As we left the 1000 Islands, we soon approached Kingston. This is the oldest city in Ontario, established in 1673. Here, we could take the Rideau Canal up to Ottowa, but instead we'll head for the Trent Severn Waterway on the west end of Lake Ontario.
We took a trolley tour of the city narrated by a student of Queens college, who interestingly was an American history buff.
This is a view of Fort Henry which was built in the 1930's. It is now staffed by college students dressed in period costume. The cylindrical building in front is one of the four Martello towers which were built in the 1840's during the Oregon Crisis. The four were placed strategically to guard the entrance to the harbor and the Rideau Canal.
This is the entrance to the Royal Military College of Canada, located on Pt. Frederick. Students here must be in the 96%ile of their high school in order to be admitted. After graduation, they are required to spend 5 years in the military.
These are a couple of buildings on the college campus. The college was established around 1812, the big building being built in 1832.
These are part of a group of students who participate in the sailing program on the college campus. You will see the sailboats in a later picture.
This is one of the buildings on the Queen's College campus. Most of the buildings were constructed of limestone.
This is a view of the maximum security prison located in Kingston. The city houses 9 of the 19 prisons in Ontario.
This is one of the buildings in Portsmouth which is a part of the city. Located near the prison, many of the guards lived in this area. The style of building is reflective of other buildings in the city.
This is a view of the city and harbor from Fort Henry. The harbor is called Deadman's Bay where many ships were sunk. Here you can see the students practicing....there were at least 75 boats out there, in various phases of expertise. Those who were most accomplished were far out on Lake Ontario.
We also toured the Fort which offered a beautiful view of the city, islands and Lake Ontario. There were at least 50 college students employed here, all in period dress, and manner. Extremely polite. There was a drill inspection and the cannon was shot off, as well as the guns. Each part of the drill was explained in both English and French. Dressed in the wool uniforms of the British (including gloves), I expected someone to faint in the heat. After the drill, we were taken on a guided tour of the fort which included the various quarters of the officers, recruits, mess hall, etc. During this time, the drill practice continued ! No pictures--my battery went dead so you'll just have to imagine.
Dinner was at an English Pub which had wonderful woodwork. I chose a boxtie (Irish dish) and Bob had an Irish stew dish but I can't remember what it was called. Both were good, though.
Before leaving Kingston, we took in the farmer's market in the square behind the government building. It was the nicest market I've ever been to (other than the one in the cities) and interestingly, this market has operated continuously on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for over 200 years !
