Kingston

On 10th of july we entered the city of Kingston. It has a population of 110.000. First of all this city seems to be a magnet to tourists, located along the waterfront and with it's many historic building. The most popular attraction is the cities old fort, Fort Henry.

Kingston has the distinction of being the oldest community in Canada. The history of Kingston begins back in 1673 when Robert Cavelier de La Salle, on the behalf of the Governor of Nouvelle-France, chose Cataraqui for the building of a fortified trading post of the same name. Soon Fort Cataraqui would be renamed Fort Frontenac.

War erupted between the French and the Iroquois in 1687. Two years later the fort would be abandoned to the Iroquois and destroyed. It wasn’t until 1695 after peaceful relations between the two sides that the fort was reoccupied and rebuilt by the French. The fort remained under French rule for many years.

During these years it was used as a key point in attacks against Iroquois and British forces on various occasions. The fort was captured and destroyed by the British in the Battle of Fort Frontenac near the end of the Seven Years' War in 1758. A receiving centre for fleeing refugees from the American Revolution, it became the primary community of south-eastern Upper Canada.

During the War of 1812, Kingston was the base for the Lake Ontario division of the Great Lakes British naval fleet, which engaged in a vigorous arms race with the American fleet, based at Sackett's Harbor, New York for control of Lake Ontario. After the war, Britain built Fort Henry and a series of distinctive Martello towers to guard the entrance to the Rideau Canal. Fort Henry still stands and is a popular tourist destination.

Now thats enough history. The city offers a wide specter of restaurants, shops (many quite special) and a lot of people in the street during summer time. You may also take a cruise on the lake - a dinner cruise is one of the possibilities.

We stayed in the city during "Buskers Rendezvous" which last from 10th to 13th, at least in 2008. It was held for the 20th time in the city. Professional from all of american seem to join this event. There were competition among the different artist to make the best show. We really enjoyed it.