Annapolis Royal and on to Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia

Fort Anne National Historic House

Today is a travel day with a short stop in Annapolis Royal. All this history is overwhelming but starting to make some sense. What is now Nova Scotia was the core of Acadia, a French colony established in 1605. The British conquered the region in 1710 and renamed it Nova Scotia, which is Latin for New Scotland. 

This place was called Port Royal, an Acadian settlement until France ceded to the British. Port Royal was renamed Annapolis Royal and served as the capital of Nova Scotia until 1749 when Halifax became the capital. 

Tapestry of Port Royal to Annapolis Royal

Dual Designation Park

So far we have largely been travelling the coast, but now we head inland to Kejimkujik National Park. (Pronounced Keh-jim-koo-jik) It's the only national park in Canada to hold a dual designation as both a National Park for preserving old-growth Acadian forests and a National Historic Site to protect a vast array of Indigenous culture including ancient canoe routes. 

Swimming in Kejimkujik Lake

We head to a beach just down from our campsite for a late swim before supper. The water is beautiful. 

Sky Circle for star gazing by daylight

This area is also known as a 'Dark Sky Preserve' for stargazing and public night-viewing. The 'Sky Circle' is a dedicated amphitheater designed for public viewing of stars with reclining seats. 

Around 10:30 pm we head to The Sky Circle, to watch the stars. There is a bit of cloud cover but we still see tons of stars.

Star Circle - tough to get a photo at night :)