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Background MIDI music: "Évangeline" from THE GREAT CANADIAN TUNEBOOK, Sequenced by Barry Taylor, Victoria, BC
    
 
The blue and the green...
Those true and most noble colors,
Essence of Nature from that Blue Divide
Which forged our fathers' mettle
As the price for its green lands prize:
a blue and green arcadia.
How fitting the name Acadia!

- JRT Theriault

As we approched the shores of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, we were surrounded with the beauty of the 'blue and green'. It was a repeating theme thoughout our tour whether in the ancient fishing village of La Have where Jehan first set foot or in cosmopolitan Halifax while having lunch by the wharf. The air has a nip, the skies are pristine. And as far as the eye can see, the land is green... green... green!

We tried to capture those colors as we meandered our way around the Acadian peninsula. We have them here for you to enjoy. Certainly, it is not like being there... but it renders a hint of the feeling... feelings associated with not only the beauty of Acadia but also of walking the very ground that our grandfathers walked... of seeing the same scenery... seeing and walking on the very dikes that they built and the salt marshes which they cultivated into fertile lands... all with the strength of their backs, the courage of their character and conviction of their faith.

The emotions associated with touching an object that was touched by our ancestral grandfathers, or of walking the ground that was walked by them are complex, profound emotions and feelings. To me, it brings a renewed sense of wonder about their existence... their day-to-day lives... their joys and triumphs and their sorrows and failures. Seeing the same scenery that was seen by my ancestors brings me closer to them. 

And so it was, that My Fair Lady and I toured Nova Scotia... old Acadia. I, looking for my ancestors and anyone who would speak french, and Rosemary looking for that undiscovered inn, craft shop or antique. We had crossed over to Yarmouth from another of our favorite places, Bar Harbor, Maine, another important Acadian site and home of Acadia National Park. We hope you enjoy our photo tour of Acadia...
"La Hève",that point of land jutting into the Atlantic... that point of green into the blue. This is where Isaac de Razilly with his explorers and pioneers including Jehan Terriot landed in 1632. 


This is the point of land where our ancestral grandfather first set foot in October of that year. Winter was fast coming and there was no time to lose. This is the land they cleared. These are the trees they cut to build their shelters. This is the land they cultivated to produce their sustenance. 

Except for the tiny museum at Fort Point (a part of La Have), there is no hint nor evidence today of the French nor of the flurry of activity that they produced in the ensuing years. 
La Hève (later anglicized to La Have)  today is a quiet seacoast village just south of nearby Lunenburg. The Fort Point Museum at La have which is operated by the Lunenberg Historical Society, is a gem... it is loaded with artifacts and photos of its important Acadian history. The members of the staff are knowledgeable and very helpful. It is highly recommended.

We headed northwest across the peninsula from La Have to Port Royal, (present-day Annapolis Royal) at the northeast tip of the Annapolis Basin to try to trace the path of Jehan and Perrine in 1635-36 when D'Aulnay decided to move his settlers at La Hève to Port Royal. While we are not sure whether the early Acadians made their trek to Port Royal by sea or by land, it is more likely that they made their move by sea around the tip of the peninsula.
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