We saw soldiers playing drums and flutes and marching down the street.
The next day we drove to Halifax and took part in mass at Saint Mary’s Basilica, then we went to the harbor to see the Tall Ships and Pier 21. My dad really wanted to see Pier 21 because when his family immigrated to Canada they landed there.
Next day, on our way to Digby we drove to Peggy’s Cove to take pictures of the famous lighthouse. Then we drove to Lunenburg to see the Atlantic Museum and Bluenose 11.
When we arrived at Digby, we took the ferry to Saint John, New Brunswick. On the ferry, we watched the movie, ‘Big Miracle’ about three whales that were caught under the ice in the Arctic and how everyone united to help them escape.
Finally, we started to drive home.
I really enjoyed seeing the east coast of Canada. I found its history more interesting because there are more historic sites and conflicts there, than we have on the west coast. The trip across Canada was interesting and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it.