A visit to Cape Breton Island.....

Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada
2017 September 19 - Tuesday
It was another early morning today so I had to complete my morning routine quickly and was down in the breakfast room by 07:00.   There were several groups departing from the hotel, but our bus left on schedule shortly after 08:00.
After about a two hour drive, our first stop was the Mi’kmaq Cultural Centre, where we were given a presentation on the history of the Mi’kmaq, a First Nations people indigenous to the Maritimes and the Gaspe Peninsula.  Their territory was divided into eight traditional districts, each with its own government and boundaries. They’ve lived in this area for thousands of years and first established contact with Europeans in the early part of the 15th century. Their total current population is estimated at about 65,000.
In the Mi’kmaq Cultural Centre we were given a short presentation on their history, which I found very interesting.  The entire centre was very nicely done, and included not only displays but also a well stocked gift shop.  There was a large statue of Glooscap, the mythological chief of the Mi’kmaq at the back of the centre.  The tour director mentioned that when the statue was first installed, one part of it had to be rebuilt due to the position of one of the arms.   The side view from the highway appeared to show an erection, so the position of the arm had to be changed.
We stopped for lunch at a truck stop on the way to Cape Breton, and our group along with the usual customers probably overwhelmed the staff but they handled it well.  I chatted with Jim (our driver) for a few minutes and learned that he used to be a driver for the Canadian Army logistical corps, and was posted in Germany for awhile.  There was a small landing between the gift shop and the river, which was being used to assemble new transmission towers, and I found that interesting.
We then continued across the causeway to Cape Breton Island and stopped at a tourist information office briefly as the tour director had some business there.  During the stop, Jim displayed a large Cape Breton flag as he’s from this area.
We finally arrived in Baddeck and were driven to the dock area for our cruise on Bras d’Or Lake on a sailing ship called Amoeba.  The “lake” is actually connected to the Atlantic, so is not really a lake.   We had a few minutes to wait, so I started chatting with a couple of Paramedics who were just visiting on the docks.  I sat in the driver’s compartment of the ambulance while one of them explained how the ambulance system works in Nova Scotia, which is a bit different than B.C.  The government still owns the service and the vehicles, however they contract the operation to a private firm.
The boat finally arrived and we were each given PFD’s (Transport Canada regulations) and once everyone was seated, the boat got underway using an engine.  After it was out in the channel, the crew raised the sails.  Although the day was overcast, it was still thankfully warm at least when the wind wasn’t too strong.  Shortly after departure, the Captain instructed everyone to get their cameras ready and he threw a piece of raw fish into the ocean.  Within a few seconds, the “meal” was picked up by a circling Eagle.  No doubt the Eagle gets a meal every time the boat goes out.  One of the crew members asked for any passengers using an iPhone to set Air Drop “on” and he transferred a couple of excellent photos of the Eagle to our phones.  The owner apparently sails the boat to the Caribbean each winter.  What a life!
At the end of the cruise, the bus was waiting and we were driven to the nearby Inverary Resort which was just a short distance up the hill.  At this stop, the group were placed in three different buildings.  Fortunately my room is in the main building, which is where the restaurant is located.   However the other buildings aren’t far, so it’s not a long walk.
We had earlier chosen a reserved time for dinner, due to the fact that there are several tour groups here at the moment, and the restaurant can’t handle everyone at once.  I chose the 17:30 time slot and ordered the Cape Breton greens with maple dressing and the Salmon with seasonal vegetables, and carrot cake for dessert.  It was an excellent gourmet meal.
We will be here for two nights and it looks like tomorrow will be another early start, as we will be driving along the Cabot Trail.  There will be a Celtic musical evening tomorrow, which should be fun.
2017 September 20 - Wednesday
The breakfast buffet this morning was much the same as the previous hotel, with scrambled eggs, sausages & bacon, hash browns, toast, watermelon, yogurt, etc. Given the number of tour buses here at the moment, I expected the restaurant to be packed but it wasn’t too bad.
