Saturday, September 10, 2016
Yesterday (Friday) was rainy and gloomy. We had already decided to drive east to get a
sense of Sydney (that’s Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada). That’s what we did.
Decided to drive around the city because a city is a city. Small but serviceable airport, different types of residential neighborhoods, plenty of restaurants, and all of the modern types of service conveniences we have come to rely on in daily life. To us – not too much traffic. But to the locals – lots of traffic.
Decided to drive around the city because a city is a city. Small but serviceable airport, different types of residential neighborhoods, plenty of restaurants, and all of the modern types of service conveniences we have come to rely on in daily life. To us – not too much traffic. But to the locals – lots of traffic.
About one and a quarter hours driving and we ended up in
Louisbourg to see the fortress. The
difference between a fortress and a fort – a fortress is designed to protect an
entire town; a fort is just a military outpost.
So the Fortress at Louisbourg surrounds the entire ancient town that was
the first settlement in Nova Scotia.
It
was French. The First Nation people also
visited and several, including the chief, ended up becoming Catholics (which
was, of course, the religion the French brought over). It’s now a national historic site (http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/ns/louisbourg/index.aspx). Almost all has been rebuilt, but there is a
place where you can see the original ruins and what are still being
excavated. During high season (which, of
course, we missed), people roam the streets dressed in period costumes and most
of the houses and buildings are open.
Our visit – coming on a shoulder period as it’s called – well, there
were a few costumed reenactors roaming the streets, but not much open. We did get a few pictures and did like seeing
what an actual fortress would have looked like.
But it was VERY damp and cool, so we didn’t spend more than a couple of
hours walking around. Then time for
lunch. But first -- here are some pictures taken while we visited the Fortress:
 |
| Not my picture -- couldn't find the right angle to show off the entire area |
Back at Goldie we met Colin and Trevor who have a Leisure Travel Van called a Unity.
It was parked right next to ours. As we chatted, we mentioned that we had been looking at the Unity on line – if we decide to go full time. They invited us in. VERY nice. But we shall stay with Goldie for now. Trevor and Colin were asking if we thought it was better to come visit the states now or wait until after the election. We just shook our heads and said they should go whenever they like. We think the exchange rate will change back in Canada’s favor after the election, but who knows. And really, the elections won’t change any of the tourism issues for Canadians – at least we hope. Seems like everywhere we go, Canadians want to talk with us about the crazy U.S. elections -- the candidates and the process. Anyway, Trevor and Colin – great people we hope to run into somewhere in our travels. Seemed like a fun couple of guys with whom sharing a beer or glass of wine would be delightful.
Today (Saturday) – well, today is a clean-up, do laundry, lay low kind
of day. It’s absolutely beautiful
outside, so sitting around, relaxing, and catching up on rest is a good
idea.
Tomorrow we start heading back
home – going slow through parts we haven’t seen (in Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick) before coming back into the states.
So we got all our chores done and after relaxing, went for a very early dinner to Baddeck Lobster Dinners -- the most highly rated restaurant in the area.
But being bored with lobster -- as if ANYONE could be bored with lobster -- we both chose the salmon. DELICIOUS. The thing about Baddeck Lobster Supper is you have to get there at about 4 p.m. (when they open) or else you're waiting FOREVER for a table (it gives a whole new meaning to limited seating). Good thing we hadn't eaten a big lunch. So -- early dinner. Then on our drive home through Baddeck:
Cape Breton Island is beautiful – we will miss it and will try to come back again.
More from our journey home...
Enjoy the
journey…Dona and Rick
