Hello there Tim! * Sixtyexpress

Today the ship arrives in Halifax. Having explored it last year ,we are venturing down to Mahone Bay and the historical town of Luneburg.Mohone Bay is an hour from Halifax and Luneburg a further half hour. Mohone Bay is a picturesque coastal village made up of colourful wooden buildings.

The main feature of the town are three wooden churches side by side. It must create quite a parking problem when they all have services.

Our guide , who was called Maime Christine, pointed out Tim Hortons . Good coffee and Maple glazed donuts…..bliss. Apart from Tim, there are lots of quirky shops and signs. Definitely a tourist village.

Luneburg is more planned than Mahone Bay. It was planned on a grid system by its original British settlers. Many of whom arrived with free passage but were required to work for 3 years in Halifax on the fortifications at the Citadel. Once their time was up they travelled to Luneburg where they were given land, materials to build a house and some livestock: cow and a goat, cow and chickens, cow and a sheep .
Problems have arisen from the planned layout as the land is quite hilly…..straight lines are not always the best way to avoid steep streets.
Houses in the town are wooden. Many historical houses built in the 1800’s still exist. They are known for their unusual architectural features of a bump out in the front like a bay window or a widows walk: a verandah or small deck at the front where sailors wives would look out when their husbands were due home.

Fishing and boatbuilding were ,and still are , the main industries for the town. They are known for these finely crafted wooden boats.

Another claim to fame is a sailboat. It is called Bluenose II and has won many competitions.

A beautiful school was built in the late 1800’s. It was designed with large classrooms,plenty of windows and uneven turrets, The latter to add architectural interests. A spectacular building, don’t you think.

It was still in use until 2012. Education was important to the community and everyone encouraged children to stay and study in school. Quite forward thinking for the time.

Not so forward thinking were qualifications for teachers.

As in all places , there are some idiosyncrasies. Here on the street posts are fish, squid or scallops . These were the products caught by the residents in that street.