After breakfast I walked down the hill to the bus pickup point at one of the other buildings, and found that I was seated right at the back today.   Our first stop was the Gaelic College, where we had several presentations on Gaelic culture and history.  The college has now implemented a Gaelic second language course and there are several people in this area who are completely fluent, including one of the girls who gave a presentation and tried to teach us a few words (it’s a difficult language!). After the demonstrations, we were given a few minutes to browse through the gift shop.
One of our group “volunteered” for a demonstration on how to wear a Kilt.  This was made from a single large piece of green & blue tartan and once it was folded correctly, he had to lay on the floor for it to be wrapped properly.  He was outfitted with a wide belt and a Sporran and the presenter provided examples of how a Kilt could be used as the only garment for a wide variety of situations.
They also provided a demonstration of a “milling frolic”, with about a dozen of our group sitting around a large rectangular table and singing a Gaelic song while they rubbed a large piece of wool on the table.   This custom was used to shrink the cloth and make it warmer and more watertight, which would be desirable in the Scottish Highlands.
Following the College visit, the bus headed onto the Cabot Trail, which goes through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  We stopped at periodic intervals for washroom stops and coffee.  The roads were quite rough in some parts as well as being very twisty, and I noticed that cell coverage was somewhat erratic.  Towards the second half of the trip, there seemed to be a lot of road construction so that meant periodic stops by flag persons.
We stopped for lunch at a small country cafe at about 13:30.  We had made food choices the previous day from about eight choices, and the Tour Director had phoned the order in so our food was waiting.
After lunch we continued the drive, with several more photo stops. We also stopped at small road side cafe & ice cream stand, and there was a Trafalgar Tours bus there also.  The buses were provided by the same company (Coach Atlantic Group), so our driver and the Trafalgar driver knew each other.   I chatted with one of the Trafalgar tour members and she said there were about 52 on the bus.  After hearing that, I’m really glad I chose to travel with Insight!  Their group would also be in Baddeck tonight, along with several others.  The sun briefly made an appearance in several spots, which certainly improved the pictures.
At one of the stops, I asked the Tour Director about laundry during the tour, and she said that the hotel we’ll be using in Charlottetown has four washers & dryers, so I’ll have to make sure I get some laundry done.  We have all day Saturday free, and not sure what I’ll do that day?
We arrived back at the hotel just after 17:00 and I asked the tour director if the hotel restaurant was likely to be crowded, given the number of tours in town.  Once again I had the Cape Breton Greens, but they only served me a small portion tonight by mistake (they adjusted the price accordingly).  I also had the Chicken Supreme, which comes with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.  The main course took a long time to arrive, and the server said that they had to “make it from scratch”.   I again had the Rothschild Merlot, but no dessert tonight, which is probably a good thing as the prices are a bit steep.  The meal cost about $60!
After dinner I went back to the room to get changed, and shortly before 20:00 I walked down the hill to the Conference Centre, where our group would be enjoying a “Signature” Celtic music performance. The performers were Keith (guitar, percussion) and Chrissie (Fiddle).  They were very talented and played a variety of music, including Sweet Caroline which really got the audience moving. During one of the jigs, the Irish woman on our group provided an Irish dancing demonstration.  Towards the end of the show, the performers were able to coax six members of our group to come up for a square dancing demonstration.  At the end of the performance, I had a short visit with the very talented performers.  I was quite intrigued by the drum unit that Keith was using.  It appeared to be simply a wooden box that he was sitting on, but apparently it’s called a Cajon and is a very finely crafted musical instrument.   I’ve never heard of them, but apparently they’re quite common.  He offered to let me try it, but I wasn’t able to get very good results.  A few lessons and some practice would probably help.
Tomorrow will be another busy day.  My main pack has to be outside the door of my room by 07:30 for a “bag pull” (interesting term).  I must admit that it’s quite a treat not to have to haul my heavy luggage to the bus every time we change locations!  Tomorrow we’ll be attending a “Signature White Glove” experience at the Alexander Graham Bell museum, and then driving to Prince Edward Island which will involve a Ferry ride of about two hours.  We will be in Charlottetown for the next three nights so it will be interesting to see a different province.

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