Day 7 - Kings and Queens

The boys had another early morning as they arrived at St. Michael's Choir School with their host boys. At about 8:30 am, they bid farewell to friends, both new and old, from SMCS and started their trek to Kingston to begin their second half of their Canada tour. After a previous attempt on Monday to show a DVD on the bus, Rick (our bus driver) and the staff finally got the machinery working at the boys watched "Wall-E" on their way to Kingston.

Upon arrival, the boys had a lunch followed by an impromptu soccer match in City Park. The final score was 1-1 and Mr. Heywood even showed his old soccer form by scoring one of the goals! The boys then headed to Fort Henry, an historic site built around the time of Canadian confederation as protection for the city of Kingston. The boys went on a guided tour led by students of the Royal Military College and Queen's University who spend their summers in military training or community service at the Fort. The boys learned a lot about a soldier's life during the 19th century and were amazed by some of the facts they heard. Their visit to Fort Henry closed with a parade and demonstration that included the firing of a very loud canon!

After Fort Henry it was time to check in to the Confederation Place Hotel. Pumped to finally be spending some time together in a hotel, the boys were excited to go swimming in the hotel pool. Unfortunately, the pool was closed for renovations, so plans had to be changed fairly quickly. The boys watched some TV and did some quiet recreation in their room before eating dinner in the hotel dining room. After dinner, the boys took a walk along the beach and practiced skipping stones (or breaking rocks... different boys like different actitivies!) for a while. Inspired by the nature scenery around them, the boys sang "Mi'kmaq Honour Song" in an outdoor setting - something they had never experienced before. After the beach, the staff treated the boys to some ice cream before heading back to the hotel for a night of rest.

Tomorrow is off to Ottawa and a visit to Parliament Hill in the morning, before starting the journey back home in the afternoon, ending up in Port Hope where they will have a concert on Friday.