Two interesting facts about Halifax is that it experienced the world’s most powerful explosion prior to the testing of the atomic bomb known as the Halifax explosion. It occurred in 1917 when a French munitions ship carrying TNT and highly inflammable benzol collided with another vessel, the explosion sunk both vessels and wiped out a nearby residential settlement on the harbour shore, killing in total over 1900 people and injuring 9000. Secondly it responded to the distress call from the Titanic and sent out three rescue ships sadly they returned with few survivors in total over 1500 people lost their lives. The Maritime museum holds some of the items retrieved from the wreck.

We were lucky enough to arrive in Halifax a day before a big boat race “Sail GP” and to witness the Catamarans practising as we walked along the boardwalk.

Having seen the film Maudie which was about the artist Maud Lewis severely disabled with childhood Rheumatoid Arthritis, a visit to the art gallery that was exhibiting some of her work and that had re erected her home within the gallery was a must for us. Maud enjoyed painting and covered every surface of her home including furniture and household items with her art. Originally she sold her paintings for £5 a piece they now sell for thousands.

Leaving Halifax we followed the coast road around the Bay of Fundy which is home to the highest tides in the world stopping off at Hopewell Rocks, which through a natural phenomena of rainwater and ocean tide the rocks have been eroded leaving isolated pillars.

Our final stop was to explore the heartland of Acadian culture which is a region around Caraquet, settled by French farmers and fishermen who were expelled by the British when they gained control of Nova Scotia.

The Village Historique Acadian aims to show a traditional Acadian settlement using historical buildings that have been dismantled and relocated with volunteers playing the roles of the occupants over the ages, as the buildings ranged from 1650 to early 1900.The most impressive part of the day was how the volunteers took you back in time with their role play.

Eglise Sainte-Cecile is a beautifully decorated church on Lameque island on the very north shore of Acadia. Built in 1913 with very small windows, it had an original colour scheme of white pews and the rest of the interior decorated brown and beige.

Over time the use of oil lamps and candles coloured everything a dark brown giving the interior a foreboding dark and dreary effect. In 1968 Gerard D’Astous the new reverend decided to re paint the interior as a wonderland in memory of Cecilia a Roman noblewomen who had been canonised as the patron saint of flowers and music and loved colourful things. And who the church was named after.

His colour choices were contentious with some parishioners but he stood firm and told his decorator, a 21 year old Paul Gauvin, to paint a colour scheme that has in time given the building a name of “ Candy Church”

Tomorrow it is farewell New Brunswick as we head over the bridge to Prince Edward Island.