Day 33 Kingston

This morning we headed into the historic township of Kingston. In front of the Town Hall the road was closed as it was Multicultural Community day. Lots of stalls were set up representing the many nationalities that are in Kingston area.

We did one of the short self-guided walks to fill in time before having a tour down the St Lawrence River in amongst the 1000 Islands.

As the boat cruised down the river there was a narration about not only the islands but on the history of Kingston.

Kingston was originally the capital of Canada and John A. MacDonald was its first Prime Minister. The capital was moved to Ottawa as it was believed it would be safer as it would be a little further from the dangerous Americans. The Canadians and Americans had fought a war from 1812-1815 in this area. Canada won so the USA was unable to further their dominion. There is quite a bit of historical reference to this war along the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence river.

The houses built on the islands in this area have water and power delivered by cables running along the river bed, hence, there is a ban on anchors been used in many areas. Howe Island is the biggest island and has a road system.

As the border between the USA and Canada runs down the centre of the river, the islands are similarly divided between the two countries. Many islands have two flags flying. This usually means an American household living on Canadian soil. (they didn't say if it could also mean the reverse.)

After the cruise we then continued with some of the self-guided walks around the historic parts of Kingston, taking quite a few photos of the historical houses. It would be a great place to spend a few days just walking around and reading the history of the place.